Defenders Joins Over 100 Conservation Groups Opposing Wilderness Rollbacks

The Department of the Interior today launched a sweeping review of longstanding policies protecting millions of acres of America's wildest public lands, forcing the public to navigate five separate comment processes across three federal agencies. The unprecedented review, which requested "information and recommendations" regarding unspecified "revisions," drew significant backlash from over 100 conservation organizations across the country concerned that the administration is targeting decades-old safeguards for wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas and other wilderness-quality lands across the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service.

The review comes amid a much broader dismantling of the rules, policies, staffing and public processes that have protected America's public lands for decades. The Trump administration has already moved to rescind conservation safeguards, weaken public land planning and public participation, roll back protections governing motorized use and dramatically expand oil, gas, mining, logging and other industrial development.

The wilderness policy review now puts another layer of those safeguards at risk. For generations, these wild places have supported hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, wildlife watching and other backcountry experiences. Weakening wilderness stewardship in the name of "access" creates a false choice between recreation and conservation: protecting wilderness is what preserves many of the recreation experiences Americans are seeking. These places also protect and sustain clean air and water, wildlife habitat and Indigenous cultural and spiritual connections.

The end of the comment period now puts the decision back in DOI's hands. The Department must decide whether to maintain the longstanding policies that have successfully guided wilderness stewardship for decades, or continue an administration-wide effort to dismantle America's public lands.

"These wildlands represent some of the last intact, undeveloped public lands we have left, and they matter far beyond their boundaries," said Maddy Munson, senior planning and policy specialist for federal lands at Defenders of Wildlife. "Wilderness-quality lands serve as important habitat and connective tissue across the landscape, allowing wildlife to move, migrate and adapt. In an era of increasing habitat fragmentation and a changing climate, protecting these irreplaceable wild places is fundamental to biodiversity and species survival."

"Weakening longstanding wilderness management policies will not serve our public lands or the American people who use and value them," said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney at Earthjustice's Rocky Mountain Office. "This administration has shown time and again that it prioritizes corporate profit over people, and it would be beyond disappointing if these open-ended review processes are used to sacrifice our most remote, pristine public lands to advance that agenda."

"Nevada has over 50 Wilderness Study Areas that could be at risk from weakening these management policies," said Shaaron Netherton, executive director at Friends of Nevada Wilderness. "Our WSAs provide critical wildlife habitat, protect cultural areas, support amazing backcountry recreation and much more. They are the BLM's crown jewels and have been protected from development for over 40 years - illegal attempts by the administration to open them to development is a travesty that we can not allow to happen."

"There is no need or compelling rationale for upending policies and frameworks that have preserved and protected wilderness and wilderness-quality public lands for decades, said the National Wilderness Coalition, a network of more than 55 local, state and national organizations. "The administration's review creates tremendous uncertainty for all who rely on public lands - from small business owners to Tribal Nations, hunters and anglers to families seeking quiet and solitude. Comprehensive, consistent management of wild landscapes is essential for present and future generations, thriving economies, critical ecosystems and our shared heritage. We'll continue to fight for these irreplaceable lands despite the Trump administration's attempts to industrialize and commercialize them."

"Roughly 2.25 million acres of public lands in Montana are at risk if these policies are weakened," said Hilary Eisen, federal policy director at Wild Montana. "Affected lands include the majority of Glacier National Park, much of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, two wilderness areas and 37 Wilderness Study Areas spread across the state. These are cherished landscapes, already delivering world-class hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, birdwatching and more. Nothing in the current policies restricts those and many other uses. We see this review as part of a broader pattern of attacks on public lands that includes rescinding the Public Lands Rule and repealing the Roadless Rule."

"These are the wildest lands we have left and the administration's wilderness review is simply a Trojan horse designed to open these places up to irresponsible development," said Michael Carroll, director of the BLM program at The Wilderness Society. "Americans have been clear, we want our public lands and wilderness areas conserved. Weakening wilderness stewardship in the name of 'access' is a false choice - protecting these places is precisely what keeps them worth visiting, both today and for future generations. This is one more front in an administration-wide effort to dismantle America's public lands, and Interior should reject it."

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposed changes to wilderness management threaten some of the wildest places in the Northeast," said Zack Porter, executive director at Standing Trees, which works to protect and restore public lands across New England. "From the Monomoy Wilderness and Parker River Proposed Wilderness in Massachusetts, to the Missisquoi Proposed Wilderness in Vermont, to the Moosehorn Wilderness and Bois Bubert Island Proposed Wilderness in Maine, FWS manages some of the most important wild landscapes in our region. The last thing these wild places need is weakened protections from the Trump administration."

"Wilderness-quality lands managed by the National Park Service conserve some of the nation's most critical natural, cultural and scenic resources, and are widely used and loved by millions of Americans," said Bob Krumenaker, chair at Keep Big Bend Wild. "These areas serve as vital economic engines for gateway communities. People value the undeveloped landscapes in Big Bend and other national park units in large part because they remain undeveloped, yet accessible via trail and on their edges via roads. The existing policies have successfully guided wilderness stewardship in the National Park System for decades, deftly integrating the conservation and visitor enjoyment components of the statutory agency mission. In fact, wilderness lands in the National Park System epitomize both conservation and enjoyment for future generations, as the law mandates."

"Wilderness and wilderness study areas are beloved crown jewels of our BLM National Conservation Lands, vital to local communities who depend on them for clean air, fresh water and world-class recreation," said Kara Matsumoto, senior policy director at Conservation Lands Foundation. "We firmly oppose any rollbacks to the essential policies guiding the stewardship of wilderness quality lands and demand that the BLM maintain strong protections for their pristine wilderness character."

"Americans have spoken clearly: they want our wildest public lands protected, not drilled, mined, industrialized or commercialized," said Athan Manuel, director of lands protection program at Sierra Club. "These longstanding wilderness policies help safeguard clean water, wildlife habitat, cultural resources and the backcountry experiences that millions of people treasure. Weakening them would be another step in this administration's broader effort to dismantle the protections that keep our public lands healthy and accessible for future generations. The Department of the Interior should listen to the public and preserve these commonsense safeguards."

"California holds some of the most beloved wilderness-quality lands - from the Cadiz Dunes Wilderness in the desert to the Sacramento River Bend near Red Bluff and beyond," said Mark Green, executive director at CalWild. "While the Department of Interior hasn't provided any justification for the proposed "review" of its policy manuals related to stewardship of wilderness and wilderness-quality lands, we can only presume that the outcome will be attempts to prioritize extractive uses and development at the expense of places that Californians love to visit and recreate in. No short-sighted, privately profitable exploitation of our public lands is worth what it will cost us all."

"This review isn't really about 'access, it's about handing our wildest landscapes over to motorized and industrial interests at the expense of everyone and everything else that depends on them, as we've seen this administration try to do in myriad ways," said Anneka Williams, policy director at Winter Wildlands Alliance. "Strong wilderness management supports the backcountry community that recreates on wild landscapes, the wildlife that relies on healthy and intact ecosystems and the gateway towns and communities that depend on wild places. Access is about balance; changes to the wilderness protections send a clear message that balance is not a priority."

"For reasons not made known to the public, this administration is seeking to review the basic guidelines for all aspects of wilderness management, guidelines that were developed over many years and by multiple administrations-both Republican and Democratic," said Michael Painter, coordinator at Californians for Western Wilderness. "They have been effective in keeping our wilderness areas managed in accordance with the Wilderness Act of 1964. Given this administration's rhetoric and record, it is not difficult to imagine that this is simply another step in the process of dismantling protections for the country's public lands and other natural resources. Time and time again, Americans have overwhelmingly shown their love and support for our national public lands. Our hope is that the agencies in the Department of the Interior will heed the voice of the American people."

"The designation of wilderness areas, Wilderness Study Areas and lands with wilderness characteristics is grounded in years of fieldwork, scientific analysis and professional expertise by dedicated public employees," said Chandra Rosenthal, rocky mountain director at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. "Weakening protections for these lands dismisses the work and judgment of the public servants who have spent their careers identifying, studying and protecting some of our country's wild places."

"New Mexico is home to some of the most iconic and biologically diverse Wilderness Study Areas and wilderness-quality lands in the country," said Bjorn Fredrickson, conservation director at New Mexico Wild. "These places provide essential wildlife habitat, places of deep cultural significance for Indigenous and traditional communities and are essential to our outdoor recreation economy. BLM's current manuals already provide clear, workable guidance to manage these lands responsibly. Weakening them in the name of 'access' is a false choice, since protection of our wild places is exactly what keeps them worth visiting. It's a transparent attempt to roll back decades of hard-won consensus, and we urge the Department to abandon this process and stick with the proven standards New Mexicans and the American public already support."

"This administration's order threatens to upend the bipartisan tradition of protecting wilderness areas at the highest level," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. "Wilderness areas from Crater Lake to Glacier to the Great Smokies offer rare opportunities for solitude and the exceptional backcountry experiences that many of our national parks are prized for. This did not happen by accident. Intentional, consistent practices led by experts at the National Park Service have protected these iconic places for future generations. This review threatens to throw out conservation as we know it by upending 50 years of established wilderness stewardship in our national parks and public lands."

"This coordinated push by the Interior Department threatens to dismantle vital safeguards for not only Washington State's fragile backcountry ecosystems but for all wildlands across the nation," said Timothy Coleman, executive director at Kettle Range Conservation Group. "We urge the administration to abandon these rollbacks and honor the clear demand by the people to permanently protect our remaining public lands." "Here in the Central Wasatch on the edge of Salt Lake City, we walk a delicate balance," said Jack Stauss at Save Our Canyons. "Salt Lake City overuse and over-development have long been a burden to our natural resources like ecosystem habitat, dispersed recreation and critically, our watershed. Our watershed in these mountains fosters clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people everyday. Our wilderness areas here in the range protects and enhances the qualities of these resources. To gut the Wilderness Act and the lands it supports is antithetical to the needs of both the landscape and all of us that rely on it. A change to our wilderness policies would be shortsited and completely detrimental to future generations."

"Although the Trump administration is fixated on sacrificing our remaining wild public lands to corporate interests and destructive uses, they underestimate the importance and value of these places to the American public," said Neal Clark, wildlands director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "Wilderness and wilderness-quality lands are some of the most cherished places for families to camp, hike, sightsee, hunt and fish in Utah. They provide clean air and water, critical habitat for wildlife and endless opportunities for rejuvenation and recreation. For all of these reasons and more, we oppose any changes to existing policies that puts wild landscapes at risk."

"Wilderness-quality lands are what make wilderness possible," said Chris Knopf, executive director at Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. "They're the buffer that keeps our wildest places whole, part of the balance Americans struck six decades ago between the human world and the natural one. Protecting them prevents fragmentation, preserves wildlife and creates a space for priceless human experiences. These are places families camp, where friends reconnect to fish and hike, where we seek solitude or a personal challenge. It's part of the country that hasn't been carved up. Weakening the management of these lands under the guise of 'access' isn't fooling anyone. This is a move to strip public lands of the wild character generations have cherished. This is an attack on a tradition both Republicans and Democrats have upheld and championed. It is part of a radical agenda that serves a privileged few at the expense of every American who owns these lands."

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America's wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.

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