public lands

public lands

Latest in public lands

Glowing outline of a fictitious dinosaur in Arches National Park to symbolize missing fossils in deserts. Illustration.

The ghosts of the dinosaurs we may never discover

the moon over the red plateaus of the Petrified Forest National Park

The 12 most underrated national parks in the US

By Popular Science Team

a beautiful desert canyon landscape basked in the glow of the setting sun

How tribal co-managing movements are transforming the conservation of public lands

A person in the distance walks through fields of bright red, orange, and yellow leaves

The arctic tundra’s fall foliage is as vibrant as it is short-lived

By Helen Bradshaw

Moose calf running from grizzly bear in shallow water

A wedding videographer filmed a bear preying on a moose—during the groom’s vows

By Dac Collins / Outdoor Life

American beaver swimming with head out of water

Wolves and beavers can have magical ecosystem effects—if they have space to thrive

SpaceX rocket launch facility near Boca Chica, Texas.

What SpaceX’s final Starbase permits could mean for Texas wildlife

By Kristine Liao

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota at dusk with a crowd of visitors

Why national parks are cracking down on fireworks, ebikes, and other harmful fun

By Kristine Liao

A rafter and his black Lab on the New River in West Virginia.

The story behind our new national park and its unique legacy

By Natalie Krebs/ Outdoor Life

three black-footed ferrets

Endangered Species

The fight to save America’s most endangered mammal

The Trump border wall made of concrete and steel on the edge of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona

Endangered Species

How the Trump border wall sapped a desert oasis dry

By Lucy Sherriff

The White House covered in snow

The Trump administration’s environmental legacy can be undone. Here’s how.

By Purbita Saha

Alaska’s northern coast

Drilling the Arctic refuge doesn’t make sense—but Trump wants it to happen anyway

By Jeremy Deaton/Nexus Media News

William Perry Pendley, Bureau of Land Management.

One of the country’s top environmental officials has been serving illegally

By Andrew McKean/Outdoor Life

A black and white photo of a census taker with a big family full of children

Six ways the 2020 census will change your life

By Sara Kiley Watson and Purbita Saha

The Brooks Range sets the backdrop for vital caribou feeding grounds in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

The Trump administration opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies—but none may bite

By Scott L. Montgomery/The Conversation

A National Park mountain range against clear blue and lightly clouded skies overlooking a wooded forest area.

The Great American Outdoors Act proves that grassroots advocacy and democracy still work

By Robinson & Krebs/ Outdoor Life

A sockeye salmon in very shallow water.

Local opposition to Alaska’s Pebble Mine grows as the project reaches the next milestone

By Bjorn Dihle/ Outdoor Life

Many national parks remain open during the pandemic. The man in charge explains why.

By Alex Robinson / Outdoor Life

bears ears monument

National monuments help local economies