Nature Under Trump

• Trump released his 2026 budget request. Congress is now deciding on the 2026 budget. Passage of the budget will require 60 votes in the Senate. So we can defeat Trump's proposal if we take action.

• Origin & Funding History:  Created by Congress in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) channels offshore oil and gas lease revenues into parks, trails, and wildlife areas. It was permanently funded at $900 million annually via the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020.
• Nationwide Reach: The fund supports conservation in all 50 states - as you can see in this interactive map of LWCF projects. It funds initiatives in national parks, wildlife refuges, battlefields, local parks, ball fields, bike paths, and community playgrounds. 
• Trump Budget Proposal:  The FY 2026 Trump budget seeks to divert $387 million from conservation and recreation grants to deferred maintenance on federal lands.
• Violation of Law:  The Great American Outdoors Act, explicitly directs LCFW money to be spent on land acquisition and recreation, not deferred maintenance.This means any attempt to redirect LWCF dollars toward maintenance violates the intention of the law.
• Conservation Threatened:  The diversion would derail hundreds of local recreation and land-acquisition projects.

• The Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition advocates specifically on behalf of the LWCF. Please follow them on social media Engage with their posts to boost their reach. 
• Please call your representative and call your senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to reject Trump's proposed diversion of LWCF funding. 

• What Comes Next: The Administration’s announcement triggers a new rule making process. This will include a 60-day public comment period and ultimately a final decision. So far there has been no indication when the rule making process will begin.
• Rally for Public Comments: When the public comment period is announced, we need to spread the word far and wide. We need to rally the public to submit a massive number of comments in support of the keeping the Roadless Rule restrictions in place.  

• History of the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule was adopted in 2001 under Bill Clinton. The rule was the product of a 3-year process that included 600 public meetings and 1.6 million public comments in favor of adopting it. 
• Roads Dominate Our National Forests: An estimated 380,000 miles of roads criss-cross our National Forests. This is 8 times longer than our entire US Interstate highway system. 
•  Roadless Areas Are Wild: Roadless protection keeps forests wild. Many roadless areas under the Rule have wilderness-like qualities with little human impact. They offer some of the best opportunities in the United States for outdoor adventure including hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, hunting, and fishing.  
• Roadless Areas Protect Water Supplies: Roadless areas include the headwaters for 358 municipal watersheds that provide the drinking water for millions of Americans. The Roadless Rule protected these water supplies.
• Wildlife Needs Roadless Areas: Many species of wildlife need large unbroken blocks of habitat or their populations will drop. This includes wide-roaming animals such as wolves and grizzly bears. It also includes forest birds such as the wood thrush.

• Build Public Awareness: Right now, we need to inform the public Start with yourself. Read more about this issue. Share posts on social media. Comment on posts to boost their reach. 
• Follow These Organizations: Please follow the nonprofits that are leading the advocacy efforts: Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Wilderness Society. They will let you know when the public comment period opens. Engage with their content to boost their reach.

• On May 21, the House removed a land sale provision before approving the budget reconciliation bill.
• On June 29, the Senate moved ahead with the budget reconciliation bill without the land sale provision. It had been blocked by the Senate Parliamentarian. Senator Mike Lee (R) unsuccessfully attempted to reinsert a modified version of the provision. This saga is over for now. 

• Longtime Goal:  The privatization of our public lands has been a longtime goal for activist groups like the Heritage Foundation. 
• House Provision:  Republicans in the House added a provision to Trump's tax cut legislation that would set aside 460,000 acres of public lands to be sold off to local government and private entities. 
• Senate Provision:  The Senate was considering an even worse provision that would mandate the sale of 2 to 3 million acres of BLM and US Forest Service lands to the states.
• No Use Restrictions:  There were no restrictions on how the land could be used - they could even be resold to private developers. 
• No Environmental Reviews:  There was no requirement for environmental reviews. This means even the most sensitive lands could be sold and developed.

• Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is one of many conservation organizations that rallied opposition to this harmful action. This battle may be over for now but the fight over protecting our public lands continues. You can support our public lands by continuing to stay engaged with organizations like SUWA. Please follow them on social media or via email alerts. 

• Urgent: Congress is now negotiating the FY2026 budget. USGS EMA supporters are advocating for full funding at 2025 levels ($299 million). Trump's budget request for USGS EMA is $0. We need to do everything we can to secure full funding.
• On May 9, a judge issued a temporary restraining order that paused Trump's unilateral layoffs and funding freezes affecting USGS EMA.

• Scope and Scale:  USGS EMA includes 16 regional science centers, 43 cooperative research units on university campuses, 1,200 staff, and $326 million in 2024 funding. 
• Research Mission:  It conducts and supports world-leading scientific research on endangered species, ecosystem health, wildlife disease, climate change, and invasive species. 
• Unilateral Cuts:  Trump has already laid off staff at USGS EMA and frozen grants - all without congressional approval. 
• Proposed Elimination:  Trump is also trying to eliminate the USGA EMA through Congress. His FY 2026 budget request proposed eliminating USGS EMA entirely.

• URGENT: Please call your representative and call your senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to oppose any funding cuts to the USGS Ecosystem Mission Area. 
• The professional societies in ecology - Ecological Society of America, The Wildlife Society, and American Fisheries Society - are advocating very hard to prevent these cuts in the 2026 budget. Please support their efforts. Follow them on social media and get involved with their advocacy activities. 

• The battle for the future of NOAA has spread to the Congress where they are now negotiating the 2026 budget. We can stop funding cuts to NOAA Research Programs in the 2026 budget if we take action. 
• Unfortunately, Trump has already made large scale cuts to NOAA without Congressional approval. 

• Mass Layoffs:  At least 880 NOAA employees have been laid off with more terminations threatened. 
• Self-Sabotage:  The administration has already shutdown programs and projects. For example, it abruptly ended it's 40-year old, Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database. 
• Severe Budget Cuts:  Trump called for a 74% cut to NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research in his 2026 budget proposal. 
• Elimination of Institutions:  He also proposed elimination of NOAA's research laboratories and its 16 cooperative institutes involving 80 partner universities. 
• Lawsuit Filed:  The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against NOAA in May 2025 for failing to release public records related to staff layoffs, grant cancellations, and program shutdowns.

• URGENT please call your representative and call your senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to fully fund NOAA Research Programs at 2025 funding levels. 
• Union of Concerned Scientists is one of several organizations that is championing NOAA and opposing the Administration's dismantling of the agency. Please follow them on social media and get involved with their campaign to save NOAA. 

• On May 27, 2025, the Department of Justice issued a legal opinion asserting that the President can downgrade or entirely eliminate existing national monuments.
• The Trump administration plans to gather tribal and congressional feedback by July 18, 2025 before making a decision.

• Formal Review:  In February, 2025, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, initiated a formal review of six national monuments. 
• Development-Driven Motive:  This review will decide if the monuments should be reduced in size or eliminated to unlock oil, gas, and mining development.
• Monuments At-Risk:  The list of monuments being reviewed include Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalante, Organ Mountains‑Desert Peaks, Ironwood Forest, Baaj Nwaavjo Kukveni (Grand Canyon), and Chuckwalla.
• Scale and Significance:  Together, these monuments protect 5.4 million acres of land and receive 6.4 million visitors annually. They include some of the most scenic and biologically and archaeologically important lands in the Western US.

A local nonprofit champions each of these national monuments. Most of these are very small but powerful local voices for conservation. At a minimum please follow them on social media. And any help you can provide will go a long way. 

• Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition - Bears Ears 
• Grand Staircase Escalante Partners - Grant Staircase Escalante 
• Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks - Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks
• Friends of Ironwood Forest - Ironwood Forest 
• Grand Canyon Trust - Baaj Nwaavjo Kukveni (Grand Canyon) 
• Protect Chuckwalla National Monument - Chuckwalla 

• To date, funding has not been restored. 

• Urban Forestry Partnership:  Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, provides funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to nonprofits engaged in urban forestry projects. 
• Funding Cancelled:  The Trump Administration - citing a directive prohibiting DEI programs - cancelled $75 million in funding that was set to fund over 100 nonprofit urban tree planting initiatives. 
• Local Impact Example:  An example of an effected project: Alief Super Neighborhood Council which was set to receive $250,000 to plant thousands of trees in Alief, one of Houston’s most heat-stressed neighborhoods. 
• Tribal Projects Cut:  Other examples of cut funding - sixteen tribal organizations were awarded $8 million to support community forestry on indigenous lands. 
• Severe Consequences:  These funding cuts jeopardize the future of tree planting projects and - in some cases - of entire organizations. 

• First, please support Arbor Day Foundation.
• Second, please support local organizations engaged in urban forestry. You can find a partial list here. 

• URGENT:  Trump proposed total elimination of AmeriCorps in his 2026 Budget request.  But the budget will need 60 senate votes to pass. So we can stop this if we act.
• Good News:  A court ordered Trump to restore AmeriCorps funding.  However, it is unclear if the administration will follow the ruling. 

• What AmeriCorps Does: AmeriCorps is like the Pace Corps, but in the United States. Members dedicate up to one year of service to their country in exchange for professional development and very modest pay. 
• Massive Terminations:  Trump terminated 32,000 AmeriCorps volunteers, and cancelled $400 million in AmeriCorps grants to nonprofits and agencies. This has resulted in closure of over 1,000 local service programs. 
• Staff Layoffs:  Trump laid off 85% of AmeriCorps agency staff. 
• A Huge Loss:  Ending AmeriCorps would be a huge loss for nature conservation and local communities. Americorps volunteers do critical work. They build and maintain our nation's trails, reduce wildfire risk, control invasive species, and educate our youth. 
• Legal Action:  24 Democrat-led states and DC filed suit in the courts to reverse the cuts. 
• Public Backlash:  There has been local outrage nationwide about the cuts. This includes in redstates like West Virginia, Ohio, and Wyoming. 

• Follow Voices for National Service on social media (or subscribe to their emails). Engage with their content. Follow their upcoming Action Alerts very closely. 
• Visit their Take Action page. They outline more actions you can take right now. 

• On May 22, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kāpaʻa, the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, and the Center For Biological Diversity against the Trump Administration, challenging its actions to open the National Monument to industrial fishing.

• Founding and Scale:  Established by Bush in 2009 and expanded by Obama in 2014, this National Marine Monument protects 490,343 square miles of ocean and five uninhabited island or atoll complexes.
• Ecological Significance:  It protects fish populations, coral reefs, and deep-sea life found nowhere else on earth. It also protects endangered and threatened wildlife, including sharks, rays, seabirds, blue whales, and the leatherback sea turtle.
• Fishing Reopened:  On April 17, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to reopen the National Monument to commercial fishing.

• The Pacific Island Heritage Coalition is a diverse coalition of cultural practitioners, scientists, and nonprofit organizations. It has been the most active group in organizing public support for the monument.

• URGENT:  The Senate is now considering Trump's tax cut bill that eliminates $267 million in NPS funding. We need to push the Senate to either kill the bill or to restore the NPS funding.
• URGENT:  The House and Senate will be drafting and voting on the 2026 budget. Trump has proposed steep cuts to NPS funding. We need to push the House and Senate to reject Trump's proposed cuts and fund the NPS at 2025 levels. 

• Staffing Reduced: So far, 13% of NPS staffing has been reduced from the federal hiring freeze, layoffs, and buyouts. Additional reductions in workforce have been planned. This would further reduce NPS staffing levels. 
• Major Budget Cuts Proposed:  For the 2026 budget, Trump has proposed over $1 billion in funding cuts to NPS operations and grants program. This would be a 30% drop from 2025 levels. It would likely result in the closing of many park units. 
• State Control Transfer:  Trump also proposed transferring control of some parks to the states. 
• Funding Clawed Back:  Separately, on May 25, the House passed Trump's tax cut bill, which rescinds $267 million in existing NPS funding. This money was previously approved under the Inflation Reduction Act. 

• National Parks Conservation Association is the leading advocacy organization specifically for the National Park Service. 
• Please call your senators and ask them to vote against the $267 million funding cuts for National Parks in the budget reconciliation bill.
• Please call your representative and call your senators about the 2026 budget. Urge them to fully fund the National Park Service at 2025 funding levels and to reject the transfer of any parks to the states. 

• Conservationists view this policy change as unconstitutional and against the MBTA’s purpose. However, no lawsuits have been filed yet.

• Law Reinterpreted:  The Trump administration weakened the 107-year old Migratory Bird Treaty Act by issuing a memo that reinterprets the meaning of the law. 
• Limiting Protections:  The administration now asserts the MBTA prohibits only intentional killings of migratory birds—not avoidable deaths caused by industrial activity.
• Industry Exemption:  This reinterpretation would exempt industries from penalties for avoidable bird deaths (AKA incidental take) from activities like oil drilling and construction.
• Conservation Backlash:  According to National Audubon Society: "These protections from “incidental take” have successfully been implemented by both Republican and Democratic administrations for decades and have saved millions of birds."

• National Audubon Society has historically led litigation and grassroots campaigns to defend the MBTA. You can help by following and supporting their efforts.

• Victory for now! The House's mining provision near Boundary Waters was removed from Trumps "big, beautiful" bill, meaning it won’t proceed in the Senate.
• Despite the setback, the administration announced their intention to pursue lifting the moratorium unilaterally via executive action.

• Executive Order Signed:  Trump signed an executive order in March to fast-track mineral extraction on federal lands and avoid existing environmental protections. 
• Congressional Action:  Subsequently, a U.S. House panel approved legislation to overturn a 20-year mining moratorium in the Superior National Forest.
• Attempt to Reinstate Leases:  The bill would also reinstate canceled leases for the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
• Pollution Threat:  Conservation groups warn that the project could cause acid mine drainage that contaminates the Boundary Waters, one of the most pristine freshwater ecosystems in the U.S.

• Multiple local organizations are working to oppose these actions including: Friends of the Boundary Waters, Save the Boundary Waters, and Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. 

• On April 4, FEMA terminated all BRIC grant funding - including funding for this project - calling the grants "wasteful." 
• There has been no word that project funding has been restored.

• Floodplain Restoration: This project would restore the Little Conewago Creek floodplain back to its pre-settlement condition. 
• Intended Benefits:  Project benefits would have included: mitigating flooding, eliminating land loss due to bank erosion, improving water quality, restoring critical habitat, and enhancing recreational opportunities. 
• Funding Cancelled:  Trump cancelled federal funding for the project ($5.8 million).
• Program Source:  Federal funding for the project was awarded from Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
• About BRIC:  The $882 million BRIC grant program - established under Biden - helps communities prevent widespread damage from future flood events. 

• The nonprofit, Choose Clean Water Coalition, is advocating for the restoration of funding for FEMA's BRIC program.

• Since Trump's announcement there has been no news yet on the project moving forward.
• Congress removed language from Trump's tax cut bill that would have approved the 210-mile Ambler mining road.

• Federal Approval Reinstated:  In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order reinstating federal approvals for the Ambler Mining Road. This 211-mile industrial route would run through remote Alaskan roadless areas including Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. 
• Previously Suspended:  The Biden administration had previously suspended the project due to environmental and tribal concerns. 
• Ecological Impact:  The road would cut through sensitive caribou habitat and subsistence lands. 

• A coalition of nonprofits called Defend Brooks Range is vigorously opposing the project. Please follow them on social media and support their efforts.

• Trump's proposed change to the ESA has initiated a rule making process. This opened up a public comment period that just closed on May 19, 2025. Conservation nonprofits rallied the public and 323,576 comments were received in response to the rule change. 
• The agencies are now reviewing comments and preparing a response. No final rule has been issued yet.

• Pillar of Conservation:  The ESA is the bedrock law for protecting endangered species and their habitat. Weakening the ESA would be catastrophically bad for conservation in the US. 
• Species Protected:  The ESA protects over 1,700 species of plants and animals in the United States from extinction. 
• ESA in Action:  Examples of species the ESA has saved from extinction: Bald Eagle, California Condor, Grizzly Bear, Humpback Whale, Florida Manatee, Black-footed Ferret, Whooping Crane, Peregrine Falcon, Tennessee Purple Coneflower.... and many, many more.

• Organizations like the Center for Biological Diversity are actively opposing these rollbacks. If the ESA is weakened, they will lead lawsuits opposing the changes. Please follow them on social media and consider donating to their efforts. 

• A judge ruled that the dismantling of USAID was unconstitutional but it doesn't look like the administration has unfrozen grant funding. 

• Global Reach:  Through USAID, the US provided critical funding to over 5,000 international conservation initiatives ($375 million in 2023). 
• Project Examples:  Examples of USAID funded projects included efforts to combat illegal wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia, preserve forest ecosystems in the Congo Basin, and protect marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle.
• Loss of Leadership:  The cuts end decades of U.S. leadership in global biodiversity protection, leaving critical habitats and endangered species with much less international support. 

• We recommend supporting nonprofits like World Wildlife Fund that have been leaders in international conservation fundraising and that partner with local efforts to protect biodiversity. 

• On May 7, the Trump administration filed a motion in court to vacate Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie-chicken.
• Center For Biological Diversity and Texas Campaign for the Environment have taken legal action in response. The species remains protected for now, but its future depends on the outcome of the case.

• Protections Removed:  The Trump administration has moved to strip Endangered Species Act protections from the lesser prairie-chicken, a grassland bird - known for its dancing mating rituals. 
• Sharp Population Decline:  The lesser prairie-chicken's population has dropped to around 30,000 birds - a 97% decline since 1800. 
• Habitat Loss:  The lesser prairie-chicken has lost approximately 85% of its available habitat due to oil and gas drilling, agriculture, and development. 

• American Bird Conservancy is leading the advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts to protect and recover the lesser prairie-chicken. Please follow them on social media and support their efforts any way you can. 
• Center for Biological Diversity is leading the legal challenges to the administrations action on this issue. 

• On April 25, TerraCorp announced that they would be closing due to termination of their funding.  
• On June 5, a judge ordered the Trump Administration to restore federal funding to AmeriCorps. However, there has been no word from TerraCorps that it will be reopening. 

• Mission and Roles:  Since its founding in 2010, TerraCorps has placed volunteers in service roles doing trail building, invasive species control, youth education, and other critical work. 
• Recent Service Impact:  In 2024, TerraCorps placed 43 members in 11-month service terms supporting local conservation organizations 
• Funding Terminated:  On April 25, Trump illegally terminated $400 million in funding for AmeriCorps. This resulted in the early termination of all 43 members of TerraCorps. It has also forced the nonprofit to close.

• TerraCorps has set up an emergency assistance fund for terminated TerraCorps members in need. Please consider donating.

• As of June 2, RISE has confirmed that federal funding is still frozen for this project. 

• This project would restore and protect 3 miles of coastal shoreline and maritime habitats to improve local ecosystems and build stronger barriers against storm surges.
• Other project details included local workforce development, beach pollution control, and native plant production. 
• Trump cancelled $11.2 million in federal funding that had previously been awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act's Community Change Grants. 

• You can help this project's future prospects, by supporting the lead local nonprofit RISE any way you can.

• Oil exploration could begin as soon as winter 2025, according to reports. 
• Environmental and Alaska Native groups are continuing to pursue legal avenues to stop drilling in ANWR. 

• Founding and Scale:  ANWR was established in 1960 by Dwight Eisenhower. Today, it is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the United States System. 
• Ecological Importance:  ANWR's Coastal Plain is an ecologically sensitive area. It provides vital habitat for the Porcupine caribou herd, among many other Arctic wildlife species. 
• Reinstating Leases:  On March 20, the Department of the Interior announced plans to reinstate previously canceled oil and gas leases in the refuge's Coastal Plain.
• Moratorium Reversed:  The order rescinds the Biden-era moratorium on drilling activities in the refuge.
• Strong Opposition:  This decision has sparked strong opposition from environmental groups and Indigenous communities, particularly the Gwich’in Nation, who view the area as sacred and essential to their way of life.

• Gwich’in Steering Committee is a powerful local voice in opposition to drilling in ANWR. Please follow them on social media, engage with their content, and support them any way that you can. 

• On May 9, 2025, Trump signed a proclamation lifting the restriction on commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
• Conservation groups have said they will fight this action but have yet to file suit.

• Ocean Sanctuary:  Sitting 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, this monument covers 3.1 million acres of ocean.
• Biological Richness:  According to US Fish and Wildlife Service, "The Monument is know for its abundance of marine mammals, deep-sea corals, rich diversity of fishes, sea turtles, and seabirds."
• Critical Marine Habitat:  The Monument protects at least 10 dolphin species and 13 whale species including the endangered sperm whale, sei whale, and fin whale.
• Unique Geological Features:  The monument protects 4 underwater seamounts and 3 submarine canyons. 

• New England-based nonprofits advocating for the monument include Conservation Law Foundation and New England Aquarium. Please follow these organizations on social media and get involved with them.