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The Wild Idea is an exploration of the intersection of wild nature and our own human nature. The hosts, Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds, through conversations with experts and thought leaders will dive into the ways that humans have both embraced and impact the function and vitality of our remaining wild places.
[upbeat music] Welcome to the Wildline, where land stories are the lead stories. This is our report for May 15th, 2026. This is Bill Hodge from Anacortes, Washington.
And this is Anders Reynolds from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bill, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared in front of the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday in order to defend the Trump administration's FY 26-27 Interior Department budget request. He faced tough questions from Democrats on proposed cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the closure and elimination of science facilities, no-bid vanity projects in Washington, D.C., and in particular, his inaction on renewable energy projects when Americans are facing high energy prices. On that final point, Congressman Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from Rhode Island, played for the secretary a video from his time as governor of North Dakota, where he effusively praised wind power as an energy solution. But most disturbing for me, Bill, was an almost offhand comment by Secretary Burgum where he referred to designated wilderness areas as death sentences for forests because firefighters are not allowed to take mechanized equipment in to do fire suppression.
Well, on that topic, in Idaho, as we projected on last week's Wildline, the Salmon Challis National Forest took the extraordinary step this week to authorize chainsaws in the section of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness that they manage by select groups for certain months for the next three years. By select groups, they meant outfitters and guides. The outfitter community has been pushing for chainsaws, a prohibited tool in wilderness, for decades, and have apparently found a willing partner in the current leadership in the Forest Supervisor's office, the Forest Service leadership in D.C., and even in the Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources office.
Returning to the Hill, a new bill from Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, would further delay new federal protections for the North Atlantic right whale. North Atlantic right whales remain critically endangered. Fewer than four hundred remain, with only an estimated seventy reproductive females. Entanglements in vertical fishing gear remain the single biggest threat inhibiting their recovery. Mr. Golden's bill seeks to stall federal action addressing this threat and prohibit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, from issuing new regulations regarding gear from 2028 until 2035. In a frankly surprising move, in a frankly surprising move, the White House released a memo just days after the bill's introduction saying it, quote, "strongly supports the plan" and that President Donald Trump's senior advisors would recommend he sign it into law if it passes through Congress. That path through Congress could start next week if Mr. Golden's bill is included in a hearing scheduled for the House Natural Resources Committee next Tuesday. That hearing is one that Bill and I will be watching closely, as we expect it will also include Wyoming Republican Harriet Hageman's HR 7695, which would nullify the Roadless Area Conservation rule. In our show notes, you'll find a link to a letter in opposition to this misguided bill to the House Committee on Natural Resources from the Conservation Law Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America.
In other NOAA news, NOAA Fisheries announced up to ninety-nine million in funding through the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund to support projects that restore habitat and rebuild Pacific salmon and steelhead populations. For projects like this to be approved, they must align with President Trump's executive order on restoring American seafood competitiveness, which the White House says is intended to strengthen U.S. fisheries, create jobs, and expand the domestic seafood supply. Projects approved under the EO must demonstrate clear benefits for fish populations while also supporting local economies, especially in rural areas.
Speaking of wildlife, last week the Colorado State House joined the Colorado State Senate in passing the Wildlife Collision Prevention Act, a crucial measure to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions across the state. The measure now heads to Governor Jared Polis for his signature. The legislation passed the Senate on April 13th.
Vehicle collisions with wildlife are a significant concern in Colorado, costing lives, damaging property, and placing financial burdens on families. According to roadkill data from the Colorado State Patrol, approximately seventy-five hundred crashes with animals occurred on roads across the state in 2024 alone, and there's speculation that number could be higher due to underreporting. From 2010 to 2024, these tragic accidents resulted in forty-eight motorist fatalities and over five thousand injuries. State transportation officials nationwide have identified a lack of funding as the primary barrier to building wildlife crossing structures and safer transportation infrastructure for drivers and other road users. The bipartisan legislation that passed last week addresses that problem in Colorado by establishing a new collision prevention fund with dedicated annual funding for wildlife crossing projects, including conservation of habitat on either side of the crossings to ensure that animals can continue to access them in perpetuity. This new account will be funded by an optional five dollar fee that Colorado residents can voluntarily choose to pay during their vehicle registration process. These dollars can also be used for federal grant match requirements, allowing Colorado taxpayer dollars to be leveraged for a greater return on this initial investment. Wildlife crossing structures, such as overpasses or underpasses that allow animals to safely cross roads, have proven to yield a high return on investment by significantly reducing collision rates. For instance, a series of wildlife crossings on State Highway 9 in Colorado reduced crashes with wildlife by ninety-two percent. Across the political spectrum, eighty-seven percent of Coloradans support building wildlife crossings, according to recent polling.In addition to saving lives, these projects will reduce insurance claims and minimize costly road closures. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, every hour the I-70 mountain corridor is closed costs the surrounding communities up to two million dollars in lost economic activity. Relatedly, a diverse coalition of interests is working with CDOT to create three new wildlife crossings on I-70 at East Vail Pass that would facilitate safe passage for wildlife, including the threatened Canada lynx in Colorado's central mountains. Said Governor Jared Polis, quote, "This is a great step towards reducing human-animal collisions and keeping everyone that travels our state safe. I'm excited to build upon our great work across Colorado, including the I-25 Greenland Wildlife Crossing, which is the largest in North America. These efforts can reduce crashes by more than 90%, saving lives and money, and we'll expand on our success to build more infrastructure across Colorado to keep human and animal travelers safe." End quote.
More of the week's headlines following this short break. And back to the Wild Line. Just south of Colorado and in other good news, the New Mexico Congressional Delegation announced the introduction of the Caja del Rio Protection Act late last week, which would designate the Caja del Rio as a Bureau of Land Management National Conservation Area and U.S. Forest Service Special Management Area to permanently protect the region. I've had the chance to hike in this stunning landscape, and it represents a treasure trove of key cultural sites and critical habitat for elk, deer, and other species. This first step toward protection in the region clocks in at just over 100,000 acres and is in northern Santa Fe County.
Finally, Bill, on Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management published a notice finalizing the elimination of the Public Lands Rule. The agency said it had received and responded to nearly 140,000 public comments concerning the plan to rescind the rule. But despite the fact that the vast majority of comments received opposed rescinding the rule, they ultimately determined that eliminating the rule was necessary because it, quote, threatened to restrict productive use of the public lands and introduced uncertainty and unnecessary burdens in planning and permitting, end quote. Formally called the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, it was finalized in May 2024 under the Biden administration. It provided guidance to finally follow the BLM's nearly 50-year-old congressionally mandated charter, which calls for long-term management of land for multiple uses to ensure a sustained yield of natural resources. In short, it was the first rule in BLM's history to formally put conservation on equal footing with extraction, oil and gas, mining, logging, and grazing. And it required science-based decision-making, conservation considerations within multiple land uses, and a focus on sustaining public lands for the long-term benefit of wildlife and the American people. Here is Tracy Stone-Manning, president of the Wilderness Society, on this setback and her thoughts on a way forward.
And it's just so unfortunate because really what the rule is about is providing consistency to the BLM
for managing for the health of our public lands. That's it. What's not to like about managing for the health of our public lands
so that future generations get to use them like we did? The fortunate thing
that is still out there is a whole administrative and legal record about why the public lands rule makes sense. And I expect that people will lean on that record in the future to ensure that the concepts, if not the rule itself,
see the light of day again. Because really, the American public wants us to manage our public lands for the health and productivity for current generations and future generations. And what this rule did was help enable that the government did that in a consistent way.
The rescission goes into effect in 30 days.
That is our report for May 15th. We will be back next week with another edition of the Wild Line and next Tuesday on the Wild Idea podcast. We visit with historian, author, former solicitor of the Department of Interior, John Leshy. Until then, act up and run wild.
The Wild Line is a production of Wild Idea Media. Production and editing by Bryn Russell at Podlad. Digital support by Holly Wilkoszewski at Daypack Digital. Our theme music, Spring Hill Jack, is from Railroad Earth and was composed by John Skehan. The executive producer is Lara Hodge. Learn more about us at thewildidea.com.