Policy Corner: The Coordinated Strategy to Sell Our Public Lands + Breaking News

Bryan Pride • October 2, 2025

Thank you to everyone who submitted comments on the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule and the USDA reorganization. We've cycled through several comment periods over the recent months, including the current open comment period for the rescission of the Public Lands Rule. Your voices joined half a million people who participated in the Roadless Rule comment period with 99% of comments supporting protection of our forest by keeping them roadless. This level of engagement shows the administration that we the people are paying attention. 


But our work isn’t done. Even though we defeated Senator Lee’s amendment to sell off public lands in the Big Beautiful Bill, the administration is still pursuing that same goal through a more coordinated attack. The mass firing of federal employees, efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule, the Public Lands Rule, and the proposed reorganization of USDA create the conditions necessary for unprecedented extraction from and eventual sale of our public lands. 


What we're witnessing isn't a series of isolated policy changes, it's a coordinated strategy with the "Big Beautiful Bill" connecting each attack on our public lands.


The Strategy


The sale of public lands started with DOGE’s mass firing of thousands of experienced Forest Service rangers, BLM land managers, and National Park employees, dedicated public servants who had built expertise from boots-on-the-ground field work to policy development roles. The loss of these public servants also means the elimination of institutional knowledge of what sustainable land management looks like in practice. The administration then moved to make these cuts permanent by closing and selling federal office buildings. The Ukiah BLM office, which manages the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was initially threatened with closure but was eventually removed from the list. 


Removing the land managers was only one part of the plan. The Big Beautiful Bill passed through Congress with devastating budgetary cuts and protocol mandates for public lands and national forests. The bill, now signed into law, mandates destructive logging quotas: 250 million board feet annually from National Forests and 20 million board feet from BLM lands, with annual quota increases through 2034. The bill also requires agencies to award 20-year logging contracts to private companies, locking in extraction commitments through 2046. Logging levels this high haven't been seen since the 1900s.


While the Big Beautiful Bill is now law, agencies cannot implement these logging and extraction mandates unless existing protective regulations, the Roadless Rule and the Public Lands Rule, are rescinded. These rules prevent the Big Beautiful Bill’s quotas from being implemented, which strongly suggests why the administration is moving to eliminate them.   


The Roadless Rule has coexisted with national forest logging for 25 years. The Rule protects 58.5 million acres of sensitive forest by preventing new road construction in designated roadless areas, while allowing logging to continue in areas with existing roads. However, the mandatory extraction quotas in the Big Beautiful Bill require access to previously untouched, sensitive areas. Meeting these dramatically increased quotas means building roads through currently protected roadless areas. Rescinding the Roadless Rule is a prerequisite for implementing the Big Beautiful Bill’s mandates. 


The Public Lands Rule recognizes conservation as a legitimate form of multiple use alongside grazing, mining, logging and recreation. The Public Lands Rule hasn’t stopped these uses, it requires that these activities be managed sustainably to protect long-term land health. However, the mandatory extraction minimum in the Big Beautiful Bill prioritizes meeting quotas over sustainable management. Rescinding the Public Lands Rule removes the requirement to balance extraction with conservation, making it possible to prioritize extraction regardless of long-term impacts on public lands. 


The USDA reorganization completes the strategy by eliminating local expertise, moving California’s forest management out of state. With no local forester position to resist unsustainable quotas or provide expertise about our unique ecosystems, implementation of new extraction protocols becomes inevitable. 


The sequence reveals the coordination: eliminate the people who understand sustainable management, pass legislation mandating unprecedented extraction, then remove the regulatory barriers that would prevent implementation.


Why This Matters Now


The Big Beautiful Bill's extraction mandates are already law, but they cannot be implemented while protective rules remain in place. These rules alone make it nearly impossible for the administration to enforce the newly set and unprecedented logging quotas. The protective rules that would prevent devastating extraction practices are under attack. Without these regulatory protections, the already-passed mandates will transform our public lands in ways that may be irreversible. 


Help speak for our public lands and take action to protect conservation by signing on to Tuleyome’s petition opposing the rescission of the Public Lands Rule, and/or submit comments directly on the Federal Register, you have until November 10th. For more information on how to participate in the public comment process or other advocacy opportunities, contact Bryan Pride


Breaking News: Federal Government Shutdown


The federal government shut down at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. National Parks and public lands will remain open to the public, though each location will vary in the number of staff present. USFS and BLM will have reduced staff at both field offices and regional offices. Some staff will be furloughed, while others may be working without pay. Offices such as the Bureau of Reclamation have the ability to run and operate Lake Berryessa activities for at least two weeks due to their access to discretionary funds, this is not a reality for all agencies.


It is fire season. The Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture both released contingency plans for the lapse in federal funding. Both plans state that personnel directly related to wildfire response will largely be exempt from furloughs. The DOI's plan said National Park Service employees involved in fire suppression or fire monitoring activities will not be furloughed. USDA's plan said that employees who respond to and prepare for wildland fires will not be furloughed. Furloughs will still affect employees who are red-carded, or have wildland fire incident qualifications, but whose wildfire duties are secondary to their primary duties.


During the government shutdown, some services may not be available or will be delayed. With reduced ranger presence on public lands, take extra precautions: don't hike alone, let someone know your plans, and be sure to pack out what you pack in. 




RECENT ARTICLES

Monumental Questions - What is iNaturalist?

By Kristie Ehrhardt • April 9, 2026
Have you ever been hiking in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument (or almost anywhere else in the world for that matter) and come across a plant or animal and not been able to identify it? Have you ever thought, “hmmm, if only there was an easily accessible phone app that could help me identify this thing nearly instantly?” If that exact thought wandered through your cranium; boy, oh boy are you in luck! Enter iNaturalist! The iNaturalist app is primarily an online social community sharing their findings and information to network and help others learn about the environment. The iNaturalist website states that “INaturalist is crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool. You can use it to record your own observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect this kind of information for a common purpose, or access the observational data collected by other iNaturalist users.” iNaturaist was developed as a Master’s final project by Ken-ichi Ueda, Nate Agrin and Jessica Kline at UC Berkeley’s School of Information back in 2005; the same year that YouTube and Reddit were initially introduced to the public - a vintage year for social media developments! It officially launched in 2008 and work continued on the site and iNaturalist, LLC was born in 2011. By 2017 National Geographic was onboard and in 2023, what began as a student project became an independent nonprofit organization that grew into a globally recognized Citizen Science driven platform that connects millions of people to the biodiversity around them. iNaturalist is a compilation database that contributes valuable collective intelligence to conservation and science from around the world. iNaturalist is a valuable tool for species identification as well as organism occurrence crowdsourced information, it is also a practical resource for species identification and distribution. And guess what else! It’s free to use. Sound good? Want to know how you can benefit from iNaturalist? You can use iNaturalist to record your own species observations and locations. You can use it to help identify species you aren’t sure about or may be new to by using other individuals' entries. You can even work with other users to collaborate and continue to add information to the site or you can access other’s information regarding species observations and occurrences. You can look up and enter data using scientific nomenclature or common names. You can look at other’s photos and locations for reference and contribute your observations. Students and Professors alike are using and recommending iNaturalist. So how’s it been going? On March 20, 2008, the very first entry was made into iNaturalist. To save you from doing the math I’ll tell you that iNaturalist just had its 18th birthday! Guess how many observations people have recorded in those 18 years… you’ll never guess so I’ll just tell you - iNaturalist has over 3.5 million individual observations ! And it’s increasing every moment, you can literally watch the counter on their homepage rise. Guess how many individual species have been recorded! Not to be disparaging but you’ll never get it...iNaturalist is up to just under 560,000 species ! There are currently over four million registered individuals making and recording observations and more than 483,000 people helping other people by making identifications. In just 18 years, a student project has grown into a globally recognized and respected tool to make and record species observations adding information to a world-wide biodiversity database. If you want to be a part of this community simply download the iNaturalist app or go to their website and get out there and start entering your observations. The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument region is an incredible place to practice using iNaturalist because it hosts such a huge diversity of habitats and species.

Enjoying Outside! - Pestiferous Foxtails

By Kristie Ehrhardt • April 9, 2026
I’m sure a lot of us already know the danger that foxtails pose to our dog and cat friends and hopefully nobody reading this minds, but I’d like to try extra hard to make sure that everyone reading this knows about the menacing nature of foxtail barley. Foxtail barley ( Hordeum sp.) is a member of the grass (Poaceae) family and is native (I just learned this!) to North America. Although it is a native species, it is considered “weedy” because it readily establishes and can outcompete other species because it thrives in both moist and drought prone environments. It is also known by other cute little woodland creature names such as squirreltail barley, bobtail barley and skunktail barley but lemme tell you, it’s not as endearing as the common names suggest. The name “foxtail” is a general term for grasses in the Hordeum (barley genus). Foxtail barley (foxtail) is a perennial bunch grass that thrives in previously disturbed areas and is somewhat unique in that it is tolerant of saline and/or alkaline soils where the majority of other upland species cannot survive. Foxtails can germinate in the spring or the fall and those that germinate in the fall resume growing early the following spring often outcompeting other spring germinating plant species. Because it is salt tolerant it can be found on coastal beaches and along the edges of brackish and salt marshes as well as road sides, yards and fields. Foxtail usually doesn't exceed one three feet tall when left undisturbed but if the plants are mowed, they can flower and produce seed much closer to the ground as well. Seed heads are pale green and appear as a square-shaped (characteristic of barley) bushy spike. The stems are erect with soft blue-ish gray-green rolled leaves and seed heads have long awns. Since plants can’t get up and wander about, they need a method to disperse their seeds. That method for foxtails is mainly by hitchhiking on other things that move from one location to another. Up close, individual seeds look like a fox’s bushy tail and their shape helps them to attach to your pets and you. And because the seeds are barbed, they can get embedded in our furry friend’s ears, eyes and skin and often requires a vet’s steady hand (and your pocketbook) to remove them. They can be especially dangerous and sometimes fatal if they get into your pets nose or blood stream. Right now, at least for a few more days, the foxtails are still green and soft. But, as the temperatures rise and the vegetation begins to dry out, the hazards posed by foxtails begin to rise with the mercury. As the seed heads mature they become golden in color and very fragile. This is when they are the most dangerous to our pets as they are easily broken apart from the plant. Eventually the seeds get harder and drop to the ground where if stepped on they can embed themselves into your bare feet or your pet’s paws. Although it seems nearly impossible to avoid foxtails there are some ways to help you and your furry buddy continue to enjoy hiking through the Berryessa Snow Mountain National monument or a leisurely stroll through your neighborhood. Avoid areas where you’ve seen foxtails before and pay attention to where your friend wanders - especially during the summer months when the foxtails are dry and brittle Keep your dog’s fur trimmed and short so there’s less surface for the seeds to attach to Do a quick nose to tail check for foxtails after each walk or hike being sure to check between their foot pads A basket muzzle may help keep their nose and mouth clear of foxtails while still allowing your pup to pant If your furry friend is coughing, gagging, sneezing, snorting or pawing at their face or ears or limping, there may be an embedded foxtail that you aren’t able to see. It’s best to have them checked out by a vet to make sure they are all clear. If they have picked up a foxtail, removing it as soon as possible is usually less invasive for your companion and your wallet. Just by spending a little extra time and effort, you and your pets can still Enjoy Outside even during foxtail season!

Science Corner -Swainson’s Hawk, an impressive long-distance migrant!

By Kristie Ehrhardt • April 9, 2026
Finally, they’re back!! I’ve been waiting and watching for them and just this week I heard the first one of the summer. Swainson’s hawks ( Buteo swainsoni ) make an impressive journey every fall and then do it again in reverse every spring. Where do they go and why is it so impressive you ask? Stay tuned and find out! Our Swainson’s hawks, the hawks that summer here in California’s Central Valley, that raise their babies in old cottonwoods and valley oaks along our riparian areas, the same hawks that weigh less than two pounds and gorge themselves on grasshoppers and rodents all summer long, travel all the way to ARGENTINA! That is nearly 6,500 air miles and would take 18-20 hours on a commercial flight without any layovers. Are you impressed? If not, consider the fact that they do that epic journey TWICE a year! Swainson’s hawks are a close relative of our year-round resident, the Red-tailed hawk and are similar in size and habitat requirements. Swainson’s hawks have two color morphs; a light morph and a dark morph, and although both sexes wear the same colors and patterns, females are typically slightly larger and heavier than males. In the light color morph both females and males sport a chocolate-colored “bib” with a white throat and face patch and bright yellow rostrum. Their tails are barred and their flight feathers are dark with a light-colored leading edge - a unique color pattern in North American raptors. Dark morphs are all dark chocolate brown with the same barred tail with a light patch just under it. Swainson’s hawks occur roughly west of the Missouri River during the warm summer season and like some people I know, take off for warmer regions when the summer weather turns chilly. In California, Swainson’s hawks nest primarily in the Central Valley although there are small populations in northeastern California, Shasta Valley, Owens Valley and the Mojave Desert. Historically it was estimated that California supported over 17,000 breeding pairs but in 1980 that number had declined to only 375 breeding pairs. In 1988 it was up to an estimated 550 breeding pairs statewide and in 2005 the number of breeding pairs had inched up to just under 2100. They were listed as a threatened species in California in 1983 due primarily to habitat loss.  An endorsement of their adaptability, Swainson’s hawks have not only learned to co-exist with many agricultural practices but they in fact thrive alongside irrigated pastures and tractors which has helped their number improve. Swainson’s hawks have learned that the rumble of a tractor pulling a harrow disk equates to what we might consider a drive through meal. They’ve also learned that when a rancher turns on the water and begins to flood irrigate a pasture, that advancing waterline flushes out underground rodents resulting in a heavenly smorgasbord of unwelcome pests to the human behind the water controls. I’ve seen 20 hawks lined up following the waterline with 20 more circling waiting their turn at the chow line. If their migratory journey hasn’t impressed you, their rodent/lizard/grasshopper eating capacity surely will. These gourmands will gorge themselves so heavily that they realistically cannot lift themselves off the ground for a time which results in oodles of hawks hopping about like unathletic feathered toads. Mutualism at its finest - the hawks get a gourmet meal and farmers and ranchers get free pest control. If their stamina and gluttony doesn’t impress you, maybe this will. It’s not uncommon for wild Swainson’s hawks to live and continue breeding into their 20’s. But that’s not just hanging around and raising babies in the laid back summer months. During those 20 years, that individual bird has flown about 260,000 miles to safely return to the same area, perhaps the same tree, that held the nest that it fledged from. That’s undeniably impressive!