WildEarth Guardians

A Force for Nature

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Photo Credit: USDA

Protect public lands – connect vast landscapes where wildlife can roam

Public Lands

Our greatest conservation opportunity is protecting and connecting the West’s vast landscapes where majestic wildlife can roam—from the largest grizzly to the smallest meadow jumping mouse; where birds can soar and sage grouse can strut; where fish thrive in water that is pure and clean; and where people experience the primal power of the wild.

Yet the federal government and corporate interests have other ideas, and are bent on destroying public lands, waters, and wildlife with increased logging, mining, livestock grazing, oil and gas development, motorized use, and even more roads.

Guardians combats this culture of extraction with connection, protection, and healing, deploying strategies from education and restoration to advocacy and litigation to preserve and restore America’s wild places, wild rivers, and wildlife. We think and act at the local, regional, and West-wide levels: from the unparalleled biodiversity of the Greater Gila in New Mexico to the majesty of Glacier National Park, from the mountain sources of rushing rivers along their flow through the Pacific Northwest, we strive for vast, interconnected landscapes teeming with the diversity of life.

The Status of the Grizzly Bear: Has it Really Recovered?

Five leading experts present their findings.

WATCH FULL VIDEO

Public Lands Program Work

WildEarth Guardians plants native vegetation along riversides once scarred by livestock grazing, protects wild landscapes from disruptive and damaging motorized off-road vehicles, and much more.

Public Lands in Public Hands

Protecting public lands from agencies, Congress, modern-day robber barons, and everyone else who seeks to privatize them

Rewild Lands and Waters

Removing unneeded roads from public lands, maintaining roads that are still needed, and restoring passage for fish when roads block their spawning grounds

Grazing Permit Retirement

A proven strategy to equitably resolve conflicts between historic uses and modern ecological realities

Moderating Motorized Use

Keeping off-road vehicles and snowmobiles off of fragile landscapes to protect wildlife and water quality

The Greater Gila

Safeguarding the diversity and dynamism of the Greater Gila Bioregion, including working with ranchers to retire grazing allotments and return Mexican wolves to their ancestral homeland

What the Heck is Rewilding?

Find out more about rewilding in this blog post from Guardians’ Pacific Northwest Conservation Manager.

Recent Stories From Public Lands

sam ruscavage-barz wildearth guardians

The doctor is in

August 10, 2022

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz lays down the law for the Wild as WildEarth Guardians legal director

Read more >
sam ruscavage-barz wildearth guardians

The doctor is in

August 10, 2022

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz lays down the law for the Wild as WildEarth Guardians legal director

Read more >
sam ruscavage-barz wildearth guardians

The doctor is in

August 10, 2022

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz lays down the law for the Wild as WildEarth Guardians legal director

Read more >

Public Lands Press

Large Trees, Bad Projects

Counter Punch | Jul 22, 2022

Imagine the largest tree you ever saw. Maybe you remember looking up, trying to see all the way to its crown. Maybe you recall wanting to stretch your arms around the tree.

Read more >

All Public Lands Op-Eds

Conservation Groups Respond to Utah Lawsuit Challenging National Monuments Restoration

National Parks Conservation Association | Aug 25, 2022

The state of Utah has filed suit against the federal government, challenging President Biden’s restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

Read more >

All Public Lands In the News