Wildearth Guardians

Wild places: our wild places program protects and connects our national forests, wild watersheds and streams, and grasslands, while simultaneously countering the legacy of logging, road building, livestock grazing, and motorized vehicle use on our public lands. In march 2024, a judge ruled in favor of guardians and our allies to keep large tree protections in place across millions of acres in eastern oregon and eastern washington. In new mexico, we sued the forest service over livestock grazing impacts to the valles caldera national preserve. In response, the agency agreed to restore key fencing and round up trespass cattle to better protect habitat for the jemez mountain salamander, new mexico jumping mouse, and other threatened species.

Climate & health: wild earth guardians envisions a future free of fossil fuel extraction on public lands, replaced by just, sustainable community economies. Our commitment goes beyond ending extraction; it includes empowering impacted communities, safeguarding ecosystems, and ensuring polluting industries bear full responsibility for their harm. After years of advocacy and litigation by guardians and our partners, the bureau of land management (blm) finalized a rule to end federal coal leasing in the powder river basin of montana and wyoming once current coal leases are exhausted. After years of settlement negotiations, guardians reached an agreement with two federal agencies and a large irrigation district that will help keep the rio grande flowing through new mexico. In colorado, in response to a petition from guardians and our partners, the u.s.environmental protection agency rejected the air permit for the largest coal mine in the state.