By Nick Cahill
(CN) Looking to create a flood of new outdoor recreation opportunities in California’s majestic redwood forests and foothills, the state’s new U.S. Senator Alex Padilla on Monday unveiled plans to protect over 1 million acres of undeveloped federal land.
Coined the Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, Padilla’s legislation would grow existing national monuments, create a new 400-mile scenic trail and boost efforts to restore forests and rivers damaged by decades of illegal marijuana grows.
Padilla, a Democrat appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom after Padilla’s predecessor Kamala Harris became vice president, called public wildlands “the nation’s greatest treasures” and said his legislation would not only increase outdoor access but help slow global warming by restricting new oil wells and logging operations.
Clouds hang over the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. (Courthouse News photo / Chris Marshall)
(CN) Looking to create a flood of new outdoor recreation opportunities in California’s majestic redwood forests and foothills, the state’s new U.S. Senator Alex Padilla on Monday unveiled plans to protect over 1 million acres of undeveloped federal land.
Coined the Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, Padilla’s legislation would grow existing national monuments, create a new 400-mile scenic trail and boost efforts to restore forests and rivers damaged by decades of illegal marijuana grows.
Padilla, a Democrat appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom after Padilla’s predecessor Kamala Harris became vice president, called public wildlands “the nation’s greatest treasures” and said his legislation would not only increase outdoor access but help slow global warming by restricting new oil wells and logging operations.
Extension of Applications of Permit to Drill (APDs)
Lease suspension
Applications for royalty relief
Notably, the March Memo specifically states that the above list is not exhaustive. And, to the extent approval is discretionary (i.e., extensions of APDs), we suspect an oil and gas lessee or operator will have difficultly receiving approval for those above-listed actions.
Although the March Memo is not addressed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) serves as a technical advisor to the BIA and is required to approve certain actions that impact Indian tribal and individual trust and restricted lands. The March Memo fails to make this distinction, thus raising the question whether the March Memo also excludes actions taken with respect to Indian tribal and individual trust and restricted lands.
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News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
A Denver Neighborhood Creates Green Space to Improve Community Health
Members of Groundwork Denver, Denver Parks & Recreation, and community volunteers at the Platte Farm Open Space in Denver.
Photo from Groundwork Denver
Once a dumping ground for trash and industrial pollution, Platte Farm Open Space now has gardens, trails, and play areas enjoyed by the whole community.
Apr 27, 2021
With the arrival of spring, Platte Farm Open Space, in the diverse, working-class neighborhood of Globeville in north Denver, comes alive with native grasses, pollinator gardens that attract bees and butterflies, and wildflowers, such as Mexican hat, asters, poppies, and gaillardia.
[Photo: Christoph von Gellhorn/Unsplash]
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If you’ve ever set foot on the Appalachian Trail, visited a national park like Joshua Tree, or even taken advantage of a neighborhood park in your home town, you’ve probably reaped the benefits of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Established in 1964 by Congress to conserve land and provide outdoor recreational spaces, the program has funded hundreds of thousands of projects. Now, there’s an interactive map that lets you explore where they all are.
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[Screenshot: The Land and Water Conservation Fund]The map, created by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, which does conservation work across the country and often uses Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants, lets anyone zoom in on their favorite town or city to see what parks and trails exist thanks to LWCF, or explore iconic outdoor spots across the country. LWCF funds federal, state, and local projects, and until this map, that dat