In the first installment of a two-part series on the borderlands, Aaron and Lilly are joined by Laiken Jordahl, National Public Lands Advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, to discuss his work protecting public lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. Laiken shares a boots-on-the-ground perspective on what makes these places special and how border wall construction is actively impacting our public lands.

Plus, Kate returns to the pod! She and Aaron cover updates for BLM and National Park Service nominees, the withdrawal of the public lands rule, and more.

News

Pearce on a list of candidates Senate hopes to confirm soon — E&E News
Trump Just Withdrew Scott Socha to Lead the National Park Service — SFGate
White House completes review of BLM public lands rule — E&E News
Trump used Park Service to funnel millions to ballroom construction firm — New York Times
President’s Budget Proposal Slashes National Park Service Funding Amid Ongoing Attacks on National Parks — National Parks Conservation Association
Border wall map disappears from government website — Big Bend Sentinel

Resources

Find Laiken Jordahl on X, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram
Center for Biological Diversity
No Big Bend Wall
Mission Creep: How Trump is using the border to militarize our public lands — Westwise blog
Watch this episode on YouTube

Produced by Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: San Rafael Valley border wall construction. Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity

The post Borderlands part 1: The threats to public lands at the border appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.