In this week's public lands news briefing, we covered four stories:

- Mike Lee pushes the latest effort to repeal the Roadless Rule, a landmark conservation policy protecting 58 million acres of national forest land.

- Department of Homeland Security waived dozens of environmental laws to accelerate construction through the Big Bend Region for an updated border wall.

- Ed Stierli from the National Parks Conservation Association joins us to discuss growing concerns over National Park Service funding priorities and controversial projects moving forward on the National Mall.

- RideApart Editor-in-Chief Jonathon Klein helps unpack President Trump's decision to rescind decades-old off-road vehicle directives and what the change could mean for conflicts over public land and recreation access.

REMINDER: Starting June 1st, we will no longer release episodes on Fridays. Our next public lands news briefing will be released on June 22nd.

Subscribe to the Outdoor Minimalist newsletter: ⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠

Sources & Resources

NPCA Website: https://www.npca.org/

Big Bend Border Wall: https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/trump-administration-waives-environmental-laws-to-blast-border-barriers-roads-through-big-bend-national-park-2026-06-08/

June 10th Senate Committee Meeting: https://www.energy.senate.gov/hearings/2026/6/business-meeting-to-consider-pending-legislation

New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/climate/park-service-fees-washington-trump.html

RideApart: https://www.rideapart.com/info/team/jonathon-klein/

ORV Executive Order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/05/removing-unnecessary-and-counterproductive-restrictions-on-access-to-federal-lands/

It can feel impossible to find joy when the headlines never seem to let up.

From attacks on public lands and environmental protections to growing uncertainty for the people who steward these places, many of us are carrying a constant sense of urgency, grief, and overwhelm.

But what if joy isn't a distraction from the work?

What if joy is what sustains us through it?

In episode 224 of Outdoor Minimalist, I sit down with podcaster, former U.S. Forest Service employee, and public lands advocate Liz Crandall to talk about resilience and the role joy plays in challenging times.

Together, we explore how to stay informed without becoming consumed by the news cycle, the importance of caring for ourselves as we advocate for the places we love, and why local action and community connection matter now more than ever.

Liz is the creator and host of Rangers of the Lost Park, a podcast that helps listeners better understand public lands through the stories of the people who work in and care for them.

As a former federal employee who was directly impacted by recent workforce cuts, Liz brings both personal experience and professional insight to conversations about public lands. Throughout our conversation, she reminds us that joy is not separate from the work of protecting public lands and that it's often what makes that work possible.

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Rangers of the Lost Park

Website: https://rangersofthelostpark.transistor.fm/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RangersoftheLostParkPodcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rangers-of-the-lost-park/id1822915251

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rangersofthelostpark

In this week's public lands news briefing, we cover three stories:

1. Republican-controlled Congress includes mining leases for Twin Metals in Northern MN in the Fiscal Year 2027 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill

2. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Department of Agriculture signed a new agreement that could allow the use of M-44 devices on BLM-managed lands once again ft. Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense

3. Representatives Joe Neguse of Colorado and Jared Huffman of California introduced the Public Lands Workforce Stability Act ft. Representative Jared Huffman, California's Second Congressional District

Subscribe to the Outdoor Minimalist newsletter: ⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/

Sources & Resources

M-44 Predator Defense: https://predatordefense.org/m44s.htm

Lethal Control Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Md98jAS2Q

Exposed Documentary: https://youtu.be/qSV8pRLkdKI?si=JgHpJalyPYRMInE-

Public Lands Workforce Stability Act: https://neguse.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-neguse-and-huffman-introduce-public-lands-workforce-stability-act

FY27 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill: https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/committee-releases-fy27-interior-environment-and-related-agencies

In episode 223 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we explore the connection between outdoor literacy, geography education, and environmental stewardship with educator and creator Natalie Teboul, also known as Traveling Miss T.

Natalie shares how her Math Maps curriculum helps students engage with public lands through hands-on mapping activities, making outdoor education and spatial literacy more accessible for kids both inside and outside the classroom.

Natalie Teboul is the owner of NBTutors LLC, founder of The Learning Space at Inspired Movement, and creator of Traveling Miss T.’s Math Maps. A former classroom teacher in New York City and San Diego, Natalie combines her background in math education and creative writing to develop engaging, adventure-based curriculum for students.

What began as a pandemic passion project has grown into partnerships with more than 50 public land sites across the country, helping connect kids to national parks, geography, and environmental education through interactive learning experiences.

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Traveling Miss T's Math Maps

Website: https://travelingmisst.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingmisst/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travelingmisst

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@travelingmisst

Episode 140 featuring Sydney Stephens was originally posted on July 1, 2024. This episode is a repost.

Now, two years later, hearing how to safely interact with bears feels more relevant than ever.

We're seeing the vilification of predators under the Trump administration in Alaska, Minnesota, and beyond. These animals are just trying to survive, and perhaps it is time that we humans learn how to coexist.

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In episode 140, we enter bear country. Now, we’ve talked about bears on the show before with bear biologist Garret Tovey (⁠Episode 85⁠). That episode is a must-listen if you are planning to enter the bear country and want to know some practical bear safety tips.

In this episode, we sit down with another bear biologist, but this time have a chance to hear about the bigger picture of bear conservation as a whole and what we can do to better coexist with larger predators like bears.

Sydney Stephens is an experienced biologist with expertise in research, teaching, and outreach. Her work spans diverse fields including biology, chemistry, and geography. She is passionate about community outreach, and engages in guest lectures and museum tours, and has worked internationally and with incarcerated populations.

Fieldwork highlights include studying bears, sheep, and lions across Lake Tahoe, India, and Kenya. At the time of the original recording, she was conducting research on wild bear populations in Italy and the Yellowstone region of the United States.

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Sydney Stephens

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-rae-stephens-37a6b3b5/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydnystphns/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydney.stephens.319/

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sydney-Stephens

IORAA: https://www.ioraa.org/

This week’s public lands news briefing covers:

1. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum returns to Congress to defend the Trump administration’s FY27 Interior budget proposal

2. The Department of the Interior transfers 1.4 million acres in Alaska’s Dalton Utility Corridor to the State of Alaska with John Gaedeke

3. Alaska’s controversial Mulchatna bear control program continues amid ongoing legal challenges and scientific debate over predator control and caribou recovery with Jeff Stetz.

Subscribe to the Outdoor Minimalist newsletter: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/

Sources & Resources

House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/GJZ61HLI8s0

DOI Press Release — Dalton Utility Corridor Transfer: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-transfers-14-million-acres-dalton-utility-corridor-state-alaska

Alaska Department of Fish and Game — Mulchatna Herd Information: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm

At the beginning of April, I published an article for SFGATE asking a simple but complicated question: Do clothing take-back programs actually reduce clothing production and fashion’s environmental impact?

After speaking with brands like Levi Strauss & Co., Patagonia, and The North Face, the answer wasn’t exactly clear. Every brand approached take-back and resale differently, with different goals, systems, and definitions of success.

Our guest today, Pancho Gomez, has spent the last two decades working at the intersection of technology, the outdoor industry, and social responsibility. Most recently, he led the Customer Experience team at Trove, helping build trade-in and resale programs for brands including Patagonia, Arc'teryx, Levi’s, and Carhartt.

So I had to ask him: Are gear and clothing take-back programs actually helping build a circular economy, or are they just another form of greenwashing?

In episode 222 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, Pancho takes us behind the scenes of how these programs operate, what brands gain from them, and whether resale can meaningfully reduce waste in the outdoor and fashion industries.

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Episode Resources

SF Gate Article: https://www.sfgate.com/shopping/article/clothing-take-back-programs-explained-22187338.php

Connect with Pancho Gomez: https://www.becausewhy.net/

The clothing brand TEREN was built on a simple idea: pack less, adventure more. Now, their first hire, Casey Hyde, has stepped in as CEO to lead the brand’s next chapter.

In episode 221 of the Outdoor Minimalist Podcast, Casey shares how he wore the brand’s Traveler Tee for 60 days and its Traveler Pants for 45 days before washing—an experiment designed to challenge how often we wash, pack, and replace our clothing.

His takeaway? Most of us are overpacking, overwashing, and overconsuming far more than necessary.

Now, he’s applying those lessons to scaling a brand rooted in the idea of an “evergreen wardrobe,” rather than chasing seasonal trends.

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Teren Designs

Website: https://terendesigns.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terendesigns

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QEDwqOYyOyulXq0X2v1Dg

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@terendesigns

How to Reduce Microplastics from Your Laundry Loads: https://www.sfgate.com/shopping/article/how-to-reduce-microplastics-in-laundry-21116303.php