DENVER -- Colorado conservation groups are calling on the U.S. Senate to reject the nomination of William Perry Pendley for director the federal Bureau of Land Management. They say Pendley, who has been acting head of the BLM for the last year, has a history of promoting the sale of public lands.
Pendley previously was president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation. Suzanne O'Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, said his ultraconservative, anti-government values make him unqualified for the job.
"His philosophy over 30-plus years has been very consistent, it's held firm and it's not favoring federal management of public lands," O'Neill said. "He believes they should be in private hands."
In a letter to senators, the National Wildlife Federation and its affiliates in 12 western states called for lawmakers to vote against the nomination.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt touted Pendley's years in federal land management as ample qualifications to hold the position. But O'Neill said since coming to the BLM, Pendley has single-mindedly advocated for the sale of oil-and-gas leases and has neglected other aspects of the agency's mission.
"You've got energy, you've got grazing, you've got recreation, wildlife conservation, etcetra. And it's a difficult balancing act," she said. "But the leader needs to really believe in balancing, and have that messaging flow through to the state directors and others."
O'Neill said her biggest misgiving regarding Pendley is a list of 60 former clients he submitted before taking the interim job. Although he promises to recuse himself from dealing with any of them, she said they pose an insurmountable barrier to his being able to evenhandedly perform his duties.
"How can you be an effective leader when you have so many conflicts of interest?" She said. "We're looking for balance and just can't fathom how someone with that track record, philosophy and conflicts can bring balance at this very important time."
O'Neill said if Pendley is confirmed, Colorado's 22 million acres of public lands would be in danger of disappearing. Senators have not yet scheduled a vote on the nomination.
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In its 15th annual year of polling on Conservation in the West, the State of the Rockies Project this year has found support for conservation by some of the highest margins to date and notably across party lines.
Pollsters have always asked respondents to identify their political parties, but 2025 marked the first year respondents could affiliate with the 'MAGA' movement. Results showed regardless of affiliation, support for conservation is strong.
Kathryn Hahne, director at New Bridge Strategy, which conducted the poll, noted 69% of MAGA supporters oppose reducing funding to federal agencies managing public lands and wildlife.
"Among MAGA supporters, 81% approve of the National Park Service, 74% approve of the U.S. Forest Service, 71% approve of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 46% approve of the EPA," Hahne reported.
The poll results come as the same federal agencies earlier this month began laying off permanent employees and freezing seasonal hiring as part of an effort led by billionaire Elon Musk to cut federal spending. The Forest Service fired roughly 3,400 employees and the Department of the Interior fired about 1,000 National Park Service employees and 800 Bureau of Land Management employees, including many in Montana.
The Trump administration released an order to "review and, as appropriate, revise" designations of national monuments, a power which has been exclusive to U.S. presidents for 120 years.
Lori Weigel, partner at the polling firm New Bridge Strategy, said Westerners across the board, including and 87% percent of Montanans, support keeping national monuments.
"There's really no subgroup within any of the data that is saying we ought to remove those designations," Weigel noted.
Nearly all surveyed Democrats across eight western states support keeping national monument designations, as do 83% of Republicans and 81% of MAGA Republicans.
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Conservation of public lands remains a top priority for westerners, according to a new poll.
The "Conservation in the West" poll from Colorado College has looked at sentiments toward public lands for 15 years. Eight Mountain West states were part of the research this year, including Idaho.
Among Gem State respondents, 90% told researchers they want to keep national monuments established in the last decade in place.
Lori Weigel, partner at the polling firm New Bridge Strategy, said Republicans, Democrats and Independents agree on the issue.
"This is another case where we see, really across the partisan spectrum, that respondents are telling us, 'No, we want to keep those national monument designations in place,'" Weigel reported.
Idaho voters voiced concerns about habitat loss for fish and wildlife in the poll, and also said they oppose reducing protections for rare plants and animals on the endangered species list. And nearly three-quarters of respondents said they support only allowing energy companies to drill where there is a high likelihood of oil and gas.
Idahoans are less worried about climate change than other parts of the West, with 43% saying it is an "extremely" or "very" important issue.
Dave Metz, partner and president of FM3 Research, noted Idahoans feel more confident in local officials' response to the crisis than in states like Arizona or New Mexico.
"The highest degrees of confidence we see are in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho," Metz noted. "There is the geographic difference there. More northern states within the region are expressing more confidence than some of the southern states."
Metz added there's support for Native American tribes to have a bigger role in managing public lands.
"That sentiment cuts across racial and ethnic lines," Metz stressed. "It's basically nine out of 10 voters, regardless of their racial and ethnic background, who want to see more participation from tribes in making these kinds of decisions."
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Over the last 120 years, U.S. presidents have used the Antiquities Act almost 300 times to recognize national monuments, protecting portions of federal lands that are of particular historic or scientific importance. Now federal efforts are underway to limit that power and "review" monuments. The Big Hole National Battlefield and Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument are two of several areas in Montana designated by a president's authority. Unlike other federal public lands, national monuments are typically not open for oil and gas drilling or mining activities.
Mike Penfold, program leader of the historical preservation group Our Montana, calls the Antiquities Act "a wonderful asset."
"We've got a really good ability for Republican and Democratic presidents to respond to local and sometimes regional people who see special qualities in these areas of federal land," he said.
U.S. House Resolution 521, referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources last month, seeks to reserve the authority to establish or extend national monuments for Congress. Meanwhile, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum began his tenure detailing a plan for "American energy dominance" that includes an order to, quote, "review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands, consistent with existing law."
Penfold, Our Montana and other groups have been working to get a national monument designation for part of the Pryor Mountains, an area with fragmented management split among three federal agencies. Part of the range is within the boundaries of the Crow Reservation. A national monument designation could help unify management.
"It's an amazing area that has a lot of cultural resources and different kinds of ecological systems. So we were hoping to get that designated as a national monument," he continued. "That is not in the cards right now."
Penfold added that national monuments help drive Montana's tourism industry, which in 2023 brought in about 13 million people who spent nearly $5.5 billion.
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