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Sammi🦋 Profile picture
@StoriesBySammi
Jun 16 • 8 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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Fifty years of rules keeping off-road vehicles on designated trails — GONE.

Lifted trucks, ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles.

Anywhere they want. On your public lands.

Nixon protected it. Carter protected it. Trump just erased both quietly on a Friday afternoon.

A grizzly bear will abandon its habitat when there's just one mile of road per square mile. One mile. Now there's no limit on where these vehicles can go.

In the Mojave, desert tortoises have already lost 96% of their population in some monitored areas - partly because off-road vehicles crush their burrows. A federal judge just ordered 2,200 miles of trails closed to protect what's left.

Then Trump signed this.

No designated trails. No boundaries. No framework at all. When vehicles go off trail they shatter habitat into pieces too small for wildlife to survive in. They destroy stream banks. They push predators toward humans. And when that happens, the animals always lose.

There was no vote. No public comment. Just a signature.

Now the agencies tasked with writing replacement rules are the BLM, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service - all under an administration that has spent months dismantling every protection they had.

The Interior Department, led by Doug Burgum, is in charge of most of it. The same Doug Burgum who has opened public lands to drilling, mining, and grazing at every turn.

Don't hold your breath.

When the last quiet place is gone, what do we tell the children who never got to hear it?

#DemsUnitedMountain landscape with forested ridges and valleys under a cloudy sky. Overlaid text reads: Public Lands News. Trump signs executive order opening protected public lands to unrestricted motorized vehicle use. Smaller text states that for over 50 years, federal agencies have been required to consider impacts to wildlife habitat, sensitive plant species, and user experience, but that is changing.
→ Backcountry hunters and anglers are sounding the alarm too - and when the hunting community and environmentalists are saying the same thing, you know something has gone very wrong. Outdoor Life breaks down exactly what was just erased and why it matters to everyone who loves wild places.
outdoorlife.com/conservation/o…A fly fisherman stands in shallow water on a mountain lake, casting a line beneath rugged peaks reflected in the lake’s surface.
→ Just weeks before Trump signed this order, a federal judge shut down 2,200 miles of off-road trails in the Mojave to save what's left of the desert tortoise. The Spokesman-Review took you into that desert. What they found will stay with you.
spokesman.com/stories/2026/f…Desert tortoise walking across rocky ground beside tall green desert plants.
Close-up of a desert tortoise crossing sandy terrain with large saguaro cacti in the background.
Desert tortoise feeding on a bright pink prickly pear cactus flower in a desert landscape.
Desert tortoise eating low vegetation while walking across arid desert terrain.
→ "Reckless and nonsensical." That's what wildlife defenders are calling this. The Guardian has the full picture of what's at stake - every species, every ecosystem, every acre. And the quote at the end from the Forest Service will make your blood boil.
theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j…A fast-flowing river winds through a rugged mountain valley lined with steep, pale-colored rocky slopes and dense evergreen trees. In the foreground, a person stands on large riverside rocks, fishing near the water’s edge. Forested mountains rise in the background beneath a cloudy sky.
→ For every vehicle now allowed anywhere on your public lands, see the infographic👇 An infographic with a tan and dark brown color scheme claims that a “Trump Executive Order — May 29, 2026” changed public-land rules. The headline reads, “YOUR PUBLIC LANDS. YOUR PLAYGROUND?” Below, it lists vehicles allegedly allowed anywhere on public lands, including lifted pickup trucks, side-by-sides, snowmobiles, SUVs, ATVs, dirt bikes, dune buggies, and e-bikes. Several statistics are presented in large type: “50 YRS” alongside a claim that 50 years of wildlife protections were erased with one signature; “1 MILE” with a statement about grizzly bears abandoning habitat when road densi...
The fight 💪 isn't over. Environmental groups are watching the rule-making process closely and will mobilize when public comment opens. Until then here are organizations on the ground protecting what's left:

Defenders of Wildlife - defenders.org
Center for Biological Diversity - biologicaldiversity.org
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers - backcountryhunters.org
Desert Tortoise Council - deserttortoise.org

The land is still there. The animals are still there. And so are the people fighting for them.Several hikers walk along a narrow mountain trail on a sunlit hillside overlooking a vivid turquoise lake. Dense evergreen forests cover the slopes below, while blue, snow-capped mountains rise in the distance beneath a clear sky.
A few thoughts before I end this 🧵

These lands were here before us.

The tortoise, the grizzly, the sage and the stream - they don’t know who signed what or when. They only know whether they’re safe or they’re not.

That has always been on us. A lone hiker with a backpack crosses a grassy meadow beside a small stream, with autumn-colored trees and rugged mountain peaks in the background under a cloudy sky.
🧵 If you found this story useful, let me know by replying to the top post.

And if you think more people should see it, please consider sharing or following.

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More from @StoriesBySammi

Sammi🦋 Profile picture
Jun 20
They’re at it AGAIN.
The Department of Interior is.

Caught them today posting a gorgeous photo of Beartooth Pass wildflowers and told everyone to "enjoy the view." Last time it was Moonscape Overlook.

This time it's the same mountain range they've been quietly leasing out for oil since at least 2018.

Same department. Same federal agency a judge had to stop in court. Same rule they just got to kill so they don't even have to pretend conservation matters anymore. They're not hiding any of this. They're using it as the marketing.

In 2018, BLM auctioned a 2,400-acre parcel for oil and gas drilling in the Beartooth foothills, Carbon County, the same range in that photo. The people who actually live there had to drag the federal government into court to stop it, and they won, because BLM skipped the environmental homework.

On May 11, 2026, BLM killed a separate rule that had required conservation to be treated as just as important as drilling and grazing when deciding what happens to public land. That's gone now, on 245 million acres nationwide, 8 million of them in Montana.

See the first source ⬇️ to check out the Department of Interior's post from today, it'll blow your mind.

Who's going to tell the wildflowers that "enjoy the view" isn't the same as actually protecting it?

#DemsUnitedGolden yellow wildflowers blanket a mountainside above a winding river at sunrise. Snow-dusted peaks rise in the background as sunlight breaks over the ridge, illuminating the valley below.

→ This is the snake oil. A dreamy photo and a "have a great weekend" caption, posted by the same agency that's been fighting its own backyard in federal court for over a decade. Go read the replies. People are thanking them. Screenshot of a post from the U.S. Department of the Interior highlighting summer wildflowers at Beartooth Pass in Montana. The attached photo shows a broad alpine meadow filled with colorful wildflowers stretching toward snow-capped mountain peaks beneath a partly cloudy blue sky.
→ Wild Montana was on record the same day the rule died, calling out exactly what BLM just decided conservation doesn't have to mean anymore. wildmontana.org/press_release/…A mountain valley covered in yellow wildflowers stretches toward rugged peaks under a pastel sunset sky. Warm evening light illuminates the highest ridge while forests, meadows, and a winding road fill the landscape below.
Read 9 tweets
Sammi🦋 Profile picture
Jun 19
The U.S. Forest Service quietly approved spraying a cancer-linked chemical above Lake Tahoe.

The public didn't find out until two months later.

The chemical is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. The plan covers 11,700 acres burned in the 2021 Caldor Fire, with up to 3,600 of those acres slated for herbicide treatment.

The agency used an "emergency" authorization to skip the usual public objection process. The only comment window came and went in December 2025, before most locals even knew the project existed.

About 75% of the lake's watershed sits inside that national forest land. Part of the spray zone sits on mountains above the lake, where snowmelt feeds a tributary running straight into Tahoe.

Homeowners around the lake already have to follow strict rules about what they can put on their own lawns, no high-phosphorus fertilizer, no application near runoff paths - all to protect the lake’s clarity.

None of those rules apply to the Forest Service spraying herbicide in the national forest right above it.

Most residents only learned the scale of it from a magazine investigation in late April. A town hall to organize pushback didn't happen until June 11. By then, spraying had already taken place at one local ski resort.

Who's supposed to tell you what's happening in your own backyard, the federal government or a reporter?

#DemsUnitedCrystal-clear turquoise water fills the foreground of Lake Tahoe, revealing smooth granite rocks beneath the surface. Sparse pine trees line the rocky shoreline, while forested slopes and distant snow-capped mountains rise in the background under a bright blue sky. The exceptionally clear water highlights the lake’s famous visibility and vivid blue-green color.
→ The Guardian just talked to the Tahoe locals living this story right now: a retiree horrified to come home to spray plans, a charter boat worker watching her brother fight cancer while the agency insists trace amounts are fine, and the South Lake Tahoe mayor who didn't even know glyphosate was still legal on public land until this year.
theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j…View of a crystal-clear mountain lake framed by tall pine trees and rocky shoreline. The water shifts from bright turquoise near the shore to deep blue farther out, revealing large submerged boulders beneath the surface. Forested mountains rise in the distance under a blue sky streaked with thin clouds, creating a peaceful alpine landscape.
→ Mother Jones spent a year going through over 5 million pesticide records and Monsanto's own internal emails, and what they found is wild. The study the government has leaned on for over a decade to say glyphosate is safe? Turns out Monsanto's own people secretly wrote it. This is also the piece that first let Tahoe locals know what was coming.
motherjones.com/politics/2026/…Post-fire forest landscape showing a stark contrast between adjacent areas. One side is covered in dense green vegetation beneath blackened tree trunks, while the other side is dominated by brown, dead groundcover and tree stumps. The image highlights the visible boundary between an unsprayed area and a nearby parcel treated with glyphosate, with burned forest and distant hills in the background.
Aerial view of a heavily burned forest landscape with miles of gray, barren ground and scattered standing dead trees. Dirt roads wind through the area, while only a small cluster of surviving green trees remains near the center. The image shows a large section of post-fire forest that has seen little vegetation recovery, with forested hills visible in the distance.
Read 7 tweets
Sammi🦋 Profile picture
Jun 18
Land bordering Yosemite, Sequoia, and Pinnacles National Parks — now cleared for oil rigs and fracking. YES fracking!

Two hundred thousand people said NO. The federal government did it anyway.

Over 1 million acres of California public land just got opened up - land that touches ancient sequoia groves older than the country itself and sits right in Yosemite’s backyard.

Patagonia's CEO came out swinging, accusing the administration of putting oil profits over the planet's health and saying public land was never meant to be sold off to drilling companies.

And the man who'll make the final call? He was recently confirmed to run BLM after his own state party called him "an outright enemy of public lands."

Who's going to tell a tree older than the country that its time is up?

#DemsUnitedClear, shallow mountain stream flowing over smooth rounded stones, with green aquatic plants visible beneath the crystal-clear water. Dense evergreen forest lines the banks, while reddish shrubs add color along the shoreline. Sunlight filters through tall pine trees and reflects off the calm water under a bright blue sky.
→ Ten miles from Yosemite's gates, the ground is already being mapped for wells. Outside breaks down exactly which parks, monuments, and forests are on the table, and why 200,000 public comments didn't slow it down: outsideonline.com/outdoor-advent…Wide river flowing through a forested valley beneath towering granite cliffs. Smooth rocks dot the shallow water in the foreground, while pine trees and green meadows line the riverbanks. Massive rock formations rise on both sides under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds.
→ The man who'll sign off on this was controversial before he even got the job. Here's who Steve Pearce is, the quarter-billion acres he now oversees, and why his own party once called him an enemy of public lands: news.mongabay.com/short-article/…River winding through a steep mountain valley, with sunlight reflecting off the water. Dense green vegetation covers the hillsides, and a suspension bridge spans the river in the distance. Bright patches of sunlit grass contrast with darker forested slopes beneath a partly cloudy sky.
Read 8 tweets
Sammi🦋 Profile picture
Jun 15
The U.S. government just made a land deal with the world's first trillionaire. Not a sale. A trade.

Because apparently that's how we do things now.

715 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge - built by Congress in 1979 to protect one of the most biodiverse wildlife corridors left in North America - handed to SpaceX.

Endangered ocelots. Aplomado falcons. Piping plovers. Land the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas has called sacred since long before there was a United States.

SpaceX built a rocket launch site next door. Then came the explosions. Concrete and metal hurled six miles across refuge land. A 2024 study found that after one launch, every single monitored shorebird nest near the site suffered egg damage or loss. The Fish and Wildlife Service's response was not enforcement. It was a land swap.

FOIA documents show internal planning for this transfer started as early as April 2025 - while Musk was running DOGE and threatening to fire federal workers who didn't justify their jobs to him. The agency developed what they called "the most expedited schedule possible" to get it done.

Part of what's being handed over includes the Palmito Ranch Battlefield - the site of the last battle of the Civil War. A National Historic Landmark. Once transferred, SpaceX can restrict public access whenever they want.

25,000+ people submitted public comments. Most opposed the deal. The government moved forward anyway.

A coalition of tribal and conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit this week to stop it. Because someone has to.

Why are we cutting real estate deals with a trillionaire when we could have just made him pay for it?

#DemsUnitedInformational graphic about wildlife habitat in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. An ocelot stands on a rocky ledge at the top of the image, and a piping plover with a chick rests on a sandy beach at the bottom. Text states that the refuge provides crucial habitat for endangered ocelots and rare birds, including piping plovers and aplomado falcons.
→ The full breakdown of what's in this land swap - the acreage, the wildlife, the 25,000 public comments that got ignored, and who's suing to stop it. Outdoor Life did the math and it doesn't add up:
outdoorlife.com/conservation/e…Ocelot perched on a tree branch in a wooded habitat. The spotted wild cat faces the camera with an alert expression, surrounded by green foliage and tree trunks in the background.
→ Texas Public Radio was on the ground for this one. Scorched bird eggs in empty nests. Indigenous voices. The people who've been fighting this since before most of us heard about it:
tpr.org/environment/20…Aplomado falcon in flight with wings extended. The bird has a dark head, rust-colored chest, and barred black-and-white markings on its wings and tail. Its yellow feet are visible beneath it as it flies against a blurred natural background.
Read 7 tweets
Sammi🦋 Profile picture
Jun 12
I told you they were coming for the Roadless Rule.

Yesterday, Republicans made their move — and they hid it inside a wildfire bill.

Here's what makes this so enraging:

59 million acres of America's wildest national forests are now on the table.

The 2001 Roadless Rule has protected nearly 60 million acres across 39 states for 25 years. No logging. No road construction. No drilling. No mining.

Built after 1.6 million Americans showed up — at 430 public hearings nationwide — to demand it.

What lives here: bald eagles, elk, black bears, Cerulean warblers, marbled murrelets. Species that need large, intact, unfragmented habitat to survive. For many of them, roadless forests aren't just home — they're the last places left.

What the amendment does: guts the rule. Opens the backcountry to logging and road construction under the cover of "fire prevention."

The administration is pursuing repeal through the executive branch at the same time. And unlike the original rule — they aren't holding a single public hearing.

1.6 million people showed up to protect these forests.
The administration isn't asking anyone this time.

What do you call a wildfire bill that opens forests instead of protecting them?

#DemsUnitedSunlight streams through a towering old-growth forest, illuminating a massive tree trunk surrounded by ferns and dense woodland. Tall trees stretch into the background as bright rays of light filter through the canopy, highlighting the scale and beauty of the forest.
→ Audubon lays out exactly why roadless forests aren't just scenery — they're climate refuges for hundreds of bird species on the edge of extinction, and why even limited road construction could be the thing that tips them over.
audubon.org/news/protectin…A colorful alpine meadow filled with wildflowers stretches across the foreground, with clusters of blue, yellow, white, and orange blooms scattered among grasses and rocky soil. Dark evergreen trees line the middle ground, and a sunlit mountain peak rises in the distance. The sky glows in soft shades of pink and purple, suggesting sunrise or sunset in a high-elevation wilderness landscape.
→ Defenders of Wildlife documented the USDA's formal repeal announcement — what it means for endangered wildlife, what it means for the watersheds millions of Americans drink from, and what's actually at stake in 45 million acres of backcountry.
defenders.org/newsroom/usda-…A calm mountain lake with pale blue-green water reflects the bright summer sky. A large fallen tree trunk stretches across the foreground near the shoreline, its bare branches extending over the water. Dense evergreen trees line the opposite shore, with low forested hills visible in the distance beneath a clear blue sky with a few small clouds.
Read 9 tweets
Sammi🦋 Profile picture
Jun 11
Six weeks ago I told you they were coming for Big Bend. Yesterday a court cleared the way for border wall construction in the Big Bend National Park region.

Here's what makes this so enraging:

Big Bend National Park is one of the quietest stretches of the entire southern border. In FY2025, the Big Bend sector recorded just 3,096 apprehensions — 1.3% of all crossings nationwide. Border encounters there have dropped 74% since 2023. The land is remote, rugged, and brutal. It has always been its own deterrent.

And yet — a 30-foot steel wall is coming anyway.

What that wall will actually do: fragment critical habitat for black bears, mountain lions, and the endangered black-capped vireo. Sever one of the last wildlife corridors connecting the U.S. and Mexican Chihuahuan Desert — an ecosystem that doesn't recognize borders.

Block the natural movement of over 450 bird species that pass through Big Bend. Flood one of the darkest night skies in North America with construction lights. Slice through 100+ miles of the Wild and Scenic Rio Grande.

To stop 1.3% of border crossings. On land that was already stopping them on its own.

The administration has now waived the Endangered Species Act, the National Park Service Organic Act, and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act — all at once — to make this happen. The first time in U.S. history any of that has been done inside a national park.

They awarded $4.3 billion in contracts. Steel bollards are already on the ground near Van Horn. Construction starts this summer.

Who do YOU think this wall is actually for?

#DemsUnitedSunlit canyon walls rise steeply above a calm river in Big Bend. Golden morning light illuminates the rock face on the left while the river winds through the narrow canyon beneath a clear blue sky.
→ The vote that just killed Big Bend's last legislative shield — and what it means for the park, the river, and everyone who fought to protect them. The Texas Tribune has the full breakdown of how each rep voted and what comes next:
texastribune.org/2026/06/10/tex…Image
→ Steel bollards are already arriving. Workers' housing camps are going up. Construction is weeks away — not years. Marfa Public Radio was on the ground to document it, and what they found will stop you cold:
marfapublicradio.org/news/2026-06-0…Image
Read 8 tweets

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