FEBRUARY 2026: BLM Leadership Opposition, Threats to Grand Staircase NM, & Goodbye to Ranger Jimmy Linares
Photo by Ilene Hill Thompson.
While thankfully, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument has not been directly in the spotlight for potential threats to its protections, a number of recent national developments put all national monuments and other protected spaces in jeopardy. Local issues have also been affecting us, but there is some good news as well, and as always, ways for you to help.
Let’s dive in. First of all, in the national arena, Friends of Avi Kwa Ame has joined over 80 environmental and conservation groups in opposing the nomination of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) head Steve Pearce. New Mexico Congressman Pearce is a former oil industry executive with strong current financial ties to the oil and gas industry, and has advocated strongly for selling off public lands, which makes him a dangerous choice to lead an organization that balance land protections with industry leases. You can sign on to a public opposition letter here.
In other national news, the new Congressional Review Act is targeting Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument and making the process of confirming management plans for all monuments harder and more political. The Government Accountability Office (a legislative congressional auditing entity) has announced that all Resource Management Plans (RNPs) for national monuments must now be submitted to Congress for the possibility of veto. Once a part of a management plan has been disapproved, that part of the plan must be changed. These plans are developed in collaboration with tribal, state, and local governments and the public, often require environmental impact statements, and provide a roadmap for managing protected spaces. Historically they are submitted to the state BLM manager and the state’s governor, but this new policy was implemented specifically to target protected lands in order to undue protections against industrial projects. While it looks like Grand Staircase/Escalante is the upcoming target, this new act has the ability to undo protections in national monuments across the country, which means it’s up to us, the American people, to communicate our wishes to protect the places we love. Speak out with us to protect Grand Staircase National Monument.
More locally, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument has to say goodbye to the amazing Jimmy Linares, a BLM ranger who for a number of years, has served at both Avi Kwa Ame and Gold Butte National Monuments, valiantly traveling long distances each week to check up on and maintain both sites. Fortunately for Jimmy, a reassignment has been approved and he will now be a full-time ranger for Gold Butte. But, because of the Department of the Interior hiring freeze which started on January 20th, 2025 and has no end in sight, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is left without any ranger at all. Want to help out? We are looking for a group of volunteer rangers that we can send out on missions like checking backroad conditions, posting signs, cleaning up trash, taking down old fences and making minor road repairs. Interested? Let us know here.
On a positive note, Clark County Department of Transportation has been installing desert tortoise fencing and culverts along Highway 95 in our area, to steer tortoises off of the road and help them pass safely to the other side, which will help ensure genetic diversity. Check out this local news report to learn more.
Other ways you can help
It’s never been more important to Stand for our Public Lands and let your representatives know that you care about local and national protected public spaces. Learn more about our Stand For Public Lands campaign, get inspired and make your voice heard here.