A Registry of Threatened American Public Lands

Every entry below is a case file: a documented, dated, primary-source record of a specific threat to a specific piece of public land — mining, drilling, construction, or agency capacity — currently underway or proposed on federally or state-protected ground. No entry contains opinion or unsourced claims. See the sourcing standards for how this registry is built and verified, or the patterns page for a side-by-side comparison of every site.

FILES ON RECORD: 11 REGISTRY STATUS: ACTIVE

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Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Markers colored by threat category — click a marker to open its case file.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — Coastal Plain

First of four mandatory Coastal Plain lease sales held June 2026; major oil companies declined to bid.

Active — first of four mandated lease sales completedOil and gas drilling — Coastal Plain lease sales

Bears Ears National Monument

Monument cut by over 90% in July 2026; excluded land reopens to mining after 60 days.

Boundary cut — reopening to mining claims in progressMonument boundary rollback / mining and drilling

Big Bend National Park

111+ miles of border barrier contracted through Big Bend under waived environmental law.

Contracted — construction underway in phasesBorder wall / vehicle barrier construction

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Superior National Forest watershed)

Congress overturned a 20-year mining ban near the BWCAW; Twin Metals' leases are advancing toward reinstatement.

Reversed — 20-year mining ban overturned; leases advancingSulfide-ore copper-nickel mining — mineral withdrawal reversal

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Greater Chaco Landscape)

BLM proposes revoking the 10-mile, 336,404-acre drilling buffer around Chaco Canyon.

Proposed — public comment period closed, decision pendingOil and gas drilling — mineral withdrawal revocation

Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine (Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument, Grand Canyon region)

Active uranium mine 6 miles from the Grand Canyon has pumped 80+ million gallons of groundwater since 2016; EPA finds contamination potential.

Active — in production, water/permit disputes ongoingUranium mining — active groundwater contamination risk

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Monument cut from 1.86 million to 181,541 acres on the same day as the Bears Ears cut.

Boundary cut — reopening to mining claims in progressMonument boundary rollback / mining and drilling

National Park Service — Nationwide Budget & Staffing Cuts

NPS has lost 24% of its permanent staff since January 2025; a further $736M operations cut is proposed for FY27.

Active — proposed cuts partly rejected by Congress for FY26; FY27 proposal pendingAgency capacity — budget cuts and staff reductions

Pacific Marine National Monuments (Papahānaumokuākea, Pacific Islands Heritage, Mariana Trench, Rose Atoll)

Two 2026 proclamations opened portions of four Pacific marine monuments to commercial fishing; litigation ongoing.

Active — proclamations signed, regulatory rulemaking and litigation ongoingCommercial fishing access opened within protected monument waters

Red Desert / Rock Springs Resource Management Plan

A finalized 2024 conservation-oriented land plan for 3.6 million acres is being unwound just 9 months after completion.

Active — plan amendment in progress, comment period closedResource Management Plan rollback — oil, gas, and mineral access expansion

Tongass National Forest (2001 Roadless Rule Rescission)

USDA proposes rescinding roadless protections on ~44.7 million acres nationwide, including 9.2 million roadless acres of the Tongass.

Proposed rescission — draft EIS expected 2026, litigation history ongoingLogging / road construction — roadless rule rescission