Author: Rachel Gabel

The Public Lands Rule has been rescinded. The rule, first proposed in 2023, would have complicated the balanced partnership between federal agencies and all multiple uses on those public lands. In 2024, the Bureau of Land Management made the rule worse by allowing conservation to rise above the level of all other multiple uses, essentially…

In southeastern Colorado, a slew of green energy projects are being planned — some in partnership with landowners and some despite landowners. At the same time, the lesser prairie chicken is dominating many of my conversations as of late, due in part to the birds’ unique April dance marathon that makes the bird more observable…

A commission appointed by one man, the state’s governor, overruled the decision of a board of county commissioners elected by stakeholders across Elbert County. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) overturned the county’s rejection of land use permits to Xcel (Public Service Company of Colorado) for a segment of a $1.7 billion 560-mile project to…

The Nebraska Sandhills are made for cattle grazing, and that is, in large part, what keeps the area thriving and supports the small communities throughout western Nebraska. In Arthur County, most operations are cow-calf producers with a few operators who run yearlings on grass during the summer. On a good year, the grass is dense…

With petitions being tossed around like glitter at prom, it’s time for reasonable voters to sharpen their pencils and speak up. The first, of course, is in response to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission’s blatant disregard for their director, legal counsel, stakeholder, and staff and their direction to initiate rulemaking on a petition related…

The Lesser Prairie Chicken habitat in southeastern Colorado is a swath of prairie that begins in Cheyenne and far-southeastern Lincoln counties and moves south and east into Kiowa, Prowers and Baca counties. This is cattle country where the short grass is nutrient dense, and a little bit of rain makes the prairie explode. A little…

Aldo Leopold wrote in his Sand County Almanac, “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” The collection of essays first published in 1949 was accepted by a publishing house after a steady stream of rejections. His work long outlived him as Leopold died of a heart attack while fighting…