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Welcoming New Board Members Chris Dominick Join us in welcoming Chris Dominick to the Wilderness Workshop board. Dominick follows in the footsteps of his grandmother, Mary Dominick, who served on the WW board for 27 years, from 1997-2024. Dominick credits the time spent growing up at his family’s dude ranch in Sunlight Basin, Wyoming, as a formative introduction to the power of intact ecosystems, and now, WW’s mission to protect them. Whether it’s the peace he “finds cross-country skiing alone through sagebrush,” or the bonds he feels while “counting wildflower species on hikes with his family,” Dominick is inspired by [...]

A Bittersweet Goodbye to Scott Braden of the Colorado Wildlands Project Scott Braden with his daughter, Josie Lee. Photo credit: Karen Webster. This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. This May, we said a bittersweet goodbye to Scott Braden, who founded and led the Colorado Wildlands Project for the past four years. Scott took over leadership of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), a longtime partner and ally of Wilderness Workshop. Scott’s vision and dedication took the Colorado Wildlands Project from an idea to a highly effective force for protecting BLM wildlands across western Colorado. Under [...]

There is no "Energy Emergency" Across the West, 81% of all BLM lands are open to oil and gas leasing, amounting to roughly 200 million acres. Our public lands are already doing their part. Photo credit: EcoFlight.This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. In January 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order declaring an “energy emergency.” To state the obvious, there is no “emergency.” In fact, in 2024, the U.S. produced more oil than any country, ever. This imagined emergency is an invention of political convenience, but has significant, real-world impacts. These emergency authorities would not [...]

"We Can't Keep Going Like This" Former White River National Forest Supervisor, Scott Fitzwilliams, on the state of the forest This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. Scott Fitzwilliams was the Forest Supervisor of the 2.4-million-acre White River National Forest in Colorado, starting in 2009. Previously, he was Deputy Forest Supervisor of the Willamette National Forest in Eugene, OR. Why is selling off public lands a bad idea? The public land system in America is, in my opinion, one of the greatest experiments in democracy the world has ever seen. It is uniquely American. It is [...]

Conservation Watchdog Updates Community members in Glenwood Springs gathered for a honk and wave in support of our public land managers. In western Colorado, our local federal workers are the people who care for our treasured public lands day in and day out. We put on a rally to support them. Photo credit: Francis Sanzaro. This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. Since taking office on January 20, President Trump has wasted no time putting his anti-conservation agenda in motion. The relentless attacks on our wild places, water, climate and the public’s ability [...]

"Our Commitment to You": A Letter from Our Director This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. The ongoing attacks on our public lands and the public’s voice are unprecedented. Yet we’ve been here before. Powerful government and corporate interests have long sought to extract profit from the lands and waters across our country and worked to minimize the voices of those who hold these places dear. Our commitment to you is that, as we have done before, we will meet these attempts to liquidate public lands and ecosystems with ferocity, expertise and dedication. Wilderness Workshop [...]

A Widely Celebrated Move for Lynx Image by Tambako the Jaguar, via Flickr. This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. Often referred to as the “gray ghost from the north,” lynx are one of the most elusive animals in the Rocky Mountains. Though their numbers may be small – Colorado has an estimated 75-100 resident lynx – their presence indicates something big: if lynx are thriving, habitats are healthy. In a widely celebrated move, and in response to legal advocacy, and a lawsuit, by Wilderness Workshop and partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife [...]

The GORP Act Introduced with Bipartisan Support Image credit to Matt Annabel This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. This May, in a hopeful act of bipartisanship, Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, alongside Representative Jeff Hurd, reintroduced the ambitious Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act. This legislation would protect over 730,000 acres of public lands in the Gunnison Basin and surrounding areas, reflecting more than a decade of collaborative efforts among local governments, tribes and diverse stakeholders. The GORP Act proposes a range of land designations, including Wilderness areas, Special Management Areas, and Recreation [...]

Not All Water is for Fightin' Image credit to Matt Annabel This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works. In the rare exception to the saying, “whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting,” our community is in near-unanimous agreement that the Crystal River should remain as it is: free flowing, without dams or major diversions. In an effort to achieve those community goals, we are co-chairing a collaborative subcommittee of local stakeholders to explore and (we hope!) ultimately enact a Wild and Scenic designation for the Crystal, providing the river with the strongest and most durable [...]