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SchmidtTravels

@schmidttravels.bsky.social
352 followers 362 following 1.7K posts

Explorer of Public Lands, by foot and by book

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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
KJZZ Phoenix @kjzz.org · 03/10/2026
Hunters and hikers were among almost 133,000 people opposing potential changes to the Travel Management Rule in national forests. Snowmobile groups were in the minority.
kjzz.org
Analysis: 99% of commenters oppose motorized use changes in forests
Hunters and hikers were among almost 133,000 people opposing potential changes to the Travel Management Rule in national forests. Snowmobile groups were in the minority.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Spent a few days near Olympic National Park last week! #ParkChat
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I happen to be reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner that explores the origination and allocation of water rights in the western states; and the Reclamation & Corps of Engineers conflicts over such rights. Written in the 1980s, many of the problems foreseen are coming to fruition in current times.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Just curious what #REI has proactively done since retracting their ill-advised endorsement of Secretary Burgum? ...pressuring Interior to be transparent about decisions involving public lands, as well as call on Congress to prevent “the large-scale sell-off”... www.ms.now/top-stories/...
ms.now
REI issues public apology for backing Doug Burgum as interior secretary
Outdoor equipment retailer REI supported Doug Burgum’s Cabinet nomination earlier this year. Its new CEO says that “was a mistake.”
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Visited several National Park and State Parks! Pictured Rocks, Keweenaw, Isle Royale, Porcupine Mountains State Park. #ParkChat 1 of 2
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
☹️ #ParkChat www.nps.gov/grca/learn/n...
nps.gov
Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash-flood event in Bright Angel Canyo...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A private access road to a National Park now being revisited after earlier rejections. www.notus.org/agencies/tru...
notus.org
Trump’s Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private Developer
The National Park Service is under pressure to make an unprecedented deal that cedes a quarter-mile strip of the park.
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
Citizai @citiz.ai · 22/08/2026
The USDA proposes changes to travel management on National Forest System lands, impacting public access and recreational use. Citizens can comment on the proposed rule. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
federalregister.gov
Federal Register :: Request Access
Due to aggressive automated scraping of FederalRegister.gov and eCFR.gov, programmatic access to these sites is limited to access to our extensive developer APIs. Please visit FederalRegister.gov API...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
We shall see whether this is a halt or just a pause while attention dies down.
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
Texas Monthly @texasmonthly.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Construction equipment is disturbing the silence at the spiritual heart of Big Bend National Park. We are asking what that means to Texans. www.texasmonthly.com/travel/santa-e…
texasmonthly.com
There Are Bulldozers at the Spiritual Heart of Big Bend. Here’s What That Means to Texans.
Construction equipment is disturbing the silence at the spiritual heart of Big Bend National Park. Here’s what that means to Texans.
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Progressive Secretary @progsec.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
🎯 Those in power must come to understand our public lands as a proverbial third rail. We are seeing the first signs of retreat now in Wyoming where new public polling has office seekers singing a new tune. 91% want these lands kept public. 6% want them sold. #conservation #PublicLands
morethanjustparks.substack.com
The Fourth Wave of American Conservationism is Washing Ashore Now
Through the destruction a ripple of hope rings out.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Mike Lee just keeps his destructive tendency rolling.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Friday night! Well, the books are awesome even if this reviewer didn't like the first episode. #ParkChat
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
LCV – League of Conservation Voters 🌎 @lcv.org · 04/08/2026
Data centers are driving up our energy bills, straining water supplies, and polluting our air. Trump, however, just approved the first data center on public lands and exempted data center power plants from acid rain protections. Trump stands with Big Tech billionaires, not the American people.
Photo of Donald TrumpA Google datacenter in The Dalles, Oregon, on the Columbia River.
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Desert Flower @crystal159.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
37 Historic sites ‘adversely affected’ by the proposed arch: #Trump’s 250-foot-tall triumphal arch would change the skyline of DC to such an extent that it would intrude on views at dozens of historic sites around the capital, according to an assessment by National Park Service... By Emily Badger
nytimes.com
Park Service Finds Trump’s Arch Could Detract From Dozens of Historic Places (Gift Article)
The 250-foot-tall edifice would alter views across Washington and Arlington Cemetery.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Pike's Peak State Park. Driftless Area of Iowa where the Wisconsin River joins the Mississippi.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
My Iowa Senators have both responded to letters asserting that they are big supporters of public lands for recreational purposes. This scorecard shows that actions speak louder than words.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Conveniently wants people to ignore that he literally 'took a chainsaw' to people's livelihoods, scientific expertise, and a fairly well-functioning government. But, he did get tax breaks for himself, his companies, some land in Texas, and more government contracts, so we're all good, right?
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I'm trying to decide if I am ok with a UK-based entity designating American cities as "National Park Cities" when there is no connection at all to the U.S. National Park Service. I appreciate the recognition as a community with outdoors/parks initiatives; but, does this create 'brand' confusion?
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
Senator Angus King @senangusking.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The National Park Service hid behind their budget problems, but it's a result of this White House cutting staff and funding pet projects. Creating a staffing & fiscal crisis, then complaining about resources is like killing your parents & pleading for mercy because you're an orphan.
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American Rivers @americanrivers.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The #RoadlessRule directly protects over 80,000 miles of rivers by prohibiting new road construction and commercial timber harvest in approx. 58.5 million acres of pristine national forests. 🌲 Learn more: www.americanrivers.org/the-roadless...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Beavers get a bad rap!
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
We carry the 10 Essentials no matter the distance, even a planned short hike can take an unexpected turn. #ParkChat
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
CrazyUs @crazyus.com · 14/07/2026
The administration lied to America. Our public lands are actually designated as multiple use, which means ranchers, hikers, campers, anglers, OHV users… all have use of America’s public lands. Based on a lie, our greedy Utah GOP just stole those lands from us! www.kuer.org/politics-gov...
kuer.org
Trump slashes Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%
Flanked by Utah’s delegation, Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Speaker Mike Schultz, the president again reduced the boundaries and protections of the two monuments. Conservationists and tribal leaders worry...
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
59nationalparks @59nationalparks.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Sunday #ParkChat We didn’t have a chat scheduled for Wednesday but thanks to some great participation by @mtmagog.bsky.social, we’ll be chatting “how to visit your favorite national parks”. Excellent topic which we’ve never approached in 12+ years. Can’t wait? @naturetechfam.bsky.social
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
My contributions to the National Park Foundation are now on hold until they get out of the green-washing business.
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
59nationalparks @59nationalparks.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Sunday #ParkChat is happy to announce that @pamportland.org presents “Go East” for her chat this Wednesday. We are also curious where everyone is traveling next for their next Park trip. Fill us in please. Anyone going east. @naturetechfam.bsky.social
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
If you are planning public lands visits and have children (or even if you don't), Ranger Sarah provides some helpful guidance and insights for your adventure. #ParkChat
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Wilderness Watch @wildernesswatch.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
We're raising concerns about a Forest Service proposal to expedited industrial logging on the Flathead National Forest in northwest Montana, which would violate the Wilderness Act and negatively impact the Great Bear Wilderness. wildernesswatch.org/great-bear-w...
wildernesswatch.org
Great Bear Wilderness threatened by logging on its boundaries - Wilderness Watch
Wilderness Watch is concerned about the Forest Service’s (FS) Granite Moccasin Project, a proposal to log 4,689 acres across the Flathead National Forest in northwest Montana, including 175 acres next...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Socialism for ranchers? "Our analysis found that to be about a 93% discount, on average, compared with the market rate for forage on private land. We also found that, in 2024 alone, the federal government poured at least $2.5 billion into subsidy programs..." www.propublica.org/article/graz...
propublica.org
The Biggest Takeaways From Our Investigation Into Grazing on Public Lands
Livestock grazing is allowed across 240 million acres of federal land. Our investigation revealed the subsidies propping up ranching, its impact on the environment and the politics underpinning the sy...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
"Even though rangeland management experts say overgrazing has degraded public lands, the new rules being drafted by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management — the first overhaul since 1995 — would instead expand the practice." www.propublica.org/article/publ...
propublica.org
The First Major Overhaul of Public Lands Grazing Regulations in a Generation Looks to Cut Out Public Involvement
For the first time since 1995, the Bureau of Land Management is rewriting its grazing regulations. The new rule, which governs ranching across 155 million acres of public lands in the West, would heav...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
In some countries, they are using already developed locations to build solar arrays instead of destroying undeveloped land. www.ecoportal.net/en/switzerla...
ecoportal.net
Switzerland bolted 5,000 solar panels onto a dam wall 8,000 feet up in the freezing Alps where everyone said solar made no sense, and the plant now makes three times more winter power than any farm do...
High in the Swiss Alps, on a concrete dam wall more than 8,000 feet above the sea, someone bolted thousands of solar panels to a place almost no one thought
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
😡 🤑
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I did t realize the funding went through the NPF. Will rethink my donations. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump hijacked US’s 250 anniversary to serve ‘political ideology and pet projects’, congressional report says
House Democratic subcommittee report outlines web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Also reportedly evacuating current guests. A friend's son work for the Glacier Park Boat Company atvthe Many Glacier lodge. #ParkChat
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I am currently reading The Wild Dark by Craig Childs, in which the author and a friend start biking out of Las Vegas and documenting increasing darkness as they go.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
My two senators are against "waste and abuse". One has a "Make 'Em Squeal" slogan against wasteful pet projects and the other claims to support IGs (who have mostly been fired). Both also claim support for National Parks...I suspect it will be crickets on this. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
theatlantic.com
'Rush Project at Request of POTUS': Trump Is Draining the National Parks to Pay for His Projects
Money once used for crucial national-park repairs is now financing Trump’s redecorating projects.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Why is he saying "Welcome..." to US Citizens who get the passport? The US Passport allows US Citizens to visit other countries not vice versa. Does he feel like we should be treated like guests in our own country?
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
Nicola Pitchford @npitchford.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Love this story, but the author repeats the mischaracterisation of the desert as an “empty” space where solar farms can be installed cheaply. Deserts are not empty. Deserts are teeming with specific life, flora & fauna, not to mention frequently being treasured ancestral land of Native people. (1/2)
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Senator Jeff Merkley @merkley.senate.gov · 18/06/2026
Huge win!! In partnership with Senator Lisa Murkowski, we protected the Ocean Observatories Initiative—critical sensors that are essential for managing our fisheries, forecasting weather, and understanding climate change.
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Backs Off Plan to End Ocean Monitoring
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
🥹 We made a stop at Neal Smith a few weeks ago to see this little guy, hoping it was a sign as the indigenous tribes believe. www.kcci.com/article/iowa...
kcci.com
'One in a million' white bison calf born at Iowa refuge has died
Officials are investigating the death of the rare white bison at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City.
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Reposted by SchmidtTravels
Tony Dutzik @frontiertony.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Good morning, Bluesky! I'm pleased to share this new analysis I've been working on with our partners at Environment America documenting why removing protections for the last wild areas of our national forests is not a solution to the risks posed by wildfire. 🧵 frontiergroup.org/articles/rem...
frontiergroup.org
Removing the roadless rule won’t protect us from wildfires
Fewer than 1% of wildfires in the lower 48 states – and none of the costliest fires – since 2010 have started in roadless areas of national forests.
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Nonnie the Resister @dlmar.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
See how your lawmakers voted on America's public lands. The first tool tracking every vote on national parks, forests, and wilderness. morethanjustparks.com/congressiona...
morethanjustparks.com
Congressional Public Lands Score
The first tool ever built to track how every member of Congress votes on your national parks, forests, wilderness, and wildlife refuges. Find your lawmakers. See their record. Hold them accountable.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Spent a few days in the Breckenridge area of Colorado. White River National Forest (Part 1) #ParkChat
Blue River Trail as an easy war-up for acclimating to elevation.
Isak Heartstone troll sculpture is one of many created by world-renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo. We have a few near our hometown, but simply stumbled across this one on our Blue River hike.Pond at Spruce Creek Trail. We were told by other hikers that a moose was hanging out here; but, by the time we arrived, it had moved on. I think I saw a few flashes of brown as it departed. Spruce Creek Trail. Near Mayflower Lakes.
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The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks @protectnps.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
A fast-track attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument’s management plan has failed. This is a win for public lands, Tribal consultation, local communities, wildlife, dark skies and everyone who spoke out to defend national monuments. Read more: suwa.org/senator-lees...
suwa.org
Senator Lee’s attempt to fast-track attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan fails
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  June 12, 2026 Senator Lee’s attempt to fast-track attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan fails Opposition from across Utah and the nation leads to...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Utterly destructive to Big Bend NP; but, the precedent would be disastrous. To be able to simply ignore environmental laws at will is un-American and needs to be stopped.
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Comment period open until June 15th. Online: parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm... Email: Send your comments and concerns directly to the NPS planning team at ncr_planning@nps.gov. www.npr.org/2026/06/04/n...
npr.org
Critics say adding Trump's arch to D.C. would take something away: the view
A second federal agency advanced Trump's arch proposal on Thursday, but requested more information about its implications for everything from the landscape to pedestrian safety to aviation.
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Deidre Eversull @thorsmom.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Source: National Parks Traveler share.google/Od6cCa5OAA7V...
share.google
UPDATE | Proposal To Auction Off Federal Lands Ruled Out By Senate Parliamentarian
A proposal to auction millions of acres of federal lands to pay for President Donald Trump's budget proposal has been ruled out of the reconciliation bill by the Senate parliamentarian, but the measur...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
😠 More letters written! #ParkChat suwa.org/actions-you-...
suwa.org
Actions You Can Take to Defend Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under attack.  The elected officials behind 2025’s failed public lands sell-off attempts – Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Re...
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SchmidtTravels @schmidttravels.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
😠 It's a busy day for public lands defense! #ParkChat wildearthguardians.org/press-releas...
wildearthguardians.org
White House Unveils Rule to Strip Oversight from Public Lands Grazing Program
The administration is attempting to move the rule forward without preparing a full Environmental Impact Statement examining the cumulative impacts to wildlife, watersheds, land health and public overs...
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