Trump Administration Opens Door to Weakening Longstanding Wilderness Protections

Washington, D.C. - Last week, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a nationwide review of federal wilderness stewardship policies, including policies governing Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, recommended wilderness, and lands with wilderness characteristics managed by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

These policies safeguard wilderness-quality lands and the backcountry recreation opportunities they provide for the benefit of the American public. The sweeping review would reopen wilderness stewardship policies across federal land management agencies, raising concerns that the administration is laying the groundwork to weaken protections for some of America's most treasured wild places.

Based on the Trump Administration's track record of prioritizing private industry over balanced public use, conservation advocates warn that the review could open the door for industrial development, resource extraction, unsustainable motorized vehicle use, and other activities that threaten the wild character of these landscapes. The broad wilderness policy review was buried in an announcement for a separate effort to implement one section of the bipartisan EXPLORE Act, which passed Congress in 2025.

In response, Dan Ritzman, the Lands, Water and Wildlife Director for the Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement:

"Americans broadly support the protection of wild places and the backcountry recreation opportunities they provide. At a time when the administration has repeatedly sought to expand drilling, mining, logging, and unchecked motorized vehicle use on public lands, this review should raise serious concerns for anyone who cares about America's remaining wild places.

As an organization whose roots are deeply intertwined with America's mountaineering tradition and the protection of iconic wild landscapes, Sierra Club will strongly defend opportunities for everyone to experience the outdoors and the conservation of the wild places that make it possible. We will closely monitor this review and demand full transparency from the Department of the Interior every step of the way."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.