On May 11, 2026, the Department of the Interior announced the repeal of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Public Lands Rule—also known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule—eliminating a landmark conservation framework that placed wildlife protection and outdoor recreation on equal footing with grazing, mining, and drilling across 245 million acres of public lands.
The rollback, published through a Federal Register notice, reverses a 2024 policy designed to modernize public land management using science-based conservation principles.
The repeal affects public lands across the West, including ecologically significant landscapes on California’s Central Coast such as the Carrizo Plain National Monument, the Cuyama Valley foothills, lands near the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Ventura County, and habitat connected to the broader Los Padres National Forest region.
What the Public Lands Rule Did
Adopted in 2024 after years of public input, the Public Lands Rule established a modern framework that allowed the BLM to:
- Protect intact landscapes and wildlife habitat
- Restore degraded ecosystems and improve land health
- Strengthen Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)
- Incorporate science-based conservation planning into land-use decisions
- Consider conservation alongside industrial development and extraction
The rule also created new opportunities for voluntary restoration partnerships aimed at repairing damaged ecosystems and protecting watersheds, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience.
Why the Administration Rescinded the Rule
The Trump Administration argued that the Public Lands Rule was unnecessary, conflicted with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act’s “multiple-use” mandate, and could limit access to public lands for energy production and other extractive uses.
The repeal was applauded by several energy companies and agricultural interests that opposed the rule from the beginning (New York Times, 2026).
What This Means for the Central Coast
For communities across California’s Central Coast, the repeal raises concerns about the future of wildlife corridors, watersheds, grasslands, and fragile desert ecosystems that depend on long-term conservation planning and science-based management.
Several ecologically important landscapes in our region could become increasingly vulnerable as safeguards are weakened, including:
- Bitter Creek ACEC (Kern Co.) — critical habitat for California condors and other raptors
- Carrizo Plain ACEC (SLO Co.) — home to endangered species like the San Joaquin kit fox and giant kangaroo rat
- Upper Cuyama Valley ACEC (Santa Barbara Co.) — rare desert grasslands and habitat for tule elk and pronghorn
- Hopper Mountain ACEC (Ventura Co.) — prime habitat adjacent to the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Ventura County
The repeal also aligns with the administration’s broader push to expand fossil fuel extraction, mining, logging, and industrial activity across federally managed public lands.
Overwhelming Public Opposition from Experts and Elected Officials
Public opposition to rescinding the rule was widespread. According to an analysis by the Center for Western Priorities, nearly 98 percent of more than 43,000 public comments submitted during the federal review process opposed eliminating the rule (Western Priorities, 2025 ).
California Senators Padilla and Schiff, along with Representatives Salud Carbajal, Julia Brownley, and Judy Chu, joined more than 60 lawmakers in urging the administration to withdraw the proposal.
Additionally, 26 retired BLM managers and senior executives, with centuries of combined experience overseeing public lands under multiple administrations, submitted their own detailed statement urging the agency to retain the rule in full, warning that repealing the rule was “legally unsupportable” and would undo decades of progress toward science-based public land stewardship.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta also co-led a multistate coalition that submitted a comment letter asserting that the repeal would unlawfully expose millions of additional acres of public land to degradation and habitat loss.
ForestWatch’s Response & Looking Ahead
In response to the proposal, Los Padres ForestWatch launched a public action campaign that generated more than 400 letters from Central Coast community members urging the federal government to keep the rule in place.
ForestWatch will continue advocating for science-based stewardship and long-term protections for public lands across California’s Central Coast.