A Gallery of Wild Places

The Trump administration has proposed eliminating the Roadless Rule, which limits logging, mining and road construction across millions of acres of undeveloped national forest. Supporters say the change would give local forest managers more flexibility, while conservation groups warn it could expose intact forests and wildlife habitat to development.

Environmental and Indigenous groups are challenging plans that could open more than 33 million acres of ocean floor to potential mining. The waters provide habitat for whales, sea turtles, corals and other marine life, while critics say the environmental consequences of large-scale seabed mining remain poorly understood.