This week we’re following renewed threats to tribal college funding and the possible eviction of bison from public lands in Montana.
The Department of Interior’s proposed 2027 budget is seeking to eliminate all dedicated funding for TCUs. If successful, the nation’s TCUs would be forced to close within a year, according to American Indian Higher Education Consortium President Ahniwake Rose. [American Indian College Fund]
The Trump administration wants to evict bison from BLM land in Montana. While the proposal specifically targets seven allotments leased to American Prairie, “a well-heeled nonprofit foundation that has long been a bête noire of local cattle ranchers and Montana Republicans,” according to Inside Climate News, it could threaten bison held on BLM land across the west. [Inside Climate News]
All 24 members of the National Science Foundation’s oversight board were fired by President Trump, in a move that many see as “the latest step…to erode—some would say destroy—the independence of the 76-year-old research agency,” according to Science. The National Science Board oversees the NSF, setting policy and approving large expenditures [AAAS Science News]
College students nationwide are searching for AI-proof careers. About 70 percent of students see AI as a threat to their planned careers. Vocational and technical jobs are believed to be the most at risk. “Everyone has a fear that entry-level jobs will be taken by AI,” said one student. [Associated Press]
In Maine, traditional basketmaking is being threatened by the emerald ash borer. Tribes are working with the state to protect brown ash trees, even as some tribal members worry about current mitigation strategies. [Inside Climate News]
New Mexico tribes are opposing Trump administration proposals to mine and extract oil and gas on federal public lands within the state. Federal officials are working to end a ban on oil and gas drilling around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and announced a reversal on a mining ban in the Upper Pecos headwaters. [Source New Mexico]
All but 20 of the US Forest Service’s 77 research facilities will close and its headquarters will be relocated from Washington, DC to Salt Lake City under a reorganization plan announced by the Trump administration. Critics assert that the loss of research capacity will directly affect the nation’s ability to manage forests pressured by heat, drought, wildfires, and other effects of climate change. [The Spokesman-Review]
