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Cutting the 'green tape': Conservation group offers top 10 ways for Dept of Interior to streamline

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Cutting the 'green tape': Conservation group offers top 10 ways for Dept of Interior to streamline

EXCLUSIVE: A leading conservation group that champions collaboration over regulation is releasing its top 10 recommendations for the Department of the Interior to cut so-called “green tape” – as opposed to “red tape” – which seeks to streamline the agency’s work.

The Montana-based Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a nonpartisan leader in “market solutions” for conservation, will seek to triple the rate of endangered species’ recovery, double fee revenues for national parks without putting all the onus on visitors and eliminate regulations for Americans who voluntarily want to provide assistance in managing habitat restoration.

PERC CEO Brian Yablonski told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that there is a $23 billion backlog in national parks’ infrastructure needs, conservation projects and wastewater management.

As parks grow and visitor numbers hit record levels, the Interior Department needs a responsible way to fund the increased needs without burdening U.S. taxpayers or implementing restrictions, Yablonski said.

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A view of Delicate Arch as seen through Frame Arch in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

“One way to address the needs of our national parks directly is to connect funding with demand,” Yablonski said.

Doubling fee revenue does not mean doubling fees, he said, noting that in other countries, American visitors often pay a surcharge to that park system because they do not contribute any of the baseline taxes to park conservation.

In that way, a visitor to Skyline Drive who hails from abroad should be charged a little more than a local Virginian going from Staunton to Front Royal who already pays into park coffers through taxation, he said.

However, Yablonski underlined that the national park system is unique in that 80% of fee revenue collected at any particular park stays to support that park specifically. The other 20% goes elsewhere, including supporting parks that do not charge fees. It would also “depoliticize” park funding because fees are collected independently of Congress.

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Record increases in park visitors – according to the National Park Service (NPS) – have shown that people are willing to pay to enjoy America’s parkland. Therefore, an increase in the $80 America the Beautiful pass would be one area where there may not be much pain for eager park visitors. NPS reported nearly 332 million visits to parks in 2024, an increase of 6.3 million.

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The pass gets Americans into many national parks for free, allows entrance to Skyline Drive and also gives the bearer free parking at other park-owned properties, such as the Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Amtrak station.

Reducing obstacles to voluntary conservation is one of the best ways to cut ‘green tape’,” Yablonski said. Landowners seeking to aid voluntary conservation must currently go through an at-times costly and/or strung-out chronological process before they can formally assist the agency.

“It can take up to a year to get those kind of agreements approved,” Yablonski said. “We just think there’s a way to streamline that and get those agreements approved sooner, especially if a landowner is taking measures to do voluntary conservation on his or her land,” he said.

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That “green tape” cut leads into PERC’s recommendations regarding the Endangered Species Act, Yablonski added.

While the act has been effective in preventing extinction, it has not helped recover species listed as endangered.

Only 3% of endangered species have recovered and been taken off the list, while 99% remain extant.

“That’s because the tools needed for both are different. A tool to prevent extinction might be a more regulatory-oriented tool. To actually recover something and proactively improve, it is going to be more of a market-based incentive,” he said.

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“The problem is we’re using the regulatory tool when we should be using the incentive-based tool. And so the idea of cutting green tape is actually what are some of the new tools to take in endangered species recovery from a number like 3% and get it to 10%. And I think it’s important to set goals because there are folks that seem to be okay with 3% recovery in the environmental community, which to me is shocking. We should want to try something different, try new things, bring new tools to bear to increase endangered species recovery.”

The full report will be available on PERC’s website on Wednesday.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Interior Department for comment on its communications with PERC thus far.

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Alaska

Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day 2026 – Mike Dunleavy

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WHEREAS, all Alaskans have the right to safety and justice, and the rates of missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP) represent a crisis that is actively being addressed; and

WHEREAS, Alaska Native women are overrepresented in the domestic violence victim population by 250 percent, and although Alaska Natives comprise 19 percent of Alaska’s population, they represent 47 percent of the State’s reported rape victims; and

WHEREAS, the call for a greater response to the MMIP led to increased communication between tribal communities and State agencies in an effort to better understand the scope of the issue; and

WHEREAS, the State of Alaska now has four MMIP investigators, two tribal liaisons, and dedicates significant resources to address these cases and work with the family members of missing and murdered persons; and

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WHEREAS, in 2024 I signed legislation that further moves Alaska’s response forward with mandatory entry of missing persons into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and requires that the State employ MMIP investigators, and requires that all current and future Alaska law enforcement officers attend cultural diversity training with an emphasis on MMIP; and

WHEREAS, the State of Alaska is committed to continuing its efforts to work with Alaska Tribes in combatting this crisis and offering support to communities and families.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2026, as:

Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day

in Alaska and encourage all Alaskans to recognize the elevated rates of missing and murdered Indigenous persons and support law enforcement, victim advocacy, and the efforts of Alaska Native Tribes to work with State, local, and other entities working together toward solutions.

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Dated: May 5, 2026



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Arizona

2 Arizona Cardinals losing presumed starting jobs to draft picks

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2 Arizona Cardinals losing presumed starting jobs to draft picks



With the Arizona Cardinals’ top two draft picks, two players likely losing their starting jobs.

The Arizona Cardinals added seven new draft picks last month. With these additions, some players already on the roster could have new roles.

Two players in particular, who were slated to be starters, now likely find themselves in a backup role.

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RB Tyler Allgeier

Allgeier finds himself in a similar situation to when he was in Atlanta. He played second fiddle to Bijan Robinson, one of the best running backs in the NFL. He signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal to join the Cardinals, expecting to start or at least have a prominent role in the offense.

But the Cardinals selected Jeremiyah Love third overall, so Allgeier finds him behind a young, dynamic back again.

OL Isaiah Adams

Adams began last season and ended last season as the starting right guard. He was slated to be the starting right guard again, but the Cardinals used their second-round pick to select guard Chase Bisontis. With the addition of Isaac Seumalo in free agency, both guard spots seem set, sending Adams to the bench.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.



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California

California junior college athletes speak out on trans controversy that’s now in the Trump admin’s crosshairs

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California junior college athletes speak out on trans controversy that’s now in the Trump admin’s crosshairs


Santa Rosa Junior College was just supposed to be a stepping stone for Madison Shaw. Instead, she stepped right into a transgender athlete scandal that is now being investigated by the federal government.

With her graduation coming up, she has to move forward without being able to chase her dream of playing NCAA volleyball, which was the whole reason she went to Santa Rosa in the first place.

“It was the only plan I had,” Shaw told Fox News Digital of transferring to an NCAA program.

“I was planning on going to Chico [State University] and transferring, and getting set up through the recruiting process in that. And I wasn’t even able to upload any film or have a coach come out for my sophomore year. Because that year I was forced to be off the team.”

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Shaw had to step away from her volleyball team in the fall because she didn’t want to share a locker room with a biological male, and felt her Title IX rights to privacy, safety and equal opportunity were being violated. She had to throw away her plans for her sophomore season, and any chance of making it to an NCAA program.

Because Santa Rosa, as a junior college and not affiliated with the NCAA, and did not have to comply with the NCAA’s updated policy to prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports, Madison and her teammates ended up on the same roster as a trans athlete.

The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) allows transgender athletes to participate based on their gender identity. Biological males can compete on women’s teams after one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment.

Santa Rosa and the CCCAA as a whole have been under Title IX investigations by the U.S. Department of Education, and the federal Title IX task force, since January, after Madison and two teammates sent an S.O.S.

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SANTA ROSA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OPEN UP ON TRANS TEAMMATE’S ALLEGED SPIKES TO THE HEAD

Madison, and her freshman teammates Brielle Galli and Gracie Shaw, Madison’s sister, filed a Title IX complaint last September that brought attention to what was going on with their team.

Once the complaint became public, and garnered national media attention, multiple tense on-campus incidents allegedly occurred.

The three women allege Santa Rosa President Dr. Angélica Garcia led a pro-trans rally before a volleyball game, handed out packets to attendees.

“The president of our school had a rally to support our male athlete and had packets that were being hand handed out that said that our school is a gender inclusive closet,” Gracie Shaw alleged, with Madison Shaw and Galli corroborating the allegations.

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INSIDE GAVIN NEWSOM’S TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL CRISIS

Santa Rosa Junior College students Gracie Shaw, Brielle Galli and Madison Shaw (Fox News)

Teammates who had once been friends began distancing themselves, and in some cases, they said, actively excluded them.

“We were completely ostracized,” Gracie Shaw said. “We were left in the dark.”

They said teammates created separate group chats without them and held meetings they were not invited to, effectively cutting off communication.

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The players said they received backlash on social media and, at times, felt uncomfortable on campus. In one instance, they recalled being recorded and photographed by other students after being recognized in connection with the complaint.

The incident occurred when two other students set up a table with a sign that read “We are Christians, ask us anything.”

The women claim that the two men at the table were being told by other students that they were “hateful people.”

And soon, the anti-Christian crowd realized who the three women were, and two other students allegedly began to record Gracie Shaw and Galli, non-consensually.

The women say the only time the college and its administrators expressed concern for their well-being was in an investigative interview after news of their Title IX complaint had gone public.

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“Those interviews really rubbed me the wrong way,” Galli said.

“They kept pushing the same questions on us trying to get a different answer and trying to make us say something that wasn’t true. They kept stating that or they wanted us to state that it was our choice when really we were left with no choice with the way that we were made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe…

“They kept in bringing up the fact that there are so many resources available to us, so many counseling options and just so many resources that are just the school will provide for us. And that was a little ridiculous to me because throughout the whole season when we were participating, we had made it clear to our coach that we didn’t feel safe coming to the games.”

Santa Rosa Junior College provided a statement to Fox News Digital responding to the three women’s statements.

“Santa Rosa Junior College is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students and employees. The District complies with California Community College Athletic Association regulations, which govern student eligibility and participation in our athletic programs,” the statement said.

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“We respect the legal privacy rights of all students and cannot discuss individual circumstances. What we can affirm is that SRJC takes all reports seriously and responds through established procedures.”

But there were some moments when the women felt they were being supported, not by administrators, but male athletes at a competing school.

When Santa Rosa Junior College faced Sierra College in Rocklin, California, weeks after the complaint was filed, a “save women’s sports” protest broke out outside of the gym.

One of the protesters, local women’s sports activist Beth Bourne, handed out protest signs to students who attended the game and said it was the first time she’d seen college students protest the issue in person.

Sierra’s men’s athletes even joined in on the protesting. 

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California college students protest the participation of a transgender volleyball player at a women’s game. (Beth Bourne)

“There were men that were college students… that were holding those signs in support of us. Even though they probably didn’t know who we were. They knew that this was something that, that they could, even if it’s a small thing, just like just holding a sign up, they knew that it would make an impact,” Galli said.

It was a rare bright moment in an otherwise grueling school year. But now the summer is coming.

The women can at least move forward knowing their activism caught the attention of the federal government, as the Title IX investigations into the college and the entire CCCAA press on.

And as the three women look to regroup and determine the next step in their education, they each expressed gratitude for President Donald Trump’s administration for having their backs.

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But they’re still dealing with the irreversible effects on their futures, and are now navigating life after missing a chance at their NCAA dreams.

Madison Shaw said she is currently working three jobs as she tries to save up for tuition.

“Coming from a very athletic family, we all played sports,” she said. “For them to see this opportunity taken away was very hard on them, knowing that I wasn’t going to get the same opportunities they had when they played sports. And even just financially, this was a way for me to move on past the JC, so it was hard for them to watch.”

Galli found herself in the same situation.

“I saw it as my opportunity to pursue [NCAA sports],” Galli said of her decision to play at Santa Rosa. “I wanted to reach out and try to get recruited, and like Madison said, we didn’t really get the opportunity to play so we didn’t have any film that we could send to the coaches.”

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Gracie Shaw did not step away from the team right away, and continued practicing, but wouldn’t play in games as a form of protest. But eventually she just couldn’t take it anymore. she stepped away from the team as the situation progressed, and more national attention befell the team.

“I always wanted to get recruited and play at the next level, that was the plan,” Gracie Shaw said.

Madison Shaw continues to work her jobs and explore opportunities outside of playing sports, while Galli and Gracie Shaw are currently set to do another year of junior college.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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