The Greater Gila – America’s next, great protected landscape
The Greater Gila
Deep in the heart of the American Southwest lies the Greater Gila Bioregion, a place that is larger and more biodiverse than Yellowstone, as rich in cultural history as Bears Ears, as wild as the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and the birthplace of the wilderness ideal. WildEarth Guardians believes that the Greater Gila can and should be America’s next, great protected landscape. We envision a protected area of equal or greater size to three million acres, anchored around the Gila, Aldo Leopold, and Blue Range wilderness areas where wolves and jaguars are free to roam, Mexican spotted owls soar, and Gila and Apache trout thrive in free-flowing rivers and streams.
For decades, WildEarth Guardians has advocated for protection and restoration of the Greater Gila Bioregion. We’ve made great strides since shifting our approach to working with ranchers, rather than against them. Our innovative method for retiring grazing allotments has resulted in the protection of more than 36,000 acres of important Mexican wolf habitat on public lands, giving the wildness that remains in the Greater Gila the space to endure.
Guardians is actively pursuing more grazing permit retirements and working to protect the Greater Gila against the threats of logging, roads, and other harmful activities. We aim to protect, restore, and reconnect public and private lands to provide a unique and rich place of wildness, wildlife, and wild rivers.
Greater Gila Priority Work
Mexican Wolves
Grazing Permit Retirement
Recent Stories From Public Lands

A milestone for wildlife and public lands in New Mexico
Roxy’s Law banning traps, snares, and poisons on public lands heads to the governor’s desk

Traps, snares, and poisons banned on New Mexico public lands
Together, we did it! Governor Lujan Grisham just signed the bill to ban traps on New Mexico public lands

Traps, snares, and poisons banned on New Mexico public lands
Together, we did it! Governor Lujan Grisham just signed the bill to ban traps on New Mexico public lands

Traps, snares, and poisons banned on New Mexico public lands
Together, we did it! Governor Lujan Grisham just signed the bill to ban traps on New Mexico public lands
Public Lands Press
Signing Roxy’s Law moves New Mexico forward
Thinking about some other Western states’ version of so-called “leadership,” I am grateful for what we have here in New Mexico. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is infamous for assaulting a journalist, attempting to undermine democracy and violating his state’s hunting regulations (at least twice).
Read more >50 Organizations Call on President Biden to Protect Tongass National Forest and Carbon-rich Forests Under U.S. Climate Commitments
50 organizations representing national and local conservation groups, commercial fishing interests, and the outdoor recreation industry, submitted a letter last week to the Biden administration calling for carbon-dense forests, including the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, to be specifically protected...
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