Fall Gathering

Native Nations, Public Lands, and the Trump 2.0 Era

Summary: September 19, 2026 marks the 607th day of the second Trump Administration. From the first set of Executive Orders aimed at “Unleashing American Energy” and “Prosperity Through Deregulation” to the dismantling of Bears Ears National Monument and the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule, the legal framework of public lands is ruptured and will never be the same. Nie will cover this ground starting with a historical account of federal public lands and their intersection with Native Nations and then review the history and growing use of Tribal co-management and stewardship.  Next examined are the Executive actions taken by the Trump Administration and how this flood of interlocking regulations and policies violate both the public interest and the federal government’s treaty and trust obligations to Tribes. Looking ahead to Jan. 20, 2029 (Day 1460), Nie assesses the options for rebuilding, with a focus on the type of reform that might follow today’s Gilded Age, like it did in the past (see Nie, Public Land Reform in the New Gilded Age). Central to this undertaking will be a powerful assertion of the public trust in public lands and new substantive authority and mandate to manage these lands and resources for the public interest and in trust for the Tribal nations that first stewarded them.  (The talk stems from Monte Mills & Martin Nie, Native Nations, Public Lands, and the Trump 2.0 Era (American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy & Resources, 2025) 

Martin Nie is Professor of Natural Resources Policy and Director of the Bolle Center for People and Forests in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana. His research and teaching focuses on federal public lands and wildlife law, policy and management. Most of his scholarly and applied work focuses on the challenges and opportunities of managing shared resources that cross boundaries amongst federal, state and tribal sovereign governments. Tribal co-management is a key focal point and Nie works with several Tribes, Tribal  organizations and federal land agencies to make it a reality on the ground. Nie is a recipient of the University of Montana’s Distinguished Teaching Award, a special recognition based on "a history of excellence in classroom teaching" and given to professors who "have demonstrated a quality long-term impact on their students" and the College's Teacher of the Year Award in 2026. He grew up in Ontario, Canada and received degrees from the University of Nebraska and Northern Arizona University. He loves to ski as much as possible, call and chase elk, hunt and hike the mountains of Montana, float wild rivers, live in his wall tent, play hockey, and mess around in his garage listening to vintage country and rock and roll.