From Prairie Potholes to AI Data Centers: This Week’s Outdoor News | FTW Ep. 137
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31m
On this week's episode of Fresh Tracks Weekly, we break down massive public land wins, controversial federal approvals, and real-world bowhunting gear data, followed by an in-depth conversation on science storytelling in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and a highlight of the Bison Jam Podcast.
You can listen to the Bison Jam Podcast here - https://www.bisonjam.com/
In the News
• USFWS Drain Tile Victory: A massive win for waterfowl hunters in the Prairie Pothole Region—over 200,000 public comments pushed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to keep critical wetland drain tile setbacks intact.
• Links
• https://fieldandstream.com/stories/feds-backtrack-on-prairie-potholes-rule-change
• AI Data Center on BLM Land: The Bureau of Land Management quietly swaps a clean solar project for an 86-acre AI data center in Boulder City, Nevada. Bypassing NEPA environmental reviews and public comment, this project threatens to pull 167 megawatts of power and up to 600,000 gallons of water annually from record-low Lake Mead.
• Links
• https://fieldandstream.com/stories/conservation/public-lands-and-waters/data-center-approved-forpublic-land-in-nevada
• https://www.blm.gov/announcement/approved-decision-townsite-data-center
• Boundary Waters Mining Block: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signs an executive order halting nonferrous mineral mining permits in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed, shifting the battle over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Watershed directly to the upcoming election.
• Links
• https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/#/detail/appId/1/id/764186
• https://www.eenews.net/articles/walz-throws-up-new-roadblock-to-mining-near-boundary-waters/
•https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MNGOV/2026/08/18/file_attachments/3749654/bwca-eo-onepager-FINAL.pdf
Bowhunting Metrics with the TRAKR App: Analyzing data from 2,500+ tracking missions to reveal real-world setup effectiveness—including why pass-through shots nearly double recovery rates (48% vs. 26%) and how top broadheads like QAD and SEVR stack up.
• https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/data-recovering-wounded-deer/
• https://open.spotify.com/episode/1j4VuK9mjCXeWkJtKw1Bqp
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