A land swap in Montana's Crazy Mountains between the U.S. Forest Service and the Yellowstone Club, an exclusive billionaire retreat, has sparked concerns over the growing influence of wealthy interests on America's public lands under the Trump administration.
- The swap closed a historic public trail, angering locals like fifth-generation Montanan Brad Wilson. - Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a Yellowstone Club member, oversees 500 million acres of federal land and has pushed policies that critics say favor development.
- Similar actions across the West, including in Arizona, Utah, and Minnesota, signal a broader shift in public lands management. - The Yellowstone Club, home to billionaires and Trump officials, has expanded its footprint through land exchanges and development.