60M acres at risk, GLP buzz, how to clean the ocean

Happy Monday my friend,

Protecting ecosystems is important. But when the solutions are laced with nuance and counterarguments, it can get tricky to determine what is “right” and what is “wrong”. Once conflicts of interest enter the scene, we know that exploitation of natural resources is usually business as usual. Learn more about the Roadless Rule below.

🌎 BE THE CHANGE: An ECL reader wrote in to tell me about Fr*e the Ocean, which is proving that small daily actions can ripple into big change. Their simple platform lets you answer a trivia question each day, and every click funds the removal of a piece of plastic from the ocean. To date, they’ve helped pull millions of pieces of plastic from marine ecosystems while raising awareness about the crisis of ocean pollution. It’s an easy, empowering way to turn a few seconds of your day into tangible impact for our planet’s waters and wildlife.

🌲WILDERNESS TIP: Always pack at least three pairs of socks when heading into the wild. One to wear, one clean and ready, and one drying after use. Dirty, sweat-stiff socks can quickly turn into blister-causing sandpaper and invite infections. In cold, dry conditions, let damp socks freeze, then rub them to knock off ice (and germs) before drying them out fully. At night, open your boots wide to air out, especially rubber ones. More on backpacking and survivalism.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Tagliatelle with Creamy Gochujang Sauce is an innovative pasta dish swapping dairy for blended tofu in the sauce and uses nutritional yeast in place of Parmesan. The result: a rich, spicy, and creamy pasta that's satisfying.

The Roadless Rule and Why It Matters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched an official process to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule – a landmark conservation measure that has shielded nearly 59M acres (about 30% of Forest Service lands) from logging, road construction, and mining.

The argument is that the rule hampers wildfire mitigation efforts, forest thinning, and local economic development, especially in rural regions like Utah and my state Montana, where large portions of national forests remain covered by the rule.

Late last month, on August 29, 2025, USDA opened a public comment period on its plan to develop an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the rule’s repeal, with comments due by September 19, 2025.

What could change — and why people are worried

If rescinded, the Roadless Rule’s protective barrier would be lifted across vast tracts of public forest - potentially enabling expanded logging, mining, and new road construction. Proponents claim this would enhance forest management flexibility, allow quicker wildfire response, and boost rural economies. 

Critics counter that building more roads may actually increase wildfire ignition risk, disrupt vital watersheds, fragment wildlife habitat, and erode clean air and water protections. 

Environmental groups warn the rollback favors narrow industrial interests at the expense of long-term ecosystem resilience and biodiversity. Many expect the new ruling process to face legal challenges, since there are decades of public support and complex procedural history on this. 

I sent in a comment, and every voice counts. You can use THIS LINK to add your public comment if you’d like this. My friends at Wild Montana have crafted a sample comment that you can send as is, or edit to be your own.

Ozempic? Think again.

You’ve probably heard the buzz about semaglutide injections (Ozempic®, Wegovy®). They mimic GLP-1, a hormone your body makes to signal fullness, slow digestion, and steady blood sugar. The results can be dramatic, but so can the drawbacks: high cost, weekly needles, travel hassles, nausea, and weight regain once you stop, etc.

I wanted a way to work with my body’s natural GLP-1… so I started taking GLP-1 Up from Ora, a plant-based supplement using four patented fruit extracts, each at the exact dose used in human studies:

• Eriomin® Lemon – ↑ GLP-1 by 17%, improved glucose and inflammation

• Reducose® Mulberry – ↓ post-meal glucose and insulin spikes

• Morosil® Blood Orange – reduced waist & visceral fat in 12 weeks

• Feiolix® Feijoa – improved blood sugar, lipids & gut health

Capsules, not needles. No stimulants or synthetics. Third-party tested with results posted online.

👉 [Explore GLP-1 Up here] – I personally take it daily with lunch.
👉 ECL Readers can get 25% off your first bottle

👉 Start supporting your body’s natural GLP-1 today

💬 Poll

⬅️ Last poll’s results

Do you feel that you have good posture?

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Yes, my posture is good (41.7%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 No, it's not great (58.3%)

To a healing future,

— Rob