It’s Not Just The Bismarck FWS Office In Danger Of Closing

In all my years of providing public information in my various existences, I’ve learned that there’s one news source that can always be trusted: the Associated Press (AP). I could tell stories going back to my early newspaper days in the 1960s about how much the American media has relies on the AP over all these years. But I won’t.

Instead, I’ll tell you that a couple of stories I found this week on the AP wire provide a much bigger picture of what I wrote about a few days ago—the closing of the Bismarck office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  

Turns out, according to the AP, that office is just one of almost 800 (that we know about, so far) whose leases have been canceled by the Trump-Musk-Burgum Administration. There’s an actual list of those offices that someone at the AP sat down and typed after a bit of good research. Here’s the first sentence in the AP story:

“The General Services Administration, working with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, has notified landlords that federal agencies will be terminating hundreds of leases for offices and buildings in the coming months. A GSA planning document dated March 10 lists the dates when many of the cancellations are expected to go into effect. That does not mean all the locations will close by those dates, but agencies would have to either negotiate new leases or move elsewhere if they remain open. Agencies are still figuring out what to do.”

And then the AP printed the entire list. You can look at it here.

I scrolled through it. What stands out to me most is that the agencies targeted for the most lease cancelations are those in the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture. Two Cabinet departments pretty important to my state, North Dakota.

To be fair, there are only three offices targeted here, so far:

• The Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bismarck, which I wrote about the other day.
• The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office in Bismarck, an agency of the USDA, which describes itself: “APHIS protects the health and value of American agriculture and natural resources.”
• The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), also a USDA agency in Fargo, whose mission is “to deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world.” Most North Dakotans know about their local Soil Conservation Districts, which work closely with this agency.

According to the list from DOGE, the Fish and Wildlife Service office lease and the Fargo NRCS lease are due to be canceled August 31, and the APHIS lease in Bismarck on September 30.

A look at the whole DOGE list boggles the mind. Fish and Wildlife Service offices from Mississippi to Montana. NRCS offices from Arkansas to Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey offices from Charlotte, NC, to Cheyenne, WY. The EPA office in Los Angeles. The Mine Safety Health Administration in Hibbing, MN, in the heart of the Iron Range. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA–the weather people) offices all over the country. If you don’t want to look at the whole list, well, that’s okay, because I did. Found some favorite targets. Offices on the Lease Cancelation List:

Fish and Wildlife Service – 28 offices

Agencies serving Native Americans (BIA, Indian Health Services, others) – 23 offices

Soil Conservation – 21 offices

National Park Service – 16 offices

And, surprisingly, since Musk wants to balance the budget, 20 IRS offices. The Bismarck office is not on the list, but I’ve been there twice in the last couple of weeks to get tax forms so I could pay my income taxes, and both times the office had a big “Closed” sign on it. It had a phone number to call for help, so I did, while I was standing outside the door. A nice lady answered and when I told her I needed to know where to go to get tax forms, she asked me for my Zip Code.

“58501,” I told her.

Pause.

“The nearest office to you is in 58701. Minot, North Dakota. Do you know where that is?”

“Yeah, but that’s a hundred miles away,” I replied.

“You can try your public Library.”

I did. They had what I needed.

Go figure.

But back to matters at hand.  The U.S. Department of the Interior, whose Secretary is our former Governor, Doug Burgum, seems to be one of the prime targets of all this. More than 50 offices from his agencies, like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), the Office of Surface Mining, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Fish and Wildlife Service, are on the Lease Cancelation List.

Like the story says, “. . . the agencies would have to either negotiate new leases or move elsewhere if they remain open. Agencies are still figuring out what to do.”

Well, I know someone who works for Doug Burgum. JoDee Hanson pretty much ran the North Dakota Governor’s Office for him, and went with him to Washington, where she is now the Chief of Staff for the United States Department of the Interior. I got her e-mail address and sent her a note asking what she could tell me about all the Interior offices being closed.

JoDee’s a pretty busy lady, so she asked one of her staff, Kathryn “Katie” Martin, her communications officer, to respond. Katie sent me a casual note with some boilerplate. Here’s what she said.

“Mr. Fuglie –

“Hope you are doing well. JoDee Hanson asked that I connect with you. I handle communications outreach for the Department of the Interior and would love to be helpful with some of the concerns you shared via email. 

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department is prioritizing strategic reforms to maximize resources, cut waste, and enhance operational effectiveness across our facilities. We are actively working with General Services Administration (GSA) to ensure that every facility and asset is utilized effectively, and where necessary, identifying alternative solutions that strengthen our mission. These efforts reflect our broader commitment to streamlining government operations while ensuring that conservation efforts remain strong, effective, and impactful. This process is ongoing, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available. 

“Also, the Department of the Interior remains committed to its mission of managing our nation’s resources and serving the American people while ensuring fiscal responsibility. The Department will comply with the court’s order, which you referenced, while the White House works through the appeals process.

“We always welcome in feedback from folks across the country so please keep in touch with anything else you may need. Look forward to staying in touch.

“Katie”

Well, I’ll “stay in touch.”

You stay tuned.

FOOTNOTE: There was a troubling story about Doug Burgum (I can call him Doug again now–he’s no longer Governor) and his plans for our national monuments in the Los Angeles Times earlier this month. I missed it but a friend sent it yesterday. You should read it. Here.