America’s cherished public lands are under attack, and a new nationwide campaign is making a stand to keep them in public hands.
With increasing threats to public lands from extremist militants, influential politicians and powerful special interest groups like the Koch Brothers, eight national and regional conservation organizations today launched a new short film and coordinated campaign to protect public lands. This new campaign echoes the warnings highlighted in US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell’s speech yesterday on the value of public lands.
Through a petition and social media tools on the website www.protectpubliclands.com, the campaign calls on the millions of Americans who hike, camp, ski, fish, climb, wildlife watch and otherwise access or love their public lands to urge elected leaders to reject all attempts to giveaway, sell, transfer or abuse the nation’s public lands heritage.
The film, titled Protect Your Lands, contrasts the devious threats that national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other public lands face with the tremendous love Americans have for these special places. Despite polls consistently showing strong public support for protecting and maintaining national public lands (Colorado College), and data demonstrating the enormous economic value of public lands in the form of $646 billion in consumer spending and 6.1 million direct jobs nationwide (Outdoor Industry Association), 2016 has seen the armed takeover of public lands and a rise in legislative proposals seeking to dismantle the nation’s iconic public lands system.
From the lawbreaking militants who recently took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, to influential lobbyists and elected officials working in the halls of Congress, some want to giveaway America’s priceless natural heritage to be managed for natural resource extraction or sold off to the highest bidder for private playgrounds.
“Threats to our treasured public lands have always been here, but they are gaining traction as extremists infiltrate positions of power,” said Sean Stevens, Executive Director of Oregon Wild. “If everyone who enjoys our public lands stands up and speaks out for Oregon's special places these land seizure schemes will fail. If we take them for granted, we just might lose them.”
To demonstrate the strong support for protecting public lands, the organizations are holding over a dozen rallies, guided hikes, film screenings, happy hours and other events nationwide during Earth Week. A tool on the website allows any person to host or share their own event aimed at keeping America’s public lands in public hands.
The Protect Your Lands campaign is a collaborative effort by non-profit organizations Conservation Northwest, Oregon Wild, Klamath-Sisikiyou Wildlands Center, Bark, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, Western Watersheds Project, Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity.
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