Photo courtesy of Ian Brickey
No doubt, 2020 has been a challenging year for us all. For many, it’s been a year without: without friends and family, without a job or economic security, and another without social justice. These issues won’t simply go away when the calendar changes, but 2020 also saw glimmers of hope that could make 2021 a great year. This is especially true when it comes to protecting and expanding access to the outdoors.
After four years of near-constant attacks on our public lands by the Trump administration, new leadership with a fresh vision for the outdoors has come to Washington. President Joe Biden has nominated an experienced climate and environment team, including the first Indigenous woman to lead a cabinet department—Rep. Deb Haaland at the Department of the Interior. This team will come into office able to build off a strong foundation of 2020 victories, due in no small part to the Outdoors for All campaign.
Let’s take a look.
In August, we saw the Great American Outdoors Act signed into law. The law fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually, and directs nearly $10 billion over five years to address the massive backlog of unaddressed maintenance projects in our national parks and on public lands. While the law will be incredibly beneficial to our iconic national parks, about half of the funding will support conservation and parks projects at the regional, state, and local levels.
Ever since the LWCF was signed into law, however, the Trump administration was relentless in trying to sabotage it by ignoring deadlines, assembling shoddy paperwork, and trying to subvert the will of Congress behind closed doors. President Biden must not only undo this damage but also ensure that the Great American Outdoors Act lives up to its potential and centers equity in the projects it supports.
We also succeeded in our work to further access to the outdoors as a human right. For too long, access to the outdoors has been treated as a nice thing to have, rather than as an essential need. The COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide uprisings for racial justice have made it clear that access to the outdoors is essential to building healthy and strong individuals and communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended spending time outdoors both to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and to boost mental and physical health during the pandemic.
Those benefits of nature are not equitably distributed, however. Land use policies steeped in racism and white supremacy have prevented Black and brown communities from accessing nearby green spaces, denying 100 million people in the US access to a park within walking distance and leaving communities of color sicker, poorer, and hotter than white communities. We will continue to work to bridge that gap until all people have safe access to the outdoors.
And while the pandemic scrapped many plans for getting outdoors, the Outdoors for All campaign scored a major victory that will make it easier for youth and families to access public lands in 2021. On August 31, the Every Kid Outdoors pass, which offers fourth graders and their families free access to public lands and waters, expired. For many families, the pass offers their only chance to visit our national parks, but the disruption caused by the pandemic prevented many of them from visiting these treasured places in 2020—and potentially forever. Trump’s Department of the Interior initially balked at extending the pass, claiming they didn’t have the authority to do so. Outdoors for All and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids sprang into action to mobilize thousands of action-takers, generate media attention, and rally members of Congress in support of extending the pass. In a matter of weeks, the administration completely reversed course. For the 2020–2021 school year, fourth and fifth graders will qualify for the pass. At a time when our politics seem hopelessly divided, it is clear the outdoors can unify us.
Our work is far from over. We still have challenges to overcome, but the successes we saw for outdoor equity in 2020 show that the future is bright. The Outdoors for All campaign will continue working for that more just and equitable world. We hope you’ll be right there with us.