Editor’s note: This summer and beyond, the Sierra Club is inviting every chapter and volunteer to celebrate landscapes that define America's legacy while building support for the next generation of conservation and reminding people these places won’t stay protected on their own.
and minerals, etc., for money, as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument also in Utah. Shown is Bears
Ears ‘Moon House,’ just one of the indigenous artifacts and habitat. The Roadless Rule is being weakened by the
Administration and affects many more national parks and forests, which we are fighting; (Photo courtesy Sierra Club)
As attacks on public lands continue–from attempts to sell them off to efforts to weaken long-standing protections–we have an opportunity to tell a different story and inspire people to stand up for the public lands and waters we all love in several simple ways, including:
~ Visit a favorite public land and share your story using #PublicLands250
~ Call your members of Congress to support public lands
~ Invite friends and family to join the campaign
~ Host a hike or community event (mini-grants of $500 & $750 are available!)
~ Use talking points to help tell your story of why public lands matter
~ Check out the new America 250 Toolkit and public lands action here:
https://tinyurl.com/ActionViaToolKit
https://tinyurl.com/OurPublicLands
At a time when so much divides us, public lands are shared by all of us – they are our true common ground.
These places are some of America’s most popular areas for exploring nature while conserving landscapes, cultural areas, clean water, and wildlife for the future.
So this year, while the Trump Administration is funneling the entry fees Americans pay to National Parks to his pet projects in Washington, DC, trying to sell off public lands, and attempting to erase parts of our history, let’s get back to what makes us us: spending time in the public lands we cherish with people we care about.
The Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service launched five 60-day public comment periods (through August 14) to gather feedback on federal wilderness policies, including Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, recommended wilderness, and lands with wilderness characteristics.
The Trump administration isn’t just trying to sell our public lands, but it’s also giving away what’s underneath them.
The Administration recently announced a renewed effort to strip the public’s voice out of the oil and gas leasing process and make it cheaper and easier for oil and gas companies to acquire our public resources.
This new rule will eliminate scoping and public comment on oil and gas leases, reduce bonding to levels set in the 1960s, and eliminate leasing preference criteria ( like competing uses, wildlife value, or cultural resources).
This involves millions of acres, and here’s just one that affects our region:
The Bureau of Land Management has approved new oil and gas management plans that reopen almost a million acres to oil and gas leasing—including lands in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Ventura, and surrounding counties.
This move prioritizes short-term extraction & pollution over California’s climate goals, public health, and the long-term stewardship of some of our most treasured public lands.
The Sierra Club is currently in talks with coalition partners to determine next steps, including litigation and creative ways to amplify this with public officials.