I'm a big supporter of the movement REI launched to use the day after Thanksgiving to stay out of the malls and #OptOutside instead. Time with friends and family spent enjoying our nation's beautiful wildlands is good for the body, the soul and our shared environment.
But now that Republicans are set to control the Presidency, the Senate and the House, it's more important than ever to stand together to defend our federal lands. Many of our most beautiful and least developed public lands can be found in national forests, Bureau of Lands Management areas, wildlife refuges, and national monuments.
At the last Republican National Convention the GOP voted to include a plank in their platform to turn federal lands over to state management.
The measure reads in part: "Congress shall immediately pass universal legislation providing for a timely and orderly mechanism requiring the federal government to convey certain federally controlled public lands to states."
If the GOP is succesful in their campaign to allow states to develop federal lands it would be a huge blow to efforts to protect wilderness and open spaces, defend endangered species and fight climate change.
Right now, eleven states have proposed legislation seeking to claim control of federal lands. To push back, please sign this petition, and urge your governor to reject efforts to force federal lands into state management.
Opting outside is awesome, but unless we defend outside, future generations might not have any options beside the mall. In the comments, please add your favorite outside adventure and federal lands to explore.
Our nation's shared natural heritage includes our beautiful and wild federal lands.
Many of our most-beautiful and least-developed public lands can be found in national forests, Bureau of Lands Management areas, wildlife refuges, and national monuments.
Please reject any effforts to allow states to develop federal lands. Such initiatives would be significant setbacks to efforts to balance state budgets while protecting wilderness and open spaces, defending endangered species and fighting climate change.
