Celebrating Public Lands Month with Those Who Are at the Front Line of Public Land Protection

This month, we’re celebrating the beauty and wonder of our Public Lands while giving well-deserved recognition to the invaluable nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving these precious natural treasures.

In this feature for CELEBRATING PUBLIC LANDS MONTH, we’ll delve into the stories of the MYSTERY RANCH Nonprofit Partners that are devoted to the preservation of our Public Lands. We strive to illuminate their deep dedication to these landscapes and demonstrate how you can collaborate with them to safeguard and preserve these beloved natural wonders for future generations.

Conservation Visions

Name and Title: Shane Mahoney, President and CEO

Federally owned Public Lands are part of the Public Trust in the United States, a crucial underpinning of both the conservation of national treasures in the country and a signal of the people’s trust in government’s custodial role of the same. The principle articulates that certain natural and cultural resources are preserved for the use of all Americans and that the government owns – but must protect and maintain – these resources for the public’s use. The Public Trust is considered the most fundamental pillar of the “seven sisters of conservation,” the integral underpinnings of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. These lands provide outdoor recreational spaces that are accessible to all Americans. Every individual has the right to access such lands to hike, to hunt, to camp, to fish, to photograph, to reconnect with nature – or to enjoy any other legal pastime in the American outdoors. Public Lands therefore exemplify the democratic ideals on which the United States was founded, equality and liberty being the most relevant.

Public Lands are also essential for wildlife habitat and are cradles of biodiversity. These spaces encompass highly diverse landscapes which provide habitat to more than 3,000 species of fish and wildlife. Hundreds of these species are currently at risk and more than 200 are endangered. As reported by the Bureau of Land Management, Public Lands are often the last, best habitat for wildlife otherwise displaced by habitat loss, fragmentation, and mismanagement. Furthermore, large tracts of intact Public Land will be necessary to ensure wildlife species are able to migrate to more suitable habitats as climate change continues to alter the environment. These lands also provide a host of ecosystem services to people, including wild foods, clean air, and water. More than 124 million Americans, for example, get their drinking water from national forests.

Finally, U.S. Public Lands are part of a national heritage. Every national park, national monument, and wilderness area represents a meaningful time or place, essential to the culture and history of the American people. These places still bring people together and remind citizens of a common national history and shared American values.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

Conservation Visions advocates for the protection of America’s Public Lands both through our Communications and Outreach Program, which focuses on film production and social media, and the Wild Harvest Initiative®. Based on the nexus between recreational hunting and angling; human, nature-based benefits, like food; and wildlife conservation, the Wild Harvest Initiative® is the first research and advocacy program designed to evaluate the combined economic, conservation, and social benefits of recreational wild animal harvests in modern American society. Through its analyses and outputs, we are increasing public awareness and engagement regarding the importance of wildlife and fish habitat as a food reservoir, thereby encouraging the mobilization of greater efforts for the conservation of all wild lands, especially Public Lands, which provide both vital habitat for big and small game and critical access for hunting and fishing to more than 70% of American sportsmen and women. We are also mobilizing a new, broader, more inclusive valuation of wildlife and fish, which will help increase the profile of these resources in future land use and policy management decisions.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

The key to unifying around Public Land issues is to focus on common ground. We need to find common ground for discussion and public engagement in Public Land issues, thereby laying the groundwork for wider and more effective coalitions to support the conservation of these incredibly important wild lands. We need to set aside “us vs. them” debates, concentrate on our shared priorities – which really do constitute the bigger picture – and commit to working together, despite differences of opinion and we need to recognize that a host of diverse approaches to wildlife and nature conservation is a good thing, not an opportunity for conflict. A great example of this occurred in 2017 when Bill H.R.621 (Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act) was introduced to U.S. Congress. That bill identified the potential transfer of 3.3 million acres of Public Lands to state ownership, a combined land area equal to the state of Connecticut. The outdoor community responded immediately and passionately, and with a concerted voice. Hunters and anglers stood with hikers and bikers and birders and photographers and the many other stakeholders who voiced strong opposition. H.R. 621 was, of course, withdrawn following the overwhelming public response. Together, despite our differences, we are better, stronger advocates for conservation and human engagements in nature.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

Individuals can educate themselves through social media, books, and articles about Public Lands and related issues. They can join organizations that advocate for Public Lands preservation and conservation, as well as monitor relevant projects, and add their voices and support as opportunities arise. There may also be opportunities to participate in volunteer work. They can submit comments on legislation related to Public Lands and attend townhalls or community hearings on related decisions at the local, state, and federal levels. I would also encourage individuals to go out and enjoy the Public Lands in their area (in whatever way makes most sense to them!) and to share their passion for these wild places with others.

What do you hope for the future of Public Lands?

While we, as individuals, may enjoy them for a while, and the federal government may hold them in trust forever, America’s Public Lands essentially belong to the nation’s future. These landscapes and the scenic, ecological, and historical treasures they contain are a shared legacy. If future generations of Americans are to survive and live well, it is essential that the U.S. preserve its Public Lands and the myriad benefits they provide. I believe that federal custodianship of Public Lands remains something worth fighting for and I sincerely hope that we can manage and maintain these invaluable spaces in perpetuity.

Learn more about Conservation Visions, here.

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

Name and title: Brittany Parker, Habitat Stewardship Coordinator

One of the things I’ve always missed when spending extended periods of time outside the country is our Public Lands. In the United States, we have approximately 640 million acres of Public Land that people can enjoy, regardless of their socio-economic class or background. This is a defining characteristic of the United States, and it’s something I feel an immense sense of pride and shared ownership over.

Public Land and waters are a place where I can go to challenge myself, gain a better understanding of my connection to the land, and source food that can sustain me through the winter. Access to Public Lands and waters is what led me to work in habitat stewardship and conservation, and without it, there’s a high probability I would have never engaged in the conservation space. These places undoubtedly create stewards and advocates for conserved and protected landscapes. Without them, the land, water, and wildlife would have fewer people advocating for them. Not to mention, much of our country’s landscape would have fallen to private and wealthy interests, leaving nothing for future generations.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) dedicates itself to the conservation and stewardship of our Public Lands and waters. Through advocacy, habitat stewardship, education, and community engagement, BHA ensures that the vast expanse of Public Lands and waters remain accessible, cared for, and resilient. BHA works tirelessly to safeguard these landscapes from threats posed by overdevelopment, commercial exploitation, and unbalanced resource extraction. You can regularly find our staff and volunteers actively engaged in trailhead diplomacy, native plant seeding projects, removing fencing impacting wildlife movement, installing water sources for big game species, engaging with elected officials at the state or country capital. By promoting sustainable hunting and fishing practices, advocating for strong conservation policies, and fostering a sense of stewardship among its members, BHA champions the intricate ecosystems, rugged terrains, and wild habitats that define our collective natural heritage and love of our Public Lands and waters.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

Unifying around Public Land issues requires a multifaceted approach that taps into the strength of partnerships, collaboration with Public Land and wildlife agencies, effective communication of shared values to the public and elected officials and active engagement with local communities and municipalities.

We can start, as the writer and conservationist Ben Long suggests in his book Hunter & Angler Field Guide to Raising Hell by asking ourselves, “When we get around a campfire in a year, or five years, or 10 years, what do we want to see that is different? What will we celebrate? Hoping and dreaming is the first step in strategy.”

We can then use those hopes and dreams to shape our values and direct us towards action. It is crucial that those with the experience in Public Land advocacy share their knowledge and equip the hunting and angling communities with the tools, information, connections, and resources necessary to inspire that confidence necessary to engage with those making the decisions on how to manage our Public Lands, waters, and wildlife.

Start local. Whether that’s by providing public comment at town council and county commission meetings or volunteering with a local organization on a Public Land stewardship project, it is amazing what connections are made and what you can accomplish by engaging with your local community. Grassroots involvement in local communities and municipalities builds a foundation of stewardship and ensures that the importance of preserving our natural landscapes resonates on a personal level.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

First, join BHA if you’re not already a member! Subscribe to your state’s BHA Chapter newsletter to get updates on Public Land issues in your area and how to get involved. I also encourage everyone to subscribe to their state’s Fish & Game Agency, town, and county newsletters to stay informed on upcoming commission meetings, management or use changes, and public engagement opportunities.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

The future of our Public Lands holds the potential for improved management. My hope is that wildlife and habitat conservation will become a higher priority for Public Land managers and that we continue to increase the number of Public Lands and waters the United States. I hope to never see that 640-million-acre number decrease. And looking ahead, my hope is that organizations like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) continue to play a crucial role in ensuring the responsible management of these landscapes through advocacy, education, and community engagement.

Learn more about BHA, here.

One Montana

Name and Title: Sarah Davies Tilt, Executive Director

Public Lands provide recreation and help to protect land and resources for the future. Public Lands are the responsibility for each person to steward, care for, and work to preserve and keep open.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

One Montana, through the Master Hunter Program, works with landowners and hunters to steward our public and private lands through service projects, conservation management strategies, and education. Master Hunter graduates support public and private lands by volunteering for service projects such as low-technology restoration practices in riparian areas and prairie streams, fencing and invasive weed projects. We often partner with public agencies like Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks and BLM. In addition, Master Hunters lend their voices to advocate for public and private land by participating in Regional FWP Citizen Advisory Councils and other committees.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

To guarantee places to recreate, and hunt and fish, it is critical to protect and maintain our Public Lands. We believe that providing education to increase awareness about Public Land management is paramount, and from there, acting in whatever way a person feels called to. Perhaps that’s applying for the Master Hunter Program, or it could be working together to educate recreational users about ethics, reduce conflict, and protect our resources. In addition to the Master Hunter program, One Montana is leading Outside Kind to promote leave no trace principles, ethical practices, and caring for our Public Lands. Some people want to become advocates for Public Lands and others want to build relations with landowners to better understand their perspective in relation to access and hunting. No matter a person’s perspective, their background, where they come from, or their belief systems, we all have a responsibility to support and be accountable for the lands we recreate—this means building bridges and finding common ground to share dialogue and move forward together.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

Great question. There are SO many ways to stay informed and become involved, and if a person chooses to, be an advocate for the spaces and places they care about. The first action step is identifying organizations, people, and groups working in the places you care about and engaging with them. This might be your local Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks office, a landowner-led collaborative, or a nonprofit organization, or something else. Joining an organization whose work aligns with your values, participating in volunteer days and stewardship projects, or starting your own clean-up event, among other activities, are great ways to support our Public Lands. Equally important is writing letters, using your voice, and getting involved in ways that feel meaningful to you. And then, staying involved and continually activating yourself based on whatever it is that you care about is important for sustainability.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

We hope that hunters and anglers will continue to use their voices to support Public Lands, restore habitat, and increase fish and wildlife populations. We hope that more hunters and anglers will volunteer and provide financial support for organizations working on these issues. We urge more collaboration between organizations to protect critical habitat, and valuable hunting and fishing areas for future generations. The tradition of hunting relies on access to public and private lands and the dedication of hunters and anglers to the conservation of our natural resources.

Learn more about One Montana, here.

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Name and Title: Noah Davis, Western Conservation Communications Manager

My most formative memories were made on Public Lands hunting deer, fishing for trout, and picking blackcap raspberries. Without those public acres, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

TRCP’s mission is to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish. So much of that hunting and fishing happens on Public Land, so it’s our job to ensure that all people have access to their Public Lands and that those Public Lands provide quality habitat for wildlife.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

Public Land is a table around which Americans can gather. From all classes, races, religions, and political ideologies, all have a right to be there and recreate. Public Land is the people’s land.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

There are many wonderful conservation non-profits out there that keep the sporting public aware of the issues at hand, but as a TRCP staff member, I’ll certainly plug that becoming a member of TRCP will keep you informed and give you the tools you need to advocate for important conservation and access challenges and opportunities.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

There are many challenges that face Public Lands, but those who love and use them most are also becoming more informed and engaged in the future management of these millions of acres. I hope that my small part in conservation means there are Public Lands and wildlife for all to enjoy for generations to come.

Learn more about the TRCP, here.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Name and title: EJ Porth, Associate Director

In a world of yours and mines, Public Lands are ours. It is our literal common ground. While we all experience Public Lands in different ways, we come together for the shared responsibility of caring for them, together. Montana is unique in that respect, our most cherished resource is something we care for together, as a state and a community.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

The Gallatin Valley Land Trust is like a real estate agent that works on behalf of the community. It is our job to find, protect, and steward shared outdoor spaces that will build community today, tomorrow, and forever.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

We learn how to share in preschool. It is a hard skill to master, especially when it comes to our outdoor adventures. Sharing land means honoring the variety of ways people connect with outdoor spaces. Whether you hunt, hike, bike, dog walk, or bird watch, we can be mindful of all the ways we enjoy the outdoors to minimize the effect we have on other’s experiences.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

Ask questions of your leaders. Financially support organizations that create public access. Lend a hand volunteering on Public Lands. Don’t take the resource for granted.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

I hope the future of Public Lands, and conversations about Public Lands, remain kind. Sharing such a special resource can bring up conflict and hard conversations. There are a million things that divide us, but the land is something we have in common. It can build bridges and build community if we remain kind and respectful to one another as we plan for the future of our shared public spaces.

Learn more about Gallatin Valley Land Trust, here.

Business for Montana’s Outdoors

Name and title: Marne Hayes, Director

Speaking on behalf of Public Lands is the foundation on which Business for Montana’s Outdoors was created. Our outdoors, our landscapes, clean air & clean water are the assets across Montana that fuel communities, support the passion for recreation, and uplift the quality of life that we as Montanans seek. In addition, they are the draw for new families, entrepreneurial businesses and expanding communities. On a personal level, Public Lands are where I think many of us go for solace, for adventure, for new experiences, and to replenish our energy. It’s the place where we make memories with friends and family and where we return again and again to find the hidden gems of Montana.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

We advocate for our outdoors, for healthy and accessible Public Lands – trails, rivers, forest, mountains and grasslands. We push for the support of programs and policies that keep Montana’s outdoors healthy and thriving, whether it’s the consideration of access, habitat, growth impacts, forest management or the threats of antiquated natural resource extraction – we make sure that the health of our Public Lands comes first. Our voice is unified around the message that our outdoors is critical to business, communities, and the outdoor amenity lifestyle that supports robust and growing communities across the state.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

Using our voices; talking to our community leaders, elected officials, federal policy makers are the tactics that make a difference. Understanding our place in the work of advocacy and being ready and willing to support the work that organizations are doing on our behalf is critical to moving the needle in the big picture. Being unafraid to speak up, offer public comments, attend meetings, and educate ourselves on the benefits and threats of the elements facing our Public Lands are all critical to our progress of protecting them.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

Sign up for newsletters, join organizations who have leverage in an industry, or across a user group that speaks to you and your interests. Pay attention to policies and practices that are in place for better management, increased access and improved infrastructure for our outdoor economy. Understand where volunteer work can come into play on trails, or with non-profits or coalitions who have a broad base of supporters, and the ear of many decision makers. Join an action team that shares alerts about policy or ways to add your voice to others’ so that the drumbeat becomes something that cannot be ignored.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

I hope that the fight for Public Lands protection becomes a less contentious battle. Those groups, communities, businesses and individuals who love Montana’s Public Lands and outdoor way of life find the resilience to keep fighting for the programs and policies that keep them healthy and available to us all. We often say that the great unifier in Montana is our Public Lands, and I believe that this is true. Rallying behind our Public Lands, for funding or community-led programs, or infrastructure improvements that bring better economic opportunities, or federal policy that drives protections in perpetuity – all this only means a better future for Montana’s Public Lands, which is hard to argue. The outdoors is the majority reason for most of us who choose to live and work in Montana, and making sure that reason exists for future generations is imperative.

Learn more about Business for Montana’s Outdoors, here.

The Conservation Alliance

Name and title: Conor McElyea, Senior Director of Membership and Partnerships

Public lands provide me with an opportunity to slow down, find peace, and escape the stresses of everyday life. They’re where I recreate and find both joy and opportunities to push myself.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

The Conservation Alliance pools resources from close to 300 businesses to both fund and advocate for the protection of North America’s wild places and open spaces. With the world at a tipping point, The Conservation Alliance provides a business-led answer to a global problem, proving that investing in land and water protection today creates jobs, helps local communities, and protects future generations from the impacts of climate change. Since 1989, we’ve helped protect 81 million acres and 3,580 river miles, remove or halt 37 dams, purchase 21 climbing areas and designate five marine reserves.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

Whether you’re a hunter, fisher, backpacker, backcountry skier, or casual day hiker, we all find value in connecting with nature. At The Conservation Alliance, we work to unify a broad range of businesses and outdoor user groups to organize opportunities to protect and manage Public Lands that benefit us all. And it’s through that collaborative effort that we can put political and personal differences aside and unite around the special connection that we find when interacting with the natural world.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

Do your research. Look for local land trusts and trail coalitions and inquire about how you can support their efforts to protect and maintain open spaces in your community.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

With visitation levels at an all-time high, resulting in many of our cherished Public Landscapes being loved to death, it’s clear that we need to increase the number of protected lands we have in this country. And for that to be a reality, we need to reestablish Public Lands as a place of common ground, where everyone can gather, regardless of their background, income level, or interest in the outdoors. And it’s with that common understanding and shared appreciation that we can further protections that will allow people, wildlife, and the planet to thrive together.

Learn more about the Conservation Alliance, here.

Access Fund

Name and Title: Dustin O’Reilly, Strategic Partnerships Manager

Public Lands, to me, represent the respect and beauty held by the land itself. These spaces are fantastic for recreation in their many forms, for the adventure that is in all of us.

What does your organization do for the protection of our Public Lands?

Access Fund shows up in Washington, D.C. to protect Public Lands and advance climate action. Access Fund works with Local Climbing Organizations to buy threatened climbing areas that are about to be sold off to maintain public access. And puts teams in the field to build sustainable trails and climbing areas.

How can we unify around Public Land issues?

Community is what it is all about. Bringing together passionate people to work together protecting, preserving and enjoying our Public Lands is how we will keep access sustainable and equitable.

How can individuals support local Public Land protection?

For folks to stay informed regarding specifically climbing access and updates in their area. I recommend they look up and get in touch with their Local Climbing Organization (LCO), a state-by-state list of our LCO partners can be found here.

What do you hope for the future of our Public Lands?

My hope for the future of our Public Lands is for their long-term protection and equitable access

Learn more about The Access Fund, here.