Saturday, September 30th is National Public Lands Day. In honor, we've put together a list of resources to help you get outside and enjoy the incredible public lands that the United States has to offer. Use the links below to learn more about America's public lands and if you're inclined, take action to help protect them.
What are public lands?
Every citizen owns a share of public lands and waters in the United States. These are the cherished wild places that restore our spirits and provide the solace of solitude. They’re where we go to challenge ourselves in pursuit of adventure and game. They are strongholds of important wildlife habitat and fisheries, providing places where a range of species – everything from elk and mule deer to grouse, waterfowl and native trout – can grow to
maturity and thrive. (Source: backcountryhunters.org)
What is National Public Lands Day?
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. Held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, it will be on Saturday, Sept. 30 in 2017. NPLD is also a “fee-free day”—entrance fees are waived at national parks and other public lands. NEEF (National Environmental Education Foundation) coordinates National Public Lands Day.
NPLD brings together hundreds of thousands of individual and organizational volunteers to help restore the country’s public lands. These are the places Americans use for outdoor recreation, education, and just plain enjoyment. The lands encompass national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes, and reservoirs, as well as state, county, and city parks that are managed by public agencies, but that belong to and are enjoyed by all of us. (Source: neefusa.org)
PUBLIC LANDS RESOURCES
National Environmental Education Foundation
The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)'s mission is to make the environment ever-present in the daily lives of Americans by delivering practical, accessible information they can use through the sources they know and trust. Through the National Public Lands Day, NEEF helps connect people to public lands in their community, inspire environmental stewardship, and encourage use of public lands for education, recreation, and general health.
For more information on NEEF and National Public Lands Day, click here.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands and waters.
BHA's Stream Access Now campaign is a new effort to improve public fishing and hunting access and opportunity nationwide. For more information on BHA and their Stream Access Now campaign, click here.
BHA has authored a Stream Access Report, which details and summarizes stream access laws state by state. To view the report and learn about access laws in your state, click here.
Wilderness.net
Wilderness.net connects federal employees, scientists, educators, and the public with their wilderness heritage. They educate site visitors about wilderness and the value of public lands preservation. The site houses the only officially-recognized, national, comprehensive, inter-agency database of information about all Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service and National Park Service wilderness areas.
To view Wilderness.net's interactive map of designated wilderness areas and find your local public lands, click here.
Protect Our Public Land
The Protect Public Lands campaign is run by Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of advocacy groups dedicated to preserving the remainder of North America’s best wild places for future generations to access and explore. The campaign's efforts include raising public awareness, gathering partners and businesses, meeting with governors and members of Congress and responding to legislation.
To learn more about the Protect Public Lands campaign and how you can join the effort, click here.
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Parnership
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP)'s mission is to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish. They help create federal policy and funding solutions by uniting partners and amplifying the voices of American sportsmen and women in service of Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy: “There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.”
To learn more about TRCP, their Sportsmen's Access efforts and take action, click here.
