Access to Public Lands Should Unite All Americans

There is room for honest debate about how public lands should be managed. Recreation, conservation, grazing, timber, energy development, and local economies all deserve consideration. Responsible stewardship requires balancing those interests while protecting the places that generations of Americans have worked to preserve.

That debate matters because public lands are not only a conservation legacy—they are also an economic engine.

Outdoor recreation generates $1.3 trillion in economic output and supports 5.2 million American jobs. Communities and businesses across the country depend on the forests, rivers, trails, parks, and open spaces that draw people outdoors. 

The meaning runs deep. Public lands are among the few places in American life that connect all of us. The rock climber in Yosemite and the hunter in Montana may not share the same politics, but they share a stake in keeping these places healthy, accessible, and protected. Public lands remind us that our common ground is more than an idea—they’re real places beneath our feet.