A frequent slogan heard in the outdoor community is “keep public lands public.”
The catchy #KeepItPublic and #PublicLandOwner hashtags accompanying this mantra are heavily populated on social media. Over the last few years, public lands advocacy has gone mainstream. Seizing upon this momentum, outdoor retailer Patagonia, for example, publicly waged war on former President Trump accusing him of being a despoiler of natural resources.
But where are these vocal advocates today when public lands access is actually under attack? (Crickets.)
Public lands belong to us. And efforts by the Biden administration to curb access under the guise of health restrictions or to incrementally ban public land hunting must be countered.