The Mountaineers
Think back to a time when you stood in the middle of an old growth forest or looked out over an expanse of uninterrupted wild country. Didn't it just feel... right? Make you feel small? Make you feel whole? Content?
Yup, us too.
The Threat
Federal public lands make up 28.5% of Washington State’s total acreage. These lands are likely the special places where you like to spend time in nature. It's where we hike and climb and ski and paddle. Where we go to spend time with others, with ourselves, and away from technology.
Imagine if Icicle Creek, the Wonderland Trail, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Shi-Shi beach – the places where we play, learn and teach – were suddenly sold off for profit, or to cover the cost of a wildfire or drought.
This could happen. An aggressive campaign to transfer public lands to western state governments is putting millions of acres of national forests, rangelands, wildlife refuges, wilderness, and historic sites at risk. If transferred from public to state ownership, these wild places could easily be privatized and sold off. Last year, the US Senate passed a resolution that paved the way for our forests, wilderness areas, and parks to be put up for sale. Eleven western states - including Washington - considered legislation to dispose of national public land to state governments.
The opportunity
At The Mountaineers, we believe our public lands exist for the good of all. We are part of a founding group of organizations and companies who believe this, too.
Last summer, we shared information on this issue with you, and many of you asked what you can do. We need to go to bat for our public lands. Our legislators need to know that we believe our public lands exist for the good of all.
Key players in the outdoor industry will spend the next nine months talking with Senators and Governors about this issue. They need backup. They need signatures.
We shouldn’t have to defend the idea of National Parks and Forests. Please join us in making sure our public lands exist for generations to come.
#ProtectPublicLands | www.protectourpublicland.org
