Public Lands Advocacy

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Events in American politics starting in January 2025 made me realize, to my surprise, that the protection of the federal public lands system is the single most important issue to me under current circumstances, and the one to which I must increasingly direct my efforts. I have never had any formal experience working in conservation advocacy or policy; I worked in Philmont Scout Ranch’s Conservation Department, and volunteered as a trail guide for the local chapter of the American Conservation Coalition in D.C. But beyond that, nothing. This issue matters to me primarily because of my particular interpretation of American identity, and because of all the time I have spent in National Parks and National Forests enjoying our natural and cultural heritage, and finding things inside myself.

So in Spring 2025 I started reading as much as possible on the history of conservation and the American public land system, and its contemporary major schools of thought and major issues, to make up for lost time. I haven’t gotten very far, and I still have not yet figured out what precisely I can do for the cause. But I have been finding many, many decent resources, and a good and wide community. Should you be interested in joining this cause with us, its people are always eager to bring new friends up to speed.

I invite you all to join us in this mission, and I welcome any and all opportunities to work with new friends in this cause in time. In the meantime, below are some recurring resources I have found helpful, if you’d like to catch up on the issues with me too.

Wes Siler’s Substack– excellent and spicy commentary on the politics of public land preservation

More Than Just Parks– decent and action-oriented coverage of challenges on public land questions, with a preservationist bent

RE:PUBLIC– independent investigative reporting on public land issues

America’s Public Land– intensive media and speaking project by Walt Dabney, former Chief Ranger of the National Park Service

Public Lands Council– very good data-driven newsletter on resource management issues in the West, with a multiple-use bent

High Country News– some of the best independent journalism on all conservation issues to be found

Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks– org with a very comprehensive newsletter on all NPS issues

The National Parks Experience– decent reporting and analysis on NPS issues

Public Domain– decent reporting and analysis on NPS issues

Public Land Policy Podcast– a thoughtful six-episode program by someone trying to build a conservative lands argument, with a multiple-use bent

Nature is Nonpartisan– a bipartisan org identifying and promoting various basic common-ground conservation policies

Below are just a few of the reasons I’m trying to do this.