Access to Public Lands Should Unite All Americans

Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, Utah on April 22, 2026. —George Frey—Getty Images Experiencing wild, open, and natural spaces is part of what it means to me to be American, and I know I'm not alone in that belief.

Our shared connection to nature crosses geography, generations, and political beliefs.

From a neighborhood trail to a national park or a stretch of open desert, the outdoors gives us places to come together, find perspective, and experience something larger than ourselves.

At a time of growing loneliness , division , and stress , being outside can improve physical and mental well-being, strengthen community, and reconnect us with one another.

For millions of Americans, public lands make that possible.

But the places that sustain that connection are under growing pressure due to decisions made by elected leaders.

That is why, as we head into this year’s midterm election, voters must ask every candidate a simple question: How will you protect our public lands? The answer will help determine what we leave future generations.

Consider Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

A presidential proclamation issued this summer reduced the monument’s boundaries from roughly 1.36 million acres to about 131,000, removing monument protections from more than 90% of the landscape.

Bears Ears is a living cultural landscape and sacred ancestral homeland of deep significance to Tribal Nations.

Similar decisions are unfolding across the country.

Congress rolled back protections for the Boundary Waters, opening the door to mining in its headwaters.

The Trump Administration is also considering transferring a parcel of Yosemite National Park to a private developer.

Pristine roadless backcountry may also be opened to development and extraction.