HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR PUBLIC LANDS HOW

HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR PUBLIC LANDS?

HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR PUBLIC LANDS? We are thrilled to partner with Parks Project to bring you educational resources about our national parks and public lands! Parks Project was founded to support the preservation and care of our parks. They work directly with more than 50 non-profit groups protecting parks and public lands in the U. S. and Canada. This Deck was built for high school students. FACTS IN THIS DECK ● ● ● Thousands of places are not protected like national parks. Administrations have the power to designate lands as protected, or to remove those protections, so long as they are not national parks or monuments. Bureau of Land Management land wildlife refuges are not permanently protected. Many prominent scientists have called for the conservation of half of the world’s land oceans for the long-term health of the planet. This has sparked the 30 X 30 Initiative. This Deck is yours — add, delete, or edit slides to match your classroom style! CONSERVATION TIP IN THIS DECK You can be part of the change — volunteer with conservation groups, write your elected officials to support environmental protection policies, and be a good steward of our lands on your visits to national parks.

What threats do you think public lands might face?

While places like national parks are permanently protected, there are thousands of places for which protection is not certain. Every new administration has the power to designate lands as protected, as well as to remove those protections, so long as they are not national parks or national monuments.

In some cases, a public administration has attempted to remove protective designations from a piece of land. What are 3 reasons you think an administration might want to do that?

Bureau of Land Management land wildlife refuges are not permanently protected. There has been major controversy over the past decade about places like Bears Ears (Utah) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska), where federal protections that were put in place by one administration were stripped by the next. Bears Ears Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Often, these places aren't designated as protected so that oil and gas companies can lease the areas for drilling. Advocacy groups, often led by Native American tribes with modern and ancestral ties to the lands, fight to protect these lands with the hope that they will one day be permanently federally protected. Flag Road leading into Oceti Sakowin camp at the Standing Rock, Dakota Access Pipeline protests

What do you think could be done to permanently protect our lands?

Watch the video to learn about the 30 x 30 initiative!

Identical bills committing the U. S. to a 30 X 30 goal have been introduced into the House and Senate. Congress has been slow to act on these measures—that’s why many states have introduced similar bills to start the change at the state level.

Do you think the 30 X 30 initiative is a good way to protect our lands? Why or why not?

What can you do personally to protect our public lands?

RANGER TIP Congressional bills are a good start, but politicians won’t solve the problem on their own. You can be part of the change: volunteer with conservation groups, write your elected officials to support environmental protection policies, and be a good steward of our lands on your visits to national parks.