Public Lands and Waters

Every community needs access to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. The United States has a painful legacy of racism and exclusion toward Indigenous and communities of color, and natural resource policy is no exception. The ugly history of land theft perpetrated by the federal government on Indigenous tribes, and the persistent disregard for their sovereignty, is perhaps the most glaring example. Yet this pattern of inequity has continued to the present day, including the location of far more industrial development and pollution and less access to nature in and near low-income communities of color. That is why LCV is committed to pursuing policies that both protect nature and share its benefits more equitably with all communities. We also seek to prioritize authentically partnering with and lifting up organizations led by people of color, to ensure that the conservation movement reflects the diversity of our country.

While many people think of our country’s public lands as protected from industrial development, the reality is that a staggering amount of drilling and coal mining occurs on them. Nearly one-quarter of all U.S. carbon emissions are generated from energy extracted on public lands and waters. It is time to turn our public lands and waters into solutions to the climate crisis.

To make this transition, LCV works to stop fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and increase solar, wind, and other forms of clean energy in ways that are supported by the communities impacted by them. We take critically important habitats off the table for drilling and mining. We strategically focus on habitats that are important sources of clean drinking water, outdoor recreation access, fish and wildlife, and cultural uses – like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We also invest in forests, wetlands, mangroves and other areas that safely store carbon pollution in the ground and out of our atmosphere.

Our country’s national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other public lands are a popular source of pride for many people. Unfortunately, they are often inaccessible, unwelcoming, and exclude communities of color, disabled people, low-income communities, Indigenous tribes, and LGBTQ+ communities. LCV seeks to tear down these barriers and create a welcoming, inclusive system of public lands through outreach and policy.

National parks and other public lands don’t just protect nature; they also preserve and interpret our country’s history. The choice of whose history to preserve has not been equitable, resulting in a disproportionately low number (¼) of national parks and monuments that tell the stories of diverse communities. That is why LCV worked to protect places such as the Stonewall National Monument, Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, and Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument – and why we continue to advocate for our public lands to tell a more complete story of the United States.

We are also mindful that our public lands rightfully belong to Indigenous people and have been stewarded by them since time immemorial. We are committed to supporting Tribal Nations’ efforts to foster greater tribal sovereignty as well as co-management and co-stewardship arrangements for our public lands, such as the management structure established for the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.