Washington, D.C. — On Monday, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) hosted a press conference with Representative Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and former Representative Earl Blumenauer, in addition to unveiling an art installation created by Steph Littlebird, a registered member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes, and Melissa Salazar, an educator, artist, and videographer based in Portland. Their work is part of LCV’s national Protect Our Public Lands campaign, which calls for immediate action to safeguard public lands and waters.

Representative Dexter’s Mt. Hood Trek echoes the bipartisan hike led by Reps. Blumenauer and Walden twenty years ago. Just as that trek informed major federal action, Dexter’s journey will help guide national strategy to safeguard Mt. Hood for future generations.

“Oregonians love their public lands. We hike, fish, hunt, explore, and just marvel at all the incredible places in our backyard,” said OLCV Political & Organizing Director Britney VanCitters. “Our way of life is not for sale. OLCV stands with Congresswoman Dexter and all the Oregonians fighting to protect our public lands and the Oregon we all cherish.”

“Eight months into my term as a U.S. Representative, I very much understand a simple truth: you can’t legislate from behind a desk. To make informed, effective policy on wildfire preparedness, forest health, and public lands, you must walk the land, smell it, sometimes stumble over its roots, and hear directly from those doing the hard work on the ground,” said Congresswoman Maxine Dexter. “That’s why I’m throwing on a pack and hiking 40 miles, just as Representatives Blumenauer and Walden did 20 years ago. Much has changed since then: the climate crisis is more urgent, partisan divides are deeper, and Mt. Hood sees more visitors than ever. But one thing remains the same—this mountain is loved by all and demands our protection. I am committed to preserving this treasured place to be loved for eons to come.”

“At a time when there is no shortage of outrage, when overwhelm is our most constant mood, when the news is relentless, my counsel is simple—and it is the same as what Nick Kristof so eloquently said in a recent New York Times column: take a hike,” said former Congressman Earl Blumenauer.  “Go outside. Relax your shoulders. Find perspective—and maybe even a little progress. That is exactly what Representative Dexter is doing. She is walking these trails not only to refresh her spirit, but to shape enduring policy that will protect this place for generations to come, so that our grandchildren and their grandchildren can stand in awe of this same mountain centuries from now.”

“We’re stewards within our own community of land and are teaching youth about being connected with the land and the importance not just for your mental health but also physically appreciating what public lands have to offer,” said artist Melissa Salazar. “For adolescent youth who normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to be out in the forest, I want to promote a sense of what it means when they’re not around the stigma of what an adolescent should be. There are many benefits to preserving our public lands.”

“Since his first day in office, Trump and his extreme allies have launched countless attacks on our public lands and waters,” said LCV Conservation Program Director America Fitzpatrick. “The Trump administration has gutted our land management agencies, opened up millions of acres of our lands to Big Polluters for drilling and logging.”

On Trump’s first day in office, he signed several executive orders declaring a national “energy emergency” calling for increased oil and gas leasing on federal lands, including in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and 13 million acres of the Western Arctic. He has issued executive orders repealing protections for Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument opening them up to industrial scale commercial fishing. The Trump Administration has also expanded oil drilling on millions of acres of public lands, fired thousands of career staff at Interior, issued executive orders expanding logging on millions of acres of national forests, and announced plans to roll back critical clean water safeguards. Just last month, Congressional Republicans passed the Big Ugly Bill, which cemented these efforts to drill, log, and mine even more of our cherished lands, including pristine places like the Arctic Refuge.

Public lands enjoy some of the widest support of any major issue. In April, a poll commissioned by the Trust for Public Lands found that 74% of Americans oppose the closure of national public lands, and 71% oppose selling public lands to the highest bidder. In Idaho, where the state hasn’t voted for a Democrat for president since Lyndon B. Johnson, 96% of residents think public lands should be in public hands. In addition, 88% of voters are concerned about the pollution of lakes and rivers and 82% of voters think the U.S. should protect more of its lands and waters.

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