National Public Lands Day - Celebrate with action!

Saturday, September 28 is National Public Lands Day!

We want to challenge all our members to celebrate by being active in one way or another to support our public lands! The vast swaths of public lands in the United States are a rarity from a global perspective (you can learn more about the these public lands in our in-depth article, "A Brief History of our Federal Public Lands"), and bikepackers rely heavily on these public lands in many parts of the country. Let's make our voices heard with a bit of action on National Public Lands Day through one or two of these opportunities:

(1) Participate in a National Public Lands Day service event! The more participation and enthusiasm nation-wide in these events, the more visible the public's support for public land becomes. Events are hosted by the National Park Service, National Forests, BLM offices, and more. To find an event near you, use the interactive event finder here!

(2) Contact several of your elected officials and share with them how public lands are important to you, your community, your support of the recreation economy, your business, your education, or whatever the case may be. Our officials need to hear regularly the value of public lands. And this isn't just something for residents of the West or other regions where public lands are more common. In Congress, public lands bills need support from non-Western politicians, as well. Likewise, any bills that potentially weaken protections for public lands will be voted on by politicians from across the country. State and local politicians also need to be reminded of the values of public lands. You can easily find the contact information here for your elected officials, both nationally and locally.

(3) Share on social media a post about why you value public lands. Many of your friends probably don't know as much about public lands as you do or how so many of us and our communities rely on public lands in one way or another. Share a bit about that!