Our land, up for grabs

By Trust for Public Land
Published April 2, 2015

Our land, up for grabs

All around the country—even when economic times are tough—citizens from across the political spectrum vote to protect the land and water that safeguard the physical, environmental, social, and economic health of our communities. But our legislators seem to have a different idea. Recently, the U.S. Senate voted to support an amendment to a nonbinding budget resolution to sell or give away all federal lands other than the national parks and monuments. We think that’s a mistake. 

Trust for Public Land President Will Rogers laid out the details in an op-ed in The New York Times today.

Land protection has long been an issue for which voters of both parties have found common cause. Since 1988, some $71.7 billion has been authorized to conserve land in more than 1,800 state and local elections in 43 states. Last year, $13.2 billion was approved by voters in 35 initiatives around the country—the most in a single year in the 27 years my organization has tracked these initiatives and, in some cases, led them.

But this consensus is being ignored, and not just in the nation’s capital.

In November, for instance, 4.2 million Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment to provide $22 billion over the next 20 years for land and water protection. But some legislative leaders want to use the money mostly for programs other than the land protections voters expected.

If you agree that conservation funds should be used the way that voters intended, take a stand today. Send a message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them you fully support the protection and preservation of our public lands!

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