The Intersection of Public Lands and Climate Change
Bears Ears. Grand Staircase-Escalante. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
If you’ve been following the news over the last year or so, chances are you’ve heard about recent threats to these three protected places, or at least seen their names circulating on social media, shared by your favorite outdoor brands. They are not the only public lands in the U.S. threatened by fossil fuel extraction, but they are some of the most well known thanks in part to the outdoor community.
These areas are high profile examples of land managed by the federal government that is threatened by energy development. In addition to being amazing areas for recreation, wildlife habitat, and cultural heritage, they are also rich in fossil fuels. Each of these areas have just had strict legal protections and/or boundaries reduced so that private interests can exploit them for fossil fuels.
Read more at Protect Our Winters.
Jill Sanford 