The Living Landscape Observer is pleased to help support the launch of a new Public Lands Reading Group.
The purpose of this reading group is to bring together current and former public lands professionals and scholars to read and discuss works that inform our current moment and to consider how we might build toward a more resilient and sustainable future.
This is a nascent, informal effort to build and grow connections at a time of crisis for public lands. From the forced reduction of the federal workforce, to the proposed rescission of the US Forest Service’s roadless rule, to the weakening of critical legislation like the Endangered Species Act and the censoring of interpretive materials, the past several months have witnessed a barrage of actions that undermine the conservation and education missions of land management agencies. Meanwhile, challenges like climate change, wildfire risk, and pollution further strain already limited resources.
- What can we learn from past organizing efforts?
- How can we build upon a growing understanding of the complex history of public lands, so often rooted in colonialism and exclusion, to imagine a more just framework for these special places that will serve all people long into the future?
- What actions can we take now to protect the varied communities and landscapes that make up United States public lands system?
Public lands remain broadly popular across the political spectrum, but efforts to leverage this support remain uneven. Recent efforts to sell off public lands, for example, failed to gain support in Congress, but every temporary victory quickly gives way to a new challenge capable of inflicting permanent damage. Where do we go from here?