United By Nature, powered by Nature Is Nonpartisan, a movement dedicated to rebuilding America’s conservation movement across political and other boundaries, has officially launched its first national campaign, Going Public.
Going Public celebrates Americans’ shared pride for public lands and aims to inspire people across the country to help protect them.
From March 27 to May 30, Americans can support their public lands by claiming a free, symbolic share of their favourite public lands, such as the iconic national parks Yellowstone and Yosemite, and local trails and forests. Each share represents a vote for their favourite land and support to protect and keep these lands accessible for generations to come.
Despite threats to the nation’s public lands, almost 90% of voters believe that parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife areas play an essential role in the quality of life. Public lands, including national forests, world-famous parks, seashores and wildlife refuges, are where Americans build family traditions and unforgettable memories, experience the joy and wonder of the outdoors, and find everyday moments to reconnect and recharge.
Going Public aims to close the gap between strong public support for public lands and the political decisions that jeopardise their future by giving Americans a visible way to stand behind the public lands they already own.
“People don’t engage with the outdoors because of politics. They engage with it because it brings them joy, and they want our nation’s immense beauty to be conserved for future generations,” said Benji Backer, founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan.
“Nature is something we love at our core. United By Nature and Going Public is about turning a love of place and nature into a national movement to make it fun, engaging, and reflective of how people already feel about the outdoors.”
The top-ranking lands on May 30 will receive the donated funds through United By Nature’s partnership with the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and Foundation for America’s Lands. Remaining funds will support public lands nationwide through these organizations.
At the end of the campaign, Nature Is Nonpartisan will send a record of every share claimed to leaders in Washington, D.C., demonstrating in real numbers that conserving public lands is not partisan.
Going Public is the first of United By Nature’s five national moments throughout the year to prioritise cultural momentum over political division to drive effective conservation action. United By Nature aims to create a movement of “Outsiders,” who are connected by a love of community, nature, and the great outdoors and share a frustration with division and polarisation.
