Twenty-five years ago, a bold vision took root—one grounded in people, place, and possibility. In 2000, the Department of Interior established the National Conservation Lands system, a remarkable system of protected public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that has grown to encompass over 38 million acres across more than 900 extraordinary landscapes. As we celebrate a quarter-century of conservation triumphs and community-driven stewardship, we're delighted to share a new publication from the George Wright Society's Park Forum Journal: a special edition dedicated to the National Conservation Lands. This special issue of Parks Stewardship Forum , guest-edited by Conservation Lands Foundation staff, brings together voices from across our Friends Grassroots Network, the Bureau of Land Management, and the broader conservation community to celebrate the National Conservation Lands' remarkable diversity and BLM's innovative management philosophy. The research and insights gathered in this Park Forum Journal special edition offer both celebration of achievements and roadmaps for the future. Whether you're interested in the history of the National Conservation Lands system, partnership models, or the on-the-ground stories of stewardship success, these papers provide a deep dive into one of America's most dynamic land management systems. View the Park Forum Journal National Conservation Lands themed articles below:

Santa Cruz, CA - Today, the Conservation Lands Foundation joins the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and our partners, the Bureau of Land Management, the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, Sempervirens Fund and local communities in celebrating the long-anticipated opening of nine miles of public-access trails in the Cotoni-Coast (“Chuh-toe-knee”) Dairies Unit of the California Coastal National Monument. This milestone marks a pivotal moment in expanding equitable outdoor access on public lands. Named for the Cotoni people who inhabited the land, the general public has historically only accessed the land through guided tours on the property. The 9 miles of trails opening today are the first of 19 miles that are planned for Phase 1 development on the 6,000-acre unit which allows hikers, cyclists (adaptive MTB on Loop 1), e-bikes, on-leash dogs and equestrians (via permit only). Visitors should be aware of cattle actively grazing on the property. Access hours are sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week with parking available at the intersection of Cement Plant Road and Warnella Truck Trail. Below is a statement from Elyane Stefanick, California Program Director at the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a national network of community advocates who are solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management including the 38 million acres of National Conservation Lands. “The opening of public access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies is a powerful example of what the public can achieve through partnership, persistence and a shared love of the outdoors. As we celebrate 25 years of the National Conservation Lands, today’s grand opening reflects our commitment to meaningful access to nature led by communities and grounded in responsible stewardship. “The Conservation Lands Foundation is proud to have played a role in the designation of the California Coastal National Monument and the inclusion of Cotoni-Coast Dairies. We are equally honored to continue our support through on-the-ground partnerships with members of our Friends Grassroots Network in the area. We congratulate all of our partners on this tremendous achievement and look forward to the next phase of work to bring even more trails, and more people, into connection with this special place.” Additional Resources Cotoni-Coast Dairies North Opening Video California Coastal National Monument Photo folder (please credit Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship) Trail map link

In July, the Conservation Lands Foundation proudly joined the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Trout Unlimited, NM Wild, and Friends of the Rio Grande Del Norte (FRGDN) for the "Rally For The Rio Grande Del Norte" to celebrate the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument and the 25th anniversary of the National Conservation Lands system. The three-day event (July 25-27) featured camping, service projects, and culminated in a community gathering on July 26 at New Mexico River Adventures.

Deep in the heart of Utah lies one of America's most remarkable paleontological wonders - Jurassic National Monument, home to the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry where you can view 1,500 dinosaur bones from different species of dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic period. Jurassic National Monument is part of the Bureau of Land Management's National Conservation Lands system, which protect some of the most essential and spectacular natural, cultural, and archaeological places in the country. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of National Conservation Lands this year, we face a troubling paradox. The very system and conservation tools designed to protect these irreplaceable treasures are under threat of becoming endangered.

Earlier this month, some of our California staff joined Friends Grassroots Network (FGN) partner, the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association , to celebrate the Piedras Blancas Light Station's 150th anniversary!

The original opinion piece was posted in the New York Times by Robert Semple. To read the original piece click here .

Dear friend,  This week, the Board of Trustees of the Conservation Lands Foundation elected Mark Headley as our Chair, and Hilary Tompkins, Greg Moore, and Chris Killingsworth as Vice Chairs. Our Board of Trustees elected me as a Trustee Emeritus. These changes in leadership are the product of the deliberate, considered governance that has been the hallmark of the Conservation Lands Foundation since the very beginning. Serving as Chair of the Conservation Lands Foundation has been the greatest blessing of my personal and professional life. As I step down as Chair, I resist the temptation to recite the achievements of the Conservation Lands Foundation's first 15 years because those successes are too numerous to list and because what we have accomplished has been entirely the product of the effort and dedication of our entire board and staff and the generosity of the foundations and individuals who have provided sustained financial support. The Conservation Lands Foundation was founded on the simple proposition that places with natural, cultural, and historic value are best protected if there are individuals and groups who know and care for that place, who will stand as its advocate, who will be the necessary constant presence and the countervailing force against those who would harm those values and if those individuals and organizations are linked together and reinforce each as part of a larger movement. We looked at the map of the United States' federal public lands and saw that the 248 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management presented the most significant conservation opportunity and the opportunity to engage the participation and engagement of local communities - or what President Theodore Roosevelt called "the essential democracy" of our public lands. That founding proposition has proved out. Today, the Bureau of Land Management's National Conservation Lands encompasses approximately 35 million acres of National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas, National Historic and Scenic Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and Conservation Lands in the California Desert. The Conservation Lands Foundation works closely with and supports more than 80 local organizations in our Friends Grassroots Network. Moreover, and what really matters to me, we are poised and ready to add another 20 million acres in 23 landscapes to the National Conservation Lands. Our country faces enormous challenges - loss of biodiversity, climate change, and deep political divisions. The Conservation Lands Foundation gives me daily optimism. We have a focused mission and strategy. Our staff stands unrivaled in their knowledge, skill, and dedication. The Friends Grassroots Network includes partnerships with Tribal and diverse communities. The Board of Trustees is actively engaged in the fiduciary responsibilities of good governance, keeping our organization true to its mission and our values. Over the long course of conservation history in the United States, our public lands have proven to be a unifying force, providing us with a common sense of who we are as a people. Thank you all, Edward Norton, Sr.

QT Luong is a strong supporter of our mission to protect and expand America’s National Conservation Lands system, including National Monuments. Hear more about his experiences on the land and capturing its beauty in our Community Conversation . 4. For the Busy Parent Busy parents have a lot on their plates this time of year. You can make the season a tad bit easier on them by gifting high-quality winter accessories from Patagonia for their kids. Every parent knows you can never have enough of those lying around.

QT Luong is a strong supporter of our mission to protect and expand America’s National Conservation Lands system, including National Monuments. Hear more about his experiences on the land and capturing its beauty in our Community Conversation . 4. For the Busy Parent Busy parents have a lot on their plates this time of year. You can make the season a tad bit easier on them by gifting high-quality winter accessories from Patagonia for their kids. Every parent knows you can never have enough of those lying around.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Conservation Lands Foundation statement from executive director Brian Sybert on the nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior: “One lesson from this year is that public lands are among the last unifiers for repairing and healing our country and democracy. America needs competent, focused leadership that understands and respects why we protect our public lands: to safeguard the foundation of our nation’s diverse cultural and natural heritage, and as an insurance policy against the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and other human-caused disasters that threaten our lives and the planet's health. “Congresswoman Deb Haaland brings a lived experience like no other to lead the Department of the Interior in ways that will harness the power of nature to ameliorate the impacts of climate change, improve access to the Great Outdoors for all Americans, honor the sovereignty of tribal nations, support rural economies, and safeguard wildlife and wild places for future Americans to enjoy. There’s no time to lose and we applaud her nomination. “Conservation Lands Foundation and our community-based partners across the West look forward to working with Secretary-designate Haaland to reinstate protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments and to accelerate the pursuit of protecting 30% of public lands by 2030 for our nation’s health and well-being.”

The Chemehuevi and other Southern Paiute have thrived in the landscape of California’s Mojave Desert since time immemorial and consider it part of Nungwuh Tuhveep, the Southern Paiute homeland. In addition there are numerous Cahuilla, Serrano, Luiseño and other tribal communities in the area. In celebration of California’s Native American Day , I’d like to tell you more about a particularly special place for the Southern Paiute and other local tribes. The Old Woman Mountains is a beautiful, majestic place located in the heart of the Mojave Desert. The Native American Land Conservancy is honored to care for a section of this wilderness: the Old Woman Mountains Preserve. Continuing to care for and protect these public lands helps ensure access to sacred and ancestral sites —not just for today, but for future generations too. It also helps maintain important habitat for desert wildlife and native plants. The Old Woman Mountains , traditionally known as Mamápukaib to the Paiute people, is a sacred landscape where the presence of the ancestors still remains. It is interconnected to the Salt Song Trail, a place that exists in the physical and supersensible (spiritual) worlds. This is manifested and transmitted through traditional songs, ceremonies, and rituals of the Chemehuevi people. Today, the Native American Land Conservancy (NALC) helps manage the Old Woman Mountains, to preserve it as an undisturbed area where cultural continuity and tribal identity can flourish.

Our country’s 400-plus year history of violence against Black lives has built a system of racism that runs deeply through America’s laws and financial, healthcare, education, housing, and policing institutions. We are saddened by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and the countless others before them and infuriated by the use of violence against those peacefully protesting their deaths. Our country is in pain. There is work to do everywhere and by every person to heal this pain and repair the damage. At Conservation Lands Foundation, our focus is on leveraging the richness and beauty of America’s National Conservation Lands to help ALL people, communities and our planet to heal -- and to become more resilient for the future. We stand in solidarity with Black lives. As an organization whose mission is to protect, restore, and expand the National Conservation Lands, we believe that all people have the right to experience, enjoy, and feel safe in the outdoors. Our work is grounded in the belief that conservation starts in communities and communities thrive when they have the knowledge, access and power to make decisions on their own behalf. We recognize that our mission cannot be fulfilled until our country offers the same freedom, joy, and opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color that are afforded to White communities, whether they are at home, in their neighborhoods, or in the outdoors. As a conservation organization working within a movement that has its own history with racism and white supremacy culture, our journey has not and will not be perfect. And we’re committed to the effort and journey to dismantle systemic racism and to take actions to create a just nation, including: USING OUR PLATFORMS and PRIVILEGE to amplify the voices and perspectives of our fellow Black Americans. We will celebrate the leadership of the many organizations, leaders, and artists working to upend racial injustices. LISTENING and EDUCATING OURSELVES to better understand our privileges and the role we can play to realize justice for Black lives, Indigenous people, and other People of Color. We recognize that our privileges and the health, economic and educational disparities between White and Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color communities are not coincidental, they are intentional and a result of living in a white dominant culture. We will continue to check ourselves and share resources about allyship, including this Ally Resource Guide , which is guiding our learning. TAKING ACTION by advocating for policies that bring equity, justice and improved access to the outdoors, so no person has to experience what Christian Cooper did while birding in Central Park. We are collaborating with partners in communities where we work and those on the frontlines of racial violence to identify how we can best support them - a step we believe our country as a whole must take to formalize and achieve a process of healing and reconciliation. If you’re considering taking action, we encourage you to visit 8CANTWAIT.org , a project by Campaign Zero to decrease police violence in our communities. If you have the financial resources, we invite you to support the fight for racial justice by donating to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund . As Americans suffer in this moment from three massive and overlapping crises affecting public health and the disproportionate losses of life from COVID-19 in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, the toxic damage that racial injustice and environmental recklessness inflict on our communities of color, and the increasingly severe impacts of a changing climate that hit communities and local economies, the Conservation Lands Foundation will continue to listen to and support communities to help drive the changes needed to bring an end to racial violence and racism. Only when we have true justice will all people be able to experience, enjoy, and feel safe in the outdoors. Brian Sybert, Executive Director Suzanne Connors, Senior Development Director Amanda Deem, Development Associate Kris Deutschman, Senior Communications Director Andres Esparza, Grassroots Engagement Director Lisa Eyler, Alaska Program Director David Feinman, Government Affairs Director Bertha Gutierrez, Associate Program Director Danielle Murray, Senior Legal and Policy Director Charlotte Overby, Senior Program Director Beth Poole, Individual Giving Director Maricela Rosales, California Associate Program Director Elyane Stefanick, California Program Director Julie Thibodeau, Senior Finance and Operations Director Jocelyn Torres, Senior Field Director John Wallin, Deputy Director Jamie Wienk, Administrative Assistant Erika Winton, Foundation and Corporate Giving Director

To honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're talking with members of our conservation community about their experiences and relationship with public lands. Here, we talk with Elyane Stefanick, Conservation Lands Foundation's California Program Director. What's your favorite memory in a National Conservation Lands unit or other public land? My all-time favorite memory in the National Conservation Lands was visiting the Cadiz Dunes in Mojave Trails National Monument for the first time. I arrived in the late afternoon and was greeted by members of the Native American Land Conservancy who shared the Salt Song with me and other conservation partners. It was a privilege to hear the song, embrace the sacredness of the area, and acknowledge its significance to the community. I watched the sun set, the sky turn orange and a full moon rise over the Old Woman Mountains. It was a spectacular sight. Tell me about someone who has influenced or inspired your work? One of the most inspiring leaders I’ve ever worked with was a man named David True. He was my supervisor at the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County where we worked for a program that offered alternatives to incarceration for youth and adults. He was a true believer in restorative justice and that everyone, particularly young people, deserve opportunities to thrive. I never knew passion for a cause until I worked for David. He inspired people to be their best because he truly believed in every individual. David taught me to lead with my passion, to listen and empathize, and to not give up. What might someone be surprised to know about you? I grew up splitting my time between my family that lived in Half Moon Bay, a small agricultural town near the beach that was barely known to the rest of the Bay Area, and my family in urban communities of the East Bay. I wasn’t aware of it then but I learned to code-switch at a young age so that I could fit in and make friends. It resulted in me feeling like an outsider wherever I went, a challenge that I still grapple with today. On the other hand, experiencing many of the opportunities and challenges the Bay Area offered in the 80’s and 90’s, including racial and economic disparities, diverse cultures, music, urban sprawl, traffic, and rural living taught me to be empathetic and shaped my early perspectives on life that I carry with me today.  What do you do when you aren't caring for our National Conservation Lands? I thrive doing any kind of physical activity in the outdoors and I love sharing those experiences with my family. Hiking, biking, running, camping, surfing, fishing, if it involves fresh air and smiling faces, I’m a go. Also, not many people know that I have a passion for dance and practiced Hula and Ori Tahiti for nearly ten years. I’m on a hiatus to keep two small humans alive but will be back on the stage again soon, hopefully with at least one kiddo by my side.

Recognizing the coronavirus risk and threat to communities across the country, Conservation Lands Foundation is following the recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as state and local agencies to help prevent the spread of the virus. Our primary concern is for the safety of our staff, Friends Grassroots Network, our communities and all of their families. As of today, we've suspended all staff travel through the month of April and have given staff the option to work from their home or the office. We’ve alerted our Friends Grassroots Network that our grants pipeline and support to their work remains unchanged. We continue the important work of protecting National Conservation Lands, while understanding that precautionary measures for schools and public events will impact the cadence of work and event schedules for ourselves, our Network, and partners. We will continue monitoring this rapidly-changing situation and provide updates as warranted. Please contact us with any questions.  We hope everyone stays safe and continues to watch out for each other, use good practices in daily habits, and be mindful of the new developments.