At the Conservation Lands Foundation, we've always believed that the most impactful strategies start with people. It begins with the passionate individuals and dedicated local organizations on the front lines, working tirelessly to protect America's National Conservation Lands. Our mission isn’t just about conserving the public’s land; it's about nurturing the community-based movement that makes this work possible and successful. That's why we're so excited to announce a deeper, more robust collaboration with TREC–Together Rising As An Environmental Community–the nation’s leading environmental nonprofit capacity building advisors. This new partnership isn't just about a one-time project; it’s a long-term commitment to strengthening the foundation of our work—the people.

Earlier this summer, the Conservation Lands Foundation hosted the Foundations of Conservation Leadership, which is designed to prepare attendees for a successful career in conservation by providing them campaign tools and skills, grounding them in policy and the history of the environmental movement, and connecting them to one another through team building exercises and networking opportunities.

Powerful advocacy begins with simple conversations. When we share why we treasure certain places—a favorite fishing spot, a special hunting ground, a memorable trail, we transform abstract policy into tangible, personal stakes. Talking to people about the places that matter to us creates ripples that become waves of action. And it’s working. Our collective advocacy has prevented nefarious attacks on public lands and waters - and we must remain loud as the threats build. In this newsletter, we cover our recent DC Fly-In, threats to national monuments, and proactive bills that protect nature.

In this issue, we honor Arizona Representative Raúl Grijalva's conservation legacy, share our 2024 Impact Report, celebrate the reinstatement of Interior Department employees, and alert you to new attacks on public lands. We also preview next week's gathering of Friends Grassroots Network advocates in Washington DC, where they'll meet with their members of Congress to speak for the lands and waters we all love and depend on.

Within two weeks we drove more than 50,000 public land defenders to send letters to Congressmembers and to Interior Secretary Burgum with the crystal clear message: America’s public lands are not for sale. While the deadline for Secretary Burgum’s "action plan" has passed without public announcement, the campaign to dismantle public lands protections is accelerating at all levels of government. Legislation has been introduced to gut the Antiquities Act, while the administration terminates thousands of public land caretakers. In this issue of CLiF Notes, we break down these emerging threats and share ways you can take action to protect your access and the health of these vulnerable lands.

Victories, Threats, and Community Building

Public lands have long been a unifying thread in America’s story. From the towering redwoods of California to the expansive deserts of the Southwest, these lands connect us to our past, sustain our present, and inspire hope for the future. This week, the Conservation Lands Foundation hosted a virtual Community Conversation: 2025 Priorities for Investing in America’s Public Lands. Moderated by our CEO, Chris Hill , the discussion brought together an incredible lineup of speakers: California Representative Jared Huffman , Native American Land Conservancy Policy Manager Cassaundra Pino , Conservation Lands Foundation Government Affairs Director David Feinman , and author and Professor Emeritus John D. Leshy .  The conversation highlighted three key themes: the bipartisan legacy of public lands protections, the critical role of grassroots advocacy, and the pressing need to strengthen community power in the face of challenges. From the enduring impact of the Antiquities Act to the power of local activism, the panelists shared insights that underscored a powerful truth: public lands are not just about policy—they are about people and the communities that cherish and defend them.

As we celebrate the perseverance and spirit of Black people in the United States this Juneteenth holiday, I reflect on what it means to promote equity, access, and public lands for communities of Black and brown people. Inspired by my father’s passion for bringing public services and park programs together, I pursued a career in parks and recreation more than a decade ago. Despite his example and my own experience in the parks and recreation space, it wasn’t until 2016 that I stepped out of my comfort zone to attend an event hosted by Latino Outdoors. I later was on-boarded as a volunteer and years later found myself as part of the National Support Staff. Through the encouragement of others, mentorship, and years of building my own learning, I feel like I can be in a position where I have the power to steward public lands and promote a more accessible outdoors for all. Not just be in the outdoors, but truly have a say in which lands deserve our care and attention, what communities should have a seat at the table, and how we collectively care for these special places moving forward. My story is not unique to our community. Green and open spaces are less likely to be accessible for people of color as are the career opportunities tied to them. This lack of access increases the inequities among the community and decreases opportunities for success. Decisions about green and open spaces are made for our communities instead of by our communities. One famous example of this is Central Park in New York City. The Park is now a place that is open and accessible to all, but it came at the sacrifice of a community of predominantly African-Americans known as Seneca Village. The Village had allowed many families to live in healthier conditions and to escape the racial discrimination often faced in the more densely populated downtown Manhattan. Yet, it was ultimately their health and financial well-being that was sacrificed to create the country’s first major urban public park. Here on the West Coast, proximity to nature has often been reserved for those with wealth and privilege. When communities were able to overcome the barriers posed by rampant and violent racism, the power structures very often bent to the racist outcries attempting to return things to the status quo. Bruce’s Beach in the city of Manhattan Beach, was an escape for many Black families who were not welcome at most of California’s beaches due to Jim Crow laws and practices. This natural oasis for Black communities didn’t last long, as city officials seized lots owned by Black families under the guise of turning the land into a public park. The lots were left undeveloped for decades until descendants and advocates were able to recover the properties. Our collective power and years of effort as a community allowed for justice and restitution to finally become a reality. Central Park and Bruce’s Beach are just some examples of the inequality communities have faced when it comes to access to nature and its benefits. Our communities continue to face hardships due to past and current systematic barriers. Over the course of the last several decades, local communities in Riverside County and the eastern Coachella Valley have suffered from extreme heat, air and water pollution, and limited access to nature. But like Bruce’s Beach, this year we have an opportunity to continue making changes to improve recreation access and how public lands in this region are managed for the benefit of our communities. Recently, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited with local residents, elected officials, and Tribal Nations to discuss the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, located between Palm Desert and Blythe along the I-10. The proposed National Monument will help ensure equitable access to nature for residents of the eastern Coachella Valley and other local communities. Permanently protecting nearby public lands, such as those in the Chuckwalla landscape, is an opportunity to ensure that these places are here for current and future generations to enjoy. Let’s continue to muster the courage I once found in 2016, to become engaged and create the seat at the table we deserve. Together, we can close the nature gap, create opportunities for economic growth, and restore the bonds with nature that have been severed by structural and systemic racist practices.

Tomorrow marks what is perhaps one of the country’s most important conservation milestones: On June 8, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law, granting presidents the authority to designate national monuments to protect significant natural, cultural, and historical sites. Eighteen presidents - nine Democrats and nine Republicans - have used the Antiquities Act to protect the ecosystems we need for our collective health, the archaeological sites that tell of our common history, and the cultural places that support our wellbeing. President Biden most recently used the Antiquities Act to designate Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument in Arizona, as well as to protect the Molok Luyuk land sacred to the Yocha Dehe and Kletsel Dehe Tribes as part of an expanded Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument in California. We recently helped bring together advocates from our priority campaigns to Washington, D.C. to call upon President Biden to designate national monuments that protect vital natural, cultural, and recreational values in other key landscapes. We hope you are inspired by seeing these local advocates and Tribal representatives in action in this video of the event.

All of our grant awards in 2023 supported efforts throughout our network to increase the diversity of voices and communities in our movement and advance advocacy, education, and partnership efforts for the National Conservation Lands and the landscapes we hope to see included. Our list of 2023 Friends Grassroots Network grants can be found here.

On Tuesday, March 21, 2023 President Joe Biden used the 1906 Antiquities Act to declare El Paso’s Castner Range a national monument. This brought success to a campaign begun 52 years ago to conserve the 7,081-acre property, which contains twenty-five percent of El Paso’s six-peak Franklin Mountains Range. Most of the rest of the peaks—whose highest reaches 7,192 feet and marks the western boundary of Castner Range—also lie within the boundaries of the Franklin Mountains State Park, surrounded entirely by the municipality of El Paso and easily accessible to El Pasoans, 85 percent of whom are Hispanic.

Over the last 16 years, the Conservation Lands Foundation has established a successful community-led approach to public land protection. Our mission is to protect, restore and expand the National Conservation Land system managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and we do that by strengthening the leadership and impact of our now 80+ member strong Friends Grassroots Network.  Our community-based philanthropy is based on the proven belief that each member of our Network knows best how to maximize the impact of the resources we provide. The use of our grants is unrestricted and we build relationships based on transparency, dialogue, and mutual learning. We’re committed to regularly examining our decision-making culture and grant guidance to improve our practices and ensure that our impact is supportive and uplifting to Black, Indigenous, and other leaders and communities of color. With these values at the forefront, in 2022 we distributed $1,970,000 in grant awards among 81 Friends Grassroots Network and partner organizations across 12 states. These grants supported projects such as public lands protection campaigns, youth education, communications support, and equitable and inclusive land management. Our full grant report can be found here.

Our Friends Grassroots Network works year-round to make a difference for America's National Conservation Lands. Today, we're spotlighting Get Outdoors Nevada, a nonprofit organization based in Las Vegas, Nevada that provides education and volunteer services. Get Outdoors Nevada strives for community engagement in all they do, whether it's teaching kids about the desert, sharing stewardship opportunities on local parks and trails, or chatting with Nevadans and visitors at various events throughout the Las Vegas Valley. We sat down with Rachel Bergren, executive director of Get Outdoors Nevada, to chat about Get Outdoors Nevada's work and plans for 2023!

Conservation Lands Foundation gathered advocates from our Friends Grassroots Network to advocate on behalf of the landscapes they care about in Washington, D.C. Oregon Natural Desert Association's Campaign Manager Karly Foster summarizes her experience in the nation's capitol to advocate for public lands and conservation in Oregon’s high desert. This article was originally published by the Oregon Natural Desert Association. Be sure to sign up for their e-newsletters and follow them on social media!

Our Time to Care campaign is bringing needed funding for America’s National Conservation Lands. Photo: Bureau of Land Management, California

This past year, through Conservation Lands Foundation’s partnership with the Mojave Desert Land Trust, WISDOM participants contributed directly to the future management of the Mojave Trails National Monument by focusing on avian and bumblebee data collection. Past research projects have focused on bighorn sheep and the tamarisk beetle populations. In 2021, WISDOM interns gathered dark sky surveys to help advocate for a Dark Sky Sanctuary designation for the monument.  The WISDOM internship program is made possible through sustained funding from Edison International .

In mid-May, the Conservation Lands Foundation hosted our first Friends Summit since 2019, safely gathering together nearly 200 community-based conservation leaders and advocates with renowned experts and facilitators at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The venue was selected in an ongoing effort by the Conservation Lands Foundation to support Indigenous communities across the West.  This multi-day conference featured 23 speakers who facilitated 25 plenary and individual sessions to help our partners sharpen their skills in topics such as leadership development, multilingual engagement and cultural sensitivity, strategic organizing, and civic engagement for non-profits.

We’re gearing up for our first Friends Summit since the pandemic! In two weeks, about 200 representatives from our 80+ Friends Grassroots Network organizations will gather for three days to catalyze conservation strategies and celebrate the shared vision of protecting the lands we all love and need. This year, we’re excited to highlight a new Summit Sponsor. Outdoor equipment brand Haglöfs shares our values that each of us as individuals, organizations and companies must be part of the solution to slowing climate change. Haglöfs is taking responsibility for the emissions of their entire supply chain. They became climate neutral through offsets in 2021, and have committed to reduce their emissions by 50% over the next 10 years, and reach net zero by 2030. Haglöfs supports stronger regulations to accelerate change and talks honestly about reaching climate neutrality and the pros and cons of offsets on their road to net zero emissions. They believe that the urgency of the climate crisis means “we have to pull every lever!”

Science conversation video: