Some of my earliest and most formative memories are on public lands in New Mexico, where I grew up camping under impossibly starry skies, hiking rocky canyons, and exploring every sunbaked arroyo in Santa Fe for lizards and other small critters. Growing up in the Southwest made me deeply aware of both the beauty and the fragility of these landscapes. I saw how fire, drought, and mismanagement could threaten not only ecosystems, but the health and well-being of the communities who depend on them. Those experiences shaped me. They taught me that caring for wild landscapes isn’t passive, it’s a collective responsibility. That belief has guided my career and approach to leadership: philanthropy is fundamentally about stewardship, community, and creating the conditions for impact to scale. It’s also what drew me to the Conservation Lands Foundation. Its clarity of mission, its commitment to community-led conservation, and its track record of protecting and expanding the National Conservation Lands represent the future of protecting nature, one rooted in collaboration, shared power, and long-term investment.
Today, the future of public lands — our wildlife, water, and way of life — is under threat like never before. But, as with any darkness, there is always light, and that light shines through the people, organizations, and coalitions working with us to ensure clean water, healthy habitats, diverse wildlife, and thriving local economies. We believe deeply in the power of the people and the people are on our side. Your partnership powers real solutions. Our 2025 Impact Report shows what we were able to accomplish together. Click the image or button below to read our report.
Patagonia, Adyen ask customers to protect public lands this holiday season
Oil Ties and Land-Sale Stance of Nominee for the Country’s Largest Public Lands Manager Threatens Local Communities and Agency’s 'Multiple-Use' Mandate
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate voted today to approve a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to dismantle the Bureau of Land Management’s Integrated Activity Plan that protects 13.3 million acres of irreplaceable public lands and waters in the Western Arctic (called the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA). This legally-questionable use of the CRA will erase years of public engagement and scientific collaboration, overturning balanced management that supports Indigenous communities, wildlife, and the global climate. Once the U.S. House of Representatives passes it and the president signs it, as is expected, vast swaths of the Reserve will be open to expanded industrial oil and gas development, an action that directly undermines commitments to Tribal sovereignty, biodiversity, and climate resilience in one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. Below is a statement from Jocelyn Torres, Chief Conservation Officer for the Conservation Lands Foundation: “Using the Congressional Review Act to undo protections in the Western Arctic is reckless and a deliberate attack on the Alaska Native communities that have cared for these lands for generations and were involved in establishing the framework that protects these lands. The Integrated Activity Plan represents years of collaboration between Tribes, local communities, scientists, and the American public to ensure the survival of vital and sensitive landscapes including Teshekpuk Lake and the Utukok Uplands. “Repealing this plan will further expose the region’s wildlife and people to devastating and irrevocable industrial impacts, all to serve short-term fossil fuel interests in a place already warming at four times the global average. It will also continue a dangerous new precedent that began earlier this month empowering Congress through the CRA to wreak havoc on how the public’s lands are managed across the country, jeopardizing the stability and predictability that communities and industries alike depend on. “The American people have made their priorities clear: they want clean air, safe water, and healthy public lands that future generations can enjoy. We will continue to stand with local communities and fight these extreme measures that decimate the natural environment that the people and wildlife of the Western Arctic depend on.” Background The National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) is the largest unit of public land in the United States, encompassing nearly 23 million acres of critical habitat for caribou, polar bears, muskox, migratory birds, and fish. More than 40 Indigenous communities depend on the Reserve for subsistence and cultural practices that have persisted for millennia. In 2024, following extensive consultation with Alaska Native Tribes and corporations, the Biden administration finalized a rule restoring and strengthening protections for 13.3 million acres of Special Areas within the Reserve—Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay. This plan balanced subsistence needs with responsible land management and was widely supported by the public, with more than 250,000 comments favoring conservation. ###
Public Land Protection IS Climate Action! The Conservation Lands Foundation partnered with Patagonia during NYC Climate Week 2025 for a powerful in-person conversation about the vital connection between public land conservation and climate resilience. We brought together leaders from the front lines of public land protection campaigns across the West to share their experiences, insights, and practical ideas for how each of us can play a role in protecting the nature and wild places that sustain us all. Our Panel Featured: Chris Hill , CEO, Conservation Lands Foundation (moderator) U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-New Mexico) Carleton Bowekaty , Zuni Tribe, Policy Director of Bears Ears Partnership Caroline Gleich , professional athlete & climate activist Ryan Callaghan , VP of Conservation at MeatEater and North American Board Chair of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Watch the Full Conversation From Indigenous-led conservation to the intersection of outdoor recreation and stewardship, this discussion explores why protecting public lands is one of our most powerful tools in the fight against climate change. Watch the full panel below:
Urge Congress to oppose H.R. 521 and S. 220 the Senate companion to eliminate the Antiquities Act and strip Presidents of their authority to designate monuments that protect ou r natural resources and cultural heritage.
Led by Conservation Lands Foundation, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and an array of local and other groups, “Respect. Connect. Protect.” is a campaign to su pport enthusiastic, respectful and safe visits on National Conservation Lands.
Durango, Colorado — Today, the Trump administration announced it will reopen the recently finalized Rock Springs, Wyoming Resource Management Plan (RMP), a blueprint that guides the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) management of nearly 3.6 million acres of public lands in southwestern Wyoming for the next two decades. Conservation leaders criticized the move, calling it a step backward that undermines years of public engagement, Tribal consultation, and science-backed planning. The Rock Springs RMP, finalized just months ago, reflects over a decade of collaboration between local communities, Tribal nations, state officials, and federal land managers. Over 92 percent of public comments submitted during the draft stage supported conservation efforts within the plan, and the final plan reflected 85 percent of recommendations from the Wyoming Governor’s own task force. The plan strikes a meaningful balance—protecting the wild landscapes and migration corridors of Wyoming’s Northern Red Desert while leaving two-thirds of the acreage open to oil and gas development. Below is a statement from Charlotte Overby, Vice President of Conservation Field Programs of 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 National Conservation Lands: “Reopening a carefully balanced plan that took more than a decade to develop is a glaring disservice to the people who shaped it. The Rock Springs Resource Management Plan incorporated extensive public input, respected the work of the Governor’s task force, and reflected what science, Tribal nations, and communities have been calling for: smart, modern, and carefully balanced land stewardship. People across Wyoming and the nation care deeply about how their public lands are managed. They showed up in this process, and their voices deserve to be respected—not sidelined. “The final plan protected irreplaceable values while still allowing oil and gas leasing in areas with production potential. For example, the plan protects the Northern Red Desert region, which is a critical cultural and ecological landscape and includes vast unfenced land home to iconic wildlife migrations, some of the most intact sagebrush steppe left in the West, and cultural resources sacred to Indigenous communities. Areas of critical environmental concern were appropriately designated to protect important resources and allow public access to these beloved landscapes. Reopening this process creates uncertainty, wastes taxpayer resources, and ignores the clear consensus of the people who live, work and recreate on these lands. “It’s deeply concerning that the notice to reopen the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan was published the same morning the federal government shut down. As a result, the agency has failed to take the required next step in the planning process–an immediate example of how the shutdown is already causing confusion in land management. This timing undermines transparency and meaningful public participation.” ### Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris@conservationlands.org
