Below you’ll find suggested talking points related to our priority campaigns that you can use when meeting with members of Congress. 

You can download a version of this document to your phone here.

National Conservation Lands General Talking Points 

  • Only 15% of the ~250 million acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management are protected as National Conservation Lands and more is needed to support healthy plant and wildlife populations, our climate system, livelihoods, food, and freshwater supplies. 
  • 82 percent of voters in the west and across the political spectrum support protecting 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
  • I encourage you to act to protect deserving landscapes in [STATE].

Funding for National Conservation Lands

  • The National Conservation Lands system has nearly doubled in size since its inception in 2000. Despite the dramatic growth of the system, annual appropriations to manage these important places have not kept pace. 
  • The Bureau of Land Management needs the appropriate budget necessary to do the important work of caring for America’s National Conservation Lands. 
  • We urge you to support an increase in base funding for the National Conservation Lands by providing at least $78 million in fiscal year 2024.

Avi Kwa Ame, Nevada

  • Designating Avi Kwa Ame (the Mojave name for Spirit Mountain) as a National Monument would preserve over 450,000 acres of Indigenous cultural sites and critical plant and wildlife habitat in southern Nevada’s Mojave Desert. 
  • Please urge President Biden to act immediately on his promise to designate Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument. 

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, California

  • This land is sacred to local Tribes and is a critically important habitat for biodiversity amid a changing climate.
  • I urge you to support and work to advance the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act. 

Caja del Rio, New Mexico

  • 88 percent of New Mexico voters support protecting Caja del Rio. 
  • Caja del Rio is one of the most ecologically rich wildlife corridors in New Mexico. It provides vital habitat for a diverse range of plants and animals.
  • Protecting the Caja will ensure we protect these sacred lands important to the Pueblos of the area. 

Carrizo Plain National Monument, California

  • Carrizo Plain National Monument is one of the central coast’s hidden jewels. 
  • Only a few hours from Los Angeles, the monument protects the largest native grassland remaining in California where wildflowers frequently blanket the landscape in “superbloom” years.
  • I urge you to keep  the boundary of Carrizo Plain National Monument intact. 

Dolores Canyon, Colorado

  • 90 percent of Colorado voters support protecting public lands surrounding the Dolores River Canyon. 
  • I urge you to support protection of the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act.
  • Protecting the Dolores River will help protect an essential water supply for Colorado communities and wildlife and expand outdoor recreation opportunities in the area.

Owyhee Canyonlands, Oregon

  • The Owyhee Canyonlands in eastern Oregon is home to a living cultural richness for the Paiute, Bannock and Shoshone Tribes and boasts more than three million acres of irreplaceable intact sagebrush habitat.
  • I urge you to reintroduce and support "The Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act,” which will gain permanent protection of this landscape.