Protecting public lands

As President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The Nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased; and not impaired in value.”

We take those words to heart. Since July, KEEN – a footwear manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, employing 450 people worldwide, and selling more than 8 million pairs of shoes a year in 50 countries around the world – has led an activism road-trip. We’ve traveled 7,500 miles across the country advocating for the permanent protection of more than 3 million acres of the places we all play. The majestic mountains and waters of the Boulder-White Clouds mountains in Idaho: rugged canyons and whitewater of the Owyhee Canyonlands in Eastern Oregon; high desert lands of the Mojave Trail in California; petroglyphs and star-filled skies of Gold Butte in Nevada; and wild waters and lush green forests of the Birthplace of Rivers in West Virginia. 

{mosads}Live Monumental, supported by groups such as The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Wilderness Society, as well as hundreds of groups and thousands of individuals across our country has one goal: To safeguard these wild places for generations to come. 

Studies show that protecting these places is good for local business and helps their bottom line.  According to the Bureau of Land Management, after just one year of designation, the hotel tax receipts around New Mexico’s Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument had increased more than 30 percent. A 2012 independent Headwaters Economics report found that conserved public lands like Monuments and Wilderness help to recruit high-wage service industries to the region where those protected places are located. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, the outdoor economy is a 650 billion dollar economic engine, even growing steadily through the 2008-2012 recession. It just makes economic sense. 

Since August 7, Idaho’s majestic Boulder-White Clouds have been permanently protected as Wilderness, thanks to the great leadership of Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson (R) and Sen. James Risch (R), and more than 40 years of tireless effort amongst coalitions, sportsman, and conservation groups. This landscape set aside in a natural condition just as it is now, for hikers, fishermen, boaters, hunters, campers, and for the businesses that thrive and grow in Idaho because of the state’s natural beauty and recreational opportunities.

California’s high desert landscape deserves the same. California Sen. Diane Feinstein (D) agrees, with her recent introduction of legislation seeking to protect this pristine environment. The Mojave Trails, 80 miles east of Los Angeles, is the bridge to our Native American roots and to the paleontological past. The proposed protection would link the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, as well as 13 wilderness areas. This area is home to 550 million-year-old fossils and is habitat to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, and other unique species. 

The Owyhee Canyonlands of eastern Oregon is another special place. That proposal aims to preserve an untouched stretch of the American West as a haven for elk, pronghorn, mule deer, and the world’s largest herd of bighorn sheep. It’s also one of only three places in this country where the Milky Way can be seen, and is home to more than 85 botanical species that are found nowhere else on the planet.  With canyons over 1,000 feet tall, petroglyphs throughout the area, and more than 180 miles of wild and scenic rivers, this place deserves permanent protection.

In the Birthplace of Rivers in West Virginia, 150 miles east of Charleston, six rivers are born. Some of the state’s most dramatic vistas are here, along with its tallest waterfalls and cleanest waterways, which provide drinking water for millions of people downstream. Located within a day’s drive of nearly one-third of our nation’s population, this area is also home to migratory bird species and rare plants.

And finally, we believe Nevada’s Gold Butte should be conserved. As do both Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), who have introduced legislation in support of this great place. This piece of Nevada joins the Grand Canyon and completes that ecosystem. Native American’s flourished here for more than 3,000 years and the landscape reveals artifacts and ancient writings throughout its canyons. 

Let’s take the time, resources, and foresight to honor the legacy that’s been bequeathed to us by protecting special places across our beautiful country so that the generations to come can bask in the wild beauty of these proposed new National Monuments and create lasting change. 

Richardson is executive director of the KEEN Effect Team.