Public Lands and Waters

Every community needs access to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors.The United States has a painful legacy of racism and exclusion toward Indigenous and communities of color, and natural resource policy is no exception. The ugly history of land theft perpetrated by the federal government on Indigenous tribes, and the persistent disregard for their sovereignty, is perhaps the most glaring example. Yet this pattern of inequity has continued to the present day, including the location of far more industrial development and pollution and less access to nature in and near low-income communities of color. That is why LCV Education Fund is committed to elevating the benefits of both protecting nature and sharing its benefits more equitably with all communities. We do this in part by prioritizing authentic partnerships with and lifting up organizations led by people of color, to ensure that the conservation movement reflects the diversity of our country.

While many people think of our country’s public lands as protected from industrial development, the reality is that a staggering amount of drilling and coal mining occurs on them. Nearly one-quarter of all U.S. carbon emissions is generated from energy extracted on public lands and waters. It is time to turn our public lands and waters into solutions to the climate crisis.

To make this transition, LCV Education Fund works to educate the public on the importance of stopping fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and increasing solar, wind, and other forms of clean energy in ways that are supported by the communities impacted by them. Our outreach strategies focus on uplifting the hard work of local communities that are working to protect critical sources of clean drinking water, outdoor recreation access, fish and wildlife, and cultural uses – like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Our country’s national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other public lands are a popular source of pride for many people. Unfortunately, they are often inaccessible, unwelcoming, and exclude communities of color, disabled people, low-income communities, Indigenous tribes, and LGBTQ+ communities.  LCV Education Fund seeks to tear down these barriers and create a welcoming, inclusive system of public lands through outreach and education.

National parks and other public lands don’t just protect nature; they also preserve and interpret our country’s history. The choice of whose history to preserve has not been equitable, resulting in a disproportionately low number (¼) of national parks and monuments that tell the stories of diverse communities. That is why LCV Education Fund focuses on increasing awareness and public support for public lands that tell a more complete story of the United States, like the Stonewall National Monument, Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, and Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

We are also mindful that our public lands rightfully belong to Indigenous people and have been stewarded by them since time immemorial. We are committed to educating the public on Tribal Nations’ efforts to foster greater tribal sovereignty as well as co-management and co-stewardship arrangements for our public lands, such as the management structure established for the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.