If you’re reading from the United States, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday, and that you managed to somehow survive the deluge of marketing that comes with it. Despite the commercialized insanity this time of year, I rather like the notion behind today–Giving Tuesday. Giving is truly more joyous than receiving, and that’s something we can all be reminded of from time to time.
As I’ve written about before, our public lands–and specifically our national monuments–are under threat. While the overwhelming majority of Americans rejected the idea that we shrink any of our national monuments, President Trump is traveling to Utah on Monday to announce that both the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments will be reduced in size.
The president will be–in my opinion wrongly–pushing through the largest elimination of protection for land and wildlife in US history. While the Antiquities Act states that the protection of our antiquities should be confined to the smallest possible area of land, both of these monuments are contiguous wild and cultural landscapes that can’t be subdivided for the sake of development.
In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, I am writing to ask for your help. This action (and likely more in the future) by the president is likely to be met by opposition and legal action. While I can write about my own opinions, they don’t pay legal bills. As a community, we need to support those organizations who are fighting this flawed legislation on the ground. So, that’s what I’m asking you to do: donate to a group that advocates for our public lands.
What do you get in return? If you show me you donated, I’ll send you a free 8×12 print of your choice to thank you for being a supporter of our public lands.
Some Resources
Not sure who to donate to? There are a lot of groups out there; some work locally, and some–like the Sierra Club–work at a national level. I won’t tell you who to donate to, but personally I try to donate to groups who do the most with my dollar. Neutral websites like Charity Navigator tell you where your dollar goes within the organization.
If you want to donate to a local group that’s great! Pick your favorite place, and find a group who works there. Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Grand Canyon Trust, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers are a few of my favorites, although there are many (many) others.
I don’t care how much you donate, or who you donate to. All you have to do is show me you did, then pick your print. It’s that easy! This offer is good through President Trump’s Utah visit next Monday.
Thank you for helping to support our public lands!
