Protect The Harvest | Losing Access to Public Lands

By Angel Cushing for Protect The Harvest

On January 27th of 2021, President Biden signed an executive order called “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” This order directs American and international policies toward the reduction and elimination of fossil fuels. It also directs all federal agencies to participate in the preservation of 30 percent of United States lands, and 30 percent of U.S. waters.

Many people wonder what strategies and policies will be created to meet the goal of locking up 30% of the United States into preservation by 2030.

Over the last 60 years, Congress has provided strategies to federal agencies and their special interest partners to implement 30 x 30. Many of those strategies have become well-funded policies. Millions of acres of federal lands are constantly undergoing Areas of Critical Environmental Concern and planning evaluations in an effort to lock the public out of 30% of the United States by 2030.
 

Sharetrails/Blue Ribbon Coalition – A Response to Loss of Public Access

Conveniently for those wishing to deny public land access to the public, there is no known database keeping track of closed and restricted-use areas of federal land. Additionally, there is no known area of federal lands that has had public access or recreation expanded since Congress passed the Federal Land Policy Act of 1976.

In response to this incremental loss of access to public lands,