Why Protecting Public Lands Matters More Than Ever

By Matt Davis

Just earlier this week, I pulled my eyes away from my spotting scope, in which stood a beautiful mule deer I hoped to stalk later that day, and took a moment to look at where I was..

Only a short drive from my front door, I was in the middle of miles and miles of some of the most beautiful mountains in the west.

As I soaked in the view, a bull elk bugled in the canyon below as if to welcome the coming month of September, a month every hunter lives for, a day or two early. 

I do my best to never neglect the way in which I believe my creator communicates with me... that bugle wasn't just a bull checking in on the canyon, it was a confirmation that where I was, what I was feeling held significance and importance. 

Where was I? I call it 'No Tell'em Ridge', but guess what? Where I was sitting and everything I could see was Public Land.

Take a look around

Living in Utah, it can be easy to take that for granted.

I have friends visit from other parts of the country who have a hard time wrapping their heads around the amount of opportunity we have sitting outside our front and back doors.

You don’t have to be a hunter to appreciate it. In fact, I stopped at a gas station in a local canyon the other day and saw a gentleman standing there with his gopro in hand, filming the mountains above him. I rolled down my window and  said "Beautiful, aren't they?". His response.. "No video or photo could ever do them justice". He wasn't wrong.

The best part about all of these jaw dropping mountains? They're full of opportunity. 

Whether it's Blue Ribbon trout fishing, mountain biking, horse back riding or a nice evening walk to re-center yourself after a busy day, these mountains offer it all.

Whatever your version of the outdoors looks like, chances are there is a piece of public ground somewhere that allows you to pursue it. And it’s something I think we need to start appreciating a whole lot more.

We Aren’t Getting More of It

Over the course of the past year, public lands, roadless access, development, and a number of other actions—which I’ll simply call “shenanigans” to keep things PG—have increasingly become part of the conversation in outdoor communities.

And this isn’t something happening somewhere else. It’s happening in our backyard. It’s happening across the West.

And in different forms, it’s happening all over the world.

I understand that people look at land differently. What one person considers conservation, another may consider restriction. What one person considers ugly and barren, another may consider heaven on earth.. 

Here's the bottom line.. We live in a world that constantly tells us we need more.

More houses. More roads. More businesses. More infrastructure. More energy. More places to go and more things to do.

Some of that is necessary. Growth is part of life.

But there is one reality we can’t ignore:

We aren’t getting more land.

We aren’t creating more mountains.

We aren’t making more untouched river bottoms.

We aren’t producing more wild places.

And we certainly aren’t guaranteed more wildlife or more access to the places where wildlife lives.

What we have is what we have. Period.

That means maintaining it, protecting it, improving it, and ensuring future generations have access to it should matter to every one of us.

This Is Bigger Than Hunting

I’m a hunter.

The pursuit of wild animals in wild places has shaped a significant portion of my life, and naturally, that influences the way I think about public land.

But public lands cannot simply be a “hunter issue.”

Not everybody loves hunting.

Not everybody likes fishing.

That’s fine.

But I’ve met very few people who have truly spent time outdoors and walked away thinking, "Man, I really didn’t enjoy that."

There’s something different about being outside.

And I think its importance goes far beyond recreation.

Public lands give us places to move our bodies and challenge ourselves physically. They give families somewhere to spend time together. They give kids somewhere to explore. They provide habitat for wildlife and room for wild things to remain wild.

But there’s another benefit that’s becoming increasingly important.

They give us somewhere to disconnect.

We Have Made Ourselves Too Accessible

Think about how we live today.

We have made ourselves more accessible, more reachable, and busier than perhaps we’ve ever been.

I remember when my dad got his first 'Pager' and 'Blackberry'. Dad went from being available to play catch and do other things to having more work to do.. why? The world loves more..

There’s always another email.

Another text.

Another notification.

Another deadline.

Another meeting.

Another problem that needs solving.

The world has become incredibly good at finding us.

But there are still places where we can become difficult to find.

Sometimes all it takes is a dirt road, a trailhead, a pair of boots, or enough elevation that the cell service finally disappears.

Public lands provide a pause from the noise.

They provide peace.

They provide solitude.

They give us room to think, evaluate our lives, spend time with the people we care about, and enjoy God’s creation without constantly being pulled toward whatever demands our attention next.

That has value. Maybe more value today than it ever has.

Public Land Belongs to All of Us

One of the greatest things about public land is also one of the simplest:

You don’t have to own it to experience it.

You don’t need thousands of acres.

You don’t need a private ranch.

You don’t need an exclusive membership.

You can load your family into the truck, grab a fishing rod, throw on a backpack, grab your bird dog, or simply lace up your shoes and go.

That’s a privilege that shouldn’t be overlooked.

And it’s one that comes with responsibility.

If we want these opportunities to exist for our kids and their kids, we can’t assume somebody else is going to protect them for us.

We have to pay attention.

We have to educate ourselves.

We have to participate in the conversations happening around public land and wildlife.

We have to be willing to speak up when access is threatened, habitat is disappearing, or decisions are being made that could permanently change the places we love.

And just as importantly, we have to be good stewards ourselves.

Because protecting public land isn’t about locking everything up and throwing away the key.

It’s about recognizing the value of what we already have and making thoughtful decisions about what we are willing to give up.

Some decisions can be reversed.

Once certain wild places are gone, they’re gone.

Take a Look Around

That afternoon, I saw a great buck.. one I'd be tickled pink to cut my tag on.. but the deer wasn’t what stuck with me.

It was everything surrounding him.

I'd challenge you to not only spend more time on our public lands, but inform yourself around the challenges it faces.. and before you form any type of opinion on the matter, go for a walk in a place you've never been and decide if it's worth sharing with someone you care about in the future. If the answer is yes, you'll know where you stand.

Happy National Public Lands Day. Let's protect this incredible gift.