Maybe I spend too much time listening to podcasts or I’m just becoming more “enlightened” as I become older. Really I think it is more of an awareness. What I’m talking about specially is public lands and the wild spaces they enfold. Why does it matter? Well they matter for a lot of reasons. They are our lands as citizens of the united states held in trust by the government. We owe a debt of gratitude to the leaders in this nation that had the foresight to set aside these lands for all to enjoy.
You have heard me say it before but I will say it here again. We are fortunate in this nation to have the public lands available to us that we have. Nowhere else in the world is there such a model of lands management for the people. We must also remember just how delicate this amazing resource we have is. Since the start our public lands have been attacked and the source of desire by those who wise to see them sold off. If we want to ensure that this does not happen we must fight every day to ensure our public servants know we will not accept their transfer from public to private ownership.
So why is all this important? We live in a society that is increasingly detailed from the world around them. This is more evident in our natural world. I recently heard a statistic that stated only 49% of Americans participate in outdoor activities. That is crazy to me but at the same time not all that surprising. People are more involved in the digital world than anything else. I get it. I too am very much involved in the digital world. I’m sitting here on my computer typing this and then will be uploading it to my website and putting it all over social media. What we need is to find a balance. The digital world is not going away and nor should it. We just need to get outside more.
Every day we see news articles about health care problems. The Depart of Defense did a study not too long ago about a lack of qualified people to join the military. The specific problem is health. One being too many of our young people are overweight and out of shape and can’t pass the entrance requirements to be members of the military. The other part is mental health and that fact that so many are suffering for mental health issues and on medications and not qualified for military service. I bring all of this up as just one example of how detached we are in our society. How sick we are becoming from it. We need to get outside.
It is obvious what basic health benefits there are to being in the outdoors. Activities like hiking, biking, skiing and others are all physically demanding and are good for our health. The other part is the mental health aspect. I know for me personally I feel like a different person mentally when I’m in the outdoors. There are studies to this effect as well. Look some up. The more we get get people outside enjoying our amazing lands just maybe we could see an effect on our general well being as a society. Maybe that is enough reason to protect our public lands.
Just think of what we could accomplish if we could get that 49% statistic up to 75%. Then on top of that get everyone involved in defending those outdoor opportunities. Maybe we could even expand them. There are plenty of private lands out there that could be turned over to public lands management for the greater good of all that access them. Look at all that great things that are being done as part fo the American Prairie Reserve. If you don’t know what that is look that up too. Has the potential to be twice the size of Yellowstone. All it takes is for us to be active participants in what we love.
Get outside. Show your little ones what it means to be outside and enjoy nature and all its wonders. Foster a love for it that burns deep in their souls. Get involved in a local group that advocates for those things you love regardless of whether it’s hunting and fishing or hiking and camping. Let’s continue the legacy of those that came before us and gave us our precious public lands. It is now our turn to be the champions of our natural wonders. It is up to us to ensure our grandchildren’s grandchildren can stand on the same public lands as we have. Maybe they will even be able to have more opportunities than we did. Wouldn’t that be something.
I refuse to be the Sheep. I will be the Sheep Dog who stands guard. Come join me.
