In May 2016, Colorado became the first state to establish a state holiday for our public lands!
Held on the third Saturday in May, Colorado Public Lands Day is a day to celebrate our public lands across Colorado. Not only as fun places to recreate, but also as an irreplaceable resource that provides clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat, cultural heritage, and more!
For Colorado Endangered Species Week, we’d like to celebrate Colorado Public Lands Day by talking about the importance of inclusion and equity in our public lands. Public lands technically belong to and benefit all of us, but certain populations have never felt welcome in our public lands. Others have never seen themselves represented and instead have seen themselves actively erased from the history of public lands.
Here are some things you can do to protect our public lands and help make them a more inclusive place for everyone:
Join us:
Join us at the capitol for the Colorado Public Lands Day Rally!
When: Saturday, May 17, 10:00-11:30 am
Where: Colorado State Capitol, 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203
Other details: This is a paved area and accessible for folks using mobility aids
Registration: Get more information and RSVP with our friends at The Wilderness Society
Public lands are the soul of Colorado — connecting us to the land, to each other and to something far greater than ourselves. Whether you’re hiking the Colorado Trail, fly fishing along the Arkansas River, or camping with family and friends, public lands are where we find inspiration, a sense of belonging and a deeper relationship with the places we call “home.”
But our cherished public lands are under attack. Politicians in D.C. are pushing efforts to sell off, privatize and undermine protections for the lands that define Colorado’s heritage and way of life.
That’s why Coloradans are gathering on Saturday, May 17, from 10-11:30 am, at the Colorado State Capitol, to rally together, raise our voices, and defend the public lands that belong to all of us.
Support and Follow:
Here are some organizations, local and national, to follow and support that work towards equity, inclusion, and access in the outdoors:
- Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center – providing adaptive sports programs to individuals including adaptive winter ski and snowboard programs at Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper Mountain Ski Resorts, and summer programs on local rivers, lakes, bike paths, and an adaptive ropes course.
- Brown Folks Fishing – a community-based organizations that is by and for BIPOC anglers. They cultivate a community, build a movement to expand access, and participate in storytelling, grassroots organizing, events, and community-building.
- Colorado Blackpackers – providing gear, outdoor excurisions and outdoor education for free or at subsidized costs and connecting participants with volunteer opportunities, internships, jobs, and post-secondary education resources to create a pipeline from outdoor recreation to outdoor industry careers.
- Colorado Treks — breaking barriers to outdoors experiences for community, youth, and families.
- GirlTrek: Healthy Black Women and Girls – pioneering a health movement for Black women and girls grounded in civil rights history and principles through walking capaigns, community leadership, and health advocacy.
- Defiende Nuestra Tierra – increasing the baseline knowledge of public lands and hteir management, expanding Latine participation in public lands management processes, and focusing on specific concerns of local Latine communities.
- Disabled Hikers – building disability community and an outdoors culture transformed by fair representation, accessibility, and justice for disabled and all other marginalized outdoors people.
- Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) – reaching out to students who have been traditionally overlooked and under-encouraged in science and science-related careers, most notably, youth of color, LGBTIQA2+, and girls.
- Green Latinos – convening a broad coalition of Latino leaders committed to addressing national, regional, and local environmental, natural resources, and conservation issues that significantly affect the health and welfare of the U.S. Latino community.
- Greening Youth Foundation – engaging underrepresented youth a nd young adults, while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation.
- Hispanic Access Foundation – helping Latinos build their financial literacy, explore new workforce opportunities, become environmental stewards or advocate for one’s health.
- Hunters of Color – creating accessible, equitable opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and all people of color (BIPOC) in conservation and hunting by dismantling barriers to entry through educational opportunities, mentorship, and providing resources.
- Inclusive Outdoors Project – hosting events that bridge the gap between affinity spaces and outdoor based organizations to grow culturally cohesive practices and spaces within the greater outdoor narrative.
- Latino Outdoors – inspiring, connecting, and engaging Latino communities in the outdoors and embracing cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative, ensuring our history, heritage, and leadership are valued and represented.
- Native Womens Wilderness – inspiring and raising the voices of Native women in the outdoor realm to encourage a healthy lifestyle within the wilderness and provide an education of the Ancestral Lands and its people.
- Next 100 Colorado – committed to the establishment of a just and inclusive parks and public lands system.
- Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project – ensuring that marginalized communities have access to the outdoors and that our history, values, and people are authentically reflected in public lands management.
- Outdoor Afro – celebrating and inspiring Black connections and leadership in nature.
- Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E. – building momentum for the creation of a national equity fund that will ensure long-term investments in programs to serve all youth with opportunities to explore the great outdoors.
- Outdoor Asian – creating a diverse and inclusive community of Asian and Pacific Islands in the outdoors.
- Outdoorist Oath – an action-based commitment to planet, inclusion, and adventure. It offers tools/education for inquiry, a shareable education model, and the hub for a community that cares to build a better future.
- People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature, and Environment (PGM ONE) – PGM ONE envisions a world that centers, values, uplifts, and empowers those who are most impacted by environmental harm and climate change—and in particular Black, Indigenous, and people of color/of the global majority—to lead the way toward environmental justice and collective liberation.
- Radical Adventure Riders – a movement towards gender inclusivity and racial equity in cycling and the outdoors.
- Rising Routes – elevating diverse communities and collaborating with partners to spark public action toward social and environmental resilience.
- Spirit of the Sun — empowering Native communities, one youth at a time.
- The Venture Out Project – leading backpacking and wilderness trips for the queer and transgender community.
- Women’s Wilderness — creating space for girls, women, and non-binary people of all ages and backgrounds to find their place, their voice, and their power in the outdoors.
- Womxn from the Mountain – empowering holistic needs through equity, transformative education, and culturally responsive healing arts.
Read:
For People of the Global Majority:
- “BIPOC Outdoor Resource Guide,” courtesy of Eugene Young Pak, Melanin Base Camp
For White Allies and Accomplices:
- “How green groups became so white and what to do about it,” by Diane Toomey, Yale Environment 360.
- “Why environmentalists must make more space for BIPOC, and how we should do it,” by Leesa Ko, The Years Project.
- “Why we must teach the ugly side of public lands history and a tool to help,” courtesy of The Wilderness Society
- “The Melanin Base Camp Guide to Outdoor Allyship,” by Danielle Williams, Melanin Base Camp.
- “Holding yourself accountable for your allyship,” by Maria Rio, Community-Centric Fundraising.
For Adults:
- “Diversity in the Great Outdoors: Is Everyone Welcome in America’s Parks and Public Lands,” by Reyna Askew and Margaret A. Walls
- “Public Space, Park Space, and Racialized Space,” by Kangjae “Jerry” Lee, Ph.D.
- “Environmentalism’s Racist History,” by Jedediah Purdy.
- “Racism is Killing the Planet: The ideology of white supremacy leads the way toward disposable people and a disposable natural world,” by Hop Hopkins.
For Kids:
- “Adventure Time: National Parks,” from National Geographic Kids.
- A list of diverse outdoor books by Tales of a Mountain Mama
- A list of own voices stories books by Parents for Diversity
For Nonprofit and Outdoor Industry Leaders:
- 2024 Green 2.0 Transparency Report — demographic data of staff and equity practices at non-profit organizations (“NGOs”) and foundations in the environmental sector.
- “An Open Letter to the Outdoor Industry on Diversity,” by Teresa Baker.
- “How environmental organizations can cultivate real inclusivity,” by Ambika Chawla, YES! Magazine.
- “How green groups became so white and what to do about it,” by Diane Toomey, Yale Environment 360.
- “White-led organizations: here are three keys to incorporating racial equity in strategic planning,” by Renee Rubin Ross, Community-Centric Fundraising.
- “Cultivate talent with the same energy level you cultivate gifts — especially with your BIPOC support staff,” by Priscilla Lopez, Community-Centric Fundraising.
- “White supremacy culture in professional spaces is toxic — to dismantle it, we must first be willing to name it,” by Ashley Lugo, Community-Centric Fundraising.
Do:
For People of the Global Majority:
- Join Next 100 Colorado’s BIPOC Affinity Space! Some environmental and outdoor nonprofits and groups in Colorado have enough employees, and employees of color, to create affinity groups or employee resource groups to share joy, struggles, resources, and ask for assistance navigating the spaces they are in. These groups help employees not feel alone while helping their employer with recruitment, retention, and help to provide support for marginalized employees.
Some nonprofits in Colorado don’t have that kind of support, and some have only one marginalized employee. This can lead to isolation and a lack of people power in situations when having a “second” would help in bringing inclusion and equity issues to the forefront. In some cases, it can cause Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) talent to leave the environmental nonprofit sector altogether in search of spaces that more readily accept, protect, and celebrate them.
Next 100 Colorado has created a community of BIPOC who work in the environmental and outdoor fields, and have created a bi-monthly Affinity Space to fill that void! - Join Next 100 Colorado! Next 100 Colorado invites people who readily identify as Black, Indigenous, or other affiliated Persons of Color (BIPOC) who focus on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in public lands through work that promotes Next 100 Colorado’s mission to establish a more just and inclusive public lands system by championing workforce diversity, access for and engagement with BIPOC communities, and representation of the complex history of the U.S.
For People from Marginalized Genders:
- Join the Gender Advancement and Parity in STEM (GAPS) Mentorship Program! The GAPS program supports our work to reduce gender bias in our field through mentorship and internships for people from marginalized genders. We’re taking applications for our mentorship program! The mentorship program connects emerging and more seasoned environmentalists and scientists from marginalized genders together to network, support, and build capacity.
For White Allies and Accomplices:
- Join Next 100 Colorado as an ally! Next 100 Colorado works toward, and is committed to, a just and inclusive parks and public lands system. The structures that created and continue to maintain barriers to this goal include white supremacy, colonialism, hetero-patriarchy, ableism, and other systems of oppression. Therefore, our work requires addressing these systems of oppression as they manifest in the outdoors and associated state, local, and federal policies as they affect Colorado. To successfully achieve these goals we seek members and allies alike that support this transformational work.
- Take the Outdoorist Oath workshop, sign the Oath, live the Oath, and shape the future of the outdoors!
- “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: 26 Ways (& More) to be an Ally in the Outdoor Industry,” courtesy of Brown Gal Trekker.
- Take action with Spirit of the Sun and send a letter to Governor Polis, Colorado Department of Health and Environment, and the EPA asking them to shutdown Suncor for good! SunCor Energy, a Canadian-run company, runs an oil refinery north of Denver, Colorado. Suncor is Colorado’s only oil refinery and one of our largest emitters of greenhouse gasses and toxic air pollutants, and has been operating without any changes to its procedures or pollution controls for years. In spite of numerous enforcement actions and settlements, Suncor continues to flout air quality laws, putting neighboring communities — who are primarily BIPOC and low income — at extreme risk. Suncor has no regard for human or non-human life and will continue to harm our communities if action is not taken.
- Donate to Spirit of the Sun’s efforts to combat Suncor’s harmful impacts through their Mycelium Program which trains their community members to inoculate the soil in their communities and throughout Native land with networks of mycelium to restore the health of our soil systems.
For Adults:
- Take action with The Wilderness Society. Tell your representative to stand up for our national monuments and public lands by letting the Trump administration know how beloved these places are!
- Take action with the Outdoor Alliance. Tell lawmakers not to sell off public lands to pay for tax cuts.
For Kids:
- Become a Junior Ranger online! You can even choose your favorite park and become a Junior Ranger there!
Watch and Listen:
For Adults:
- “Elevating Voices.” Selected CSU students were matched with a mentor from Next 100 and, with the support of professional filmmakers, independently produced and edited a short documentary film. The film features the stories of members of Next 100 Colorado—a BIPOC coalition for and by the next generation of environmental leaders, working to build a more inclusive, equal, and just future—including our very own Chris and our board member, Rosie Sanchez! The theme of the film was crafted collaboratively by the group and highlights BIPOC experiences related to conservation, environmental, and public lands issues. (17 minutes)
- “The Challenge of Diversity in the Environmental Movement.” Dr. Dorceta Taylor, the Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Yale School of the Environment, reads her poem about being black in the environment and the environment movement, which is animated in this video. CW: a loud shot, anti-Blackness, anti-Black violence, threats, murder, and murder by police. (9 minutes)
- “Belonging in the Outdoors Roundtable.” In this live roundtable, marginalized Coloradans discussed why they do or do not feel invited, welcome, or safe recreating in Colorado’s public lands, working in the environmental or outdoors industries, or participating in community science without critical mass; how those that do began to, and what those who don’t need to. The panelists for this event were Amber Mohammad Castańeda (she/her), Coal Creek Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, Andrea Cota Avila (she/her) from Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Chris Talbot-Heindl (they/them) from Rocky Mountain Wild, Crystal Egli (she/her) from Inclusive Journeys, and Robbin Meneses (él/he/him) from Latino Outdoors, Colorado Team. (112 minutes)
- Belonging: An Outside Voices Podcast Mini-Series. “Belonging” features four individuals who identify as immigrants or first-generation, and shares stories about their personal and cultural connections to the outdoors. Featured in this mini-series: Noami Grevemberg, Francis Mendoza, Pınar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, and Dr. Cristal Cisneros.
- “This Land: A New Voice for America’s Public Lands” A documentary by Faith E. Briggs about land access told through a journey of inclusion and empowerment (11 minutes):
- The Wilderness Society’s “This Land” discussion. The Wilderness Society’s Jolena Pang discusses access, inclusion, and empowerment in conservation and the outdoors with Faith E. Briggs, Kriste Peoples, and Parker McMullen Bushman (55 minutes).
- “(unofficial) History of the National Parks,” by Ryan Maxey (4 minute)
For Kids:
- “Sesame Street Explores National Parks: Grand Canyon Habitats,” from National Park Service (5 minutes)
- “Hello, National Parks! Travel for Kids, Books Read Aloud,” from Kid Time Story Time (10 minutes)
- Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman reads “Talking Gets Us There” (2 minutes)
- PBS Kids Talk about Race and Racism (28 minutes)
- PBS Kids Talk about Standing Up for Yourself & Others (11 minutes)
Check out our Colorado Endangered Species Week page for more days of activities!