Colorado Public Lands Day, May 16

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.

Partners:

A huge thank you to our CO Public Lands Day partners:

Click here to join The Wilderness Society as an advocate in the Front Range! Click here to take action with National Parks Conservation Association to protect public lands in Colorado. Need help navigating the site? Email Tracy!

Here are some things you can do to protect our public lands and help make them a more inclusive place for everyone:

Read:

For Adults:

• “Your Guide to Understanding Public Lands,” from REI
• “Why we must teach the ugly side of public lands history and a tool to help,” from The Wilderness Society
• “How Being LGBTQ Affected My AT Thru-Hike,” from Outside Online

For Kids:

• “Adventure Time: National Parks,” from National Geographic Kids.

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Do:

For Adults:

• Check out all the Colorado Public Lands Day events.
• Join NPCA’s Protect Our Parks Facebook group. The group is a place where national park lovers can come together in conversation and show the strength of the park community.
• Share a national park photo and memory on NPCA’s MyParkStory.
• Sign Protect Our Public Land’s pledge to keep public lands public.
• Explore the hidden worlds of the national parks by following rangers on a journey to places most people never go, online!

For Kids:

• Check out Park It! National park activities and learning you can do without leaving your home.
• Become a Junior Ranger online! You can even choose your favorite park and become a Junior Ranger there!
• Explore the hidden worlds of the national parks by following rangers on a journey to places most people never go, online!

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Watch:

For Adults:

• “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)

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Check out our Colorado Endangered Species Week page for more days of activities!