{"id":10194,"date":"2016-11-14T09:13:26","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T17:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=10194"},"modified":"2018-11-11T21:49:06","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T05:49:06","slug":"protect-our-public-lands-so-everyone-can-optoutside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/protect-our-public-lands-so-everyone-can-optoutside","title":{"rendered":"Protect Our Public Lands So Everyone Can #OptOutside"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trust for Public Land<\/a> creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Will you go out with us?<\/em><\/p>\n

Chances are, your favorite outdoor memories aren\u2019t just of the places you\u2019ve been\u2014they\u2019re also about the people who\u2019ve joined you for the adventure. Whether it\u2019s the view from the top of your favorite hike, a picture-perfect campsite or a prime fishing spot, we think the best places on the planet get even better when shared with friends and family.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why The Trust for Public Land is so proud to join REI\u2019s #OptOutside campaign<\/a> to get people outdoors with loved ones instead of shopping on Black Friday. At the heart of the campaign is our belief that there are some gifts only nature can provide\u2014and that the high point of any holiday is the time we spend with the people we care about.<\/p>\n

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Our favorite places get even better with good company.\u00a0Photo by Adair Freeman Rutledge.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more than forty years, The Trust for Public Land has helped create and protect places where people can #OptOutside, from neighborhood parks to national parks. Research shows that time spent outdoors is essential to personal and community health<\/a>\u2014that we all need somewhere to exercise and connect with nature. But in many neighborhoods, green space is hard to come by. In twenty-five of the largest U.S. cities, more than half of residents under age nineteen don\u2019t have a place to play outdoors close to home. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve made it our goal to put a park within a ten-minute walk of every person in every city in America.<\/p>\n

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Neighborhood parks may be small, but they\u2019re important: They\u2019re where many kids get their first taste of the outdoors. You can see how your city\u2019s park system measures up at The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore\u00ae<\/a>. Photo by Jenna Stamm.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019re making progress in communities across the country. But even as we work to create new parks where they\u2019re needed most, we\u2019re being forced to defend the public lands<\/a> we already have\u2014lands that belong to everyone.<\/p>\n

You might have heard about politicians in Washington, D.C., working to transfer public lands to individual states\u2014which could auction them off to the highest bidder. Some state legislatures are looking to expand drilling, mining and logging on public lands and closing them off to other users. In states where voters have approved taxpayer dollars specifically for conservation, officials are instead using the money for other programs. And elected officials are threatening to dismantle the nation\u2019s most important source of conservation funding, the Land and Water Conservation Fund<\/a> (LWCF).<\/p>\n

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The Land and Water Conservation Fund supports the public lands you probably depend on to get outside\u2014whether you ride, run, hike, paddle, climb, or ski. Photo by Mike Schirf.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our national parks, forests and wildlife refuges are the pride of our nation. They support millions of jobs and keep our air and water clean. They\u2019re our shared backyard, where families from all walks of life can go for exercise, inspiration and adventure, and to connect with nature\u2014and each other. Without these places, many of us would have nowhere to #OptOutside.<\/p>\n

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Public lands are where we go to make memories that last a lifetime. Stand up for them now, so they\u2019re still here for us tomorrow. Photo by Richard Freeda.<\/em><\/p>\n

This Black Friday, you might find yourself enjoying the outdoors at one of the thousands of places protected with the help of supporters of The Trust for Public Land: from urban greenways such as Chicago\u2019s 606<\/a> to celebrated natural landscapes such as Yosemite National Park<\/a>. Wherever the holiday season takes you, we hope you\u2019ll join us<\/a> in working to protect the places that make your outdoor adventures possible. As much as you and your family need public lands, now\u2014more than ever\u2014they need you, too.<\/p>\n

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