Newsletter: Black history and experience outdoors

Black History Month: Preserving stories and finding joy in nature

For Black History month, we looked at several different aspects of the Black experience outdoors and the ways Black stories are preserved on public lands:

• Whether it’s by taking a pair of binoculars to the nearest park and watching birds or jogging with the sunrise, Black people connect with nature in many ways. We spoke with Black outdoor enthusiasts about why they love the outdoors and how to make these experiences more comfortable and inclusive.
• Black history and stories are still underrepresented in the ranks of national monuments and parks. Two painful but indelible events that deserve commemoration: the 1908 Springfield Race Riot and the 1955 racist murder of Emmitt Till, each of which loom large in the U.S. civil rights movement and American history.
• Browse our roundup of 10 National Park Service sites that tell some of the less celebrated stories of Black communities and culture, from the Tuskegee Airmen to the birth of jazz.

With recent decisions to protect the Tongass National Forest and Boundary Waters headwaters, the Biden administration appeared to be on a roll. Unfortunately, they’re now poised to take a big step back with the Bureau of Land Management’s recommendation to approve the Willow project, a massive oil drilling operation in Alaska that would lock in decades’ worth of climate pollution and threaten Alaska Native communities. Read more

4 reasons to pass the Outdoors for All Act

In urban areas, where many people do not own a car or lack access to reliable public transportation, nearby public parks often provide the only opportunity to get out into nature. But nationwide, 100 million people—including 28 million children—do not have a park within a half-mile of home. A newly reintroduced bill could help change that. Read more

What are old-growth forests and why do they matter?

By now, you might know that old-growth forests play an important role in addressing climate change by trapping and storing greenhouses gases. But did you also know that they’re Indigenous homelands, hotspots of biodiversity and refuge for numerous threatened wildlife species? Read more

Tell the BLM: Expand solar energy development responsibly

We need to ensure that renewable energy projects on public lands are developed responsibly, with meaningful community and Tribal input—and only in places where they won’t significantly harm wildlife habitat and cultural resources.