From urban parks to remote wilderness, America’s public lands offer more than beauty. They offer connection, healing, and a shared inheritance worth protecting.
A family pauses to read the names etched in stone at Manzanar. A group of veterans leads a sunrise hike at Joshua Tree. Strangers gather on a foggy morning to remove invasive grasses along the Backbone Trail.
Quiet, powerful moments like these play out every day on our public lands. And while they’ve always been important, they truly matter now more than ever before.
Common ground in divided times
As we face deepening disconnection and division, both among ourselves and the natural world, parks and protected places offer more than just beauty or escape. They offer common ground and throughlines to those who came before and those who will come after. Whether in the heart of Los Angeles or deep in the Colorado wilderness, public lands bring people together — not just for recreation, but for reflection, healing, and action.
Earlier this year, thousands of people turned out across the country for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on public lands, leading cleanup efforts, hosting educational walks, and organizing transportation to under-visited historic sites. Even after federal officials removed MLK Day as a fee-free entry day, communities turned it into something more: a grassroots recommitment to access and justice.
Programs that open doors
That spirit is alive and well in programs across the country that are teaching people the power of nature and the importance of our protected shared spaces via camping trips, hikes, river paddles, and more.
Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connections Outdoors expands equitable access to the outdoors by removing barriers like cost, transportation, and gear for youth and families in underserved communities. When the program brought a group of Detroit high school students to Yosemite for their first time, they received guidance and education from legendary park ranger and fellow Detroiter Shelton Johnson, hiked scenic trails, camped under the stars, tried rock climbing, and built deeper bonds with nature and with each other. Organized trips like these challenge the notion that national parks are “for someone else,” replacing it with an affirming message that public lands are a shared inheritance, and that simply being present helps reshape who feels welcome in these iconic places.
Similarly, Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors program gets veterans and servicemembers into nature for stress relief, fellowship, stewardship, and healing, where nature becomes a place of both connection and care. On one of these paddle trips down the Deschutes River, through federally protected lands and Oregon state parks, one Chicano veteran who never saw the great outdoors as a place he fit in said the trip taught him “that the outdoors doesn’t belong to one kind of person. It belongs to all of us. I saw the land, and for the first time, I knew it saw me too — not as a guest, but as kin. In the wild, I found peace. I found a connection that didn’t need to be explained.”
How you can help
These aren’t isolated efforts. They are pieces of a broader truth: Public lands aren’t just spaces to protect; they’re places to participate in and be part of something bigger. They nourish not just ecosystems, but connection.
So, take a friend. Join a cleanup. Walk a story-filled trail. From every hillside in Los Angeles to every stream in the Appalachian woods, let community grow — powerfully, together.
You can also advocate for and help care for these vital spaces by:
- Contacting your representatives. Urge leaders to provide resources for park staff (e.g., rangers, interpreters) and infrastructure, ensuring these sites can tell complete stories and welcome everyone.
- Supporting climate action. Advocate for policies reducing fossil fuels and promoting sustainability.
- Protecting natural quiet and darkness. Support policies that minimize artificial lighting and human-generated noise to preserve natural environments.
- Demanding honest history. Support park staff and signage that shares the full, honest history of the nation, including diverse perspectives.
- Volunteering. Look for volunteer opportunities with the National Park Service or Sierra Club at sierraclub.org/volunteer.
