United By Nature Launches New Cultural Movement to Unite Americans in the Outdoors | News
United By Nature, powered by Nature Is Nonpartisan, a movement committed to rebuilding America’s common-sense conservation movement across political and other boundaries, officially launched its first national campaign, Going Public. Going Public celebrates Americans’ shared pride in our nation’s iconic public lands and inspires people across the country to help protect these national treasures.
From March 27 to May 30, Americans can support their public lands by claiming a free, token share of their favorite public lands, like the iconic Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, and the local trails and forests we visit every day. Each share represents a vote for their favorite country and support to protect and keep this country accessible for future generations.
Despite politicians’ increasing efforts to threaten the country’s public lands, nearly 90% of voters believe that parks, forests, monuments and nature reserves play an essential role in the quality of life. Public lands, including national forests, world-famous parks, coastal areas and wildlife refuges, are where Americans build family traditions and unforgettable memories, experience the joy and wonder of the outdoors and find everyday moments to reconnect and recharge.
Going Public aims to bridge the gap between strong public support for public lands and the political decisions that jeopardize their future, by giving Americans a visible way to stand behind the public lands they already own.
“People don’t get involved with the outdoors because of politics. They get involved with the outdoors because it brings them joy, and they want the immense beauty of our country to be preserved for future generations,” said Benji Backer, founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan. “Nature is something we love at our core. United By Nature and Going Public is about turning a love of place and nature into a national movement to make it fun, engaging and reflective of how people already think about the outdoors.”
Going Public will take place nationwide from March 27 to May 30 and invite Americans to:
Claim a free share of their favorite public land online, with each share acting as a pledge of support for your public land
“Protect” your share with an optional purchase, giving that land an extra boost and funding real public land restoration
Receive a symbolic certificate of ownership and a letter celebrating their place as stewards of America’s public lands for shares purchased
Share their claimed public lands on social media and encourage others to stand behind their public lands
The top-ranked countries will receive the donated funds on May 30 through United By Nature’s partnership with the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation and Foundation for America’s Lands. The remaining funds will support public lands nationwide through these organizations.
At the end of the campaign, Nature Is Nonpartisan will send a breakdown of every stake claimed to leaders in Washington, DC, demonstrating in real numbers that public lands conservation is not partisan. It’s American.
To mark the launch of Going Public, United By Nature will debut the first-ever Public Lands Stock Exchange in Times Square on March 27, a part retro real estate agency, part greenhouse where visitors can claim their token shares in public lands. A live ticker will track participation in real time and display the countries Americans are rallying behind across the country. More than fifty ‘park rangers’ will be active throughout Manhattan and lead a procession to the Stock Exchange in Times Square to guide participants in claiming their shares.
Going Public is the first of United By Nature’s five national moments throughout the year that prioritize cultural momentum over political division to drive effective conservation action. Through bold, culture-focused campaigns, United By Nature aims to create a movement of ‘Outsiders’, connected by a love of community, nature and the outdoors and sharing a frustration with division and polarization.
