In defense of something the company has long been known to stand for, Patagonia broke its decades-long silence in TV commercials to send a powerful message from its founder — these are our public lands, and they are not for sale.
As politicians in Washington have taken a growing interest in the natural resources found on some national monuments throughout the United States, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke suggested that those boundaries be changed.
At Zinke’s personal suggestion to President Trump, the idea of shrinking four national monuments and making changes to the boundaries of dozens of others was proposed. What ensued was a predictable battle between private property rights activists and proponents for public lands access.
There’s a lot of speculation that these adjustments are being made to accommodate the interests of private energy companies seeking to harvest natural resources from portions of the public lands.
Critics are saying that this proposition, from a man who claims to value public lands no less, undermines the efforts of conservationists to preserve national monuments for the enjoyment and use of future generations.
Patagonia Steps In
It didn’t just stop with a commercial. Patagonia, true to their values in preservation and environmental awareness, launched a highly vocal campaign against these propositions in favor of protecting and preserving public lands.
On their website, you can find a wealth of information on the importance of preserving public lands, what happens when states have control of them, and what you can do to speak out against legislation that is being proposed.
In an effort to protect public access to these lands and the endangered species that depend on them for protection, Patagonia is advocating that nature enthusiasts speak out directly to the politicians courting decisions in the best interests of private enterprise, rather than the taxpayers to whom these lands were originally granted to.
Zinke’s list of recommendations wouldn’t just change the boundaries of these monuments either, it would mean that activities such as mining and commercial fishing could take place in National Parks.
If you’d like to get involved, you can learn more about the importance of protecting public lands at Patagonia’s site, and voice your opinion to Ryan Zinke and the Trump administration.
What do you think, should control of some public lands be given back to the states? Tell us what you think on Facebook or Instagram, and tag us in the post, @AvocadoMattress or #AvocadoGreenMagazine.
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