The Radavist

Public Lands are once again at risk. Help defend the Roadless Rule! The Roadless Rule protects 58 million acres of National Forests spanning 42 states, and includes some of the most iconic places in the country for riding bikes, hiking, skiing, climbing, fishing, hunting, and more…

We’ve won a battle in the war against the privatization of Public Lands, as Senator and corporate gimp Mike Lee has officially removed the proposal from the Senate budget reconciliation bill. This was only possible due to the public pressure placed on his proposal. But we need to stay vigilant, because this fight is not over.

Read his quote from Instagram below.

Out West, the land holds stories older than any statute. It’s where the history of multiple peoples, the land, and mythology meet in sun-drenched valleys and snow-clad mountainsides. It’s also in modern times that a quiet but unrelenting war is being waged over who controls the future of the public estate. Right now, in the final days of June, that fight is reaching a boiling point. Kyle Klain walks us through Mike Lee and his quiet war on Public Lands…

This is an ongoing battle. Mike Lee just reintroduced a new bill, looking to offload USFS land. Read on below…

This is what 3 million acres of public lands for sale looks like. Our backyards. Your backyards. All for sale to private mineral and gas extraction entities. This is not a scare tactic. These places are listed as potential plots of Public Lands for sale.

Just a few weeks ago, the outdoor community helped remove 500,000 acres of land sales from the House version of this bill. Now the Senate is back with an even more extreme version—and we need your voice to stop it.

You can use the easy-action form below to write your Senators about how this package will affect the outdoors. Lawmakers need to hear that public lands should be managed for people and the future, not sold off for tax cuts or given away to developers.

Help protect the public lands you love. Send a message to your Senators today to tell the Senate to OUR PUBLIC LANDS ARE NOT FOR SALE at Outdoor Alliance.

Map via the Wilderness Society.

Take Action: Stop the Senate’s Plan to Sell Off Public Lands

The Senate just released its version of a massive spending bill—and it includes a proposal to sell off more than 3 million acres of public lands. The bill also prioritizes drilling and logging, slashes environmental safeguards, and lets developers bypass public input.

Just a few weeks ago, the outdoor community helped remove 500,000 acres of land sales from the House version of this bill. Now the Senate is back with an even more extreme version—and we need your voice to stop it.

You can use the easy-action form below to write your Senators about how this package will affect the outdoors. Lawmakers need to hear that public lands should be managed for people and the future, not sold off for tax cuts or given away to developers.

Help protect the public lands you love. Send a message to your Senators today to tell the Senate to NOT SELL OUR PUBLIC LANDS at Outdoor Alliance.

The Senate is about to vote on a major spending bill, and included in the negotiations is the possibility of selling off America’s public lands to offset tax cuts and government spending.

Senators Heinrich (D-NM) and Hickenlooper (D-CO) have proposed an amendment that would prohibit this reckless idea that threatens the places where Americans get outside. Now is the moment to let Congress know that public land selloffs are a red line for the outdoor recreation community, and voters across the political spectrum.

Outdoor Alliance put together a quick action form! Let Congress know that public lands are not for sale.

Here at The Radavist, we value the public lands that define where we recreate and explore. These places—our trails, forests, deserts, and rivers—are more than just landscapes; they are the backbone of adventure, solitude, and connection. But today, they are under siege and at risk.

Kyle Klain, our guest writer and photographer, history nerd, (and perennial unpaid intern), has been a staunch advocate for these wild places and served as the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society president for 4 years, and currently serves as the Policy Chair for the New Mexico chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. He’s here to issue a call to action. This fight is not just about land—it’s about civic engagement, about recognizing the moment we’re in, and about reclaiming our role in shaping the future.

And for our readers overseas, who may be watching from afar in shock but also beginning to fight their own battles for access, conservation, and justice—this is a struggle that transcends borders. The need to protect what belongs to all, rather than a privileged few, is universal. The question isn’t whether these fights will happen in your backyard—it’s whether you’ll be ready when they do.

As a New Mexico-based media outlet, we want to thank Martin Heinrich for his role in getting the EXPLORE Act passed! Read on for a press release on this momentous occasion and ground-breaking legislation…

The number of visitors to America’s public lands has steadily increased over the last 15 years, while over the same time period, funding for recreation has decreased more than 20 percent at agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, according to data released this week by Outdoor Alliance, a non-profit working to protect public lands and waters…

Outdoor Alliance just informed us that the US House Passed the EXPLORE Act. Let’s find out more below!

Outdoor Alliance just released an informative perspective on the BLM’s 21st Century Outdoor Recreation Blueprint. As demand for outdoor recreation opportunities grows, land management agencies will need both the vision and resources to meet these growing needs. Read on for a quick description and feedback that Outdoor Alliance provided for this blueprint…

Avi Kwa Ame is the West’s newest National Monument and was just designated by President Biden. Situated in the pointy end of Nevada and south of Las Vegas, these lands are sacred to a dozen tribes along the lower Colorado River. The 700-square-mile designated Monument creates a much larger interconnected expanse of federally-managed lands with special protections (see the detailed map here). Advocacy for the Monument in recent years brought together a uniquely diverse coalition of tribes, communities, conservation organizations, outdoor groups, and even motorized recreationalists. A wintery three-day ride through the area in January opened my eyes to the beauty of this unfamiliar-to-me area, but basic aesthetics only scratch the surface when trying to unpack the meaning of this landscape.

The latest from Patagonia resonates with the current administration’s mission to auction off public lands to the highest bidder. It’s a long one but well worth the watch. Here’s the synopsis:

“Despite support from voters across the political spectrum, our public lands face unprecedented threats from extractive industries and the politicians in their pockets. Part love letter, part political exposé, Public Trust investigates how we arrived at this precarious moment through three heated conflicts—a national monument in the Utah desert, a mine in the Boundary Waters and oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—and makes a case for their continued protection.”

Take action to protect our public lands. Text DEFEND to 71333.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of accepting an invitation put out by the Mojave Desert Land Trust to partake in a 45-minute long flight from Palm Springs, across the Sand to Snow National Monument, across the Morongo Canyon Preserve, through Joshua Tree National Park, and back across the Little San Bernardino Mountains into Palm Springs on a Ecoflight single-engine Cessna 210…