United By Nature, powered by Nature Is Nonpartisan, a movement dedicated 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 for 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, symbolic share of their favorite public lands, such as the iconic national parks Yellowstone and Yosemite, and the local trails and forests we visit every day. Each share represents a vote for their favorite land and support to protect and keep these lands accessible for generations to come.
Despite the increasing effort from politicians to threaten the nation’s public lands, almost 90% of voters believe that parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife areas play an essential role in the quality of life. Public lands, including national forests, world-famous parks, seashores 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 close 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 engage with the outdoors because of politics. They engage with it because it brings them joy, and they want our nation’s immense beauty to be conserved 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 feel about the outdoors.”
Going Public will run nationwide from March 27 to May 30, inviting Americans to:
Claim a free share of their favorite public land online, where each share functions as a vote 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 purchased shares
Share their claimed public land on social media and encourage others to stand behind their public lands
The top-ranking lands on May 30 will receive the donated funds through United By Nature’s partnership with the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and Foundation for America’s Lands. Remaining funds will support public lands nationwide through these organizations.
At the end of the campaign, Nature Is Nonpartisan will send a record of every share claimed to leaders in Washington, D.C., demonstrating in real numbers that conserving public lands is not partisan. It is 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 brokerage house, part-greenhouse where visitors will be able to claim their symbolic shares of public lands. A live ticker will track participation in real time, displaying the lands Americans are rallying behind across the country. More than fifty “park rangers” will activate across Manhattan and lead a procession to the Stock Exchange in Times Square to guide participants to claim their shares.
Going Public is the first of United By Nature’s five national moments throughout the year to prioritize cultural momentum over political division to drive effective conservation action. Through bold, culture-forward campaigns, United By Nature aims to create a movement of “Outsiders,” who are connected by a love of community, nature, and the great outdoors and share a frustration with division and polarization.
