Lien: We stand on the shoulders of giants
During the second week of February, I joined a diverse group of outdoorsmen and -women visiting congressional offices in Washington, D.C. to express our support for public lands. Meeting with congressional members provides them with important insights from hunters, anglers and other constituents who know the value of our public lands from boots on the ground experience.
One of our topics included misguided efforts in Congress to sell off or otherwise dispose of public lands. Polls show that overwhelming majorities of voters are opposed to selling public lands or transferring them to states.
Recently, the Colorado Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 26-015, reaffirming our state’s commitment to protecting public lands and opposing federal efforts to sell off public lands or silence public input in their management.
Colorado is home to more than 22 million acres of national public lands that provide clean drinking water for communities across the state, support wildlife habitat and sustain a thriving outdoor recreation economy. In 2023 alone, Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy generated $65.8 billion in economic output and supported more than 404,000 jobs, making up 12% of the state’s workforce.
Lawmakers introduced the resolution in response to recent federal actions that weaken long-standing environmental safeguards and limit public participation in land management decisions. Federal agencies have pushed to expedite oil and gas leasing, shorten environmental review timelines and reduce opportunities for communities to weigh in on projects that affect their air, water and land — effectively removing the public from public lands decision-making.
As hunters, anglers and conservationists, we stand on the shoulders of giants from past generations, like Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold and many others. This is our opportunity to show future generations that they too stand on the shoulders of giants, from this generation. Join us!
David Lien
Colorado Springs
