March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama signed Public Law 111-11, the Public Lands Omnibus Act of 2009. It is a seriously big piece of legislation! It's taken me five months to track down, map out, and determine the recreational status of all the new public lands designated in the western states alone. But five months is a good amount of time to really digest and ponder the implications. The more I research each site & pore over the maps, I am realizing it's a massive victory for all the dedicated individuals who have dedicated a major part of their lives (decades) to protecting the lands they love, and all they hold, from water to wildlife.
As far as I can tell, this hasn't all been put together in one place, so my apologies for the stale news, but I think it's impressive to look at it all of a piece. It's so easy to lose sight of why do we what we do as grassroots activists, and a major piece of legislation like this is a pretty serious victory for all these folks, from different volunteer groups all over the country, who just loved a place enough to keep it wild, or at least to keep it from getting drilled.
Go down below to explore recreational opportunities on the myriad newly-protected public lands in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Colorado, California, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.
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