PUBLIC LAND WARRIORS - For Americans Ready to Win

“The most important components of our democratic republic are under direct attack, and it’s time to fight like we are very serious about winning.” You’ve likely heard, said, or read something like this in the last few months. Leaders like Heather Cox Richardson have been preaching it for years, and the prodding has only gotten more urgent since November of 2024.

Since the election, you’ve probably taken some of it to heart and become more active. Maybe you marched in a protest, wrote a letter to the editor, joined a social media group, or just gritted your teeth in angry frustration. I’m right there with you, I’ve done them all, and even though I dedicated more than a year of my life to running for Governor in the hopes of helping stop these outcomes, after the election, I knew that was not enough.

I’ve heard the same from many of you who know this moment requires channeling post-election frustration into new and meaningful action. I think we are all called to do whatever is possible in whatever area we can make the most impact.

I have spent much of my life fighting for our American public lands because they are the most tangible example of our nation’s exceptionalism. Nowhere else in the world do citizens of a country trust themselves with owning and managing mountains, lakes, forests, rivers, and plains for the benefit of a diverse democratic nation. Overwhelming majorities of Americans agree, but the giant corporations and obscenely wealthy MAGA oligarchs now running the Republican party detest what we have built. They want what is ours, and they will destroy our government to get it.

It’s no surprise that many of the first vehemently anti-American attacks from MAGA Republicans focused on DOGEing government agencies that manage our public lands, on ignoring democratically enacted environmental laws and conservation policies, and on selling the very land we all own. For them, this is all about money and power.

I’m not about ready to accept any of this unpatriotic insanity, and I hope you aren’t either. I am ready to match my rhetoric with action, and so today, my friend Brandon Hall and I launch Public Land Warriors, a national organization designed to win this war.

This lean, mean, and efficient organization was constructed for this moment. Here are some core beliefs that spurred us to action:

1. The Democratic campaign establishment is not built for this sustained, immediate hand-to-hand combat. The old “wait til a few months before the election, then swoop in with some $ and volunteers” won’t cut it. MAGA is destroying NOW, so we must fight the war, run ads, and pressure elected lawmakers NOW. They must fear for their seats NOW. This can be won, but not if we sit back and wait to fight.

2. Well-meaning, polite environmental and conservation nonprofit organizations are not designed for this battlefield. These orgs are still operating under an old paradigm that assumes our political parties are cordial and similar, that the critical issues have not become partisan, and that minor bipartisan policy tweaks are the desired outcomes. Those days are gone. The bottom line is that if you care about Public Lands, you need to care enough to admit the reality of the new battlefield and have the courage to charge onto it.

3. MAGA Republicans in every state have completely dropped their veils and are now publicly and proudly committed to destroying agencies, undermining laws, and selling public land. Swing district lawmakers now supporting them are not going to stop any of it unless they believe we will mobilize voters to unelect them.

Here’s how we are going to do it: Our funding comes directly from voters because the people understand urgency far better than the establishment. We will use those funds to construct and deploy sharp persuasion ads in key districts. We will not pull punches, wait, or stop. The more money we raise, the more ads we cut and the more lawmakers we target. As we act, we will post it all on our website. You’ll be able to see precisely what your money is doing.

Our plan is simple because the essence of this war is simple, and lawmakers who support DOGEing agencies, thoughtless industrialization, ignoring our laws, or selling our land had best hear your promise:

YOU TAKE OUR LAND - WE TAKE YOUR SEAT.

Join our army and contribute here