First Year of Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative Advances Equity & Access of the Outdoors
For Immediate Release: December 20, 2021
Media Contact: Jessica Loya, jessica@next100Coalition.org
Washington, D.C. — As the year comes to a close, the Next 100 Coalition applauds the progress made by the Biden Administration’s as part of the first year of their America the Beautiful Initiative. The Administration’s actions have demonstrated a commitment to returning the focus and goals Department of Interior, U.S. The Department of Agriculture and other land management agencies to advance conservation, stewardship, and building relationships with rural, tribal, and urban communities to advance equity and access to the public lands.
In particular, the Coalition celebrates President Biden and his Administration’s decisions to uphold their trust responsibility of stewarding public lands by restoring protections to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments and protecting Chaco Canyon Historical Park region from new oil and gas extraction. As well as the restoration and expansion of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program which provides access to critically needed funds to build and maintain parks in urban communities.
“We believe these first year actions by the Administration are pushing forward conservation in a more inclusive direction. We look forward to the Administration continuing to prioritize and institutionalize a community led approach to conservation that meets the needs of communities, advances environmental and wildlife protections, and advances outdoor equity.” – Teresa Martinez, Chair, Next 100 Coalition.
The coalition and its members look forward to continuing to work with the Biden Administration to build upon this success and continue to move forward on the goal of protecting 30% of the U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
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The Next 100 Coalition is a collaborative national network of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (“BIPOC”) led/community-centered conservation, outdoor recreation, environmental education, public health, environmental justice organizations and dedicated outdoor equity leaders.