Amid Colorado’s complex history, a unifying thread emerges: a deep, abiding love and reverence for our public lands. Whether it’s the rancher tending his cattle, Native communities practicing their cultural traditions, families sharing adventures with children or the climber scaling a mountain, our spirit is rooted in a shared appreciation for wild places.
As a Coloradan, former state legislator, U.S. representative and senator, and someone who dedicated my career to conservation, my identity and values are inseparable from our public lands. I grew up in Arizona, and my childhood instilled in me a sincere appreciation for the rugged beauty and pragmatic spirit of the American West. I credit my mother for teaching me about the natural world; she was born and raised in Colorado and was a sharpshooter, pilot, angler, artist, and equestrian. After a quick stint back east for college, I landed in Colorado’s central mountains, where I deepened my bond with our public lands.
My twenty years with the Colorado Outward Bound School inspired my public service career. As a wilderness instructor and later the executive director, I witnessed the power of our protected natural spaces to serve as transformative classrooms for Outward Bound students gaining the leadership skills and confidence to face life’s challenges in the “frontcountry.” It was on these lands that I met my wife and built a life with our children. I have climbed the 100 highest peaks in Colorado – Colorado’s Centennials – and am trying to reach every summit above 13,000 feet. Each experience on public lands further cements my commitment to their protection.
I’ve been fortunate to work closely with many communities that have rich and unique relationships with our public lands. I’ve observed these communities joining together to protect these places. I've never met a rancher, hunter, mountain biker or hiker who didn't hold an appreciation for the ecosystems and landscapes they use.
According to recent polling, a staggering 96% of Coloradans engage in outdoor recreation, with 72% venturing outside at least once a week. Coloradans thrive in our open spaces. Passion for our public lands also translates into a powerful economic engine, with outdoor recreation generating a remarkable $65.8 billion and supporting 404,000 jobs.
But the importance of our public lands doesn’t stop at economic output or recreational opportunity. I hold close what my uncle and former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall said in 1976: “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect humans.” Our public lands are vital for clean air and water, that wildlife habitat is healthy and intact, and that we as a people do not lose the relationship to the natural world that shapes our humanity.
I am greatly concerned by the efforts of the current administration and the 119th Congress to undermine our public lands heritage. Through deliberate changes in budget rules, the systematic dismantling of our federal workforce and the explicit goal outlined in a leaked budget document to sell our public lands, there is a cynical, calculated effort to rob the American people of our shared heritage. Colorado’s elected leaders should know that any public land seizure is a political “third rail,” and our public lands are not tradable or salable commodities. Just like climbers sharing the same rope, Coloradans are united in keeping our public lands public. I’ve spent my life in the mountains where safety is more than an abstract concept. The risks associated with public-lands seizure are unacceptable.
Our elected leaders must oppose taking our public lands from us, not just for today, but for future generations. Our representatives, like Rep. Jeff Hurd, must reject any legislation that jeopardizes our public lands. We must remind them our lands are not assets on a billionaire’s balance sheet. Instead, they are a powerful reminder of the freedoms we hold so dear and our shared destiny. And our spectacular landscapes cannot be used to divide us – they form our personal identity and collective identity as Americans.
Mark Udall of Eldorado Springs is a former Colorado U.S. senator (2009-2015) and representative (1999-2009).
