Six Ways the Department of Interior Can Improve Equitable Access to Public Lands and Waters
Photo credit: Charlein Gracia
Guest post by Amelia Howe, American Alpine Club
While public lands are one of the most valuable shared resources we have in America, not everyone in America has the same access to the outdoors. The reasons for this are numerous, from our country’s history of discrimination, in which many National Parks and other public lands were not open to Black Americans until after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to unequal access to green spaces in poor or disadvantaged communities. These barriers to entry are still felt across many communities today.
The Department of the Interior is looking to improve equitable access by figuring out how they can remove barriers to access on public lands, especially for underserved communities, and ultimately, get more people involved in recreation. Last January, the Biden-Harris administration released an executive order requesting that all federal agencies identify the ways in which they can advance racial equity and support for underserved communities through their work. This essentially means that all the agencies in the government from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Transportation are required to look inward and identify the ways in which they are upholding systemic barriers that have been in place for decades due to our nation’s history of oppression and segregation. Once the issues are identified, the agencies must then find creative solutions to addressing these problems, and ultimately, they must work to improve the accessibility of their offerings for underserved communities.
Directed by the executive order, agencies each conducted an equity assessment of their programming. As a part of this process, Interior held multiple stakeholder listening sessions. During these facilitated sessions, members of underserved communities along with leaders and organizers representing these communities came together to discuss the following questions:
What are the barriers to entry to visiting public lands and waters managed by Interior?
How can Interior remove or reduce barriers that underserved communities and individuals may face when they recreate or attempt to recreate on Interior-managed lands and waters?
How can Interior establish and maintain connections to a wider and more diverse set of stakeholders representing underserved communities? What are the best ways to notify and engage underserved stakeholders about recreational opportunities?
It is encouraging that Interior is not only asking these questions internally, but that they are taking the process one step further by reaching out to communities to find solutions for individuals who experience barriers to entry to recreation on public lands. It is encouraging to see Interior look to the populations they are trying to serve as they work to find solutions to this complex issue.
One of our member organizations, the American Alpine Club, facilitated a listening session of their own with affinity group leaders from across the climbing community in order to inform their substantive comment to Interior in response to the questions outlined above. The Outdoor Alliance and several other organizations co-signed the comment. You can find the full comment full of ideas and solutions here, but we pulled a few key takeaways below.
In order to address barriers to improve access on public lands, and build relationships with diverse stakeholders, Interior should:
Identify and prioritize ways that authentic consultation and co-management with Tribal stakeholders can be implemented.
Address racist, misogynist, homophobic/transphobic, and culturally insensitive names of Interior-managed landmarks.
Increase visible, culturally-informed, interpretive staff presence on the ground.
Work towards a culture shift in the agency among staff and leadership. A cultural shift from exclusion and gatekeeping to inclusion and acceptance will proliferate amongst users of the landscape and in turn, create a more inviting and enjoyable experience for all recreationists.
Form authentic partnerships with core stakeholder groups and local leaders which can then trickle down into smaller, ancillary groups that are within their networks. When possible, engage these partners as decision-makers.
Ensure that community engagement events and opportunities are widely announced and accessible and comfortable for all participants by providing basic tools and services such as translation, interpretation, refreshments, child care, and ample time for all participants to be heard.
Outdoor Alliance and its member groups look forward to continuing work with Interior as it seeks to find creative solutions to ensure that all Americans have access to the mental and physical health benefits of spending time outdoors on America’s public lands. You can read more about solutions for equitable access issues here.