Protect Public Lands for All People, November 2025

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Nearly one-third of the U.S. is designated as public land that can and should be managed to slow climate change. But public lands are under threat. The Reconciliation bill signed into law in July, titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calls for oil and gas leasing on federal lands and the Trump administration is taking actions to sell off public lands. The recently launched Senate Stewardship Caucus aims to “drive bipartisan efforts to protect and expand access to public lands, promote commonsense land management policies, and support economic growth in rural communities.” In keeping with the caucus’s bipartisanship, a senator needs to find a partner from the other party to join the caucus. Contact your senators to urge them to find that partner and join the caucus.  

Background

The nation’s public lands include our national parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges. They are collectively owned by the American people and managed by agencies of the federal government. These agencies are charged with sustaining and protecting the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for this and future generations.

When forests, swamps, and grasslands are protected, public lands store carbon in the ground to keep global temperatures from rising.  The public’s access to these lands also benefits the nation’s $862 billion recreation economy.

Why Now?

The Trump administration is working to remove protections from public lands, including orders and actions to transfer over 175  millions of acres of public land to the oil, gas, mining, and timber industries. For instance, last month the Department of the Interior announced a process to rescind the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule which ensures that conservation of public lands receives due consideration along with mining, timber, grazing. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says that the rule stands in the way of oil and gas development.

The good news is that conservation of public lands and waters has bi-partisan support and pushback from Congress is working to slow down the administration’s plans. In a big win, provisions to sell public lands were stripped from the Reconciliation Bill before it passed.   The Senate Stewardship Caucus holds promise to protect public lands that are under threat from the administration. 

Jewish Perspectives

“The Earth is the Lord’s,” not yours.

We are but temporary inhabitants of the land—tenants rather than owners—obligated to treat Earth with reverence and responsibility. As Leviticus warns, when the land is defiled, it “vomits out” its inhabitants (Leviticus 18:25). The Divine principle is explicit: “The land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers, resident with Me” (Leviticus 25:23).  Misuse of the land or acts of social injustice constitute a breach of this covenant, resulting in the loss of our tenure—exile in both spiritual and physical form. Samuel I 8:14 warns against the abuse of authority to seize land unjustly. The High Priest Samuel cautioned the people that a king would “take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards, and give them to his courtiers,” a prophetic denunciation of power used for private enrichment rather than public good.

Learn more

The Trump Administration’s Expansive Push to Sell Out Public Lands to the Highest Bidder, Center for American Progress

 The Power of Land Conservation to Address the Climate Crisis, Trust for Public Land

Our Public Lands Are on the Chopping Block Again, Natural Resources Defense Council

Preserving Public Lands: Legislative Pushback Against Federal Land Sales During the Trump Administration, The Georgetown Environmental Law Review

Senators Announce New Bipartisan Stewardship Caucus Focused on Public Lands, Federal Newswire

Sample Message

Dear Senator,

I urge you to join the newly formed bipartisan Senate Stewardship Caucus because our precious public lands are now under threat.

I am shocked by the Administration’s proposals to sell off or transfer millions of acres of public lands for mining, drilling, and logging. Short-term greed is poised to undo generations of careful work to maintain habitat and ecosystems.

Americans would lose access our land. [These lands are important to me because - insert personal story of your interaction with public lands.]

As a Jew [insert how Jewish teachings inspire your concern.]

The Senate Stewardship Caucus is looking for bipartisan support. To that end, a senator who wishes to join needs a partner from the other party to join as well. I urge you to find a [insert Republican or Democratic] Senator to join the Senate Stewardship Caucus with you to protect our public lands.

Please let me know your plans regarding the Senate Stewardship Caucus.

How to Contact Your Members of Congress

Find your Members of Congress at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.

Call the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 to reach your Congressmember’s office.

Online: Go to your Member’s website and look for the “contact” page to submit a message.