First, we must get into what public lands are. They are lands owned and/or maintained by public entities such as the National Parks Service, the National Forest Service, or the Bureau of Land Management. These lands (and waters) are mostly located west of the Rockies, and they are usually designated either for conservation or recreation.
Lands (and waters) designated for conservation are homes to animals that depend on our ability and proclivity to leave them alone. The wildlife that rely on preserves need and deserve our absence. Things are not that simple–sometimes, due to past disturbances, ecologists have to intervene. Overall, these places are pivotal to minimizing our negative impact on the world at large. Some areas are also precious historical or archaeological sites that reveal the foundation of America–from less than a century ago, and from tens of thousands of years ago.
The areas designated for recreation are bastions of freedom and exploration for the American spirit to thrive in all the novel ways that we are familiar and unfamiliar with: camping, hiking, boating, stargazing, and much more. Not only that, but people visit these areas to collect firewood, hunt, and fish. Many Americans rely on having access to these places for warmth in the winter, and food year-round.
We share this country with each other and with every other species here. It is of the utmost importance to protect it from corporate entities that would demolish its ecology, and our rightful and responsible access to it, for a profitable quarter–that’s why we donate a portion of our own profits to its protection.