Some of the most significant changes to U.S. public lands are taking place this year. One key step before policy changes are implemented is the public's input. A new app inspired by a hunter's desire to get more people engaged civically now allows people to officially register their comments with federal agencies considering changes to public lands.
There have been a number of policy reversals, changes to permitting processes and land use controversies like scaling down public parks or fast-tracking data centers on federal land. Typically, before policy changes are enacted, the federal government opens a public comment period before changing a policy on public land. The outdoor recreation group, onX, says that participating in that process can be confusing. That led the group to create a free app called "Public Land Comment Hub."
It allows people to register their comments with four federal land management agencies: the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Lisa Nichols, onX's senior corporate philanthropy and advocacy manager, says public lands decisions today set the rules for future generations.
"Agencies are actively revisiting major rules, opening these large comment periods and some of them are already drawing very high public interest and that tells you people really care about these places," Nichols said. "Whether it's, 'where should I go this weekend to recreate' or 'what's happening in the place I care about,' these are all things that people are hungry for the information, and they want to be a part of the decision-making process."
The company's founder said on the app: He was first inspired to think about land access in a strategic way in 2016, when he noticed a property for sale that had historically been an access point for recreational use. He envisioned buying the parcel to secure public access, but the property was quickly under contract and access was lost. The experience led to the development of onX's Access team.
The Public Land Comment Hub includes interactive maps and a dashboard that is updated daily with deadlines for specific comment period timelines and is free to access and use.
Several other outdoor organizations have web-based platforms for learning about, getting alerted to, and commenting on public lands and outdoor recreation issues.
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers has a page on its website that lets you filter ongoing and proposed issues by state, and then you can click on each proposal to be redirected to the government's website that offers details about that proposal and how to comment.
Outdoor Alliance lists several specific issues impacting public lands and outdoor spaces, with a link under each that takes you to a form you can fill out that will automatically be sent to the relevant lawmakers.
You can also go straight to regulation.gov and search for a specific piece of legislation or a proposal the government is seeking public comment on, as well as the deadline to submit those comments.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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