What is Advocacy? 

Simply put, advocacy is supporting or promoting a cause, idea, or policy to bring about change or to advance a particular goal. This can be anything from advocating for yourself to pushing for public lands policy or a cause or issue you deeply believe in. 

Advocacy Starts with You

As an advocate and storyteller, your voice can influence public opinion, policies, and decisions by raising awareness, providing information, and actively engaging with individuals, communities, institutions, or decision makers.

When put to good use, advocacy can put policy in place that impacts the lives of our comunidad and the wellbeing of nuestra madre tierra.

Do you want Advocacy to start with you?

Sign up for our Advocacy Activation Amigos updates.

Take Action

• Green Schoolyards America – Help Pass the “Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act” Bill (formerly the Living Schoolyards Act, S-1538): Tell Congress every child deserves access to nature where they learn and play, yet most schoolyards today are dominated by asphalt and concrete. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act ensures schools can create green spaces that boost learning, reduce stress, and protect children from extreme heat. 
• Monuments For All – Tell Congress: Americans Value Their National Monuments: Stand alongside Tribes and communities to protect the Antiquities Act, public lands, and national monuments. Our public lands are vital to our collective shared history, culture, and environment.
• National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) – Stop Cuts to the National Park Service: The Park Service has lost over 25% of its permanent staff, which threatens ranger programs, visitor centers, and the long-term health of our parks.
• New Mexico Wild – Stand up for America’s public lands: tell the Bureau of Land Management you support the Public Lands Rule here.

Current Advocacy Campaigns

• Our National Monuments and public lands, from Bears Ears to Devil’s Tower, are threatened by policies prioritizing fossil fuel extraction over conservation. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s Secretarial Order and proposed legislation H.R. 521 and S. 220 aim to weaken the Antiquities Act, jeopardizing over a century of protections for these cherished places. We must act now to defend our natural and cultural heritage. Join the Public Land Trust and Take Action: Tell Congress to Protect Our Public Lands

Protecting Public Lands

The Designation of Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Medicine Lake National Monuments

The Expansion of San Gabriel Mountains National Monument 

The Expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to Include Molok Luyuk

Coalitions

• Parks Now, a coalition of organizations advancing equitable access to California’s parks and open spaces.
• Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth, and families with the outdoors.
• Living schoolyards, outdoor learning, and environmental literacy opportunities for children and youth.
• State and federal-level outdoor equity grant programs, such as in New Mexico and Colorado.

Get Involved

Your voice matters. Share your story on the Yo Cuento blog to add to the collective narrative of outdoor engagement so that it is richer and representative of the diverse community of people who love and care for the outdoors. 

• Urge your representatives to protect public lands by writing a letter (page 27).
• Create art that speaks to your experiences and share it with the world.
• Enjoy public lands responsibly. Vamos Outdoors and bring your friends and family with you. The more people enjoy these places, the more likely they are to protect them. Make sure you Recreate Responsibly, Leave No Trace, and learn about the lands’ history.