Why does it seem we’ve lost ground when it comes to protecting our public lands? Repeated complaints say our public lands aren’t really public, that our National Parks are rundown, dilapidated messes, and so forth. As hunters and anglers know, it’s not because we don’t do our part. We knowingly- willingly- pay excise taxes that go toward much needed work.
So what’s the rub? There’s a plethora of organizations, each working to help improve the plight of the land, the animals and the access. One possible explanation comes from a new organization whose very name defines what they think is the problem. Their name? Nature Is Non Partisan. This new organization believes extreme groups have radicalized the idea of environmentalism and demonized the conservation minded. Rather than standing for responsible stewardship, today’s definition of the “environmental movement” is primarily associated with the Green New Deal.
That’s the polarized situation NatureIsNonPartisan.org was founded to calm.
Earlier this week, QA Outdoors spoke with Ben Cassidy, Chief Policy Officer of Nature Is Non Partisan. Cassidy’s name may be familiar to many, as he was previously EVP of SCI, where he oversaw international government and public affairs. He was also a senior appointee of the first Trump administration at the U.S. Department of the Interior, specializing in - you guessed it - policy and advocacy for public lands.