- New grant to theguardian.org from the Society for Environmental Journalists enables The Guardian to expand This Land is Your Land, its series on America’s public lands
- The Guardian will partner with local publications in the West to drive high impact journalism
Press Release – Guardian US today announced that it will expand coverage of the growing threat to America’s public lands with new support made possible by funding of $340,000 over the next two years from the Society for Environmental Journalists. As part of the expansion, The Guardian will collaborate with local publishing partners in the Western regions most affected by the accelerating movement to roll back protections on national land.
Public lands range from celebrated national parks such as Yosemite and the Everglades to vast western forests and deserts, Pacific coral reefs and Atlantic seamounts. Yet the future of this unique American birthright hangs in the balance as the Trump administration and Congress take steps that could open public lands to new industrial uses and transfer federal lands to the states.
The project launches today with an investigation about how America’s national parks are grappling with crumbling facilities and closed trails. It is accompanied by an op-ed from Theodore Roosevelt IV, a preservationist and the great grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, the Republican president who helped conserve 230m acres for public use.
Jane Spencer, deputy editor, Guardian US said:
“Guardian readers have demonstrated extraordinary interest and support for our series This Land is Your Land. We are witnessing an unprecedented attack on America’s natural legacy—and we are grateful for this opportunity to expand and extend our coverage of public lands at this critical moment.
We won’t tackle this challenge alone. The Guardian aims to collaborate with local publications across the West to tell this story—and we believe rigorous, independent journalism will be a powerful force to drive public awareness, galvanize communities, and hold our government accountable.”
Guardian US first launched This Land is Your Land in July 2017 after noticing its readers showed exceptional engagement with stories about public lands. Guardian US then launched a successful crowdfunding appeal, raising $114,302 from readers to cover of public lands in 2017.
The project drew attention from philanthropic funders, and the new grant was made possible through the Guardian’s non-profit arm, theguardian.org. The Guardian’s reporting on public lands will remain editorially independent.
This Land is Your Land will be edited and overseen by Alastair Gee in The Guardian’s West Coast bureau.
