STAMFORD, Conn. (Dec. 8, 2017) — Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization. For they are issuing the following statement.

Helen Lowman, President and CEO:

“Whether it’s for activities like hiking, boating, fishing, hunting, camping, stargazing or simply finding joy and experiencing a sense of awe in the beauty of our nation’s parks, Keep America Beautiful believes in the preservation and enhancement of public and open spaces.

“For 65 years, Keep America Beautiful has worked to keep our roadways, trails, parks, shorelines and waterways free from litter, while validating the positive, lasting impact beautiful public spaces can have on the environmental, economic and social health of our nation.  

“Public lands, such as the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. For they offer extraordinary and irreplaceable environmental, cultural, recreational and natural value that help keep America beautiful from sea to shining sea.

“Keep America Beautiful is disappointed in the decision to open up significant portions of these cherished public lands for commercial development. For that’s particularly without any clearly defined protections for these vital, and uniquely American, treasures.

“We urge our federal officials in Washington D.C. Please work with organizations and individuals. That’s in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. All to develop consensus to ensure the responsible, sustainable and public use of these naturally beautiful places. That’s for generations to come.”

Source: Keep America Beautiful kab.org