There are over 618 million acres of public land in US, and most of it is unprotected. To help change this—and encourage many more to want to do the same—Keen recently set out on one hell of a road trip, spanning 7,500 miles, 25 states, and nine weeks. Moving from Portland, Oregon to Washington, DC in a woefully unreliable 1976 GMC RV, the revolving crew captures over 40,000 petition signatures and hosted 55 events, raising awareness and bolstering community-based conservationism, all in hopes of encouraging President Obama use his presidential decree and the Antiquities Act to preserve five specific areas of wild acreage—Owyhee Canyonlands, OR, Birthplace of Rivers, WV, Gold Butte, NV, Boulder White-Clouds, ID, and Mojave Trails, CA.
By the end of the trip, and with the help of the campaign’s hard work and collaboration with previously established organizations, both Boulder White-Clouds and Mojave Trails were officially protected as Wilderness and a National Monument, respectively. It just goes to show the power of a collective voice—and that the Government can in fact work in your favor from time to time.
