View this email in your browser here. |
Now more than ever, your support keeps public lands protected and runnable. Donate today to sustain our mission. |
|
|
|
The 2025 Runners for Public Lands Annual Report is here, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with you!
This was a year of remarkable growth for our community. We entered policy spaces and met with lawmakers, showed up for trails, and elevated runner voices in communities across the country. This report reflects the incredible work of our volunteers, members, partners, and supporters, whose passion makes our impact possible. Thank you all for being the heart of this work! We could not do it without you, and together, our best work is still ahead.
With excitement,
Kat Baker
Executive Director, Runners for Public Lands
|
|
|
|
Earlier this month we participated in an activation at Cocodona 250. RPL’s Director of Education & Advocacy, Bryant Baker, hosted a Public Lands Trivia Night with special guests that included the Mayor of Flagstaff Becky Daggett, race winners Rachel Entrekin and Kilian Korth, other Cocodona athletes, and race directors Erika Snyder and Steve Aderholt and Erika to wrap up a week of festivities. We had a blast connecting with runners at trivia, who packed into Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters in downtown Flagstaff to test their knowledge of local, regional, and national public lands. We also loved seeing so many runners, supporters, and RPL ambassadors taking on the challenge of any distance at this event and sharing time on the trails!
|
|
|
|
Gifts For Runners: Another Kind of Guide |
|
|
|
Board President, Vic Thasiah, wrote a thoughtful piece on our website reflecting on Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance. This reflection touches on how public lands are a gift for runners and the importance of caring for the places that care for us. If you enjoy the post, you can find the full book or audiobook here, which is only about a 45-minute listen!
|
|
|
|
Public Land Policy Updates |
|
|
|
The current administration recently rescinded the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly known as the Public Lands Rule. The rule was a boon to conservation and outdoor recreation, including trail running, across vast swaths of federal land in western states. The Public Lands Rule established a set of regulations to advance conservation and restoration across the 245 million acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). These lands represent the largest subset of federal public lands, yet they have some of the lowest levels of permanent protection from extractive activities like drilling and mining.
RPL opposed the rescission of the Public Lands Rule—but there are still ways for runners to help these trails and landscapes, like urging lawmakers to appropriately fund recreation management on BLM lands. Now more than ever we are reminded of our mission: to empower runners to protect public lands and expand access to nature for all. Check out the full news post written by policy advisor Jason Keith about how this rescission will affect runners.
|
The U.S. Forest Service is moving toward the next phase of its efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule, which currently limits road construction and extraction on nearly 45 million acres of National Forest System lands. For runners this means the experience of trail running across many stunning, undeveloped landscapes is at risk. Iconic trail races such as Western States, Waldo 100K, Cascade Crest 100, Wasatch Front 100, Hellbender 100, and dozens of others intersect areas currently protected by the Roadless Rule. We expect the last public comment period to open sometime in June, though it may be delayed later into the summer. Sharing our collective voice during that time will be crucial for protecting the thousands of miles of trails in these roadless areas.
Stay tuned for upcoming events and for the public comment period to open.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the Roadless Rule and see an updated interactive map showing over 70+ trail races that run through roadless areas across the country. |
|
|
|
RPL’s Board of Directors and staff have kicked off a robust strategic planning process to guide our work for the next 3-5 years. Thank you to our brand coalition partner KEEN for hosting our leadership team for a weekend of trail running, facilitated workshops, brainstorming, and team building in Portland, OR. |
Last month RPL ambassador Josh Mabis led a trail work day in the Colorado Front Range in celebration of Earth Day. We teamed up with our partners at BP-RUN-CO, Trail Runner Volunteers, Jefferson County Parks & Open Space, Suffer Better, and Teva to put this Trail Work Series event together. An amazing group of volunteers planted 80 native plants and grasses in an area where non-native grass had taken over. The hope is that these native plants will grow to overtake the invasive species. Thanks to everyone who helped out!
There are several more Trail Work Series events coming up in Colorado that you can check out here. |
|
|
|
50 Classic Trails of America |
|
|
|
We’re excited to be selected as the beneficiary of the book, 50 Classic Trails of America. This project is a collaboration between Rickey Gates, Ian MacLellan, and Andy Cochrane that follows their exploration of some of the most classic trails in America. Their hope with this project is to inspire more people to get out on the trails—a goal that aligns directly with our mission.
Learn more about 50 Classic Trails of America that will be published by Rizzoli here or on Instagram. The highly anticipated book will be available for purchase in 2027.
|
|
|
|
Not only have we replenished stock of our popular shirts in our online store, we’ve also added some new colors! Check out these shirts designed by Ventura, CA-based artist, Andrew Rodriguez, and more merch on our website. |
|
|
|
Runners for Public Lands
1680 Santa Ynez St
Ventura, CA 93001
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews).
|
|
|
|
|
