Across the United States, more than one-third of the land is publicly owned 鈥� tallying in around 840 million acres.
And, an overwhelming majority of that land .
Slated to open on Oct.1, the Public Lands Discovery Center in Albuquerque's Old Town area aims to spark curiosity about the large swath of public land in the West.
鈥淲e really hope to create these really, I would call them 鈥榲ignettes鈥� of information about the different ways that you can recreate on public lands,鈥� said Aryn LaBrake, executive director of the 鈥� the organization behind the center.
Formerly known as the Southwest Natural and Cultural History Association, the Public Lands Interpretive Association has been around for almost 45 years in Albuquerque.
Their new center will have on-site programming, educational resources, and an extensive map library.
鈥淚f you're really into bird watching, for example, we will have a little area of resources and tools for you to explore and maybe get into bird watching in a way you never thought you would be interested,鈥� Labrake said.
The library itself will include a variety of maps, such as topographical, recreational, and others across the Southwest.
One of their programs, called the , combines field-work and classroom activities to teach middle-school students about public lands and practice first-aid and survival skills.
While a national political debate simmers around the use of our public lands 鈥� including a systemic push to slash environmental regulations and protections 鈥� LaBrake said they also want to be a forum for all political stripes to express their interests.
鈥淲e intend to give people a space where they can communicate what their wishes are for public lands,鈥� LaBrake said.
Just last week, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) to abolish the Ironwood Forest and Baaj Nwaavjo I鈥檛ah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon national monuments. Gosar wants to open this land to mine uranium, copper and gold.
Here in New Mexico, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in Las Cruces to ramp up energy production.
Overall, these policy changes are widely unpopular with the public. Yearly polling continues to show a majority of voters from both major political parties oppose any public land rollbacks.
The Public Lands Discovery Center will have a grand opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 3 at its new location in Old Town Albuquerque at 422 San Felipe St NW from 4-7pm.
