The team at Wilderdog is proud to share a partnership focused on protecting the backcountry that has inspired our company and so many of our products. Through The Conservation Alliance’s Brands for Public Lands initiative, Wilderdog has joined a coalition of businesses dedicated to keeping America’s public lands protected and accessible to all.
If you’re reading this article on our website, you’ve likely recreated on public lands. America’s 840 million acres of public land includes all national parks, 221 designated wilderness areas, 154 national forests, and altogether almost 200,000 miles of trails to explore some of the most beautiful and natural lands in the country.
For many of us, dogs are the catalyst that gets us outside in the first place. We know they love to explore, whether they’re on a short trail or spending a few nights together under the stars backpacking. Spending that time outdoors helps us stay active and strengthens our connection to the natural spaces and communities around us.
Public lands are one of the few things Americans consistently unite around. We believe time spent outdoors simply makes life better physically, mentally, and socially, and access to nature should remain available to all.
Who is The Conservation Alliance
Founded in 1989 by leaders in the outdoor industry, The Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit organization created to strengthen conservation efforts across North America. Today, the Alliance supports public lands through a combination of grant funding and advocacy, working alongside more than 160 member companies. Member brands contribute financial support to grassroots organizations that protect land and water, create jobs, and strengthen local economies that depend on outdoor recreation.
What is Brands for Public Lands and What is Our Goal?
Historically, protecting public lands has been a bipartisan priority and common ground for Americans who hike, camp, ski, climb, hunt, and fish. The Alliance helps ensure those shared spaces remain public and available for generations to come.
Working alongside The Conservation Alliance, becoming a part of Brands for Public Lands is a more firm commitment to unite with fellow businesses and mobilize our resources and voices as a collective defense against threats to public land systems. It means that both the 62,000 employees from all walks of life and the audiences who have come to love these brands and services can be activated quickly and efficiently to take on legislative changes and communication attempts to diminish the importance of the land.
Why Public Lands Need All of Our Help
In recent years, proposals involving the sale or transfer of federally managed public lands have surfaced in Congress as part of broader budget discussions. The discussion around public lands is ongoing, and hints have been made that future proposals may arise. Recent events, however, demonstrated that American voices can make a significant impact in the effort to keep public lands free.
You, Us, the People that Removed the Public Lands Sale in 2025
In 2025, drafts of the Senate Budget Reconciliation bill (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) included provisions that would have authorized the sale of millions of acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
The proposal prompted a strong response from the entire outdoor community. Hikers, hunters, climbers, anglers, skiers, business owners, and conservation groups reached out to their representatives, generating more than 100,000 calls, letters, and emails. Because of this incredible coming together and vocal dissents, the public land sale provision was removed from the bill. It was a huge win for public lands.
More Land Threatened by U.S. Forest Service Headquarters Relocation
Just now, in March 2026, the U.S. Forest Service announced that its headquarters would be relocated from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah. The move also includes the closure of all nine regional USFS offices and the elimination of more than 50 research facilities across 31 states, putting over a century of research and science-based land management at risk of being lost in the transition.
These changes raise real concerns about the agency’s ability to manage the 193 million acres it oversees, land that is simultaneously free to access and supports $23.3 billion in annual economic output from outdoor recreation alone. Wilderdog joined more than 80 fellow Brands for Public Lands companies in signing a public statement calling on the Forest Service to maintain its legally mandated mission and receive the funding and staffing it needs through this transition.
The Forest Service relocation is another reminder that public lands require constant advocacy. It's exactly why we joined The Conservation Alliance and Brands for Public Lands, and why we'll keep showing up for this work.
How you can help further
We need future generations to have the same opportunities to explore our wide-open spaces. Protecting public lands helps ensure those adventures remain possible for years to come.
Dogs draw us outside and reconnect us with the natural world. Public lands make those experiences possible. Without them, we lose accessible opportunities to explore, to grow, and to find joy in simple, meaningful ways.
