Talk: Our Common Ground: A History of America’s Public Lands

John D. Leshy, in conversation with William deBuys, unpacks the remarkable story of how U.S. public lands became a national legacy of conservation, education, and democracy and why understanding this matters today.

Saturday, November 8
10:00 am MT – Coffee Reception
10:30 am MT – John D. Leshy and William deBuys in Conversation
Hosted at SAR and live streamed on YouTube

America’s public lands span over 600 million acres of forests, mountains, wetlands, deserts, and coastlines. In his recent book, Our Common Ground: A History of America’s Public Lands, legal scholar John D. Leshy traces the political, cultural, and environmental journey that led the U.S. government to claim nearly a third of the nation’s land as these “public lands.”
Leshy charts for readers how land once seen primarily as a resource to be sold, settled, or extracted gradually came to be preserved for conservation, recreation, education, and cultural heritage. Along the way, he reveals the pivotal role played by presidents, Congress, and citizen movements in shaping policies that continue to define questions political about collective responsibility we face today. Our Common Ground provides essential context for today’s struggles over climate change, biodiversity loss, and the future of conservation.

TICKETS
$15 in advance/$7.50 for SAR members
$20 at the door/$10 for SAR members
$5 for students and EBT cardholders

Attention: There is construction work on Garcia Street at the intersection of Camino Corrales. The best way to approach SAR is from the north (coming along Paseo de Peralta to Acequia Madre). You’re likely to encounter a “Road Closed to Thru Traffic” sign at the foot of Garcia. Proceed around the sign and come up the hill to 660 Garcia Street.