Land and Wilderness
New and News
- The EPA has announced new regulations governing Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR). Click here to read the press release from the EPA, click here for the detailed regulations, and here to take action and ask your Representative to end MTR for good.
- Each year the National Park Service sets up “free park days” when entrance fees to all national parks are waived. Upcoming free admission days are August 14-15, September 25, and November 11. Click Here to learn more and read a reflection from Tyler Edgar of the NCC Eco-justice staff.
Faith and Lands
The Psalmist declares, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Ps.24:1NIV). Humans are tenants who hold the land in trust from God and in partnership with all creatures. Through God, the land nourishes all life and provides us with what we need to survive. As part of our call to be stewards of creation, we have a responsibility to God to care for the land, ensuring that it serves the good of all Creation, and protecting it for future generations and for all life.
Learn More
- Public Lands: In the United States, there are 623 million acres of land held by our government in the public trust and managed to serve the good of society.
- Wilderness provides spiritual and recreational opportunities. Wilderness also provides essential habitat for wildlife, including endangered species.
- National Landscape Conservation System includes more than 26 million acres across the United States.
- The Land and Water Conservation Fund was established by Congress in 1965. The Act designated that a portion of receipts from offshore oil and gas leases be placed into a fund annually for state and local conservation
- Mountaintop Removal Mining - While MTR may be a more convenient way to mine coal, we cannot overlook the damage it causes in light of the convenience it provides.
People of Faith Take Action
- Learn about the faith-based campaigns in Arizona, Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming
- Click here to learn about churches engaged in wilderness issues.
- National Public Lands Day -Join an event taking place near your church or worship center. Click Here for more information.
- Christians for the Mountains is taking action to protect against mountaintop removal.
- Get Outside! Take your congregation, adult study class, or youth group outside to experience and enjoy God's sacred gift of land. Whether you roll up your sleeves for trail maintenance or a tree planting, hold a worship service outdoors, or just go for a hike in a nearby conservation area, witnessing the glory of God's lands firsthand is a great way to kindle the stewardship ethic and share in fellowship.
- On God's Wild Land photo contest! View the winner and the pictures!
Links and Resources
- Faith-Based Resources
- Click here to download a wilderness resource from the youth of Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church
- Rooted in God's Word and Lands
- Land Stewardship Anthology
- Out of the Wilderness
- Earthkeeping Ideas The Presbytery of the Cascades in Oregon provides online resources for church creation care efforts.
- Visit Renewal in the Wilderness, which offers spiritual retreats in nature for adults.
- “Spiritual Importance of Wilderness” by Jim Doenges.
- “Christianity and Wilderness” A theological and historical commentary posted by Christians for the Mountains.
- “Encounter at Ghost Ranch: Reflections on Desert Spirituality” by Belden Lane.
- “Peace with God, Peace with the Land: A Reflection on Religious Responsibility for Wilderness” The East Texas Wilderness Cathedral Statement from the Religious Campaign for Wilderness.
- Essays on Tending the Garden from Boise Vineyard Christian Fellowship.
- “Food and Faith” wilderness sermon on Exodus 16 by Leonard J. Vander Zee.
- “The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity” by Walter Brueggemann.
- Other Resources
- What is Wilderness? A brief commentary examining various definitions.
- Give the Land a Hand 2006
- National Public Lands Day
- The Wilderness Society
- Campaign for America's Wilderness
- The Backyard Wildlife Habitat program of the National Wildlife Federation provides resources for maintaining healthy wildlife habitat in your own backyard.