Over 80% of Nevada is public land, stewarded by federal agencies on behalf of the American people. These lands include vast deserts, mountains, forests, historic sites, and waterways. They are also the ancestral homelands of many Indigenous nations who continue to steward and care for these landscapes.

Public lands provide essential benefits to our communities. They protect clean water sources, preserve wildlife habitat, sustain biodiversity, and offer open spaces for recreation, renewal, and connection. For many families, these lands are where lifelong memories are made, hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, and gathering in the beauty of God’s creation.

These landscapes are also economically significant, supporting outdoor recreation, tourism, ranching, and renewable energy development when managed responsibly.

At the same time, most public lands do not carry permanent conservation protections. Decisions about land use including mining, drilling, grazing, recreation, conservation, and renewable energy, are ongoing. As Nevada continues to grow and as economic pressures increase, questions about how these lands are managed will remain central to our state’s future.

A Lutheran Faith Perspective

As Lutherans, we believe creation is not a commodity to be exploited without limit, but a gift entrusted to our care. The ELCA social statement Caring for Creation reminds us: “The earth and all its creatures are God’s good creation… Human beings, created in God’s image, are called to serve and keep the earth.” Public lands represent a shared inheritance, meant to serve present and future generations. Stewardship requires discernment, balance, and humility. It asks us to consider:

• How do land-use decisions affect clean water and air?
• How do they impact Tribal sovereignty and Indigenous stewardship?
• How do they protect wildlife and fragile desert ecosystems?
• How do they sustain rural communities and future generations?

Faith calls us to resist both indifference and fear. Instead, we are invited into thoughtful engagement — ensuring that public lands remain places of access, ecological health, cultural respect, and shared responsibility.

Why This Matters for Nevada

Nevada’s deserts, basins, and mountain ranges are uniquely fragile. Water is scarce. Wildlife corridors are essential. Climate change intensifies drought and wildfire risk. Decisions made today will shape the ecological and economic health of our state for decades to come.

Public lands are not simply political territory. They are places of:

• Baptismal imagination: water as life.
• Sabbath rest: space to breathe and be renewed.
• Neighbor-love: protecting shared resources for all.
• Intergenerational justice: ensuring future Nevadans inherit a thriving landscape.

LEAN’s Calling:

We are called to:

• Support responsible stewardship of public lands.
• Advocate for policies that protect clean water and wildlife habitat.
• Respect Tribal sovereignty and partnership.
• Promote sustainable economic practices.
• Ensure public lands remain accessible to all people.

Caring for public lands is not about partisanship. It is about vocation, our shared responsibility to “serve and keep” the earth.

In Nevada, this is not abstract theology. It is our backyard.

Join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what’s happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported!

If you have any questions about this group, please contact Melanie Hobden (Desert Cross, Tempe) or Solveig Muus (LAMA).

Email Pastor Paul with the Subject Congregational Liaison. We will have a conversation about what it means to be a congregational liaison! Join us!

Congregations across Nevada, your leadership is vital in shaping the future of our communities! LEAN invites faith leaders and congregational members to join us in our mission to organize for justice and empower those directly impacted by racial and economic inequality.

By becoming a faith leader with LEAN, you can:

Uplift your congregation’s voice in local and statewide advocacy.

Mobilize your community for voter education, civic engagement, and action.

Lead with values rooted in love, equity, and justice to create lasting change.

Let’s come together as people of faith to stand for justice and empower our communities. Learn how your congregation can get involved email our Advocacy Director, Pastor Paul Larson, paullarson@leanforjustice.org

As insurers withdraw from high wildfire-risk areas, hundreds of Nevada homeowners are losing coverage, and, in some cases, the stability of their homes. This growing insurance crisis exposes how climate change deepens housing insecurity, especially for rural and working families.

For people of faith, this is not just about economics, it is about protecting our neighbors and ensuring every Nevadan can live with dignity and safety.

LEAN continues to advocate for fair housing policies, consumer protections, and climate action rooted in justice and compassion.