Billboard campaign follows polling and digital and print ad blitz asking Rep. Walden to listen to constituents, vote against anti-public lands bills

Western Values Project Action placed a billboard advertisement in Bend, Oregon, holding Rep. Greg Walden accountable for his promise to protect public lands and national monuments. The billboard, which is part of the PUBLIC (Protecting the USA’s Beautiful Lands in Congress) Lands Campaign, follows in-district polling and a digital and print ad buy urging the Congressman to protect public lands.

“Rep. Walden continues to dodge and obfuscate when asked whether he’ll commit to protecting public lands and national monuments at home and across the country,” said Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project Action. “The longer he takes to listen to his constituents and pledge without reservation to vote against anti-public lands legislation, the more his constituents will see through his typical D.C. doublespeak.”

The billboard, pictured below, asks Rep. Walden to “keep your promise to protect our land” and urges his constituents to call his office.

The billboard advertisement follows in-district polling that reveals a strong disconnect on public lands between Rep. Walden and his constituents. Specifically, by an 18-point margin, Walden’s constituents oppose Trump’s recent orders to cut roughly two million acres from two national monuments in Utah (38% support/56% oppose, including 50% who are strongly opposed). Opposition to the executive orders is even higher now in the district than it was in a similar poll conducted in December (46% support/49% oppose).

The billboard also accompanies digital and print advertisements that urge the Congressman to vote against anti-public lands bills making their ways through Congress. Specifically, H.R. 4532 would codify Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears National Monument and H.R. 3990 would eviscerate the Antiquities Act by allowing current and future Presidents to eliminate protections on public lands that were designated national monuments without congressional approval.

Also published on Medium.