Most Americans can tell you about the seminal events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Taxation without representation. The Boston Tea Party. Paul Revere’s midnight ride (which, if we’re honest, has been embellished). We love these stories. So much so that we skip work, get rowdy, and launch colorful explosive ordinance—and the occasional index finger—into the sky.
Fewer people know the victories Americans have won in our ongoing fight to protect public lands. And one of these events—the signing of the Oregon Beach Bill on July 6, 1967—is an anniversary worth honoring.
The short story is this: In the early 20th century, Oregonians thought all ocean beaches along their coastline belonged to the public. That is, until a local hotelier tested state law in the summer of 1966, fencing off access to the beachfront and claiming only “wet sand” areas belonged to the public. Anything above the low-tide line was private property, he argued. Suddenly, more than 100 miles of dry-sand beach was at risk of development.
It set off a fierce debate in Oregon’s state legislature, with landowners nearly defeating the bill that would have preserved public access. Ultimately, Oregon’s governor Tom McCall rallied enough political and public outrage, and the legislature passed the Beach Bill, which guaranteed all sand within 16 vertical feet of the low-tide line was public.
Now, that may sound like a relatively small and provincial triumph. But not only did it make one of our editors’ favorite long trails, the Oregon Coast Trail, possible, this landmark legislation reminds us what we have to gain by fighting for public land. Open spaces in the U.S. are under near-constant attack from those who want it privatized and industrialized. So, on July 6, exercise your right of public access. Find a beach or a forest, remember why outdoor independence is so important, and try to not to lose any fingers in the process.
The post Celebrate ‘Outdoor Independence Day’ on July 6. Here’s Why. appeared first on Backpacker.
