Access to nature provides a gateway to hope, healing, and opportunities to join the conservation movement for the military community. As a former United States Marine, and now Deputy Campaign Director for Sierra Club Military Outdoors, I am grateful for the platform to push Congress to invest in our veterans by ensuring military families have opportunities to experience public lands and the great outdoors.

My own experiences as both a veteran and avid outdoorsman have proven that nature is the great equalizer when it comes to building a diverse community. In the military, wild spaces are crucial to empowering diverse groups of people to come together, build lifelong connections with each other, and develop deep relationships with the lands they've committed to protect.

At the Sierra Club, we know that this connection to the outdoors improves the lives of military veterans and their families, and inspires them to become outspoken champions for environmental conservation and justice. Right now, Congress is working to pass the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, which is a bipartisan, comprehensive set of measures aimed at promoting equity, inclusion, and expanded access to the outdoors for all Americans. Sign the petition here!

A critical part of the EXPLORE Act is the Military and Veterans in Parks (MVP) Act, which centers access to recreational opportunities for service members. The MVP Act improves accessibility for anyone with mobility issues and includes the military community's voice in stewardship of our public lands.

Passage of the EXPLORE Act will increase access to nature and opportunities to build community for our most vulnerable group of veterans -- those who experience negative health outcomes after serving.