Senator Sheehy (R-Mont.) joined forces with Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) this week to launch the Senate Stewardship Caucus, a bipartisan effort focused on protecting public lands, promoting responsible land management, and supporting economic growth in rural communities. The announcement was made at an event hosted by Nature is Nonpartisan, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering bipartisan solutions in conservation.
“Public lands are a purely American institution, and all Americans can find common ground in working together to better manage, conserve, and steward these treasured landscapes while driving economic growth and supporting our resource and agricultural economies,” Sheehy said. “I’m proud to launch the Senate Stewardship Caucus with Senator Heinrich to safeguard the rights of Americans to hunt, fish, and recreate on our public lands and ensure we protect them for generations to come.”
The caucus brings together a bipartisan group of inaugural members, including Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.). The group aims to identify shared priorities on public land stewardship and collaborate on policies that balance conservation with economic development.
Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), a founding member, emphasized the importance of protecting America’s natural resources. “America is home to the most pristine natural beauty in the world, and it’s our job to be good stewards of the land we’re blessed to live in. As a lifelong outdoorsman, I’m proud to join Senator Sheehy and Senator Heinrich in founding the Senate Stewardship Caucus, so that we can protect and manage our lands for generations to come,” he said.
The initiative received praise from conservation advocates, including Benji Backer, Founder and CEO of Nature is Nonpartisan. “Even when America feels more divided than ever, conservation is a place of consensus. The most durable solutions come from bipartisanship, and we look forward to supporting the important work of the Senate Stewardship Caucus,” Backer said.
The Senate Stewardship Caucus will focus on crafting policies that ensure public lands remain accessible for recreation, sustainable resource use, and economic activity, with a goal of bridging partisan divides to protect America’s landscapes for future generations.