My name is Peter Nelson. I am an activist.

Congratulations! You’re the proud owner of some 449 million acres of the most spectacular land on the planet and nearly a fifth of the U.S. Most of us don’t realize it, but it’s true. We’re the largest property holders in the country.

And in this economy, it’s a good thing to be a land baron, right? 

But don’t quit your day job. Around 300 million other Americans can also claim a stake in these public lands known as national forests, grasslands and the National System of Public Lands, stewarded by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Still, you’ve got plenty of property on your hands. But as any lottery winner will tell you, fortune comes with some unexpected responsibilities. Oh, no—the “R-word.” But wait! Before you decide to drop this column, give me a chance to reassure you that there’s something in it for you.

Tucked away in America’s national forests, grasslands and BLM lands are some of the wildest places left in the U.S. They offer unparalleled opportunities for adventure, such as climbing, camping, wildlife watching, kayaking and cycling, just to name a few. Some of these natural wonders, like the BLM’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, rival our renowned national parks in splendor.

More than just playgrounds and pretty scenery, these lands are also home to some of the last intact wildlife corridors, where you can see and even hike along the same routes that great herds of pronghorn, elk and mule deer have traveled for centuries. 

And in remote forests like those in the Rockies, if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a wolverine. Wildest of all the forest-dwellers, the wolverine—despite only weighing between 15 and 40 pounds—will even take on a grizzly bear for food.

That’s just a snapshot of what national forests and BLM lands are all about. They provide habitat for countless species, both imperiled and common, and protect some 3,400 public water supplies.

Hopefully, this convinces you that these lands are worth caring for. But don’t go dusting off your lawn tools just yet. These lands are administered by the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM, the federal agencies that are responsible for seeing that these lands are managed properly for a variety of uses, ranging from recreation, hunting and fishing to timber harvest, mining and energy production.

 The Forest Service and the BLM are supposed to balance the needs of multiple users of these lands. But for too long, and especially over the past eight years, these agencies have tilted this balance in favor of development interests. This was allowed to happen because national forest and BLM managers have not been required to account for sustainable populations of fish, wildlife and plants on their lands.

What do sustainable populations of wildlife have to do with you? Healthy populations of wildlife indicate overall land health. Backcountry hikers crave rugged, untamed lands, just like the wolverine. Whitewater rafters need clean, free-flowing waters, just like the steelhead salmon and rainbow trout.

It’s time to restore balance, science and public trust to the management of our Forest Service and BLM lands by requiring that these agencies be better stewards of the land. Currently, federal law only mandates that the land be managed for multiple uses. But it should also require that the land itself remain healthy—and healthy means ensuring that sustainable populations of fish and wildlife can continue to live there.

That’s why Defenders of Wildlife is one of the organizations involved with the “Your Lands, Your Wildlife” campaign. This year, we’ll take our case to Washington, D.C., and begin to work with Congress to pass the America’s Wildlife Heritage Act. This legislation aims to safeguard wildlife and biodiversity by requiring that federal land managers protect healthy fish, wildlife and plant populations when managing these lands.

Now here’s where your responsibility comes into play. Get informed about the campaign by visiting yourlandsyourwildlife.org. After all, these lands belong to you. And you should have a say in how they’re used.

Peter Nelson is the federal lands program director for Defenders of Wildlife.