What if reverence were the starting point for the decisions we make about our public lands and waters? In his essay “On Reverence,” Jim Enote argues that “public land stewardship without relationships to lands and waters just becomes paperwork, red tape, and documentation.” Reverence, he writes, is the pause we should take before a decision; “a deep breath and an exhale that brings forth humility, restraint, and obligation.”

“Before we ask how we think a place should be managed,” Enote observes, “shouldn’t we first ask how we should behave toward it?”

Here are some guiding questions to get you started. What do our shared public lands and waters mean to you? What gifts and experiences have they given you? And what do you owe them in return?