Community-Based Advocacy Becomes the Linchpin for Fending Off Attacks Against Nature
We know from experience that harnessing community passion is a potent force for securing and maintaining public land protections at the federal level. It’s the essential ingredient that has created more than 30 national monuments as well as Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Trails, and other National Conservation Lands and protected landscapes that we enjoy today.
Because, at its core, protecting the health of our natural resources and the public’s access to the country’s remaining public lands is a nonpartisan issue. As the attacks against these values intensify, we’re seeing a commensurate increase in community members coalescing to protect the landscapes essential to their livelihoods, ways of life, and well-being today and for generations to come.
It’s people who drive movements and shift political policies and our Friends Grassroots Network has been growing the local political power for public land protection in communities across the West. Conserving nature requires constant presence and political pressure and a local advocacy base. We’ve been funding and growing the base of community advocates since 2007, and we’ve seen that when local community members step into advocacy leadership roles it inspires others to speak up and take action to protect the landscapes they love and need.
Locally led coalitions of business leaders, Tribal Nations, elected officials, conservationists, faith leaders, hunters, anglers, hikers, cyclists, and many others are showing that it’s possible for people to come together over the shared values of conserving and protecting the public’s access to the country’s remaining natural places. From former prison guards to high school students and everyone between and beyond, we are seeing people asserting their voices and agency to make protecting public lands a political priority for elected officials.
In an era of uncharted challenges, we are proving that the collective voice of the community is the most powerful tool we have to safeguard our natural resources.
