Regina Robinson
Outdoor adventure offers many benefits, including helping us be well-balanced, both physically and mentally. Not only do The Mountaineers rely on conserved public lands and waters for our outdoor adventures, but so do many other outdoor recreationists. Now more than ever, it’s critical that we engage with our local, state, and federal lawmakers regarding the outdoors.
Protecting Public Lands
To help protect public lands and outdoor recreation in Washington and beyond, consider personalizing one of these Mountaineers action alerts:
- Speak up against Forest Service and Park Service firings
- Ask lawmakers to not give away public lands
- Take action for wildfire response and resiliency
- Protect the Wild Olympics by signing this coalition petition
- Thank Congress for improving recreation on federal lands by passing the EXPLORE Act
You don’t have to be a skilled lobbyist or advocate to make a difference in protecting the special, natural places where you recreate. It only takes a few minutes to share your personal story with lawmakers, including why the lands you recreate are important.
For me, when I wrote to my local representatives about the Explore Act, I shared my family’s birthday tradition of spending the day at our favorite national park and reminded them that their decisions didn’t just impact me…but my mom, brother, and grandmother too. My mom’s favorite birthday activity is spending her day at Mt. Rainier; my brother, Shi Shi Beach; and my grandmother, Lake Ozette.
Engaging With Lawmakers
Here are five easy ways you can advocate by engaging with lawmakers:
- Contact lawmakers through letters or phone calls
- Engage with them on social media
- Attend a town hall or other event
- Write and submit a Letter to the Editor
- Participate in an organized lobby day or meeting
These actions don’t have to take lots of time, and you don’t need to do all of them right away. Engaging your lawmakers in one of these ways will launch your outdoor advocacy journey - just remember to share your favorite places and why they are important to you. To learn best practices for engaging with lawmakers in The Mountaineers, take our Advocacy 101 eLearning course.
As Bell Hooks said, “To tend the earth is always then to tend our destiny.” If you would like help getting started, please email me at reginaprobinson@yahoo.com.
