August 21, 2023
Forests & Wildlife Stewards member Janette Dean was part of a group of 15 volunteers from across the country who joined Sierra Club's Wildlands Lobby Days in D.C. from June 5-8.
Approximately 100 visits were made to legislators and/or their legislative staff to gain support for legislation that would:
- Add conservation elements to the 2023 Farm Bill (passed every 5 years) including work to protect old growth forests;
- Pass a package of Public Lands Bills to protect areas sacred to Indigenous and other underserved communities including those with cultural and historical importance, some of which are also part of the goal to protect 30% of U.S. lands and water by 2030;
- Pass the American Outdoor Recreation Act and package of bills including Transit to Trails that would help kids, families and communities obtain more access to outdoor spaces;
- Pass the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA) that would dedicate significant funding to increase wildlife and habitat conservation and recovery efforts by states, territories and Tribal Nations and our existing federal programs.
In addition, the team gained legislative support for a letter encouraging BLM to pass its new draft rule called the Conservation and Landscape Health rule to give conservation a higher priority as a legitimate land use.