I recently had the honor to travel to our nation’s capital and advocate on behalf of Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and water. I had not been to Washington D.C. in over 10 years, and never in this capacity. After a turbulent plane ride (that did not help my nerves!) I was soon greeted by the familiar faces of my colleagues. We were scheduled to meet with various offices of Oregon’s delegation, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, even an office directly next to the White House. I was still nervous.
Armed with my talking p
oints I prepared in my hotel room, ready to discuss the need for protecting Oregon’s natural treasures as an enduring legacy. I practiced going through all my notes and potential questions, outlining the values of protecting our wildlands. I ran through my list quickly – clean drinking water, outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat, tourism, jobs, quality of life, capturing carbon to slow climate change... As the outreach organizer on our D.C. team, I was there to demonstrate the statewide support our public lands enjoy. As a native Oregonian, I understand how much our wild landscapes are central to our identity and pride.
I was still nervous. The first morning was upon us and my team and I were escorted up the marbled stairs to our first meeting. We pitched our campaigns, the value of protection, threats to our wildlands and presented solutions. Our audience asked specifically about the public support for our proposal. It was my turn. Showing statewide support in Washington D.C. means demonstrating specific measurements. Petitions, business endorsements, number of presentations, letters to the editor, media attention. All of that matters and duly noted.
The meeting went well, and I was less nervous.
The rest of the day went by with a flurry of cabs, meetings, security checks and debriefs. Yet meeting after meeting, time and again we were asked, “Do people care about this place?” or “How many signed your petition?” and “Who’s ready to protect this area?” I was pleasantly surprised to hear a congressman’s aide discuss letters to the editor and opinion pieces he had recently read in Oregon newspapers. So they notice!
It soon dawned on me how much power citizens truly have. How much sway we garner when we are motivated to act. Our elected leaders listen when a proposal to protect an area gains in popularity. But how to decide what is popular needs to be measured and tallied. This is where public participation plays a role in the form of petitions, testimony, letters to elected officials or even government agencies. When my time was nearing an end, it was so easy to see the gears of democracy stammering along. While we act, Washington listens.
Behind every great Wilderness area is a community who worked to protect it. And while at times it is difficult to see the impact one voice or one vote can make, it adds up. It is our collective voice that makes all the difference and my time in our nation’s political epicenter made this so apparent. Indeed, democracy is much more than simply voting on election day. Every letter, every signature and testimony given moves us closer toward protecting the wild places we love. The wheels of democracy are alive and well in Washington D.C. We only need to participate.
