John Sterling on the Owyhee River, Oregon
During the last week of January, Conservation Alliance Executive Director, John Sterling, spent a few days in Washington, DC, attending conference designed to provide funders with insights into the political landscape, and the prospects for conservation success in 2012. After returning home and reflecting on the experience and what he learned, John shared these thoughts:
"Given the dysfunction in Congress, and election year politics, much of the news was discouraging. But, we heard over and over that the best hope for conservation victories lies in local grassroots efforts to protect special places. Congressman Martin Heinrich (D-NM) told our group to focus on local people and the places that are important to them. This was encouraging to hear, because for 23 years, The Conservation Alliance has done just that. We provide funds to local organizations that leverage the passion of local people to protect the wild lands and rivers in their backyards. 2012 will be a challenging year for conservation, but we are confident that we have the right strategy to win protections for wild places in good years and bad. "
Staying positive and pro-active in challenging times can be difficult, but we are confident in the work of our grantees and their commitment to the process – even when things get tough. Moving forward is the only way to reach our conservation goals – and we intend to do just that.
Thank you for being a part of our efforts!
"Though men now possess the power to dominate and exploit every corner of the natural world, nothing in that fact implies that they have the right or the need to do so." – Edward Abbey