Wilderness Week Lobbying on Capitol Hill
by Wendy Moseley

A successful week of lobbying for wilderness.

This March, Great Old Broads joined the Utah Wilderness Coalition as “lobbyists” in Washington, D.C. Fellow California Broads Rosemary Kelley, Vicky Hoover, and Mike Painter (from Californians for Western Wilderness), and Oregon Broad Diane Nowicki, joined me as part of a group of forty-five citizens from twenty-one states who rallied for Wilderness Week. Our purpose was to lobby Congress on the merits of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, which will protect roughly 9.4 million acres of BLM wilderness-designated public land in Utah.

We arrived in D.C. with trepidation. How could we, simple citizens, be lobbyists? Staff from The Utah Wilderness Coalition calmed our fears and eased our way, beginning with a dinner reception at the D.C. headquarters of The Wilderness Society the Saturday before Wilderness Week. On Sunday, Coalition staff shepherded us through the “how to’s” of lobbying, and the issues regarding America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act. Monday, we “hit the Hill.”

“The Hill” is Capitol Hill, a slow rise covered by Senate and House office buildings, and of course, the U.S. Capitol. Security is about the same as at any federal building. Our government seems to welcome citizens. Once we “lobbyists” were in the buildings, any remaining trepidation faded. Staffers greeted us with enthusiasm—joy, almost—because we were not paid professionals, which is what they mostly encounter. They wanted to know what we wanted, what we thought. Their concerns included: Who would this Act help or hurt in the senator’s or representative’s own district or state? How is the Act relevant to the particular politician’s priorities? How does the Act fit in with this politician’s overall political philosophy and prior voting record? What do influential groups think about the Act? How will supporting the Act affect the politician’s party? And how will the media and public react if this politician supports the Act?

We lobbied Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, collectively meeting with over 200 Congressional offices. We were joined by outdoor adventurist and author, Aron Ralston, who met with five members of Congress in person, and held a briefing for Congressional staff to highlight his experiences with Utah wilderness and discuss the intricate details of the Act. Each evening we “de-briefed” at our “staging area” in a building a short walk from The Hill. Our efforts brought success, as daily we tallied more original co-sponsors for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act. When we returned home from our short, but intense, “week” on The Hill, we followed up by phone and e-mail with those we had lobbied, obtaining more co-sponsors. There are now 128 members of the House and a record 18 Senate members cosponsoring the Act. Representative Maurice D. Hinchey, Democrat from New York’s 22nd District, introduced the Act in the House on April 18, 2007. Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat from Illinois, introduced the Act in the Senate April 19, 2007. The sponsors in both legislative chambers will likely request hearings on the legislation in the relevant authorizing committees. The Utah Wilderness Coalition and the sponsors of the legislation are excited about the potential for further movement on the Act this year in the House and Senate. Hopes are high that America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act will soon be in place to protect wild Utah.

“Lobbyist” is not a four-letter word—count the letters—nor must it be a pejorative appellation. We think of lobbyists as paid, paid to oppose wilderness protection. But we who desire wilderness protection can lobby more effectively than they, if we only make the effort, speaking from our hearts.

Broad Wish List

If you or anyone you know would like to make a tax-deductible, in-kind donation to support our work it would be greatly appreciated.

• Digital cameras for monitoring
• GPS units (ability to download)
• High clearance 4WD vehicle
• Passenger car – (AWD) preferred
  Filing Cabinets (local only)
• Loveseat/comfy chairs (local only)
• Drafting/mapping table
• Floor and desk lamps