Ensuring that our democracy is inclusive and accountable to all communities, especially those most impacted by environmental pollution and lack of access to green spaces, is critical to advancing conservation solutions.

Let’s remind ourselves who our elected officials are and who they could be. They could be champions of conservation representing Idahoans from all walks of life while recognizing the urgency needed to meet our climate challenge. They could be champions of democracy who work to increase voter turnout and reduce barriers to voting. They could be people like you and me. We recognize the political landscape in its current form does not reflect the real issues Idaho’s working families face. In fact the current political landscape creates an unsustainable future for our natural landscape.

Participating in our democracy is currently a challenge to many Idahoans. We work to ensure all Idahoans, especially those from underrepresented communities, learn about the decision-making process, have the resources they need to vote, and cultivate opportunities to participate and contribute to the improvement of one’s neighborhood, community, and state.

Our environment and the people who make up our communities are intertwined. The two meet at the crossroads of our democracy which includes all forms of civic engagement: the decennial census, redistricting, issue advocacy, volunteering, community input, mutual aid and of course voting.