Group will meet with elected officials to encourage the passage of conservation and recreation bills
Bend, OR, November 5, 2019 – The Conservation Alliance is in Washington D.C. this week advocating for land and water protection across the country. Conservation Alliance staff is joined by representatives from five member companies including Backpacker’s Pantry, Duct Tape Then Beer, Kiitella, New Belgium Brewing, and Patagonia.
The group will meet with 13 congressional offices from both sides of the political aisle to demonstrate strong business support for key conservation and recreation priorities. The Conservation Alliance has chosen several campaigns from its list of legislative priorities to give heightened attention to this Congress. Those efforts would restore protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, uphold the National Roadless Rule, and secure new land and water protections in Montana, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado – including the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act.
Last week The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.823, the CORE Act, the first statewide Colorado wilderness legislation to pass the House in more than a decade. The legislation, introduced by Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO-02) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) earlier this year, brings four longstanding, locally built campaigns into one Colorado lands package. If signed into law, the bill will protect roughly 400,000 acres of Colorado’s iconic public lands across four varied landscapes.
“When Congress protects wild places for their recreation and habitat values, outdoor-inspired industries benefit. It is powerful to watch our members explain the economic benefits of protected and well stewarded public lands directly to their members of Congress,” said Kirsten Blackburn, Conservation Alliance Advocacy Manager.
