In order to be the strongest advocate out there, you're gonna need tools. Written tools, visual aids, citations, factoids, and anything else you can use at your disposal. We try and make things as seamless as possible for the river community, but occasionally, you need to go that extra mile. For those instances, we've created this page as an easy place that you can turn to. Resources, wisdom, and information can be found on issues taking place across the country through this page. By utilizing information that our partners provide, you can now come back to this page to find new issues Outdoor Alliance is focusing on, discover areas that Conservation Alliance is seeking to protect, and connect to tons of educational material to help share with you and other folks in your community. This page will be regularly updated, so be sure to stay tuned on how you can become an even stronger advocate going forward.

 

Get Educated On The Issues

Being able to reach out and advocate on issues is imperative but being able to provide understanding of an issue and act on that knowledge will last much longer. The foundational knowledge of public processes, understanding your local legislature, or what laws are in place to provide environmental protection are cornerstones to environmental advocacy, and are much easier to learn than you would expect.

 

Outdoor Alliance Advocacy 101 - Our good friends at Outdoor Alliance offer you quick and easy guides for everything about how to utilize your voice through social media platforms (slacktivism) to identifying how to talk to your legislator so they will listen.

 

Conservation Alliance: Public Lands 101 - Conservation Alliance works hard to provide long term protections for lands and waters across the country. They created a video series called Public Lands 101 that will provide you with bedrock public lands information so that you know the differences between different land agencies, conservation laws, and how they interact with your outdoor adventures. Along with videos, they have downloadable & digestible resources so that you can track legislation, dive deeper on conservation issues, and a whole lot more.

 

American Whitewater Colorado Policy Tracker - Our Colorado program tracks legislation that is taking place at the state level. These potential laws will impact the way that water is approached throughout the headwaters state. Water and public lands legislation here in Colorado can impact access, flows, and quality issues on a case-by-case basis.

 

American Whitewater Colorado Legislative Training - In 2019 we began our legislative training program to help members feel more comfortable getting involved in the legislative process. Building relationships and understanding how legislation is created will make you a stronger advocate. This training is specifically designed for Coloradans, but much of the information is transferable to state legislatures across the country.

 

Become A Stronger Advocate

There is a myriad of ways to make your voice heard, and a lot of different people to vocalize to. Through these resources you can find the avenue that suits you best. Writing a letter, calling a legislator, or sharing information through your platform, getting information is out there, we can't make our impact felt without your voice.

 

Outdoor Alliance Legislation Tracker - In order to know what is taking place around the country, you have to know where policy currently stands. Outdoor Alliance has got you covered with this section of action alerts, and updates on policy issues facing rivers and public lands around the country.

 

Patagonia Action Works - Patagonia has a robust database of organizations that they have provided grant funding to, and they have made it easier than ever to find organizations in your local area that are doing great things. You can arrange your search by location or organization, and while you're there, you can see what American Whitewater is up to through their platform.

 

KEEN Effect: Call To Action - Have you been encouraged to call your legislator, but you've never been quite sure of what to say? KEEN knows the feeling, and they've done something to alleviate that anxiety. KEEN's Call To Action tool will find the phone number for your legislator, and provide you with a script that will guide you through the call. There are a variety of topics you can explore, and endless amounts of phone calls that could made.

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Resources - The largest outdoor recreation trade organization provides all types of educational material that you can utilize. Check out the variety of materials that you can share on your social media channels, bring to meetings with elected officials, or utilize within your own resources.

 

Outdoor Industry Association: Advocacy Issues - When it comes to business and the outdoors, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is critical. As the trade organization that represents the vast majority of outdoor brands, OIA understands they also have to make sure that people are getting involved. Their Government Affairs team works hard to keep the public up-to-date on developments that are taking place at both the national and state & local levels of the industry.

 

National Governors Association: Outdoor Learning Network - The National Governors Association's Outdoor Learning Network provides a national overview of outdoor recreation information and issues. Along with learning about what is taking place within this organization, you can learn about the different state outdoor recreation industry offices, and how you can get involved in expanding the industry's impact.

 

Western Resource Advocates - Life in the west is surrounded by issues involving water, air quality, public lands management, agricultural issues, and a number of others. With an increasing population, a rapidly changing demographic, and everyone wanting a little piece of wilderness for themselves, it can be complicated to follow all the different issues. Western Resource Advocates do a fantastic job summing up air quality and public land issues that face American's of all backgrounds.