Most Americans have lots of questions these days, following the flurry of announcements from the White House and its new Department of Government Efficiency’s massive funding cuts. Along with wondering about details, many of The Lands Council’s thoughtful friends have reached out to ask how we’re doing amid all the uncertainty.
As president of the board for The Lands Council, I’m grateful to know that you care about our crew and how they’re holding up. No doubt, I share many of the concerns you have: Will TLC’s beloved programs be able to continue? Can our Executive Director Amanda Parrish work budget magic to fill in the gaps left by grants that may go unfunded? Could there be layoffs? How else can we fund our work?
Amanda and I touch bases regularly, and I can tell you that her level of enthusiasm or surprise can change by the day, and that’s because the answers she gets from our funding partners change by the day. All of our colleagues in this good work, from the city to the county to the state, are dealing with the same uncertainty about the direction of federal funds that have normally sustained our work.
All of this is true for every nonprofit, whether related to health, human services, education, or environmental work; no organization is untouched.
Those of us who thrive in the outdoors are scared of the impact we’re seeing already: Forest rangers and park rangers across the country lost their jobs overnight, and decades of progress in conservation science and climate justice seem to be ignored.
As disappointing headlines continue to come our way, each of us has to choose how we will respond. We can turn away in disbelief. We can stop consuming the news. Or we can funnel our passion into work that brings us hope.
I’m choosing action toward hope.
The Lands Council turns 40 this year, and we fully intend to celebrate! We have some crazy fun stories to tell about how Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam donated a canoe, a ukelele, and some signed posters to us to auction off. We have Earth Day programs that will engage people of all ages in the hope that comes with planting trees. We have refugee students to take on wilderness excursions. We have climate justice work to continue in neighborhoods that suffer the most when summer heat is unbearable. We have a beautiful river and dozens of streams to keep healthy through riparian restoration!
THAT gives our staff the energy and motivation to keep up the great work begun 40 years ago.
But … we need YOU to join the effort.
We have relied heavily on grants from the City of Spokane, Spokane County, and Washington State to fund a significant portion of our staffing and program budget. Changes in federal funding demand a couple of things: (1) For people to care enough to reach out their elected officials and make their voices heard, and (2) for people to give how they can, financially, to help fill a void.
Let us remember that nature’s own best strategy for self-preservation in times of duress is cooperation. We ask for your continued generosity to bolster our work in moving ahead with celebration and hope!
Here are two opportunities to show up and support TLC:
Remember an environmental champion, Deb DiBernardo
Deb served hot coffee from Roast House at every volunteer event TLC hosted. She was fiercely committed to supporting environmentally sound coffee production and wanted desperately to take actions that benefited the health of the Earth. She passed away in December, and her Roast House crew is hosting a celebration of her life where guests will be asked to support a nonprofit she loved: The Lands Council. Join us: Saturday, Mar. 22, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. |Roast House Coffee, 423 E. Cleveland.
Attend our April Showers auction, The Lands Council’s largest fundraiser
Saturday, April 5, 5-8:30 p.m. | Riverside Place
Buy tickets here.
I hope to see you at either or both of those events!
With great gratitude for your support,
Kate Vanskike, President
The Lands Council Board of Directors