Conservation Northwest protects and connects old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the British Columbia Rockies, vital to a healthy future for us, our children, and wildlife. Since 1989, Conservation Northwest has worke
Issue link: http://conservationnw.uberflip.com/i/122772
Gaining ground Jodi Broughton Business and membership director, jodi@ conservationnw.org Saint or sinner? The surprising truth Over the years at Conservation Northwest, I have experienced the ups and downs of many campaigns. As business and membership director, I've dealt with tightening purse strings, many foundation deadlines, personnel changes, difficult campaign messaging, and more. But I was unprepared for the overall intensity surrounding the return of wolves to Washington. This summer, I took on what I thought were going to be fun, additional responsibilities on Facebook and with our membership in promoting the Cascade wolf documentary. But I learned how quickly information can spread through social media and how fervently people feel about wolves. From a view that they are spirit animals that deserve to multiply unchecked across our country, to a view that wolves are vermin who should be destroyed immediately even if they are causing no harm, this "saint or sinner profile" of wolves took me by surprise. I've long been a person who sees both sides of a discussion and promotes harmony between diverse groups of people. The nasty, angry words that some folks directed at Conservation Northwest after the Wedge Pack removal took me back to my days when I opened thousands of pieces of mail during the Loomis Forest Campaign. Some of that was hate mail, from those who saw protecting as "locking up," and including a brick mailed to our office that we had to pay the postage on. But finding common ground takes time, understanding diverse views takes patience, and protecting our ecosystems takes pragmatic, creative approaches. I've stayed at Conservation Northwest for 13 years for exactly those reasons, and I took heart in the many encouraging words we also received from supporters this fall. Keeping the Northwest wild Wolf. National Park Service Your words of support this fall "You are building bridges, not walls. Only bridges are helpful in getting somewhere." "You are in the fray, making the hard calls that keep you in the game, rather than throwing firebombs from the outside.... Because of that, you can provide a powerful voice for wildlife and wild places." "I deeply appreciate your well-rounded all-inclusive approach." "Conservation Northwest is my favorite organization period—because you have consistently advocated creative, less divisive approaches that seem to bear fruit in the long run." "Conservation Northwest is the model I study because of the balanced, strategic, sustainable lens you have. We must find a balance for the long haul. I am proud to be a member." Erin Moore Publications, erin@conservationnw.org Fine, clear, and convincing It's chocolate not the whip I wield at article deadline time at Conservation Northwest. And I'm lucky to have coworkers who know instinctively how to tell the stories about the work we do protecting wildlife and wild lands. They speak from experience and from the heart. But they can sometimes slip into pure wonk: insider shorthand that confuses the story. For example, "stakeholders" are not (likely!) Buffy the Vampire Slayer; they are those who have most at stake in a resource or issue. "Connectivity" refers to an essential condition for wildlife—not finding a date through the local singles ads. And "corridors" are never straight-walled passageways but rather linked habitats essential to wildlife in their search for food, safe harbor, and mates. In everything we write, we aim for language that is fine, clear, and convincing, being careful to shortchange neither the science nor our values. We tell the stories of our accomplishments in our own inestimable style. Thanks for standing by us. Thanks for listening! Winter 2013 9