By Natasha Norman, Communications Manager of Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project
Washington, D.C. had always been on my personal travel list, but I never imagined my first visit would be as an environmental advocate fighting for our nation's forests. Thanks to EarthJustice's incredible organization and support, Adrian and I were able to join other activists from across the country for a three-day advocacy trip where I witnessed first-hand how grassroots voices can directly impact policy in the halls of power.
Our journey began at the Sierra Club office, where we had the chance to meet everyone and hear powerful stories that would set our intentions for the week. Liz Crandall, a former US Forest Service Field Ranger illegally fired by DOGE after nine years of service, shared her fight for herself and others alike who were impacted in more ways than one. We also heard from Sajuu juu (Mike Jones), Tribal President of the Organized Village of Kasaan, who shared how commercial logging threatens the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, the only temperate rainforest in the United States and a landscape deeply tied to Indigenous ways of life. These testimonies reminded us that real lives hang in the balance of these policy decisions and segued into the conservation priorities that would shape our conversations with decision makers in Congress over the next few days. These complex, yet critical, issues included the Roadless Area Conservation Act (RACA), the controversial Fix Our Forest Act (FOFA), forest provisions in reconciliation processes, executive orders targeting timber industry expansion, and legislation aimed at protecting our precious mature & old-growth forests.
We were organized into regional pods, each with an experienced lobby leader to guide our strategy. My colleague, Adrian and I were grouped with others from across the West, focusing on New Mexico and Arizona, our home regions where these policies would have direct, tangible impacts on our communities. What stood out to me most was the diversity of perspectives in the room. Indigenous leaders, environmental advocates, firefighters, forest rangers, wildlife conservationists, and community organizers were all united by a shared commitment to protect our public lands, each bringing unique expertise and backgrounds to the table. As someone new to environmental advocacy, this felt both intimidating and inspiring.
Our team brought together Carson States, a ninth-season wildland firefighter and co-founder of Willamette Ignitions Network; Cerissa Hoglander, who directs Arizona public lands programs for Grand Canyon Trust; Erandi Trevino, co-founder of The Raíces Collab Project based in Texas and New Mexico; Alejandro Gonzalez, representing the New Mexico Raices Collab project; Adrian Angulo, Campaigns and Programs Director for Nuestra Tierra andhunter/irrigator; and me, a proud Fronteriza from El Paso, Texas, and communications manager for Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, experiencing my first taste of D.C. advocacy.
What started as a room full of strangers was already beginning to feel like a close-knit community. Our pod had bonded in a way that felt easy, with each of us building on the others' expertise and volleying points back and forth seamlessly. We'd transformed from individual advocates into a unified voice that was stronger than the sum of its parts.
The next two days were spent meeting with staff from Senators Kelly, Gallego, and Luján, plus Representatives Vasquez and Ansari. Getting to converse with Representatives Stansbury and Leger Fernández in person felt both surreal and empowering for a first-timer like me, but our pod's collective confidence made each conversation feel natural and impactful.
In these meetings, Adrian spoke passionately about New Mexico's 1.5 million acres of roadless areas, emphasizing their critical importance for hunters, recreation, and water systems. His expertise as both an advocate and someone who actually uses these lands gave weight to every word. Carson then provided perhaps the most powerful perspective on the Fix Our Forest Act, explaining to lawmakers, "I have to get them to the fire and bring them back home safe," referring to his 19 crew members. Speaking from experience he revealed that aggressive logging actually increases fire danger by creating highly flammable vegetation that accelerates fire spread from 3-5 mph to 10-15+ mph. Cerissa brought hope to our conversations by highlighting the Four Forest Restoration Initiative in Northern Arizona, where over 500,000 acres have been successfully treated through collaborative processes that bring together environmental groups, industry, and communities. Her example showed lawmakers that there are proven alternatives to aggressive logging.
Each meeting reinforced how critical it is for our members of Congress to hear directly from constituents. Whether we were discussing outdoor recreation's $3.2 billion contribution to New Mexico's economy, forests' sacred significance to Indigenous communities, or wildfire management realities, our lived experiences provided context that statistics alone cannot convey. Throughout our advocacy efforts, a central theme emerged around what Erandi called a "chain of benefits", the way forests protect watersheds, preserve wildlife habitat, clean air, sequester carbon, and offer recreation and spiritual spaces. I found myself emphasizing how mature and old-growth forests serve as "the lungs of the earth," storing massive amounts of carbon while providing clean water and air. Our hope was that this interconnected view of our forest benefits resonated with lawmakers who could see how conservation touches every aspect of their constituents' lives.
Returning home, I'm energized by the passionate advocates I met and genuinely moved by lawmakers' interest in protecting both communities and forests. This transformative experience wouldn't have been possible without EarthJustice and their entire team, who organized every detail. What started as my first visit to DC has become a significant time of self-reflection and commitment to the work that we do.