IRU attends Patagonia grantee conference
At the end of September, I had the extreme privilege and pleasure to attend the Tools for Grassroots Activists Conference hosted by Patagonia near Lake Tahoe. I’m sure that most of our members are aware that Patagonia has long been a leading voice in the environmental movement and their Tools conference grew from their desire to do more than simply provide grant funds to grassroots organizations like Idaho Rivers United.
While their funding impact is nothing to downplay, their support and engagement with true grassroots environmental initiatives prove that they not only talk the talk but are running while other companies are still perfecting their perfect mall-walk pace.
Occurring every other year, this year's Tools conference was the 17th iteration and brought leaders in the environmental space from all across the United States and internationally as well. The long weekend was filled with presentations, workshops, and the invaluable opportunity to connect with inspiring leaders working on an incredibly diverse set of conservation issues.
While all of the sessions and content were amazing, the conference kicked off with a keynote address from Amy Bowers Cordalis that was truly inspiring and directly related to so much of our work here at IRU. For anyone unfamiliar, Amy is the co-principal of Ridges to Riffles and was instrumental in the monumental campaign that led to the four Klamath dams being removed.
Hearing Amy share the ups and downs within the campaign and see the large-scale dam removal come to fruition will not be something that I forget anytime soon. As we continue to celebrate the win on the Klamath and keep our focus on the lower Snake River dams, we know it is possible to see a similar story play out here at home.
Many thanks to all of the Patagonia Tools team for inviting me and for the support they provide to IRU and grassroots organizations worldwide!
You can learn more and take action on local issues through the Patagonia Action Works site here.
