Our work at Audubon Vermont has 3 pillars: Education, Conservation, and Policy. I think people have quick associations with our work and the first two—Mark LaBarr banding birds at the Green Mountain Audubon Center or students on our Bird-Friendly Maple Sugaring field trip. But once folks have built an appreciation and understanding of nature, taking action to protect the places, wildlife, and outdoor activities they love feels like a natural next step. Audubon Vermont does advocacy too. Our mission is to protect birds and the places they need today and tomorrow. The great thing about this mission is that birds don’t have a party-- no matter where you are on the political spectrum, we can all come together and fight for birds.
Today we are going to think about something you care about and write a letter or draw a picture (or both!) or call your representative.
Why? Because we can’t all be on the Senate floor at the same time, it is important that those who are there know what the people back home want and need. Our local and federal representatives take our feedback on proposed laws and actions so they can act on our behalf. If they don’t hear from you then how will they know what you want? If your legislator has done something that you liked, you can also thank them or tell them how it made an impact in your life.
1. What is important to you? It’s a big question. You can also check out organizations you trust to see if there is any advocacy work they are doing. Here at Audubon Vermont we are working on a few things we could use support on:
- Urging our government to take climate action in Vermont
- Migratory Bird Protection in Vermont
2. Write your letter/write your talking points. Address your letter directly to your representative. Here are some tips on what to include. https://www.audubon.org/conservation/how-be-effective-advocate-less-five-minutes
3. Send it! You can find Vermont Legislators here and your Federal Representatives here including their address and other contact information.
It’s that easy to make an impact!
