Learning the conservation advocacy ropes: Clare Driscoll

While interviewing for the Land Trust Alliance’s government relations intern position I was asked If I had experience working with people who had different political backgrounds than myself. Through prior experience working in the Ohio House of Representatives, I felt comfortable answering yes. Thinking back, I believe at the time I thought that while there are some ways Democrats and Republicans can work together on issues like the environment, it was hard to imagine the two parties truly seeing eye to eye. This all changed once my Land Trust Alliance internship allowed me to get more involved in this work and see first-hand how effective advocacy can bridge the gaps that divide us.

I had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., as a part of Land Trust Alliance's Advocacy Days. My fellow interns and I worked hard over the months leading up to the event to schedule congressional meetings and coordinate land trust members to make this year's fly-in a success. One perk was that we then had the opportunity to attend and see what a meeting with a member of Congress or their staff is like.

One meeting in particular will stick with me as I move forward with my own career. I was apprehensive about attending our meeting with Senator J.D. Vance’s staff — being from Ohio and watching his recent campaign closely I knew that the list of issues we disagreed about was far longer than what we saw eye to eye on. If we really disagree on that many issues, what are the chances that Senator Vance and his staff would be willing to listen to us and act on any topics I care about?

As we entered the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, where the newly elected senator’s small and windowless — and fortunately, temporary — office is located, I was feeling very guarded. I believed we were asking for very reasonable policy requests, but would they dismiss us right away because of perceived differences?

Senator Vance’s staff member led us to a conference room and immediately all my fears went out the door. He mentioned that while the senator never intended to be a leader for the environment, because of recent issues in Ohio he has quickly taken up a cleaner Earth as one of his policy goals. The staffer was eager to learn about how land trusts function and serve their communities. We also discussed our policy goals including targeted Farm Bill recommendations to streamline program administration and implementation, the introduction of Forest Conservation Easement Program, the re-introduction of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act and the re-introduction of North American Grassland Conservation Act. He took very thorough notes, asked thoughtful questions and seemed eager to pass this along to the rest of his team. I left our conversation feeling optimistic that my home senator is open to taking up some of the issues that are so important to me and the rest of the land trust community, which is an outcome I never would have anticipated.

This meeting showed me that land conservation isn’t always as partisan as I believed in the past. Yes, when it comes to the environment, we all may have our different strategies for protecting it. But this conversation showed me that most people really do care about protecting our land. If we can start from that common ground, we can really make a difference. I am so thankful that this internship has allowed me to participate in that work firsthand and I look forward to taking this experience and knowledge into future opportunities!