Written Tuesday, May 20, 2008, by Monica Wiitanen.
First thing Monday (yesterday!) morning, we went to the Wayburn Wilderness House for our orientation. Tips on lobbying, packets of information to hand out, maps, and a schedule of our meetings during the three days on Capitol Hill were provided to us. With guidance from Steve Smith (The Wilderness Society) and Marcia Argust (Campaign for America’s Wilderness), plans were made to ensure that all the important points would be covered at each meeting.
By Tuesday afternoon, we’d med with staff of 7 Senators and 3 Representatives, Congresswoman DeGette, as well as with staff of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. After introductions, at each of these meetings we talked about the proposed Dominguez Canyon Wilderness within the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. We talked about why Dominguez is such a special place and deserves protection, showed the photographs we’d brought along, and asked if there were any quesitons.
Responses included interest, enthusiasm (certainly for the photos!), and some reservation–no apparent opposition.
We’ve heard that the bill is likely to be introduced by Senator Salazar on Thursday, and that there’s hope of it being added to a bundle of other public lands bills and moving right along in the process, and also that it’s late in the session and probably won’t get very far until the next session.
Optimists, pessimists, realists? Just getting the bill introduced will seem like a big step toward ensuring the enduring protection we have been working toward.
The hotel we’ve been staying in is close to Capitol Hill, so we’ve been able to walk to the Senate and House offices. Some streets radiate out from the Capitol and Union Station and others are laid out in a grid, so there are all manner of angles at intersections which can lead to confusion. Once inside security at a Senate or House office building, there are tunnels to get from one building to another and stairs and elevators, some modern and serviceable, others ornate and/or beautiful, for vertical movement.
Elevators service three categories: freight only, Senators only, and everybody else. You can guess who uses the ornate elevators. In the basements are to be found, among other things, cafeterias and dining rooms, which serve huge numbers of people at every meal, every day. All the food looks good, that which I ate tasted good—it was impressive. I imagined truck after truck pulling up to the loading docks to deliver vast quantities of produce and meats for the cooks and kitchen help to transform into the food that fuels our government.
One of the cafeterias touts that it sources food from within 150 miles (when possible, I’m sure—I doubt the pineapple and melons were grown within that distance).
Tomorrow we have a few more meetings scheduled and then we head to the airport and home.
At their semi-annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, staff and board members of the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) toasted the launching of the Homegrown Prosperity – Renewable Energy Biodiesel Bus Tour. Seven WCC staff members and two WCC Board members participated in the event.
The Biodiesel Bus will make its first official stop in Colorado on August 1 when it visits the Garfield County Fair. From there, the bus travels to the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival in Olathe on August 2, the Ridgway Farmers Market on August 3, and several events in Grand Junction on August 7-8. Stay tuned for more details!
