Kari Kostka

The Room Where It Happens: Why We Must Show Up

March 24, 2026

Effectively advocating for policies that work for people and nature involves much more than championing solutions from behind a desk. It also requires direct participation in conversations happening across our communities—meeting with lawmakers and staff, government officials, Tribes, and partners. And it means showing up at conferences, committees, meetings, and community events. Events like the annual Idaho Environmental Policy Forum.

The Idaho Environmental Policy Forum is hosted each year by the Idaho Environmental Forum, a nonpartisan educational nonprofit association whose sole mission is to promote cordial and productive dialogue on a broad range of environmental policies affecting Idaho. Nearly 170 people attended this year’s event in January from across the state. The audience heard panels of government, industry, and nonprofit experts sharing updates and taking audience questions on topics critical to Idaho. For example, we heard Shared Stewardship, which seeks to scale up land management activities across all ownerships to address wildfire risk, support working lands, and enhance ecosystem resilience, holds massive potential for Idaho. We also heard ideas and policy proposals to address future funding for outdoor recreation management on public lands. And we learned TNC’s role convening partners, fostering collaboration, and promoting workable solutions, is vital for achieving successful outcomes.

Staying connected and in regular conversation with policymakers—in the Capitol and in their communities—allows TNC to build trust, establish credibility, and demonstrate that we are a reliable source of scientific information and practical solutions. It allows us to show up as partners, work through challenges, and explore new possibilities together. And it gives us the opportunity to underscore the importance of conservation and show how nature-forward solutions benefit Idaho's communities, economy, and natural resources. This relationship-based, proactive approach is TNC’s proven method for policy: helping to refine legislation, partnering to implement it, and working to defend it. Because, in the end, nature needs an advocate to be in the room where decisions are made.

But you don’t have to be a policy expert or government official to make a difference. Voices—ours, yours, and many more—are needed to shape meaningful policies and solutions. You advocate for nature when you attend events like policy forums, learn more about the issues from local workshops and conferences, and advocate for what you care about to leaders in Congress, state capitols, and government agencies. We at TNC must show up to be in the room where it happens, but we’re not alone: You can too.