Thank You for a Wonderful 2017 and Happy New Year!

The WLA team on a ranch visit in Missoula, MT – August 2017

As we head into the final stretch of 2017 and prepare to welcome in a new year, all of us at the Western Landowners Alliance would like to take a few minutes to thank all of you who have supported our work and attended our events in the last year.

As you know from experience, caring about something is not the same as caring for it. As public interest in the lands and wildlife of the American West grows each year, it is more important than ever to amplify the voices of those who live the daily realities of stewarding these valuable resources. That is why Western Landowners Alliance exists. If you’re not already a member, please consider joining us or donating as 2017 closes and we prepare for an impactful 2018.

WLA works on behalf of landowners and managers across the West.

With your help, WLA members work to improve our management of western lands, tell the story of living and making a living in care of them, and shape policy that better supports working lands, connected landscapes and native species. The greater the public’s understanding of the essential importance of ecologically intact private lands, the more it will invest in the people and communities who care for them.

WLA’s impact increased greatly in 2017. The fifth film in our Stewardship with Vision series, featuring Nevada rancher David Spicer, won “Best Student Film” at the New York Wildlife Conservation Film Festival; our Toward a Productive and Healthy West sign-on letter to Congress received over 130 signatories and was praised as a model of common ground nonpartisan leadership and collaboration; our Speaking from Experience: Landowners and the Endangered Species Act publication placed in balanced perspective both the merits of the ESA and practical ways to improve its implementation; and our six stewardship tours and events across the West provided opportunities for practitioner networking and knowledge-sharing on such wide-ranging topics  as monitoring, forestry and mitigation of livestock-carnivore conflict.

Thank you for your work on behalf of western lands and communities. WLA is poised to increase our impact by an order of magnitude in 2018. Take a few minutes to visit our brand-new website (!), and please consider further strengthening WLA influence today by joining us or donating.

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year.