We are living through a time in which the very pillars of our democracy are being shaken and dismantled. A time in which autocrats and powerful corporations are being coddled and the downtrodden and disadvantaged are being abandoned. There are many in our country and around the world who are suffering. There are many much closer to home in Okanogan County who are suffering. At these points of human and planetary pain, does our work still matter? Does it matter if local zoning protects our water supply or old forests are protected, or wildlife is thriving when the very fabric that holds together our culture is fraying and sending its threads to the wind? These are the questions we’ve been asking ourselves.

Our answer?

We need to lean into our work even more. You need to lean into yours too. We all need to lean on each other. Community—that tangible feeling of knowing that those around you care about something in common and feel for your well-being just as you feel for theirs—this is what we need to nurture now.

When Government is Hobbled, We Depend Even More on Our Community for Support and Resilience

We’ll be the first to say that government bodies are cumbersome. Working with our partners at the local, state and federal level can be frustrating. Bureaucracy can be slow and inefficient and may not adapt nearly as fast as we’d like it to. And yet, our government fulfills essential functions in our society.

In our work, state and federal government agencies, funded by our tax dollars, protect and maintain millions of square miles of public land that many of us use and enjoy daily. State, federal and local government bodies provide an important network of rules and laws that protect vulnerable people and places. At its best, our government does work for the people. Unfortunately, hobbled by cuts and slashes that make accessing critical public services difficult, hurting our friends and neighbors, the government is becoming, to quote the enduring Bernie Sanders, “a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires.”

During this upheaval, our work—everyone’s work—to sustain our community and the place we call home becomes vitally important. More than ever, we find we are on our own. Last week our EPA grant funding (totaling over $300,000) for our Air and Climate work was officially terminated. Other local nonprofits have also had their federal grants frozen or canceled. These sudden changes remind us that even as we rise up to resist what is happening, we must work together in community on local support systems and create our own collective path to resilience. It is our hands, shaping together, that will make the bowl that hold us in its form.

We’re leaning into our work—helping agency partners to function the best they can with diminished resources and jumping in to assist where they can’t. Advocating for natural systems and timeless assets (such as dark skies and quiet places, wildlife and waterways) who can’t advocate for themselves. And always keeping that keen hawk’s eye out and raising our voices together, to protect our region’s land, air, water and climate for future generations.

We’ll need your support to forge ahead. So will many other organizations and individuals in our community. As opportunities arise to lend a hand and build resilience, we’ll share them with you (and we hope you’ll share some with us).

And please, keep leaning into whatever you are doing to support and strengthen our community. Being a good neighbor is absolutely included.