Turn Anger into Action – Support Our Forests
I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting many of you yet, so allow me to introduce myself. I’m Hale, Bark’s Operations Manager. I moved from Washington, DC to Portland in late August to take this job after a senior staffer in Rep. Blumenauer’s DC office recommended Bark to me by name. (Being in DC for the last few years does have its perks when it comes to networking.) I was searching for a purpose and cause to which I could dedicate myself. I was burnt out from the perpetual wheel-spinning and drama that defines working on Capitol Hill and wanted to reconnect with the outdoors.
What impressed me about Bark is how it has managed to punch above its weight for so long. We are a small organization, but over our 25-year history, we have taken the federal government and multinational juggernauts like Nestlé to task in the name of the Forest and the people that rely upon it. Bark showed me that a comment we submitted on a timber project (a Categorical Exclusion project, no less) could result in saving hundreds of acres of mature and old-growth forest. That the advocacy of a single Bark staff member could galvanize enough support in one day to secure stronger protections for beavers on private lands. What Bark has taught me is that my voice matters. Your voice matters. And when we raise our voices together, you’d be amazed at what we can accomplish.
I’m grateful to have found a community of like-minded folks through Bark so quickly. I have fallen in love with this city—and the lands now known as Mt. Hood National Forest—even more quickly, and every morning I’m reminded of why I moved here and why I do what I do. That isn’t hyperbole, this is the view from my bedroom window:
We are so lucky to live under one of the most charismatic mountains in the world. If last Tuesday showed us anything, it’s that we need to take stock of what we can and cannot control. We cannot change the outcome of federal elections, but we can ensure that the mountain and forest we love is properly stewarded for generations to come. After all, the most important part of my job is making sure the funds we receive from supporters like you go toward protecting the forest from destructive timber sales, restoring wildlife habitat, and helping the communities that rely on the forest.
Your support has allowed us to notch a number of big wins over the last 25 years, and we’re not going to let one election stop us from holding the government and industry to account for 25 more. Join us in standing up for the Forest by donating to Bark today.
In solidarity,
