Take Action- Contact your Elected Officials
If you want to make your voice heard and influence change, focus on these key actions:
1) Show Up in Person
Face-to-face interactions are the most effective way to get your congressperson’s attention.
Here’s how:
Attend town halls, local office visits, or mobile office hours (check your representative's website for schedules). If you're in Washington, D.C., try to attend their events.
Ask direct, persistent questions and demand answers. The more vocal and present you are, the harder you are to ignore.
2) Call, Call, Call
Phone calls are the most powerful tool for influencing representatives.
Every day, senators and representatives receive reports on the top three issues callers care about, broken down by zip code and area code. Online messages and letters rarely make an impact, but calls do.
How to Make an Effective Call:
Find Your Representatives: Look up your senators and representative here.
Call Their Offices: Save their D.C. and local numbers in your phone for easy access. Organize contacts under “P – Politician” in your phone (e.g., “Politician Lee DC”) to quickly call down the list daily.
Ask for the Right Person: When calling D.C., request the staffer handling your issue (e.g., “Hi, I’d like to speak with the staffer in charge of public lands.”). If unavailable, talk to whoever answers. If the office doesn’t pick up, leave a message or call back. Remember, talking to a person is always the most effective course of action.
Identify Yourself: Give your name and zip code so your call is counted. If you live in their district, they’ll pay extra attention.
Make It Personal: Connect your issue to your experience (e.g., “As frequent visitor to public lands I can't believe this is an issue.”).
Be Direct: Clearly state what you want (see example below).
Be Persistent: They may recognize your voice or get tired of hearing from you. It doesn’t matter. Staff turnover is high, and every call counts.
Sample Call Script:
I am calling to you as I have a serious concern about initiatives to transfer public lands belonging to all Americans (and administered by the National Park Service, US Forest Service,
and Bureau of Land Management) to individual states.
These lands are our birthright. They are used and loved by millions of people each year for outdoor recreation activities and a variety of business purposes. I cannot imagine that any legislator in any state would support giving their constituents' lands away.
I would like Senator/Representative X to oppose any legislation or actions that would transfer these lands out of our common public ownership to individual states.
3) Write emails and letters
While in-person visits and calls have the greatest impact, you can still write emails and letters (less effective, but better than silence). Here is a sample letter and directions for sending. Choose your preferred format below.
4) Other Action Steps
Sign petitions and share information online and in person.
Stay informed and encourage others to take action.
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