A new grassroots conservation initiative, Nature is Nonpartisan, officially launched this week in Belle Fourche. The launch event, held at the Community Hall on March 20, drew a large crowd of locals interested in hearing about the organization’s goals. Mayor Randy Schmidt and Governor Larry Rhoden were among the keynote speakers for the event. Nature is Nonpartisan aims to bridge political divides and encourage people from all backgrounds to come together in the name of environmentalism.
“We’re a brand-new non-profit organization seeking to bring the issue of the environment out of the political fray,” explained Amelia Joy, Communications Director. “In the 1990s about 80% of Americans self-identified as environmentalists. Today, that number is down to about 40%, but when you talk to people about really the common-sense environmental issues, about caring for nature, about the need for clean air, clean water, habitat restoration, protecting wildlife, making sure that small towns can recover from disasters, upwards of 90, 95% of people agree on those issues,” she said. “And so we’re really trying to bring people from both sides of the aisle together and to talk to the 80% of Americans who aren’t on either extreme.”
The event featured a lineup of speakers, starting with founder Benji Backer who spoke about the importance of coming together despite political differences to save the environment. “We are not these boxes in America that we put ourselves in,” said Backer. “We pinned ourselves against one another, especially on this issue so unnecessarily, and the rational majority of Americans are no longer represented when it comes to the environmental dialogues that are happening at the national level.” Backer went on, “We believe conservation is nonpartisan. We believe protecting the environment is nonpartisan, and we believe that nature is nonpartisan, and we believe that to have the best results, you need to have a competition of ideas to solve the problems with every person at the table.”
The audience also heard from a variety of other speakers including Robbie Lauf, Executive Director at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library; Larry Rhoden, Governor of South Dakota; and Randy Schmidt, Mayor of Belle Fourche. The launch event wasn’t just about speeches, however; it was also a call to action. Attendees were invited to sign a pledge committing to conservation efforts in their own communities. Governor Larry Rhoden also signed a proclamation stating that March 20 is Nature is Nonpartisan Week in South Dakota, and both Backer and Rhoden signed the Forever 605 Pledge.
With a strong start in the Center of the Nation, Belle Fourche, Nature is Nonpartisan hopes to expand its reach, encouraging communities across South Dakota and beyond to embrace conservation as a shared responsibility. Its District 10 meeting will take place on April 1 at the Lodge in Deadwood.
For more information on upcoming events or how to get involved, visit www.natureisnonpartisan.org.
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