I recently took part in a discussion panel, along with EB and my fellow SLA Corps member Sydney Paradise, in Manchester with members of the NH congressional delegation. The event was organized by VolunteerNH and brought together representatives from various organizations across New Hampshire whose service has been impacted, or ended, by the illegal termination of Americorps grant funding by the Trump administration.
We discussed with Senators Shaheen and Hassan, and Congresswoman Goodlander, the various ways that we all serve our communities: conservation efforts to remove invasive species from our watershed, afterschool reading and mentoring programs for at-risk youth, and support for senior citizens in need. We also discussed the impacts - both immediate and long-term - that would be felt all around the state by the interruption of these services.
I felt proud to represent Squam Lakes Association at the table, and I would like to thank EB James - our Executive Director; Katri Gurney - our already dearly missed former Assistant Director; and Elise Eifler - our SLA Corps program manager for giving me that opportunity. The support and transparency that they, and the rest of the SLA staff, have shown our group of former Americorps service members has been nothing short of amazing. I am so grateful for it and as a result my conviction to serve the communities of the Squam watershed and protect this very special place has only deepened.
It seems ridiculous to think that anything about this situation has been fortuitous, but we are all in fact very lucky. We are lucky that the SLA is the organization it is. Thanks to the foresight of our staff and Board of Directors we were able to respond immediately to the - again, illegal - termination of our grant and move directly into contingency planning.
We are also lucky to have the community engagement and membership and alumni network that we do. We are a relatively small organization, but we do a lot, and a huge part of that organizational capacity depends on your prior service with Lakes Region Conservation Corps, your involvement with volunteer activities, your memberships, and your generous donations, so I sincerely thank you all for that.
While our efforts for this year appear to be relatively secure, the same cannot be said for the future of conservation efforts at SLA and our partner host sites. We simply cannot sustain this current level of funding for our SLA Corps. Its absence will have immediate and disastrous effects for the coming year. As you are aware, this means, among other things, that milfoil will proliferate and spread in the lake, water-quality monitoring efforts will be reduced, trailhead parking will be unplowed in the winter and trails will not be maintained, camping services will be limited, and education and outreach programs will cease.
Recently, as some of you may know, a group of states successfully challenged the termination of Americorps funding in federal court and won an at least temporary restoration of those funds. New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte was notably absent from that lawsuit, and as a result of that absence we will not have not our funding restored.
More than anything else, Squam Lakes and conservation organizations throughout the state need your voices right now. We must contact our elected representatives at every level of government and let them know that we expect them to challenge this administration’s efforts to destroy the fabric of community service in this country.
There is no other place like the Lakes Region, and everyone reading (and writing) this message has a deep connection to it. So please, on behalf of the lake, the loons, the fish, the forest, and all the memories you have here, speak out for them.
Political engagement is effective when enough people contact politicians and use their own words and voices on an issue. Staffers can easily ignore template letters, but personal testimonies are not easily brushed aside. Tell them why this matters to you, tell them that we expect them to protect the beauty of our natural resources and the health of our communities, and that we will not tolerate their worths being measured by the eye of some algorithm. Your words and your personal stories are the most meaningful and important donations you can give to the lake at this critical moment. I hope you take the opportunity to use them.
Nathan is a Trails and Access Assistant at Squam Lakes Association. When he’s not working at SLA, you can find him exploring the Whites, or, better yet, the deserts of the Southwest. Learn more about Nathan here.