For 47 years High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) has worked diligently to protect the public lands and waters of our community. However, it has become painfully obvious that protection of these lands and waters is incomplete without meaningful actions for social justice. The effects of the coronavirus along with the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many others have highlighted the injustices faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in America. Wrapped within these injustices are unequal access to and benefit from clean air, clean water, and healthy public lands. It is past time that we acknowledge these disparities and work to dismantle the systemic racism that creates them. We stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We will listen to their messages, seek out ways to foster greater inclusivity in our actions, and work for environmental justice that is long overdue.

HCCA believes that environmental justice can only exist in a nation that provides equal rights for all citizens regardless of race. Communities of color are continually and disproportionately affected by pollution and the environmental impacts of climate change. We must uphold and enforce the environmental laws that protect our vulnerable and underrepresented populations. Currently these critical laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act are under attack. HCCA will continue to do everything we can to work within the legal framework of these laws to protect not only the environment, but also the people who would be impacted without the protections they offer. We will also seek to find ways to be more inclusive and representative of all the people in the community that we call home.