The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud
Arbery and Breonna Taylor, as well as the attack on Christian Cooper while he
was birding in Central Park, have shone a light on the tremendous work we must
do in this country to end racism in all of its forms.
As a conservation organization, Western
Rivers Conservancy is not on the sidelines of this work. Our mission is to
conserve the great rivers of the West, and our efforts will remain incomplete
until everyone feels the same sense of welcome and well-being on our rivers and
in the great outdoors. Understanding the roles we play in this
effort—individually, organizationally and as a community—will require
introspection, listening, discomfort and change.
In the weeks and months ahead, we will
work to identify and address racism within our organization, within the context
of our work and within the conservation community as a whole. We will reach out
to conservation and outdoor organizations active in racial equity and explore
ways we can work together. We will continue our efforts to improve diversity,
equity and inclusion within our own organization while we strive to understand
what other steps we can take to advance racial equity.
The murder of George Floyd was the
thunderclap in a long-brewing storm. The result is a raging current of demand
for cultural and institutional change. It is undeniable that if we are to
achieve true racial equity, if we are to end systemic racism and all forms of
violence against Black, Indigenous and People of Color, we must join that
current and push downstream together.
At Western Rivers Conservancy, we are
committed to embracing diversity and rejecting racism as we work to save the
great rivers of the West.
