Progress can be a frustrating concept. In an ideal world, we’d all come home in the evenings to communities that are slightly better than when we left them that morning. It is an annoying reality that sometimes progress does not mean change, but rather means coming home to a community that is exactly the same, not because you did not act to improve it that day, but because you did. Holding the line and maintaining the ground you have already gained is just as important, so that when the winds are at your back again you can spend that time gaining new ground instead of reclaiming ground lost. It is the demanding reality of progress that everybody who wants to make the world a better place must shoulder.
Lobby Day, however, was not such an exercise. Last Thursday, on April 3rd, over 70 advocates from across the state came to Beacon Hill in the cold and the rain to create Watershed Associations Tackling Environmental Resilience, or the WATER Coalition. Coming together with a common goal to protect our rivers and wetlands, advocates networked and heard from Senate Pro Tem Brownsberger, Senate Majority Leader Creem, Senate Minority Leader Tarr, Representative Kassner, and Representative Meschino before fanning out across the Capitol to meet with over 30 legislators and their staff to advocate for the issues most important to them and their watersheds. IRWA staff and supporters met with Senator Tarr, Senator Lovely, and Senator Lewis as well as staff from Senator Crighton’s office and Representative Cruz’s office to discuss the Drought Bill and thank them for their continued advocacy on issues crucial to the Ipswich River. Regardless of what is happening in the world right now, legislation like the Drought Bill still needs to be passed to protect the river we all know and care about, and last week’s event moved the needle on critical issues necessary to protecting our rivers and wetlands.
It is important to remember that lobby day was not an advocacy finale, but rather a vehicle to channel future advocacy efforts into real change. Going forward, we’d strongly encourage folks who attended to follow up with their meeting contacts in writing and reiterate the importance of these issues that are so crucial to protecting our rivers and rivers everywhere. We are so grateful to everybody who came out to support this effort, and if you’d like to participate in future advocacy events, sign up for the eNews or reach out to our Advocacy Program Manager Zach Calderón for more information on how you can get involved. We look forward to working with you – the river needs you.