Purpose & Passion: Great Old Broads for Wilderness
By Arleen Richter
I moved to Ridgway and immediately discovered an organization focused on protecting wilderness and public lands in western Colorado and throughout the U.S. Great Old Broads for Wilderness (Broads) is a national grassroots organization, led by women, that engages and inspires activism to preserve and protect wilderness and wild lands.
“One of the most important things we can do is to assert the power of women to make sure we have natural, healthy habitat for our wild animals, clear, flowing streams, and fresh, clean air for all of us to breathe.”
These values mesh so well with those of Alpenglow CoHousing. The magnificent environment that surrounds us inspires a need to contribute to its protection.
Conceived by older women who love wilderness, Broads gives voice to the millions of Americans who want to protect their public lands and wilderness for this and future generations. We bring knowledge, leadership, and humor to the wilderness preservation movement, and educate communities about the critical connection between healthy public lands and climate change mitigation.
Founded in 1989 in Durango, Colo., Broads are one of the few public land conservation organizations led by women. We value and promote women’s leadership and experience, and have fun doing serious work. More than 8,500 members and supporters across the nation emphasize local grassroots action.
The Great Old Broads for Wilderness:
• Fight to defend public lands from threats that degrade ecosystems and wilderness characteristics.
• Urge Congress to increase public land protections and designate new wilderness areas, often through work with broad coalitions.
• Engage with federal and state agencies to promote appropriate planning and management.
• Monitor public land management, including designated wilderness, to ensure they remain for future generations of all species.
Broads empowers women to use democracy to defend our birthright, America’s public lands and waters, by training and mobilizing advocates in communities across the nation to rally for wilderness designation and public land protections to ensure clean air and water and a healthy habitat for all of Earth’s creatures.
Education is the foundation for action and the core of Broads' work. Place-based education is used to develop a strong understanding of issues, history, and the important link between public lands and mitigating the effects of a changing climate. The work is guided by science and research to ensure that we advocate for what is best for the land. Members learn to act as citizen scientists, documenting impacts on our public lands, and gathering data used to evaluate land conditions and support protection proposals.
Broads connects people with a desire to get involved, and guides them to take action. Individual members and our 40 Broadband chapters across the country participate in land management decision-making to keep threats at bay and support policies that protect public lands. We coach Broadband leaders and members to hold government agencies and decision makers accountable for sustainable management of our public lands, and to engage communities to effect change. We speak at legislative and agency hearings for the voiceless—wilderness and wildlife.
We show our love for the land through projects that repair and restore our wild places. We teach volunteers to document impacts to landscapes and gather data. Broads are the eyes and ears, the boots on the ground, the reporters and supporters. From re-seeding to fence building to trail repair, Broadbands work with land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, lending our loving hands to tend public lands.
Broads has something for everyone, whether you are an armchair activist or a hardcore hiker.
BROADWORK events tackle stewardship and monitoring projects on public lands. BROADWALKS feature on-the-ground exploration with guided hikes for all abilities and skill levels. Expert presentations and discussions are offered, giving participants insight into why these lands need protection. Participants are given the tools and information to advocate on behalf of these lands.
This is serious work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Broads have fun learning and doing, making their voices heard, putting pen to paper, and getting close to nature. The challenges often feel unrelenting, but being on the land leads to a natural camaraderie with others who share the enthusiasm for the fight for America’s wild lands.
As legendary columnist Molly Ivins once said, “You got to have fun if you plan on staying involved for the long haul.”
Learn more: https://www.greatoldbroads.org/