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Voices for Public Lands: Organization and Operations Share
 Voices for Public Lands (VPL) is an informal coalition of public lands conservation groups united by a commitment to the values enumerated in VPL's Declaration of Principles for Public Lands (see www.voicesforpubliclands.org).
VPL exists to provide grassroots groups with a powerful, nationally-recognized, unified voice when advocating for, or defending, those values. Member groups are encouraged to use VPL's name in ways that lend support to their own efforts and which gain recognition for the principles upon which this coalition is organized. With increasing use, the VPL name and the principles it represents will become increasingly influential with respect to decisions involving public land policies and management.
By signing onto the Principles for Public Lands, member groups confirm their support for the values expressed in the Principles and agree these principles should guide decisions and actions affecting federal public lands. Member groups are encouraged to use the VPL name as part of their own activism in ways that let the public, Congress, the media and public land managers know that the efforts of the member group are supported by a large, national, coalition.
How Will VPL Operate?
Activities of the unincorporated VPL coalition will be coordinated through a 7-person volunteer Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will ensure that all public statements made using VPL's name are consistent with the Principles for Public Lands and will coordinate higher profile efforts undertaken by VPL as a coalition.
The Steering Committee will initially consist of the founding members of the coalition: George Nickas-Wilderness Watch; Gary Macfarlane-Friends of the Clearwater; Janine Blaeloch-Western Lands Project; Scott Silver-Wild Wilderness, and Katie Fite-Western Watersheds Project. A single e-mail address, steering@voicesforpubliclands.org, distributes messages to all Steering Committee members. Steering Committee members serve for a two year term and any member group may request to be represented on the committee.
The purpose of the steering committee is to facilitate VPL’s role as a unified voice for the grassroots, by supporting the efforts of groups across the country while keeping the workload to a minimum for signatory groups.
The primary responsibility of the Steering Committee will be to review all proposed uses of the VPL name and to protect the coalition and the Principles from inappropriate use. Member groups wishing to speak on behalf of the coalition are asked to submit proposed statements to the Steering Committee for approval. Turn-around times of under a week can be expected. If any proposed statement or position is determined to be inconsistent with the Principles, the member group will be asked not to associate VPL's name with that particular effort.
A second role of the Steering Committee is to determine whether an issue should become a coalition-wide campaign. Issues of national significance or intense controversy may merit a higher-profile response by VPL. Any member group may propose that an issue receives special, coalition-wide, treatment. If the Steering Committee agrees the issue merits a coalition-wide response, the Committee will contact all member groups with a description of the issue and its recommended position and request endorsement from the member groups to mobilize on the issue. Groups will be asked to respond within a specified period of time, and those that do not respond will be presumed as either neutral or in favor. If a significant number of member groups oppose a coalition-wide effort, it will not be launched.
The Steering Committee may occasionally solicit active assistance from all member groups on coalition-wide issues, such as distributing Action Alerts, covering the issue in newsletters, submitting letters to the editor, or making phone calls to Congress or the agencies at critical times.
Further details explaining the organization and operation of Voices for Public Lands are available at the VPL website www.voicesforpubliclands.org.
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