From outdoor hikes like this one with Sen. John Curtis, to drop-offs at district offices, CCLers made great connections with their lawmakers this summer.

Connecting with Congress during the August recess

By Flannery Winchester

Every August, Members of Congress (MOCs) head home from D.C. to work in their local offices. They often host town halls, appear at community events, or otherwise engage with folks back home during this part of the year.

With that in mind, last month we asked CCLers around the country to use this opportunity to connect with their MOCs and further build their relationships. And they delivered! 

Here’s a look at how different CCL chapters engaged their lawmakers during this year’s August recess.

Shoulder to shoulder in nature

CCL Utah kept up their annual tradition of hiking with Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), which they’ve done regularly since his days as a representative. This year’s hike was in Rock Canyon in Provo, Utah.

“It was our usual friendly discussion in a beautiful setting,” said Tom Moyer, CCL’s liaison to Sen. Curtis. Accompanying Sen. Curtis on the trail were 24 CCL Utah volunteers and CCL Network Director Bill Barron.

“The only time he could fit it in was on his personal time on Labor Day before flying back to D.C., and he didn’t want to miss hiking with us!” Tom said. The conversation included topics important to both the Senator and to CCL, including the clean energy mix in Utah and America’s clean energy leadership on the world stage.

Sen. John Curtis pictured (left) with CCL Utah volunteers.

Sen. Curtis has mentioned these local hikes in past remarks to CCL and suggested that other CCLers do the same with their own MOCs.

CCLers in Nebraska took him up on the idea, setting up a similar outing with their own member of Congress, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-02). 

Last month, CCL Omaha took Rep. Bacon for a 1.5-mile hike through a restored prairie at University of Nebraska Omaha’s Glacier Creek Preserve. 

CCLers Jennifer Glazer and Kay Carne organized the event, bringing about 20 CCL volunteers and other local environmental leaders together to hike with the congressman. The group included folks from the Audubon Society of Omaha, Nebraska Conservation Voters, a local solar installer called Great Plains Renewables, and the owner of Verdis Group, a local sustainability consultancy.

Rep. Bacon (center) with CCL volunteers and other local environmental leaders.

There was a heat advisory that day, but the group pressed on.

“We stopped in the shade to give our appreciation for Rep. Bacon’s sign-on to a number of Dear Colleague letters on the clean energy tax credits,” said Kay, who serves as CCL’s liaison to Rep. Bacon’s office.

After the hike, the conversation continued in a beautiful restored barn on the property. “Rep. Bacon shared details and stories on his efforts to protect clean energy throughout the congressional process these past months, as many tax credits were scheduled to end much earlier,” Kay said.

“Even though it was a hot day, Rep. Bacon enjoyed getting his steps in with our group and encouraged us to do this again!”

Drop-offs at district offices

In addition to outings like those, our volunteers also make the effort to visit the district offices themselves. Several stories from CCLers in Montana show the power of a simple drop-off that surprises and delights congressional staff.

Max Scheder-Bieschin and his wife have raised puppies for Canine Companions for 18 years. When he stopped by Sen. Daines’ (R-MT) office in Bozeman, Montana, he said, “My gift was some dog treats from a local Montana company that my wife gets for our dogs.”

Why? “The Senator has three Aussies!” Max said. “For me, a mutual love of our pets goes a long way in a relationship.”

Max included a hand-written note that thanked the Senator for his efforts to keep clean energy in Montana’s future and expressed appreciation for the productive meetings on Capitol Hill during our Summer Conference. He also offered up an invitation for the Senator or members of his staff to join Montana CCLers on a hike, noting, “Dogs are, of course, welcome!” 

CCLers Sandy Welgreen and Tom Osborne brought (human!) cookies from a local bakery to another Montana congressional office — the Helena office of Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT-02). They met with two aides who “emphasized that it was refreshing to meet with folks like us who exhibited nonpartisanship,” Sandy said.

At another of Rep. Downing’s offices — this time in Billings, Montana — CCLers Ann Schoch and Teresa Wicks had a heart-warming visit with a congressional aide.

They introduced themselves, discovering that they shared mutual hometown friends and acquaintances. “We said we hoped our politicians would work with all people on climate, and I thanked him as a young person for working with our members of Congress,” Teresa said. 

“We spent 25 minutes with Quinton. Teresa brought flowers with caramel candy tied around the jar and gave it to Quinton. He was touched,” Ann shared. They also brought a letter from another CCL Montana volunteer, which the aide said he would give to the Congressman.

“We enjoyed our visit and think it went very well,” Ann and Teresa said.

Town hall touch points

In California, CCL volunteers Jonathan Light and Melissa Waters stopped by a town hall held by Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49). 

“After the town hall, the congressman, Melissa, and I spent several minutes discussing the prospects of climate change legislation under the current administration,” Jon said. Jon adds that they also spent a bit of time talking about the EPA’s decision to rescind the endangerment finding.

Before a policy summit about wildfires in Whitefish, Montana, CCLers Robin Paone and Angie Winter had a chance to chat with their Senator’s energy aide at a happy hour.

“It was really wonderful to meet an MOC aide outside of their D.C. office and in a fun setting. We all shared our love of the outdoors through stories and just had a very enjoyable time getting to know each other,” Robin said. “I know this will go a long way towards building a strong relationship with the MOC’s office.”

That’s true for each and every one of these great outreach stories. This is the creative, persistent citizen engagement that builds common ground with our lawmakers and helps bring Congress closer to passing the next piece of bipartisan climate legislation.