Difficult climbs take teamwork

Tom Meacham joined the board of Trustees for Alaska in 2015. Here, he talks about how the work of protecting Alaska’s land, water, wildlife and people takes the same skills and experience as big mountain expeditions. Difficult climbs take teamwork and the year ahead will certainly demand plenty of that from all of us.  

Tom Mecham with Alex Swiderski and Greg Higgins at the summit of Denali in 1987.

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All difficult climbs require training and dedication. I learned as much when reaching the summit of Denali on my second attempt. I’m on the left in the photo, with Alex Swiderski and Greg Higgins next to me at 20,310 feet and 0 degrees just after 6 p.m. on June 11, 1987.

It took experience, preparation, skill, teamwork, and resilience to make it to the top — the very qualities I value in Trustees.  That’s why I joined the board of Trustees, to make Alaska the place it has been, and the place we want it to be now and in the future.

Since 1974, Trustees has been making the trek to the courthouse to stand up for Alaska’s lands, waters, and communities.

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Trustees’ legal director Valerie Brown and senior attorney Kate Strong at the Supreme Court in November 2018.  They heard arguments in a case Trustees has been involved in for years.

My 47 years of practicing law in Alaska, the entire time as a natural resources attorney, have taught me the importance of Trustees’ legal services in protecting a wild and vibrant Alaska. We have seen unfriendly state and federal administrations in the past, and Trustees has persevered and prevailed.

We expect 2019 to bring a slew of administrative actions that threaten our air, water, land, health, and communities. Even as federal and state agencies attempt to roll back conservation laws, Trustees will provide the legal muscle to apply, refine and enforce our existing laws and regulations to protect the uniqueness of Alaska and the people whose lives depend on it.

You can help us reach our fundraising summit by making a year-end gift matched dollar-for-dollar by an anonymous donor.

I’m asking you to please stand with me today to double your contribution and help make Alaska a wild and vibrant place where wildlife and people thrive.