The Insider Newsletter

Last week, the volunteer-elected Sierra Club Board of Directors unanimously ratified its July 10 decision to terminate Executive Director Ben Jealous's employment. This was not a decision we took lightly, but it was a necessary one.

Loren Blackford is the acting executive director. She has previously been the interim executive director and served on and chaired the Sierra Club and Sierra Club Foundation boards, bringing a deep familiarity with our strategy, our teams, and the communities we serve.

The board will meet again in September to chart this leadership transition, led by our board president, Patrick Murphy.

Our organization's work is needed now more than ever -- the threats to the climate, environment, our communities, and democracy have never been greater. Thankfully, we have been built for this for more than 130 years. With 64 chapters and millions of members and supporters across the country, the Sierra Club's focus remains on our mission to explore, enjoy, and protect this precious planet.

We are the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States because of people like you -- everyday advocates, volunteers, and community members. YOU are the Sierra Club.

Thank you for being with us in this moment of renewal. We look forward to continuing our work together.

Photo by the National Park Service

Earlier this year, tens of thousands of us made calls and wrote letters to Congress asking them not to auction off more than a million acres of our public lands as part of Trump's billionaire budget bill… and they listened! Now we need to keep up the momentum to protect our public lands. The Trump administration wants to eliminate a popular policy -- the Roadless Area Conservation Rule -- that has protected nearly 60 million acres of our national forests. Once these untouched areas are gone, we can't get them back.

Add your voice to keep the heart of our public lands pristine for generations to come.

Yosemite National Park. | Photo by Karl Magnuson

As summer draws to a close, the strain on our national parks is impossible to ignore. From Trump's budget cuts that left rangers stretched thin to ongoing attempts to erase history and hand over public lands to polluters, the threats are mounting. For over a century, our parks have offered spaces for connecting with nature and our history -- but protecting them has never been more urgent. That's why, as we mark the 109th birthday of the National Park Service, we're coming together to thank rangers for their tireless work and take action to protect our parks.

RSVP for this month's virtual Action Hour on Tuesday, August 26.

Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. | Photo by E. Engler

Our advocacy is working! Thanks to the recent work of grassroots advocates like you, Michigan is opening a special comment period to invite public input on the expansion of Line 5, tunneling under the Great Lakes. Anyone who cares about climate, clean water, or local communities is invited to speak up, no matter where you live. The Trump administration and oil giant Enbridge are doing everything they can to extend the life of this dangerous, 72-year-old pipeline. Now we have a real chance to stop them.

Take action to protect the Great Lakes before the August 29 comment deadline!

Join How to Use Social Media for Change

We have all seen the power social media has had in recent years to sway what people believe and how they choose to act -- in both powerful and dangerous ways. Together, we can harness the power of social media for positive change! Join our fourth installment in the Tapping Into Your Story series to learn how. We will cover best practices in social media and share ways you can use these tools for environmental advocacy.

RSVP for our workshop on Thursday, August 21.

Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Two campers on a Sierra Club Outings trip. | Photo by Irene Yee

Everglades National Park, Florida. | Photo by Daniel Kraft

Photo by Lindsey Wasson/via AP