Two weeks ago we sent you some of the regional work we have been doing in 2016 and some of the hard work ahead. We are resolved. We need your support to assist grassroots groups to block harmful projects like public land oil and gas leasing in Utah or pipelines across the Heartland.
Do not lose heart. We were made for these times…Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement…" - Clarissa Pinkola Estés
We live in a truly extraordinary time. We cannot thank you enough for your kind words of encouragement for our work and your generous support. The past year has challenged us to create new and innovative legal and scientific strategies. We have worked in many coalitions in ways we never imagined.
Your support has enabled us to participate in the regional work that led to the extraordinary step by the Obama Administration on December 4th to put the Dakota Access Pipeline on hold. Stopping the pipeline in North Dakota means it is also stopped in South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Not only is oil not crossing the Missouri River, it is not crossing the Des Moines or the Mississippi.
This past year has shown us that while our first 20 years were very productive, they have also prepared us for today. This is not the time to lose heart. Wewere indeed madeforthesetimes. Though we do not yet know the outcome of the pipeline, what we do know is that we have learned an enormous amount about how to take on large corporate interests and government agencies when they threaten the interests of people and the environment. This period has awakened us to our future challenges. And as we all know, there will be many.
As Rebecca Solnit says in her book, Hope in the Dark, “We don’t know what is going to happen, or how, or when, and that very uncertainty is the space of hope.” Our hope is based on the realities we face. It’s not an 'everything will be all right' kind of hope but a hope grounded in taking action and in knowing the history of great movements – a history filled with human beings acting out their true nature of altruism and idealism, of standing with one another in dark times.
As we approach the end of the year, we ask you once again to partner with us in creating a world that values fairness, love, and justice. One where hope is based on a vision of a future where the Earth is whole and relationships matter more than money. Our year-end fundraising goal of $30,000 is so close to being met. We would greatly appreciate your support at this most critical time.
With deep gratitude,
The Staff and Board of the Science & Environmental Health Network
Staff
Carolyn Raffensperger, Executive Director
Dr. Ted Schettler, Science Director
Ann Manning, Associate Director
Sherri Seidmon, Finance Director
Kaitlin Butler, Program Director
Board
Madeleine Scammell, President
Tom Goldtooth
Peter Montague
Bhavna Shamasunder
Benno Friedman
Angie Carter
Rebecca Altman
Sandra Steingraber, Emeritus
P.S. If you have already donated, we thank you!
*Pipeline construction images by Carolyn Raffensperger, Iowa, Oct-Dec, 2016. (1) Dakota Access Pipeline construction; (2) Construction at the Des Moines River; (3) Des Moines River just upstream from DAPL.
Your support has enabled us to participate in the regional work that led to the extraordinary step by the Obama Administration on December 4th to put the Dakota Access Pipeline on hold. Stopping the pipeline in North Dakota means it is also stopped in South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Not only is oil not crossing the Missouri River, it is not crossing the Des Moines or the Mississippi.
st 20 years 
lnit says in her book, Hope in the Dark, “