Last week wasn’t just another week in the office. I got to ride the DC metro system, live out of a hotel, wander the halls of Congress, and talk to elected officials and their staff. All of this in an effort to advance our proposal to protect the Scotchman Peaks of North Idaho as a designated wilderness area, which only Congress’s vote and the President’s signature can do.

While Idaho’s congressional delegates are not the greatest proponents of wilderness, one thing was made clear during my visit to DC: They do listen to their constituents-and you have spoken! Our senators and congressman have been getting letters from Idahoans asking them to take action on the Scotchman Peaks. It’s great for them to see that we aren’t just making up Idahoans’ support for the proposal.

So when can we expect the delegation to take up the Scotchman Peaks? I wish I had a crystal ball, but another thing I have learned about DC is that you often have to stand in line. Currently, other issues are simply taking priority, like reforming the way we pay for the costs associated with fighting wildfires. That’s a whole other topic I won’t get into here, but clearly other issues need to be resolved before the delegation can devote energy to the Scotchmans.

In the meantime, I encourage you to keep making your voices heard! Take a few minutes and ask the delegation to introduce legislation to protect the Scotchman Peaks-if you haven’t already. Yes, they may be busy right now, but it doesn’t hurt to keep the issue on their minds!