Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week 2026

There are many ways to connect with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition, including participating in Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week, hosted annually in Washington DC.

Schedule

Strategy Prep

  • February 6, 10-11:30am mountain time (consultation with Republican lobbyist), online on zoom
  • March 9, noon-1pm mountain time (pre-travel briefing), online on zoom

In DC

  • Monday, March 23
    • Travel to DC
    • Informal no-host dinner meetup at 7pm at Ambar, 523 8th Street SE ($83/per person all-you-can-eat Balkan cuisine dinner consisting of family-style small plates to share, includes gratuity)
  • Tuesday, March 24
    • Congressional meetings
    • Wild Rivers Night Happy Hour (appetizers provided, no-host drinks) at 5:30pm in the Cactus Room at Mission Navy Yard, 1221 Van St SE
  • Wednesday, March 25
    • Congressional meetings
  • Thursday, March 26
    • Agency meetings
    • Congressional Briefing at 11:30am in Rayburn 2075
  • Friday, March 27
    • Travel home

Note that Congressional members will be out on Easter recess the weeks of March 30 and April 6 (the two weeks following Hill Week), and some may leave DC as early as March 27. Be prepared to begin your meeting requests in early March to ensure you secure meetings the week of March 23. You may be able to conduct in-district followup with members during the Easter recess and/or continue to followup with DC staff who will be working during the recess. Ask about opportunities and availability to follow up when scheduling your meetings.

Including and Leveraging Constituent Voices

Begin budgeting now for travel for constituents to accompany you to DC–not just for the impact they will bring while in DC but to nurture their continued engagement following their visit. Bringing constituents (e.g. local business owners, outfitters/guides, county commissioners, Tribal Nation representatives, local landowners, other influencers etc.) will increase the likelihood that you get time with Congressional members. Having constituents request member meetings can also increase the likelihood of securing a member meeting. Develop a strategy for the meeting ahead of time that best elevates constituent voices rather than those of your environmental advocacy organization. Constituents without lobbying experience who have never been to DC before are sometimes overwhelmed the first time–it’s fast and furious and easy to get lost inside government buildings. Inviting the same constituents more than one year in a row empowers them to become more experienced and influential advocates. Following Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week, constituents are fired up to engage with your campaign or cause–have a strategy in place to further engage them in the months following (e.g. trip with Congressional member on the river, local events/fundraising, op/ed or other media pieces etc.).

Accommodations

Attendees are responsible for their own travel, hotel, metro/cab/uber, and food expenses when in DC. We recommend that you book your accommodations proximate to, or within easy travel distance of, Navy Yard (this is where evening events take place on Monday and Tuesday). Make your travel arrangements EARLY to avoid significant cost increases. In 2025 hotel prices nearly doubled for reservations made after March 1.

Resources

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition will supply the following resources for you to use during your Congressional meetings (available starting in 2026; some will be linked to here, others will be available via the listserve):

  • Access to government affairs consultation so you can ask questions about your strategy
  • Collective spreadsheet to track our collective 90-100 meetings
  • Wild and scenic river bill 1-pager (list of bills currently in play and their status)
  • Wild and scenic river campaign maps (GIS maps of rivers protected through current campaigns of different types)
  • Leave-behind 1-pagers on (available following our March 9 briefing for you to print):
    • The WSRC and scope/impact of our collective work
    • Bills the Coalition supports
    • Nexus of wild and scenic rivers and roadless
    • Compatibility of wild and scenic rivers with forest management
    • Partnership wild and scenic rivers: A community driven river protection model

Other resources

Learn more about successes from past Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Weeks.