The TCA team and 29 representatives from 23 TCA member companies just wrapped up our annual D.C. Fly-In and we’re returning invigorated by the energy our community brought to this year’s event. The Fly-In is always a memorable and impactful week, but with our outdoor spaces facing threats like never before, it was critical that businesses voiced their concerns this year.
The Importance of the Business Voice
Across three packed days, our teams held 65 meetings on Capitol Hill with elected officials, key staff, and federal agencies to advocate for the protection of public lands and waters – making the business case for conservation. Businesses are some of the most critical stakeholders in successfully standing up for our public lands and waters. We bring a unique, credible, and authentic perspective and interest. Together, participating brands at the Fly-In represented a considerable force of the outdoor economy – one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the nation that is providing jobs and developing communities who can thrive for generations to come.
Whether this was someone’s first time in D.C. or their tenth, we worked together to make sure elected officials heard directly from businesses and communities who rely on healthy, accessible, and protected public lands. Our goals were ambitious, but achievable:
- To elevate and advance our priority campaigns to deliver tangible wins for communities and the places we cherish.
- To ensure that the strength and unity of our collective voice leaves a lasting impression on D.C. leaders.
- To build the narrative around the importance of protected lands and waters for the outdoor economy in both the short and long run.
- To ignite participants’ passion for advocacy and equip them with the tools and confidence to engage meaningfully with the issues that matter most to their business.
- To create opportunities for meaningful connection between TCa members, grantees, coalition partners, and the TCA team.
Priority Issues
This year’s Fly-In came at a critical time. Many of our conversations centered around priority campaigns for TCA and our members, including: the Roadless Rule, advocacy for national monuments – including Grand Staircase-Escalante, funding and resources for land management agencies, reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund, protecting against large-scale public lands sell-offs, and more.
TCA and our members voiced strong opposition to any legislative attempts to repeal protections from critical landscapes or undermine longstanding land management plans. We called for transparency and collaboration in decisions about public land management and emphasized that local stakeholders, especially businesses and communities, deserve a seat at the table.
We showed up to every meeting armed with the economic data to strengthen our position and persuade decision makers on both sides of the aisle that land and water conservation is good for our economy and good for business. Our five lobbying teams helped expand our network of conservation-minded congressional allies, including 19 meetings with Republican offices and four key committee meetings.
What’s Next?
We’re energized by the progress made in D.C. and know this momentum must continue. Here’s how members can stay engaged:
- Join us again next year: If you’re a business member interested in future Fly-Ins, this is your sign to start planning. These trips are powerful platforms for advocacy, networking, and learning.
- Use your voice: If you attended the Fly-In, share what you learned with your team or community. Help others in your company understand the impact of business advocacy.
- Stay involved: Track our priority campaigns and watch for upcoming calls to action through email and social media.
- Join Brands for Public Lands: Our collective business voice in defense of public lands and waters continues to grow and your company can join today.
- Join TCA’s Business Advocacy Network: This eight-month program teaches participants about TCA’s current priority campaigns and equips them to execute impactful advocacy strategies in collaboration with their employers. Applications for the 2027 cohort will open in fall of 2026.
We’re incredibly grateful to our members and partners who took part in this year’s Fly-In. Thanks to their dedication, TCA continues to demonstrate that businesses have a powerful and necessary role to play in shaping the future of conservation policy. All businesses – from global brands to local shops – can help protect the natural places we all love and the communities that depend on them.
