Sometimes an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone reveals what is sacred within all of us.

Author: Maddy Miller, Development Associate, WILD.org

On the last day of the 12th World Wilderness Congress, I found myself scrambling. My carefully crafted plan to handle the resolution voting process through our congress-planning app had met a wall. Many preferred the familiarity of paper stubs over the unfamiliar vagaries of a digital app. So, I began weaving through the rows as a vote courier, delivering slips, counting votes, and ferrying updates to the presenters. Up and down the aisles I moved, tallying each “yes” and “no,” determined for every voice in the room to be heard.

But as each resolution was counted, I was also anxiously counting down the seconds to the presentation of my own motion calling for zero deforestation in Sápmi, the traditional territory of the Sámi People and home to a large swath of boreal forest, one of our planet’s most significant natural carbon sinks.

Earlier in the week, I had met Maidi Andersson, a 22-year-old Sámi reindeer herder from Sweden. Maidi’s story hit close to my heart. She shared with Congress delegates her firsthand account of the loss of her people’s ancestral forests, the land where her reindeer once roamed that was now stripped bare, gouged with feet-deep scars from machinery. Hearing her speak, and viewing the images she shared of her home-now marred and desolate- I felt the depth of her grief and the strength of her resolve. And I felt a strange but powerful kinship with her and her cause.

Deep scars etched into the landscape—a lasting impact of logging on fragile ecosystems, leaving forests stripped and biodiversity threatened.

Vast remnants of ancient trees: a stark reminder of the toll logging takes on the Boreal Forest.

Since I was a kid, I have felt a deep connection to the lichen-clad forests of the north, drawn by the silent strength of the conifer trees and the countless lives sheltered beneath the dense canopy. I longed to honor and protect it, and now was my chance to give something back to the place that had long inspired me. For years, the boreal had always been a part of me, even though I often concealed my connection to it, unsure of my voice in the company of esteemed elders and wilderness guardians.

United by a passion for Maidi’s story and the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing these hallowed forests, a group of us—young conservationists, each bringing unique strengths—gathered to write a resolution for the boreal forest. With Maidi’s firsthand insights, Tori’s expertise in resolution drafting, Jackie and Giulia’s skillful sourcing, and Yen’s experience in precise language, we channeled our strengths for the benefit of the wild. My passion for the forest poured out, and with it, a piece of my heart and an offering to the mission of the World Wilderness Congress. In that room, sharing these pieces of ourselves was the biggest gift we could offer. 

And yet with so many others also giving their voices to wilderness at the Congress, the sense that we were building something sacred together was palpable.  All around me were others just as passionate about preserving the wild, the pulse of unity stronger than I’d ever felt.

And so the final day of the 12th World Wilderness Congress would be the day I would give voice to my connection with the boreal forests. Twelve hours after our ad hoc team had convened around Maidi’s cause – our cause – we found ourselves on stage. As the lights dimmed, I followed Maidi’s powerful opening, presenting the urgency of the situation confronting Sápmi. My words, carefully practiced in the bathroom mirror, now conveyed years of love and learning. When we concluded, reading our “resolved” section, we held our collective breath, hoping our offering was worthy of the forest we cherished.

Maidi Andersson presenting Resolution 12: Protecting the Sámi Forest: Safeguarding Biodiversity and Indigenous Livelihoods, at the 12th World Wilderness Congress

But before I could process the weight of our action, there were other responsibilities I needed to tend to – namely, the potentially awkward situation of collecting “yes” and “no” votes from people for my own resolution. The voting continued, row by row, ticket by ticket, with gentle words passed to me along the way: “Well done.” “I’m proud of you.” One woman grasped my hand, her eyes shining with fierceness, and said, “Don’t ever lose that fire in you. We need it.” Whether she meant “we” as in the advocates in the room or “we” as in the collective beings that make up life on Earth, I’ll leave it for others to decide.

When the final vote was collected, I felt a calm settle over me, a strength I hadn’t felt before. I was ready and no longer just presenting “my” passion. I recognized that what had transpired because of my team’s collective willingness to share of themselves was something  sacred. By giving away what mattered to me, I had deepened my bond with it, and with everyone in that room. 

In stepping out, I found that sharing is what made my passion for the boreal forest truly come alive. I felt it grow more sacred, as though this forest and its stories became more “mine” precisely because I was willing to give them away. We were there to honor the earth and, in doing so, honored the parts of ourselves that had previously remained hidden. As I shared my voice, reality hit me: our passions, our unique gifts, become sacred through the act of giving them away. And in that act, we find the courage to keep going, to keep protecting, and to keep giving ourselves away for something greater.

This blog is the third in a series of 5 blogs sharing stories from WILD’s work and impact during 2024. If you are inspired by the work and ideas in these blogs, please consider giving a donation to WILD here. WILD’s impact belongs as much to our community of donors as it does to the members of our organization. To learn more about WILD’s work in 2024, visit here to read our annual report.