SUBMIT A LTE

Use your voice to keep grizzly bears protected and to push back on misinformation. Letters to the editor are one of the fastest ways to reach decision‑makers and your community. This page walks you through what to write, where to send it, and how to make it count.

WHY LTES MATTER

Editors read them. Lawmakers’ staff compile them. Community members talk about them. A steady drumbeat of short, local letters shapes public opinion and signals that people in your town want science‑based, humane grizzly policy.

WHAT TO WRITE

  • Keep it local. Start with a clear connection to place: your town, nearby forests, a recent local article, or an upcoming meeting. One sentence of local context can double your chance of publication.

  • Stay concise. Most outlets want 150–250 words. Aim for 180–200 unless the outlet says otherwise. One idea, one story, one clear ask.

  • Make a specific ask. Tell leaders and agencies exactly what you want (e.g., oppose delisting, oppose recent legislation, reject trophy hunts, invest in coexistence tools, follow best‑available science).

  • Write like you talk. Simple, direct sentences. Avoid jargon and acronyms. You don’t need citations in LTEs; if you reference data, attribute it in plain language (for example, “state biologists,” “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service”).

  • Use our talking points as your guide.

LOCALIZE IT

Answer two or three of these in a sentence or two each:

  • Where do you live and what public lands or waters connect you to bears?

  • What recent news, agency proposal, or local event prompted your letter (e.g., rescinding of the Roadless Rule)?

  • What is one concrete action you want leaders to take?

STRUCTURE

  1. Hook (1–2 sentences). React to a recent story or open with a local fact or personal scene.

  2. Core point (3–4 sentences). State your main argument and one supporting example.

  3. Specific ask (1–2 sentences). Name who should act and what they should do—e.g., “Congress must reject H.R. 281/S. 316.”

  4. Close (1 sentence). Reaffirm values and restate why this matters where you live.

Please use this sample as your guide and reflect your own voice, and you can incorporate different talking points to help make your letter more unique.

LTE SAMPLE

To the Editor,

For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has quietly helped protect some of the most important remaining wildlife habitat in our national forests. That includes the secure, connected landscapes grizzly bears in the lower 48 need to survive and recover.

Grizzlies do not just need acres on a map, they need habitat free from the roads that bring conflict, poaching risk, vehicle strikes, and displacement—especially of mothers with cubs. Scientists have long recognized that road density is one of the strongest predictors of whether grizzly bears persist in a landscape. That is exactly why roadless areas matter.

Millions of acres of grizzly bear connectivity habitat in the lower 48 are located in Roadless Areas, and connectivity is crucial for recovery efforts. Many sit alongside designated Wilderness, or provide islands of refuge among a sea of roads, forming the only remaining corridors capable of reconnecting isolated populations.

The proposal to remove Roadless Rule protections from tens of millions of acres would reduce secure habitat at the very moment some politicians are claiming grizzlies have recovered. You cannot have it both ways. Delisting without protecting the habitat that makes recovery possible is not a biological decision, it is a political one.

The Roadless Rule has been one of the most successful conservation policies in modern history. If we are serious about grizzly recovery, we must ensure these landscapes are road-free.

WHERE AND HOW TO SUBMIT

Most papers publish submission guidelines on a “Letters” page. Do a Google search of “Letters to the Editor + [newspaper name].” Read the rules and watch for word limit, exclusivity, and one‑letter‑per‑month policies.

Have this ready when you submit: full name, street address (not printed), phone number, email, and your word‑count‑friendly letter pasted into the form. If you email your LTE, put the text in the body and use a clear subject line.

Subject line ideas:

  • Opinion: The Roadless Rule Keeps Grizzlies Safe

  • Opinion: Grizzly Recovery Requires Roads to Stay Out

  • Opinion: The Roadless Rule Is a Grizzly Lifeline