How can I find my way around the park?

You should download offline maps and get the National Park Service app on your phone. The entry gate and stores have official park maps and other documents that can help you get around.

What should I bring?

Everything you need to bring is in the invitation.

Which airport should we fly into?

This too is in the invitation.

Where will we stay?

This information also can be found in the invitation.

Who is likely to serve as judges?

The Sierra Sustainability Summit puts stakeholders in front of working professionals with decision-making power, which means every case students present has the potential to influence official government policies in the region. Tuolumne County’s population is primarily white. Local officials with decision-making power are primarily cisgender, heterosexual, White men. Because of this our judging panels often lack diversity, but are composed of people with decision-making power who wish to be allies in the movement to make public lands more accessible to all Americans regardless of their backgrounds or identities. Because our judges are in the position to act on our students’ policy proposals, what we lack in diversity is offset by the potential for students to make lasting, real-world change to diversify who visits and works in our public lands. We understand that this may not be the most comfortable situation for students of minority status to be in, but working to make the world more equitable has never been comfortable. We are committed to diversifying our panels as we gain access to a more diverse slate of local decision-makers.

How will judges decide who wins?

Judges tend to give preference to easily implementable, low cost policies delivered in presentations that are well organized and presented with a dynamic and inspiring delivery. The skills students have learned from public speaking and advocacy classes, as well as from participating on speech and debate teams should serve them well.

Has anyone’s advocacy ever changed anything?

Judges have expressed interest both during and after the competition in implementing elements from multiple policy proposals delivered by winning and non-winning teams. Trophies and titles are nice, but a judge saying, “I can start working toward implementing this tomorrow” is the ultimate win.