For a cleaner, more prosperous world, ACC mobilizes conservatives around environmental issues, fostering collaboration in the pursuit of environmental conservation.
Summer is the season of long days, cold drinks, and laughter that carries over lakes. It’s when outdoor recreation reigns supreme, and when our connection to nature reminds us of what we’re fighting for: a country worth conserving, a community worth strengthening, and a future worth building.
The 2025 ACC Summit captured all of that. Set in Tennessee’s Montgomery Bell State Park—where the remodeled lodge blurred the line between resort and camp—we lived out three days that felt both like a retreat and a boot camp for what’s to come.
Thursday, August 9th, Camp Begins
Members arrived in Nashville and boarded an hour-long shuttle deep into the Tennessee wilderness. Excitement pulsed through the newly remodeled lodge, where rustic timber and modern glass stood side by side, like two halves of our movement: heritage and innovation.
As attendees made their way to the ballroom, the hallway served as a passage into the broader conservative conservation movement. Exhibit tables from ClearPath, Leadership Institute, America’s Future, and others lined the way, connecting members instantly with the leaders shaping this work. This year’s Summit was made possible thanks to Oklo, The Nuclear Company, Run Gen Z, ClearPath, Leadership Institute, CRES Forum, Rainey Center, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and Switch Energy Alliance.
That evening, the American Conservation Coalition’s executive leadership team, CEO Danielle Franz, President Chris Barnard, and COO Stephen Perkins, welcomed (WATCH) the crowd to Tennessee and played a special message from Senator Marsha Blackburn, who thanked attendees for their involvement with ACC. Tennessee Environment & Conservation Commissioner David Salyers then outlined (WATCH) Governor Bill Lee’s conservation vision, followed by Jonathan Webb of The Nuclear Company. Webb spoke (WATCH) about America’s clean-energy future, punctuated by a promotional film on nuclear power that left students buzzing, especially with the news that they’d been invited to attend the September 15th premiere screening at the Kennedy Center.
But the truest “opening ceremony” happened outdoors. Campfires and s’mores under a Tennessee sky closed out day one, as lightning bugs lit the paths back to cabins.
Friday, August 10th, Eagles & Lakes
Friday dawned bright, and the first sight was a sea of matching Summit tees. This year’s design was a bald eagle clutching a lantern, symbolizing conservatives’ responsibility to light the way forward. Members poured out toward the lake for a quick group photo, a snapshot of the movement gathered in one place.
The moment dissolved almost instantly into motion. Attendees sprinted toward their chosen activities: kayaks skimmed across the lake, arrows flew at archery targets, and volleyballs spiked into the shallow lake court. Paddle boats, fishing lines, even skeet shooting… all of it sparked playful camaraderie and reminded us why a summer outdoors is our greatest classroom.
By midday, the crowd regrouped for lunch and a full slate of inspiration. Parker Cardwell of Rainmaker opened with a casual chat on cloudseeding (WATCH), followed by a state policy panel hosted by the Rainey Center, featuring ACC alumni now elected to represent their states (WATCH). Ohio’s Tex Fischer, Utah’s Tyler Clancy, and Iowa’s Austin Harris shared their journeys with attendees and took audience questions. Lunch was capped off with Fervo Energy‘s Nour Ghadanfar discussing (WATCH) the unique role of geothermal energy in solving our energy needs.
Afternoon breakouts gave attendees the chance to tailor their learning—whether diving into conservation funding models, confronting invasive carp in the Mississippi Basin, unpacking ACC’s Make America Beautiful Again campaign, or sharpening leadership skills with staff.
Everyone came back in the evening for dinner and was welcomed by Zachary Hartman of Ducks Unlimited, discussing (WATCH) their critical conservation work, and Mike Howard of Howard Energy Partners speaking (WATCH) to future energy concerns. We closed the night not in a ballroom but by the pool, with Tennessee sweet treats and The Parent Trap projected under the stars.
Saturday, August 11th, Legacy in Action
By Saturday, Summit had settled into a rhythm. After breakfast, attendees took to a nearby field to host our first-ever Field Day! The idea was a runaway success—joyful competition, sweaty laughter, the kind of memories that anchor friendships. Our teams competed in a series of classic games like tug-of-war, potato sack races, and dogeball, culminating in a final slip-n-slide kickball tournament.
Lunch inspired again, this time with Carly Tomaine of the Leadership Institute, educating attendees on all the opportunities available to them as they begin to develop their careers (WATCH). Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library‘s Matt Briney discussed the future presidential library and the importance of the land it’s built on (WATCH). Breakouts sharpened skills for advocacy, communications, and leadership with sponsors like Run Gen Z and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions leading the trainings alongside ACC staff.
After a chance to relax and explore Montgomery Bell, attendees came back for an evening of celebration at the Awards Dinner. Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- The Teddy Roosevelt Award (Member of the Year): Tyler Linnebur, ACC Denver & ACC Mines
- ACC’s Busiest Bee Award: Simonne Lenseigne, ACC UNC-Chapel Hill
- Trailblazer Award: Hai An Hoang, ACC Houston
- Event of the Year: ACC Indy’s Energy Policy Panel (with CEN & RepublicEn!)
- Best Social Media: ACC Houston
- Best Young Professional Branch: ACC DFW
- College Branch of the Year: IU-Bloomington
Motivational speaker John Sachse closed the Summit with a call to resilience (WATCH), an echo of what Theodore Roosevelt himself might have told a room of young leaders.
As Fall Creeps in…
The 2025 ACC Summit was not your average grassroots conference. It was a season distilled: lightning bugs on night paths, bald eagles and lanterns on cotton, paddles cutting through water, s’mores shared by firelight. America’s outdoors are teachers, bond-makers, and the reason we shoulder this work. What we conserve is more than beauty; it is a piece of the American spirit.
Now, as summer fades into fall and winter waits around the bend, we carry that energy forward. The kind found in camps and cabins, in laughter and in policy debates, in the outdoors among friends that remind us to care more deeply for our country, for one another, and for ourselves.
The campfires may be out, but the conviction burns brighter than ever.