For a cleaner, more prosperous world, ACC mobilizes conservatives around environmental issues, fostering collaboration in the pursuit of environmental conservation.
In December, as the year came to a close, we hit a milestone that once felt distant.
100,000 grassroots members.
That number marks the emergence of something serious and rooted: a conservative environmental movement built from the ground up, community by community, trailhead by trailhead, summit by summit.
We had hoped to reach that number by the end of 2026. We got there a full year early.
It happened not because of flash or frenzy, but because young conservatives across the country kept showing up. They hosted events, brought their friends, passed out flyers, led cleanups, gave talks, and made the case that freedom, prosperity, and stewardship belong together. Nearly 500 events across the country in 2025, 84 community ambassadors leading in their hometowns, and one incredible Summit outside of Nashville gave shape to a year that proved this movement is growing immensely. It proves there is something real and profound here.
Then we capped the year off with a booth that felt like a rallying cry.
At AMERICAFEST 2025, we built what became one of the most talked-about booths at the conference: the ACC General Store. A place for builders, believers, and good stewards. A place where the walls were lined with vintage conservation prints, nods to President Theodore Roosevelt, and gifts for anyone who wants to steward creation with their hands and their time.
Although the booth was cute and clever, it ultimately served to show that this movement has texture, that our values can be seen, worn, carried, and shared. The General Store was a physical expression of a belief that people still care about their country, their place, and that they’re hungry for politics that feels grounded again.
The gear flew fast. The “Stand Up for Sportsmen” and “Make America Beautiful Again” caps and our original posters quickly became some of the most beloved merch of the year. Attendees snapped selfies with our cowboy President Trump cutout, picked up field guides and handbooks, and left with a sense that ACC is a movement they can join, help build, and pass on.
There’s something about the General Store that captures where we are as an organization. For years, ACC has worked to reclaim and renew a vision of conservative environmental leadership. We’ve done that on campuses, in policy meetings, and trail cleanups. We’ve taken it to Capitol Hill, to coal towns, to ranch lands and bayous. What AMFEST made clear though is that people are beginning to recognize that vision as their own.
The Executive Leadership Team addressing members at our 2025 Summit event
This isn’t theory anymore. It’s a movement with names, places, and memories. The growth didn’t come from a viral moment either. It came from a steady stream of meaningful work that built trust in local places and gave young people something of which to be proud. From prairie restoration in Texas to solar education in Florida to permitting reform conversations in D.C., the people who joined this movement last year got to work.
Ultimately, what we’ve seen is that the momentum grows strongest when the vision becomes tangible.
When stewardship isn’t just discussed, but demonstrated.
When events feel like gathering places, not performances.
When people can walk away not just inspired, but equipped.
That’s what the General Store did. It equipped people to leave with more than a tote bag. It gave them a piece of a broader story where their presence matters, their voice carries weight, and their action makes a difference. That spirit wasn’t confined to a booth in Phoenix though. Across the country, our branch leaders are doing the same quiet work: equipping their neighbors with conviction, community, and the courage to lead. That’s how we reached 100,000. That’s how we’ll reach the next 100,000.
This year, we will keep going. More chapters. More ambassadors. More events that build community and courage. We know the path ahead still has obstacles. The old debates are still dug in. Last year proved something important, however: we’re no longer in the business of proving this movement is possible. We are now building what’s next.
100,000 members is not the summit. It’s a basecamp. From here, we climb higher.
We have the momentum. We have the map. We have the people.
Let’s get to work.
Ryan Anderson is the Stakeholder Communications Manager at the American Conservation Coalition.