Family and childhood experiences shape our lives. Matt Bullard points to his upbringing in the commercial fishing town of New Bedford, MA, going door to door campaigning with his father, the mayor of their town, and sailing out on the open ocean as the things that instilled in him a love of the great outdoors, a respect for those who make their living off the land, and an appreciation for the political process. Those are the same qualities that make Matt Bullard such an outstanding advocate for Idaho's breathtaking wild lands.
"Before I came to Idaho, I don't think I comprehended what wilderness was, though I knew it existed," says Matt. As a child, Matt spent a lot of time on the water. When he moved to landlocked Idaho nearly seven years ago, he was looking for an experience that would give him the same satisfaction as sailing. "Being out in the wilderness and in the mountains was a similar experience and feeling to being out on the ocean. It filled that void."
The place that offered Matt the greatest feeling of wildness was Idaho's White Cloud Mountains. "Each year, all the guys in my family do some sort of ridiculous adventure involving physical suffering," Matt says jokingly. "So my second summer in Idaho I organized a trip for my dad, brother and cousin. I had heard about Castle Peak, which is the center of the White Clouds, and the mystique and mystery around it attracted me. Though we didn't summit that day, it was still amazing. It was just the most beautiful place I had ever been. And I've been going back ever since."
At this point, Matt was hooked on Idaho's wilderness. His next step was to join the Idaho Conservation League, the organization leading the charge to protect this incredible area. "I first got involved with the Idaho Conservation League as part of a local open space campaign," says Matt. "I volunteered to go door to door and talk to people. My dad was the mayor of New Bedford, so I was knocking on doors when I was 10 years old. It's a neat way to connect with the community."
Once Matt became active with the Idaho Conservation League, he naturally gravitated towards the group's Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness campaign. "Matt Bullard began as a wilderness advocate for the Idaho Conservation League by leading hikes into Central Idaho's Boulder-White Cloud Mountains five years ago," says Rachel Winer, outreach coordinator for the Idaho Conservation League. "These hikes show citizens what a special place the Boulder-White Clouds are, and increase the constituency of people who support protecting it as wilderness. As a mountain biker, Matt has been an avid and articulate supporter of wilderness and passionately encourages others to do so as well."
In addition to his love for wilderness, Matt has a deep appreciation for the centuries-old legislative process, saying, "I am grateful to be a part of that collaborative political process that seems to be bearing fruit for many of the people involved, not the least of which is us and 300,000 acres of wilderness!" Matt has seen the process at work locally, as well as in our nation's capital, where he traveled in June to share his passion for a Boulder-White Clouds wilderness with lawmakers.
Matt is looking forward to getting married this month and, once he's back from his honeymoon, continuing to work on the Boulder-White Clouds campaign, which he hopes will result in the first new protected wilderness in Idaho in more than 20 years.
Matt's advice to other people who care about wilderness and want to help is, "Just do it. It's extremely rewarding to help with something that will be permanent. That's quite a legacy." Matt stays motivated by his desire to give back to his community and by the sheer beauty and magnificence of the Boulder-White Cloud region, and simply because "it's the right thing to do."
The Campaign for America's Wilderness, The Wilderness Society and the Idaho Conservation League are proud to recognize and honor Matt for his commitment, passion and energy in protecting Wild Idaho.
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