I never thought that two senior officials from the Department of Defense would motivate me to look at the work I've done the last 20 years and be compelled to jump up, raise my hand and volunteer. But that is what happened at the 2011 National Rural Assembly. I, for a brief moment, considered joining the military.

The keynote speech presented by Colonel Mark Myleby of the US Marine Corps and Captain Wayne Porter of the U.S.Navy spoke about their shared adventure in writing the National Strategic Narrative they published. It was one of the most intriguing keynote speeches I have ever heard at conference about rural America.

When these two physically fit, lightly gray-haired men took command of the stage I couldn't phantom what they could say that would be relevant to the National Rural Assembly or Sustainable Northwest. But when they opened with a statement about the need for opportunity assessments rather than relying solely on risk assessments, I knew I was hooked.

Imagine if those of us who care about communities and conservation approached challenges by doing assessments of opportunities rather than trying to account for every possible risk we could confront? Imagine if the Forest Service was tasked with presenting opportunities to create healthy, resilient ecosystems rather than trying to disclose every possible adverse affect? Not to completely reject risk assessment, but it points out that assessing risk alone is an endless and almost unachievable task (especially in the face of climate change) that can constipate decision-making, as Captain Porter pointed out.

They emphasized that we live in an open ever-changing system creating conditions for innovation. As they made their case for education as a pathway for innovation I thought of the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition participants who are innovators committed to solving problems through experimentation, learning, and creating opportunity by working across sectors through diverse public-private partnerships. And I thought to myself, we are on the right path.

I thought of our rural partners who weigh opportunity as much as risk and choose to imagine and create a lifestyle built by honoring local culture and heritage and the values and ethics that define what community means in the places they call home. Building a secure future goes beyond defending the status quo, security can only be achieved when we are able to seize and create opportunity. So when the Colonel and Captain said that security is synonymous with freedom I realized just how important a sustainability framework is to our movement.

I realized I didn't need to join the military to support this National Strategic Narrative because I am working with the frameworks pioneers and practitioners. Building a movement can only be achieved one person at time in tandem with people working together aggregate the change. Movements are inclusive, ever evolving, and build cumulative success as conditions change and new opportunity arises.

It is at events like the National Rural Assembly where those of us that focus on stewardship of our natural resources can meet their counterparts working on education, health care, community investment, and other issues and articulate a vision that creates and captures opportunities to positively affect the everyday lives of people across America today and in the future.