Conservation & Advocacy

Growing up in Seattle, I wasn't fully aware of the human-caused impacts on our environment, nor did I understand our responsibility to give back to our shared home until an elementary school field trip taught me about the impact our stormwater systems have on local salmon populations. Picking up trash with my classmates and spray-painting stencils of salmon near storm drains around our local watershed remains imprinted in my mind, reminding me of the interconnectedness of nature and our charge to steward it. Read more…

To continue to grow a community of Mountaineers who adventure with purpose as conservation advocates, we came together virtually on June 4 to share the latest policy updates from our conservation team. As we discussed progress on our federal conservation priorities and how our members can best advocate for the outdoors, we heard your passion for protecting the Northwest’s special outdoor places and creating a better climate future for all. Our members’ dedication to and engagement in conservation drives our staff-led advocacy and encourages us to create more opportunities for our community to learn and advocate together. Read more…

Public lands and waters - the places we hike, climb, paddle, and find connection and belonging outdoors - are critical to The Mountaineers experience. Without them, the transformational opportunities and experiences our community provides would cease to exist. In our Conservation 101 blog, What Are Public Lands?, we celebrate the various types of federal public lands, but state-managed lands also play an important role in the outdoor recreation experience. Read more…

Buildings contribute a significant amount to global CO2 emissions, and Mountaineers facilities are no exception. As an organization that cares deeply about healthy lands and waters, we have a unique obligation to aggressively reduce our impact on the environment and respond to the climate crisis. While we do this through public lands advocacy, stewardship, and low-impact recreation practices, we still emit thousands of pounds of greenhouse gas emissions through our operations. Throughout the development of our strategic plan, Adventure with Purpose, we consistently heard from volunteers and donors that we need to make faster progress toward reducing our organization’s carbon footprint. In 2020, we formalized our commitment to this important work through the creation of our organizational climate statement. Read more…

The Mountaineers is partnering with the Sacred Lands Conservancy, an Indigenous-led nonprofit with strong ties to the Lummi Nation, to produce a series of educational pieces on the importance of mindful recreation and how we can all develop deeper connections to the histories of our natural places. Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley is a Lhaq’temish fisherwoman, an enrolled Lummi Nation tribal member, an elected member of Lummi Nation’s Fisheries and Natural Resource Commission, and President of the Sacred Lands Conservancy (SLC). We hope you enjoy this blog from her, written in collaboration with SLC’s Julie Trimingham, which shares more about tribal treaties of the Pacific Northwest - which allow us to live, work, and recreate on these lands and waters - and how we can all strive to uphold them today. - Conor Marshall, Advocacy & Engagement Manager Read more…

This weekend an estimated 23 million people will go camping across the US, and even more will get outside for the day to enjoy parks, forests, waterways, and other outdoor spaces. We love to see people enjoying the outdoors, and believe that each of us has a role in conserving the natural world—and the outdoor experiences we love—for future generations.  Read more…

Public land management. While it may not sound like the most exciting subject, Mountaineers courses and programs depend on well-managed public lands and waters. From trail maintenance to wildfire protection, an effective land management plan is the foundation for a good day spent outside. That’s where land managers come in. Read more…

What is biodiversity, and what creates it? What defines the ecosystems ranging from saltwater marshes to alpine tundra, and what species inhabit these areas?  Join the Seattle Naturalists for an engaging virtual exploration of Washington's diverse ecosystems, led by the Washington Natural Heritage Program Manager, Joe Rocchio.  Read more…

As someone who cares deeply about the outdoors, you’re well positioned to be an effective advocate - it just takes a little training and knowing the best opportunities to engage. In addition to advocating on behalf of our community of more than 16,000 outdoor enthusiasts, The Mountaineers amplifies opportunities to leverage your voice to advance conservation and recreation policy and create new ways to deepen your engagement in our conservation work. Read more…

 Have you ever wondered who builds and maintains the trails where you recreate, or who cuts the downed trees off the trails? We do. Read more…

The Mountaineers is partnering with the Sacred Lands Conservancy, an Indigenous-led nonprofit with strong ties to the Lummi Nation, to produce a series of educational pieces on the importance of mindful recreation and how we can all develop deeper connections to the histories of our natural places. Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley is a Lhaq’temish fisherwoman, an enrolled Lummi Nation tribal member, an elected member of Lummi Nation’s Fisheries and Natural Resource Commission, and President of the Sacred Lands Conservancy (SLC). We hope you enjoy this blog from her, written in collaboration with SLC’s Julie Trimingham, which shares history and context about the regional tribal treaties that allow us to live, work, and recreate on these lands and waters. - Conor Marshall, Advocacy & Engagement Manager Read more…

It was a humid summer day in the other Washington, as I donned a sport coat and tie and met with fellow bird conservation advocates on Capitol Hill. As a budding conservation advocate, this was my first in-person lobby meeting – a short 15-minutes with a congressional staffer about a bill that would help make federal buildings safer for birds. Read more…

As Mountaineers know well, land managers need new tools and resources to sustainably manage growing recreation on public lands in Washington State and across the country. For several years, The Mountaineers and our partners at Outdoor Alliance have been advocating for federal legislation that improves sustainable and equitable access to outdoor recreation, and we’re now one step closer to achieving a big win for the outdoors.  Read more…

Caring for our public lands, waterways, and outdoor spaces through stewardship is a central component of The Mountaineers ethic. Many Mountaineers courses require completion of the Stewardship Credit badge to graduate, and our membership gives thousands of volunteer hours toward stewardship each year.  Read more…

You don’t have to be a skilled lobbyist or an expert advocate to make a difference for the lands you love. As someone who cares deeply about the outdoors, you’re well positioned to be an effective advocate - it just takes a little time and training. That’s where our recently-launched Advocacy 101 eLearning course comes in. Through Advocacy 101, you’ll learn the basics of advocacy and best practices for advocating for important conservation and recreation initiatives by engaging with lawmakers and land managers.
Read more…

State-managed public lands like Blanchard Mountain, Mount Si, and Tieton’s Royal Columns connect us to nature through the recreational activities we enjoy in all seasons. With Mountaineers programs and activities frequently occurring on state lands, each legislative session we advocate for priority bills and funding requests that improve conservation and recreation at the state level.
Read more…

ELearning plays a critical role in our community's efforts to teach and learn outdoor skills and build a shared culture of conservation. Three conservation-focused offerings on our eLearning management system, Coassemble, are some of the many ways we educate Mountaineers about conservation and cultivate stewards and advocates for the places we cherish.
Read more…

Mountaineers programs have always been infused with a conservation ethos. “Mountaineers don’t just love being outside, we love the outdoors itself,” wrote Betsy Robblee, Conservation & Advocacy Director at The Mountaineers. “We want to share the natural world with others and take action to protect the outdoor experience for future generations.” Read more…

Note: The Park's timed entry FAQ webpage is the best resource with the most up to date information on how to visit Mount Rainier National Park  during summer 2024.

Last week, Mount Rainier National Park announced that many visitors will need reservations to access the park through popular entrances during peak hours this summer. From May 24 through Labor Day, most visitors entering through the Nisqually and Stevens entrances between 7am and 3pm will need to make an online or phone reservation ahead of time. Reservations will also be required at the White River entrance beginning July 3 and lasting through Labor Day.  Read more…

Note: this public comment period has closed. We'll keep our community updated on future developments in this process.

When the Pacific Northwest “Timber Wars” reached a boiling point in the early 1990s, federal agencies turned to scientists to find a solution. The result was the creation of the U.S. Forest Service’s landmark 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. For nearly 30 years, the plan has attempted to strike a balance between conservation and timber industry interests on federally-managed lands in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. But threats and pressures to our forests have changed dramatically since the plan’s inception. Wildfires have grown in intensity and range, and scientists and policy-makers have a better understanding of the urgent need to slow and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Read more…

The outdoor adventures made possible through The Mountaineers would cease to exist without conserved public lands and waters, climate-resilient landscapes, and sustainable recreational access. A critical component of adventuring with purpose is advocating to protect public lands, fight the climate crisis, and improve the human-powered outdoor experience. You don’t have to be a policy expert to make a difference for the lands you love. As someone who cares deeply about the outdoors, you’re well positioned to be an effective outdoor advocate - it just takes a little time and training. Read more…

This year’s Bellevue Mountainfilm on Tour film program, Big Green World, highlights films on environmentalism, ecology, stewardship of our lands and wild places, adventure, and emotional engagement with the outdoors. Travel to places such as the rain forests of the Amazon Basin, the coast of Scotland, and the Baffin Islands of Nunavut. Don't miss the highline rope walk between two hot air balloons at 6,300 feet! Read more…

The Mountaineers BeWild Speaker Series puts passion and adventure on center stage. Join us at BeWild with Salmon, Cedar, Rock & Rain: Washington's Olympic Peninsula contributors on February 15 to unlock inspiration, seek adventure, connect with nature, and work to protect the wild places we cherish. Read more…

Outdoor recreation is growing in popularity in Washington state and across the country, and land managers need new tools and resources to sustainably manage recreation on public lands. The Mountaineers and our partners at Outdoor Alliance have been advocating for federal legislation that improves sustainable and equitable access to outdoor recreation.  Read more…

Note, this public comment period has closed. We'll keep our community updated on future developments in this process.

For many Mountaineers students, the South Face of the Tooth in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is their first foray into the world of alpine climbing. Considering its close proximity to the Seattle area, wide ledges for belaying, and grippy holds, it’s no wonder that the South Face is a classic teaching space for our alpine programs. Unfortunately, our community’s ability to safely access critical teaching spaces like the South Face of the Tooth is in jeopardy due to recently released National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) proposals. Read more…

Update: Federal land managers have released the final environmental impact statement, evaluating options for restoring grizzlies to the North Cascades. This is not a final decision, but rather an evaluation of the impacts of possible actions. We’ll keep our community updated on future developments in this process. Read more…

When I first came to The Mountaineers, I was excited to be part of a community that values conservation the way I do. Mountaineers don’t just love being outside, we love the outdoors itself. We want to share the natural world with others and take action to protect the outdoor experience for future generations.  Read more…

In July 2021, my wife and I navigated high-season crowds to Colchuck Lake on our first adventure in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, one of the most visited Wilderness Areas in the country. We arrived early and still had to park a mile from the trailhead. During the hike, we passed by throngs of other outdoor enthusiasts. Experiencing this bustle didn’t diminish the stunning views and thrill of wide-open spaces, but it did underscore the need to harmonize recreation with the protection of this beloved landscape. Read more…

Washington state has it all when it comes to outdoor recreation opportunities: an idyllic coastline, jagged peaks, and golden larches. But unfortunately, eroded trails, ancient bathrooms, washed out roads, and other challenges can prevent outdoor enthusiasts from experiencing the restorative power of our public lands.  Read more…

Picture this: you’re a small instructional group (SIG) leader for the Basic Alpine Climbing course with The Mountaineers. You've planned out all of your weeknight rope-tying and anchor-building clinics, and now you're excited to challenge your students with their first field trip on real rock. But all of your favorite teaching crags are already booked, The Mountaineers is out of permit days, and you can't find a location to run a trip. You may be the latest Mountaineer impacted by Washington’s cumbersome and inflexible public lands permitting systems. Read more…