Conor Marshall
Each year, The Mountaineers joins our Outdoor Alliance (OA) partners in Washington, D.C., uniting with leaders in the human-powered outdoor community to advocate together with lawmakers and land managers for shared conservation and recreation priorities. While we engage in coordinated advocacy with OA throughout the year, meeting with decision-makers in person builds support for outdoor advocacy on a larger scale.
To elevate our priorities and continue building support for passing packages of conservation and recreation legislation by the end of the year, Outdoor Alliance Washington and human-powered recreation partners from across the country came together in Washington, D.C. last week for OA's largest advocacy “fly-in” to date. Nearly 80 advocates held more than 80 meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and administration officials, championing some of our biggest policy priorities like the EXPLORE Act - a first-of-its-kind package of recreation policy that will improve outdoor experiences on public lands.
We also celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Outdoor Alliance, which officially formed as a coalition of human-powered recreation groups in 2014. Reflecting on all we’ve achieved together for the outdoors, training the next crop of recreation advocates, and building support for more big wins for public lands and recreation will power Outdoor Alliance to achieve even more in the next ten years.
Building Conservation and Recreation Champions in Congress
Congress’ ability to pass a federal budget and avoid a government shutdown, and the results of the upcoming November election, will significantly shape the remaining months of the 118th Congress. Despite the uncertainty, we see opportunities to pass recreation and public lands legislation - issues that continue to draw broad bipartisan support. Our recent visit was well-timed, as conversations about how these priorities could pass Congress this year are ramping up and evolving week to week.
Washington state’s congressional delegation - like many others - is filled with champions of conservation and recreation issues in part because recreationists like you take action to protect public lands and the outdoor recreation experience. There are so many important issues to work on in Congress, and lawmakers and their staff have a finite amount of time, so in-person advocacy meetings are key to maintaining support for the issues our community cares about.
In what was Outdoor Alliance Washington’s largest advocacy presence in D.C yet., twelve Washington-based outdoor advocates from The Mountaineers, Washington Trails Association, Surfrider Foundation, American Whitewater, American Alpine Club, REI Co-op, Patagonia, and Cascade Backcountry Alliance met with the offices of nearly every member of Washington’s congressional delegation. These meetings worked to build relationships with those members and their staff, highlight our priorities, and gather intelligence on the state of play on Capitol Hill.
We reiterated our support for a recreation policy package called the EXPLORE Act, the Wild Olympics bill, increased appropriations for federal land managers like the Forest Service, and reauthorization of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). We were positively received by each of the offices, and staff shared their commitment to supporting these priorities moving forward. Several staff members shared their favorite Washington outdoor adventures or asked for hike recommendations in addition to discussing our policy priorities.
Two of the many highlights from our lawmaker meetings were the opportunities to meet with both of Washington’s senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray - strong champions for both conservation and recreation. Senator Murray continues to lead the effort to protect key areas of Olympic National Forest as Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers by passing the Wild Olympics bill.
Senator Cantwell recently led a letter to federal land managers on the importance of the use of fixed anchors in wilderness and wilderness climbing. She is a champion for outdoor recreation and landmark programs like the GAOA. Professional climber Tommy Caldwell joined that meeting to present Senator Cantwell with an award for her leadership, and the two enjoyed reminiscing about trips to the Olympic coast.
Outdoor Alliance Washington, Access Fund, and professional Climber Tommy Caldwell with Senator Cantwell and her staff after discussing the importance of fixed anchors in wilderness.
We also had a great opportunity to discuss climate policy and how public lands can be leveraged as natural climate solutions with leadership from the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, and the White House Center for Environmental Quality. We received a positive reception during our Administration meetings, and agency staff encouraged our community to continue speaking up on behalf of conservation and climate.
In particular, the Forest Service shared that our advocacy for public lands funding is making a difference. While the Forest Service remains severely underfunded, funding for sustainable recreation management has seen an increase in recent years thanks to our advocacy.
Elevating Constituent Voices - Tomorrow’s Grasstops Leaders
Outdoor Alliance also gathered the first cohort of its Grasstops Collective, a training program for community leaders well-positioned for deeper advocacy impact. The Grasstops Collective is positioning these leaders to build relationships with policymakers and advocate for conservation priorities. For our Washington state crew, one of the trip’s special opportunities was the chance to team up with four constituent outdoor advocates from Washington state who are members of the first cohort of the Grasstops Collective.
Longtime Mountaineers leader Danielle Graham, Cascade Backcountry Alliance’s Kyle McCrohan, American Alpine Club Cascade Section Chair Andreea Gabor, and Patagonia’s Denis Tuzinovic added value as additional constituents and community voices to our meetings with congressional offices. The growing engagement of these recreation community leaders in outdoor advocacy is helping write the next chapter for Outdoor Alliance’s legacy and impact.
Washington advocates with Senator Murray and her staff after discussing the Wild Olympics bill and investing in federal land management agencies. Photo courtesy of Senator Murray’s staff.
Where Our Priorities Stand
This year we’ve seen additional progress for our top recreation policy priority: the EXPLORE Act. EXPLORE includes the Simplifying Outdoor Access to Recreation (SOAR) Act and the Protect America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act. The PARC Act would help safeguard wilderness climbing and the SOAR Act would secure much-needed reform to the federal recreational permitting system. Both bills are included in both the House and Senate versions of a recreation package.
The EXPLORE Act passed the full House by voice vote last April. In May and June, committee staff from the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee worked to align the text of the House and Senate versions. EXPLORE is under consideration for inclusion in the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is commonly viewed as “must-pass” legislation.
After making considerable progress in Congress over the last two years, we’re hopeful that the Wild Olympics bill could advance all the way through Congress this year as part of a potential public lands package. That package could also be added onto must-pass legislation like the NDAA or a year-end appropriations bill.
Take Action for EXPLORE and Wild Olympics
We’ll keep you updated as our priorities continue to move this Congress, and share future opportunities to advocate for Wild Olympics and the EXPLORE Act with your members of Congress down the stretch this year. In the meantime, we encourage you to take a few minutes to send a personalized letter to lawmakers in support of the EXPLORE Act and keep up the momentum for Wild Olympics by signing the coalition’s petition.
OA Washington continues to advocate for three main policy priorities: investing in the outdoors, protecting special places through land and water conservation, and ensuring an equitable and sustainable future for public lands and waters. Sign up for Washington-focused updates from Outdoor Alliance.
