Conservation & Advocacy

Yesterday, the recreation community, Congress, and President Obama came together to make history. With the passage of Outdoor REC Act, the recreation economy – and the billions of dollars, millions of jobs, and invaluable public lands it encompasses – will be counted as part of the national Gross Domestic Product for the first time.  Read more…

Today, if you go to Olympic National Park, you can head to the Valley of Rainforest Giants, where you’ll find some of the oldest, largest trees in the world. Among them stands the legacy of another giant: Polly Dyer, a long-time Mountaineers member and conservation visionary, integral to protecting wild places on the Olympic Peninsula and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we live and breathe the outdoors. It’s our passion. We love it all - from the big picture beauty to the tiny details: the elevation gain of an alpine lake trail, the training regimen to bag a new summit, the nuances of the latest travel management plan. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit. Read more…

The first ever Northwest Youth Leadership Summit was held Saturday, October 22, 2016 at our Seattle Program Center. Working with more than 30 partner organizations, we brought together 120 youth from around the PNW for a day of leadership and learning, plus we enjoyed a surprise visit from Sally Jewell! Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit. Read more…

We wanted to make sure that our Native American neighbors know we respect and care about potential concerns  with our members' outdoor activities on culturally-important locations. We reached out every tribe in our state and learned of no such conflicts.  Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit. Read more…

Last June, we told you about the Forest Service’s historic plans to streamline outfitter and guide permitting, shifting from heavy regulations to an inclusionary model that helps organizations, like The Mountaineers, get people outside. Now, we’re happy to report their efforts are continuing to pick up steam. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit. Read more…

Calling all students ages 14-22 involved in youth stewardship, outdoor leadership, or environmental education programs in the PNW. You're invited to a FREE, fun, and inspiring event: The Northwest Youth Leadership Summit! Read more…

From the Cascades to the Himalayas, The Mountaineers has a long history of exploring nature’s wild unknown, and now we're doing our best to protect what's left of it. Read more…

On September 22, 2016, the Methow Headwaters Protection Act of 2016 (S. 2991 ) was considered in a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing was a big step forward for legislation that would protect 340,000 acres of Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Methow Valley from the potential development of a large-scale mine.  Read more…

The Mountaineers and other Methow Headwaters Campaign supporters recently bagged a peak with staffers from Senator Cantwell’s office. Our hike up Goat Peak showcased the treasured Methow Valley lands and waters we’re working with Senate leaders to protect from exploratory copper drilling claims. Read more…

Seventeen Mountaineers members from our Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, and Foothills branches joined the Mountains to Sound Greenway on August 27 to help disassemble social trails around popular rock climbing crags on the Little Si Trail. The Greenway staff were impressed at the efficiency of our Mountaineers - from hiking to getting work done, they said we took four hours to accomplish what it would take a normal group to accomplish in a full eight-hour day. When Mountaineers get involved, we show up in force! Read more…

Last summer, I went on a hike with a group of Mountaineers staff and supporters to experience an example of the wild places we, as an organization, work to protect. We started out as so many Mountaineers trips do: meeting at a central location in Seattle, then carpooling to the mountains. Read more…

From Olympus to Everest, the thrill of the road less traveled has literally taken Mountaineers' members to the peak of possibility. Our organization has a long history of exploring nature’s wild unknown, and now we're doing our best to protect what's left of it.  Read more…

On August 15, The Mountaineers and other outdoor leaders were joined by Congressional staffers for a hike showcasing the Mountains to Sound Greenway: the scenic 1.5-million acre corridor  stretching from the Seattle waterfront to Ellensburg, WA.  Read more…

On Aug 10, The Mountaineers joined Congresswoman DelBene, and a number of other organizations and companies involved in outdoor recreation and conservation, for a hike along the North Fork Nooksack River. An important artery of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the Nooksack is one of our favorite outdoor playgrounds. The thundering waters provided the perfect backdrop for a discussion that included a dozen diverse representatives  all championing the connection between conservation, outdoor recreation, and strong local economies.  Read more…

In The Mountaineers: A History, longtime Mountaineers President Edmond Meany summed up the club’s mission in the 1910 annual: “This is a new country. It abounds in a fabulous wealth of scenic beauty. It is possible to so conserve parts of that wealth that it may be enjoyed by countless generations through the centuries to come… This club is vigilant for wise conservation and it is also anxious to blaze ways into the hills that anyone may follow.” Read more…

Gas Works Park was the site of a gathering calling for the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  Supporters whooped and hollered as Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) listed the event’s participants, turning to the second page of supporters and exclaiming, “Wow, I guess there’s a lot of people in the Northwest who care about wilderness!”   Read more…

Last year, we checked with our members and Conservation Currents readers to better understand individual interest in conservation issues, get opinions on existing Mountaineers conservation programs, and generate ideas for the future. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your perspectives with us! Read more…

In our suburban household in northern California, when the kids were little, we didn’t talk about conservation. But we did talk about love, care and respect — for our home, our selves, others — for our surroundings. When we went up to Lake Tahoe, we talked about how fragile an environment it was and how easily ruined. When we drove across the country to see grandparents, we talked about the landscape and the animals we saw, and how our behavior affects them. How many there are and how many there used to be.  Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. We go outside to wander and explore the adventurous spirit within ourselves. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit; so our grandchildren can experience the sensation of discovering an untouched place. Read more…

My plan was initially without a hitch. Hike from Longmire on the Wonderland Trail to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground. Do a little photography in those famed fields, visit the Mirror Lakes and then head back out via the Kautz Creek Trail. It would be a nice 14.5-mile hike with some decent elevation gain. My hiking partner would leave a car at the Kautz Creek trailhead and we would drive back to Longmire to retrieve my vehicle. Plan was good — until my hiking partner couldn’t make it. I was on assignment, so the hike would go on.  Read more…

In spring 2015, over 3,100 of you signed a petition to designate the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area (NHA), more than doubling the number of petition signatures to date. Last week, this legislation took an important step forward in Congress, when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing that included consideration of the NHA bill.   Read more…

It's easy to forget that many of our beloved trails and historic structures are maintained by volunteers. The Mountaineers have a long tradition of stewarding these places, and the tradition grows stronger every day - as long as you get involved! Consider being a part of history and join us on a stewardship activity this summer. Read more…

Today, the U.S. Forest Service announced new guidance that will change the operation of the agency’s outfitter-guide permitting system. This new guidance will streamline the process for issuing permits to outdoor leaders and recreation businesses that take people outdoors. These improvements will provide more access to federal lands and waters for a wide range of facilitated use.  Read more…