Dee Ann Kline Parkinson
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we're blessed with some of the most beautiful and accessible parks, forests, and refuges in the nation. Many Mountaineers understand the value of these wild places and set aside time to give back to our public lands.
In April, the Olympia Branch of The Mountaineers issued a Stewardship Challenge to Mountaineers organization wide. The purpose of the Stewardship Challenge is to engage all club members in all branches to participate in a rewarding and challenging day of stewardship. The Olympia Stewardship Committee believes this day of service will create closer connections to our magnificent natural resources, demonstrate our determination to support the public lands, and awaken a genuine spirit of service to our region in each participant. In short: we feel it's our duty to leave the trails better than before.
"We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people have ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune." - Theodore Roosevelt
This summer, we encourage you to step up to amplify our collective stewardship efforts! Learn more about how to get involved by reading the original Challenge blog, and read on to see successes so far and find even more opportunities to give back.
Participation HIghlights
Since issuing our challenge, 179 members have signed up for stewardship activities with The Mountaineers. In that time, those folks have:
- Given 2,048 hours through Mountaineers activities
- Supported the improvement of 20 different outdoor spaces through Mountaineers activities
- Given 66 hours through activities organized by our Olympia partner organizations
One challenger, Jeremy Wilmot, participated in the Wynoochee Lake WTA/Mountaineers lakeshore maintenance. His experience was memorable and impactful:
"We cleared some impressive trees and made significant improvements to the trail. It feels very empowering to help with this kind of work and I've started eyeing downed trees on other trails that I'd now like to clear."
Get involved!
We have a wealth of stewardship opportunities through the Olympia Branch and across all of The Mountaineers, and through Partner Organizations:
And, be sure to check out all of these upcoming activities in honor of National Trails Day on June 2, 2018.
National Trails Day Activities
Be sure to DOCUMENT YOUR PARTICIPATION!
We meed to document our hours to celebrate our stewardship efforts. If you complete a stewardship activity with The Mountaineers, the trip leader's report will automatically log your hours. If you complete a stewardship activity with with partner organizations (e.g. any non-mountaineer conservation organization, such as the WTA or a local Land Trust), please submit your hours using the Olympia Branch Stewardship Hours Report Form below.
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This is great. Thanks for the update!
