Conservation & Advocacy

After a long winter, there's nothing more wonderful than seeing the mountains in bloom. It’s that time of year when hikers are returning to the trails, hoping to admire the petals popping up to color our landscapes. Of course, wildflowers wouldn’t be possible without pollinators. But did you know that out of the 28 species of bumble bees found in the Northwest, one in particular is largely responsible for our alpine blooms? Read more…

Whether out in the backcountry or your own neighborhood, Mountaineers see and experience the worsening impacts of the climate crisis in our communities and the natural landscapes we love. As the Pacific Northwest faces earlier and more intense wildfire seasons, unprecedented heat waves, severe droughts, and more frequent flooding, the need to fight climate change is more urgent than ever. Read more…

The Mountaineers has a special role to play when it comes to conservation and advocacy. We represent a community of active outdoor users with deep connections to our landscapes, making us effective stewards and powerful advocates for the outdoors. Read more…

We’re thrilled to share that legislation we’ve been working on for over seven years - the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act - passed out of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. Next, the bill will head to the Senate floor for a vote. That means we’re one step closer to fixing the current inefficient, unpredictable recreational permitting system, which creates barriers for people to experience the outdoors through outdoor programs like The Mountaineers.  Read more…

Last year, we announced that The Mountaineers is leading Outdoor Alliance Washington, a group of organizations representing the human-powered outdoor recreation community in Washington State. Outdoor Alliance Washington meets with elected officials to advocate for funding to improve outdoor recreation opportunities and conserve our public lands. While we often meet through Zoom or in an office, it’s much more fun - and effective - to meet in officials’  districts in parks and public lands. Read more…

 For years, Mountaineers Super Volunteer Richard Babunovic loaded up his Subaru Outback and headed to Mt. Pilchuck - his favorite mountain. Read more…

Public lands are central to The Mountaineers experience. Playing host to our programs and activities, these parks, trails, waterways, and other open spaces connect us to nature and provide many public health benefits. North Cascades National Park, Deception Pass State Park, and Tiger Mountain State Forest are just a few of Washington’s popular public lands. Public lands are managed for different conservation objectives and recreational uses, but public access for recreation remains a common thread that defines these places. Read more…

The Mountaineers has a long history of protecting our natural landscapes. Time and time again, small individual actions have led to big victories for Washington’s outdoors, from the formation of Olympic National Park to the recent expansion of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Today, we continue our proud legacy by educating our members on how to be thoughtful stewards, advocating for the places we explore, and inspiring the outdoor community to take action for threatened landscapes.  Read more…

The Washington State Legislature just wrapped up its 2022 session on March 10. This year legislators met for a short 60-day session to pass legislation and enact supplemental budgets for our state. Each legislative session, The Mountaineers works with other organizations to advocate for bills and funding requests that improve conservation and recreation in Washington.  Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Stewardship is a key component of maintaining the health and vitality of our trail systems. The Olympia Branch is known for its robust stewardship program, supporting trail work across the lower Puget Sound region and into the peninsula. However, the work isn't just completed in the sunnier months - winter is a busy time for these volunteers as well. Learn about what the Olympia Conservation Committee has been up to this season, and how you can help.  Read more…

The Mountaineers made a commitment to reduce our organization’s carbon footprint as part of Vision 2022. In the Carbon Footprint Reduction Committee’s last blog post, we introduced you to carbon offsets. In this blog, we talk about the benefits of ebikes. Read more…

Conservation advocacy has been an enduring priority throughout The Mountaineers history. Early members recognized the importance of protecting wild places for the outdoor experience, and as a result we have been involved in nearly every major conservation campaign in our state's history. Advocacy has been, and remains, at the heart of key environmental protections.  Read more…

Here in Washington, we’re fortunate to have 6.5 million acres of state-managed parks and public land. Whether it’s climbing at Frenchman’s Coulee near Vantage, paddling Deception Pass, or hiking through the Snoqualmie River Valley, our state public lands play host to many Mountaineers activities and other outdoor experiences. But, as anyone who has tried to get a summer camping reservation in a state park can attest, our state parks and trails are heavily used, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Read more…

The Pacific Northwest’s lands and waters provide so many recreational opportunities, from traversing glaciers to camping in lush evergreen forests. But as Mountaineers know well, the future of our recreational pursuits depends on protecting the places we love, now more than ever, as the climate and biodiversity crises reshape outdoor landscapes. Conserving our lands and waters is urgent, and land managers and policymakers must adapt and find new tools to meet these complex challenges. Read more…

Next time you shed your jacket or turn on the tap at the Tacoma Program Center (TPC), take a moment to bask in our all-electric heat and hot water. We are proud to report that Phase II of our Net-Zero Energy Project is complete - a milestone in our quest to go 100 percent carbon-neutral at the TPC! Read more…

Let’s be honest: if our national parks and forests had a Yelp rating, it wouldn’t be five stars. Many of us encounter potholed roads, decrepit restrooms, and eroded trails all too often on our outdoor adventures. That’s why The Mountaineers has been fighting for years for better funding for our parks and public lands. Read more…

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the United States’ largest wildlife refuge, a place of tremendous ecological importance, where birds from all 50 states migrate to each year. But in January 2021, the future of the Arctic Refuge looked uncertain.
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It was the evergreen conifer trees synonymous with the Pacific Northwest that gave Washington State its nickname, “the Evergreen State.” Washington offers the opportunity to experience and appreciate these majestic trees in all seasons, from big cities to the wilderness. These tall sentinels shade our campsites and trails, cleanse the air, and play an integral role in the iconic mountain vistas we love. They’re more than a symbol - they’re deeply rooted and connected to our communities, public health, and culture in the Pacific Northwest. Read more…

The Mountaineers is an incredible community of adventurers, students, instructors, advocates, and leaders. We’re proud of our community for persevering through another demanding year, prioritizing safety, and fostering connections to the outdoors. As we close the door on 2021 and look ahead to 2022, we reflect on our core values and how they’ve guided us through this past year.  Read more…

Since the inception of day camp at The Mountaineers in 2010, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing our programs and community grow in breadth and depth over the last twelve years. Every season is full of camp magic, laughter, bracelet-making, and an inevitably stressful registration day. In response to feedback provided by camp families, and in an attempt to make the registration process smooth for campers and staff alike, we’ve made the decision to reconfigure registration for our Seattle Day Camp offerings. Read more…

We’ve been on a long journey to protect Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Like many conservation issues, the fight to preserve swaths of ancient, old-growth trees in the Tongass from logging and development is an ongoing story with some twists, turns, and some chapters still to be written. Over the years, we’ve asked you to take action on this issue because protecting roadless areas in Alaska sets a strong precedent for protecting our wild backcountry places here in Washington and beyond. Read more…

Fragrant pine trees reaching for the sky. Rhythmic waves crashing against a foggy coastline. Bald Eagles soaring along winding rivers.  Read more…

Attention Mountaineers! We have some BIG, eco-friendly news to share. Tacoma Power has awarded The Mountaineers a 2021 Evergreen Options grant of $50,000! This sought-after grant means our Tacoma Program Center (TPC) will soon be powered by rooftop solar – an enormous win for The Mountaineers and our whole community. Read more…

The last 20 months have challenged all of us in ways we never could have imagined.  Now more than ever, we need the outdoors to connect with one another, as well as experience the physical, emotional, and mental benefits that outdoor recreation provides. Read more…

Seth Kantner is a commercial fisherman, writer, and wildlife photographer. His newest book, A Thousand Trails Home: Living with Caribou (Mountaineers Books; September 2021), is a stunning firsthand account of a life spent hunting, studying, and living alongside caribou. He lives in the Northwest Arctic. Read more…

When you hear the word “infrastructure,” you might first think of urban roads, bridges, and other types of transportation frameworks. But the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act - which President Biden signed into law on November 15 - covers much more than that. Congress seized a historic opportunity to prioritize and deliver climate action, while providing a long-overdue boost to many facets of our nation’s aging infrastructure. Read more…

Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books, tells visual stories that inspire a wide audience to protect our communities, lands, and wildlife. By taking book projects and turning them into events, regional and national media coverage, and museum exhibits, they create a diverse toolset to raise awareness for conservation causes and threats to wild places. Given the interconnected threats of the climate and biodiversity crises, Braided River’s work of inspiring action on conservation issues near and far is more important than ever. Read more…

I had a light bulb moment this summer when I got back from a backpacking trip. Read more…

It’s the kind of day you never forget. During a routine spring skiing adventure, Bryan Papé found himself lying in the snow with skis strewn down the mountainside. He'd sustained a fractured femur and only a tree was keeping him from collapsing. Read more…