Conservation Blog

Here’s a dilemma: How does a publishing company that is deeply invested in advocating for environmental conservation deal with the fact that the product they sell relies on using trees? This is something that we here at Mountaineers Books are intensely aware of. Approximately four billion trees are cut down every year around the world just to produce paper products, accounting for about 35 percent of the total harvest. Even though 2.3 billion seedlings are planted each year in the US alone, the fact remains that the timber and paper industries, and by extension the publishing industry, have a significant impact on the environment. Read more…

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22, and we have several ways for you to show your appreciation for Mother Earth this weekend. Join us for a stewardship activity, train to be a trail crew leader, and help us champion our low impact skills while you’re getting outside! Check out all the event details below. Read more…

Did you know that Washington state is home to more than 25,000 black bears and two small populations of grizzlies? Spring is a great time to explore the natural beauty of our state and it’s also prime time to practice your bear awareness skills. Bears are highly active this time of year, waking from hibernation and looking for food. Read more…

On April 12, the Department of the Interior announced that vehicle entrance fees will increase by $5 at 117 locations managed by the National Park Service.

The uptick in cost is a drastic reduction from the Department of the Interior’s original proposal to increase vehicle entrance fees to $70 at the nation’s 17 most visited parks – a price surge that would have nearly tripled the cost at parks like Olympic and Mount Rainier, which currently charge $25. Read more…

Morgan Sjogren’s new guidebook, The Best Bears Ears National Monument Hikes, came out in January, less than two months after the current administration reduced its boundaries by 85 percent. Published by Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) Press, Morgan’s book is the only guidebook published for this region. But Morgan, a writer, adventurer, and competitive trail runner, fell in love with Bears Ears while running in it and wanted to encourage others to explore this region, too. We asked her five questions  about the book and the Monument. Mountaineers Books is the worldwide distributor of CMC Press books. Read more…

 The Mountaineers are proud to present the BeWild Speaker Series, putting passion and adventure on the stage! Come to these talks to unlock inspiration to seek adventure, connect with nature, and work to protect the wild places we cherish. This May we welcome Pacific Crest Trail guidebook authors, Eli Boschetto, Shawntè Salabert, Tami Asars, and Philip Kramer to share their adventures documenting the 2,650 miles of the PCT. Read more…

Last week, lawmakers passed the omnibus spending bill, a massive $1.3 trillion package that determines how the federal government allocates funds. Several key advancements for our public lands are among the far-reaching provisions of the bill. Protecting, and funding, our public lands is integral to our experiences as outdoor enthusiasts. Read more…

The Olympia Branch is challenging you to dedicate one day (or more!) to stewarding our public lands.  This challenge is a great way to give back to our outdoor playgrounds and meet a vibrant community of volunteers. All Mountaineers members are welcome to join - regardless of branch affiliation. Read more…

UPDATE: The Roadless Rule exemption was not included in the omnibus spending bill! Thank you for speaking out to defend our wild landscapes. This will likely not be the last time we need to protect the Roadless Rule, and by lending your voice, you put this on lawmakers’ radars – now and moving forward.

Lawmakers are setting plans in motion to subvert the Roadless Rule, a key conservation tool used to protect our wild backcountry. Read more…

Joe Riis is a wildlife biologist turned photojournalist and filmmaker on the cutting edge of explorations of heretofore unknown animal migrations in Yellowstone’s expansive landscapes—within, and outside, the protection of the park. His first book Yellowstone Migrationswas recently published by Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books. Read more…

The Mountaineers are proud to present the BeWild Speaker Series, putting passion and adventure on the stage! Come to these talks to unlock inspiration to seek adventure, connect with nature, and work to protect the wild places we cherish. This March we welcome photographer Joe Riis. Read more…

Last week, the Public Lands Heist paid a surprise visit to Washington State in the form of an amendment to Senate Bill 6140. Today, after hearing from hundreds of concerned Washingtonians, the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee will remove the bill’s disconcerting public lands provisions. Read more…

Mount Rainier National Park has a new leader: Chip Jenkins, a 31-year veteran of the National Park Service (NPS), will serve as the park’s superintendent beginning in mid-March. He takes over for Randy King, who retired in January. Read more…

The recent resignation of nearly the entire National Park System (NPS) Advisory Board raises serious concerns about the Department of the Interior, the office in charge of overseeing about 500 million acres of our national public lands. Read more…

The Liberty Bell Group, a cluster of five granite spires at Washington Pass outside Mazama, is home to some of the most popular and iconic alpine climbing in Washington State, including classics like the Beckey Route on Liberty Bell and the West Face of North Early Winter Spire. Over the last decade, the area has become increasingly popular among alpine climbers. This rapidly expanding use has led to deteriorating trail conditions, severe erosion, and unsafe approaches to and from the climbs. Read more…

You’ve likely heard the news: the President signed a proclamation to shrink two of our national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante, located in southeast Utah. In total, the proclamation cuts 2 million acres from the monuments. So what do these drastic reductions mean for The Mountaineers, public lands, and the outdoor experience? Read more…

As you’ve probably heard, the president recently signed a proclamation to drastically reduce the size of two national monuments in Utah. This unprecedented action undermines the 1906 Antiquities Act, the law granting presidents the authority to create national monuments to protect cultural, natural and scientific resources. Read more…

Last month, we invited you to join us in contributing funds to save a section of the Lake Serene Trail from logging. This month we’re happy to report the goal was met! Together with Forterra and other organizations we raised $275,000 to purchase the land from the timber company, ensuring that the area is conserved and recreational access is never again restricted. Read more…

What happens if visiting national parks becomes prohibitively expensive? Fewer people have the opportunity to fall in love with and become champions of wild places – and our public lands suffer as a result. Read more…

Several have asked (and many others no doubt have wondered), "What is going on with the Friction Slab Project?" Read more…

The march to protect the Methow Valley from industrial-scale mining continues to move forward, and we’re at a critical juncture. We need your support! The Forest Service has opened a public comment period on a mineral withdrawal that would protect the Methow Watershed for twenty years. Comments are due by November 6. Read more…

A new bill, misleadingly named the “National Monument Creation and Protection Act,” has been introduced that would effectively gut the Antiquities Act, the bedrock conservation law that gives presidents the authority to create National Monuments. From the Grand Canyon to Bears Ears and the San Juan Islands, presidents from both parties have used the Antiquities Act to protect many of our most beloved wild places through National Monument designation. Read more…

Lands adjacent to the Lake Serene Trail are slated to be logged this year. If the plan goes through, the routes to Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls will be closed until July 1, 2018 and the surrounding forest will be scarred for many years to come. But there’s hope. Outdoor leaders, including The Mountaineers, are joining forces with individuals across the Pacific Northwest to purchase the land from the timber company. Together we can raise the funds, but we aren’t there yet – and we need your help! Read more…

“History tells us that when public lands are unprotected, they’re sold to the highest bidder." - Rose Marcario, President and CEO of Patagonia, delivers her keynote address at The Mountaineers fundraising breakfast, Sep 20 Read more…

If you were one of hundreds of Mountaineers who woke up early on Wednesday to join us for our second annual fundraising breakfast, Thank You! This early morning adventure to downtown Seattle brought hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts together to celebrate and champion our public lands. The messages shared inspired us with renewed commitment to protect our wild places. As our CEO Tom Vogl said: Read more…

After weeks of uncertainty, a leaked report from Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has reignited concerns about the fate of National Monuments and what this could mean for our public lands. The memo, titled Final Report Summarizing Findings of the Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act, doesn’t specify boundary changes, but does issue clear recommendations to shrink or alter ten National Monuments. Read more…

A picture is worth a thousand words, but the images collected in The Alpine Lakes are worth even more than that. The photographs in this book, published by The Mountaineers in 1971, inspired President Gerald Ford to designate the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. Read more…

This August, while backpacking through the Hoover Wilderness in California with my husband and brother-in-law, I ran into a woman about my age. She was headed down the trail in our direction so we hiked together a few miles, chatting about our work, her Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike the previous summer, and our mutual love of solo trips. She was a teacher out on a three-day trip before the school year started back up. I told her about my work with Outdoor Alliance and our efforts to bring together the outdoor recreation community to protect public lands.  Read more…

The Elwha River, which spans 45 miles in the Olympic Peninsula, is part of a massive restoration project that included demolishing Glines Canyon Dam, one of the tallest dams to ever be intentionally breached. Read more…

Each year, the Seattle Naturalist Committee provides a lecture series designed to delve into phenomena of the natural world. The events are open to everyone and no registration is required - just pay $5 at the door. Attendance is free for members of the Naturalist Study Group. Check out this season's talks! Read more…