Conservation Blog

The Mountaineers were honored to host a round table discussion on climate change and the winter recreation economy with Congresswoman DelBene at our Stevens Lodge this past Tuesday. We brought together representatives from the retail, ski and guiding industries, the Forest Service, as well as leaders from local communities, to discuss how our changing environment is impacting our work and how we can collaborate on these issues going forward. We sat by our lodge’s fireplace with snow falling outside and shared how the significantly varied weather patterns of 2014-2015 impacted all of us. Read more…

Congressman Norm Dicks and Senator Patty Murray recently introduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their major tributaries, a total of 464 river miles, as Wild and Scenic Rivers. If enacted, the legislation would designate the first new wilderness on Olympic National Forest in nearly three decades and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic peninsula. Read more…

We've been talking about the Land and Water Conservation Fund since last spring AND we finally have big news to share: Read more…

Think back to a time when you stood in the middle of an old growth forest or looked out over an expanse of uninterrupted wild country. Didn't it just feel... right? Make you feel small? Make you feel whole? Content? Read more…

There are two current recreation projects that you can get involved in: planning for recreation in their northwestern forests and a future 20-mile mountain bike trail system near Darrington. Read more…

It’s pushing 95 degrees in Portland, and I’m biking home in the uncharacteristic and unforgiving sunshine, squinting even behind my sunglasses. It’s been over 90 all week. Read more…

The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) governs approximately 24 million acres of public land from Western Washington to Northern California. The plan is now in the early stages of a major revision. Given that outdoor recreation is the number one use of our National Forests and that recreation provides significant economic benefits to gateway communities and our State, we see this as an opportunity to include outdoor recreation as one of the benefits of effective management for public lands where it has previously not been included. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we know the power of nature to restore our souls and inspire our spirits. Read more…

As you probably already know, despite significant bipartisan support, Congress let the Land and Water Conservation Fund expire at the end of September. And, even with Fund’s many champions, a bill was recently introduced that would effectively gut the program. Read more…

 Perhaps you know that about 98% of Mt. Rainier National Park is designated wilderness: “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.”  Away from roads and camps, many Mountaineers love to explore and have solitude without the presence of human development. Do you care deeply about how that outstanding wilderness area is managed? Read more…

Three Fingers is, quite possibly, the most exceptional Grange Hall style L-4 lookout cabin ever built; it was, most certainly, built in the most impossible location.  Read more…

I have tried to look away from the birds. I know it’s possible. People can manage their whole lives birdless, or the next thing to it, hearing them only as background music to more important human events. In art and film they are regularly used as interchangeable decorations. When I glance around the movie theater nobody else seems bothered by the European Jackdaw that flits across what is supposed to be North Carolina, for example, or the circling movie eagle that screams with the unmistakable voice of a Red-tailed Hawk. Read more…

This book is about a new way of looking at the world. Read more…

As Mountaineers, we have accessed and experienced some of the most remote areas of this region. Close your eyes and think about where you were on you favorite or most recent trip outdoors. Chances are this trip brought you to some sort of protected land, quite possibly to a federally designated “Wilderness” area, such as the Olympic Wilderness, the San Juan Wilderness, Mount Rainier National Park, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Boulder River Wilderness and more.  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…

As many of our Mountaineers members know, the Land & Water Conservation Fund expired at midnight on September 30th. We were disappointed to hear that not only did the fund expire, but Congress members were not even given the opportunity to vote on the bill - which traditionally has bipartisan support. Although this is not great news for our outdoor community, our efforts were not wasted and the fight is not over. Environmentalists, senators, recreationists, and Mountaineers stepped forward in a big way to protect one of the most important conservation programs. Read more…

Some of our country's most iconic outdoor areas, from San Juans National Monument in Washington State to places like Giant Sequoia and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, are designated through the Antiquities Act. This Act gives the President authority to protect natural, cultural, or scientific features through the creation of a National Monument designation. We're concerned about legislation recently introduced to limit its effectiveness. Read more…

Last week, we joined other Outdoor Alliance members - paddlers, climbers, backcountry skiers, mountaineers, and mountain bikers - from 5 states to advocate for public lands with officials in Washington DC. We met with lawmakers from Colorado, Montana, West Virginia, Arizona, Washington, and Tennessee to talk about the impending expiration of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Read more…

Last fall, we shared information on the Navy's proposed use of Olympic National Forest Service land for training electronic warfare range mobile emitters through our Conservation Currents email list.  Read more…

As many Mountaineers members experienced, this year was record breaking for wildfires. You may have had your hiking plans cancelled due to large fire-related closures in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, or if you spent time anywhere in the mountains this summer, you had a high chance of experiencing a smoky haze. Learn more about the proposed funding changes. Read more…

Our "100 Friends of 100 Classic Hikes" opportunity had only been open for a few hours, and hardly even promoted yet, when the first gift came in from Mountaineers hike leader Steve Payne. 

What prompted Steve to sign up? Read more…

The North Cascades has just been named a finalist for the Washington State Book Awards! We couldn't be happier to have this book illuminating the stunning beauty of the North Cascades receive this recognition. Read more…

Obama's historic three-day trip to the state of Alaska really kicked off before he arrived, when he restored the name Denali for Alaska's highest mountain. On the ground, he has met world leaders at a  climate change conference in Anchorage, and dropped in on a reality survival show. Read more…

Twenty-five years ago Cold War Enemies, united by climbing, stood together on the highest point on earth honoring world peace and the environment. Join us September 17 to celebrate this ground-breaking anniversary.  Read more…

Admission is FREE and registering will guarantee entry at Wild Rivers Night.  Read more…

I grew up blind to the American legacy of public lands — an inheritance for all people, regardless of background, language, or creed. I get shivers to think of what my life would be without the rush of climbing mountains in the North Cascades, diving into alpine lakes in the Grand Teton backcountry, or having Elysian Park as a family gathering place for our “Carne Asadas,” our version of a family BBQ. I found my soul in the wild and the heart of my passion within my family in the city of Los Angeles.  Read more…

“There are two things that interest me: the relationship of people to the land, and the relationship of people to each other.” –Aldo Leopold Read more…

If you’ve never heard of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), you’re not alone. Yet, LWCF is one of the most effective tools we have to conserve land and improve outdoor recreation opportunities, and it expires this September. It's responsible for protecting sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and Mt. Si, to name a few. Follow this link  to help save it. Read more…

Leave No Trace isn't just for orange peels or poop. It applies to all facets of our outdoor explorations. Climbing is unique because it is one of the few outdoor sports where you often must leave gear or webbing behind to descend safely. Consequently, the climbing community must work as a team to limit our collective impact, especially on our popular climbing routes.   Read more…

The U.S. Army has proposed several helicopter landing sites in the North Cascades for pilots to practice flyovers and high altitude landings. Some of the proposed landing zones have raised concerns because of their proximity to popular recreation areas and trails. Read more…