The Mountaineers
Update: On Wednesday, November 12, Congress passed - and the President signed into law - a short-term funding bill to fully re-open the federal government and end the partial government shutdown. However, it will take some time for things to return to normal.
Mountaineers members have flexed their grassroots advocacy muscle in a big way this year. From rebuffing public lands sell-offs in Congress to speaking up to defend backcountry forests protected by the Roadless Rule, your constituent letters have made a difference by elevating the importance of public lands and outdoor access with lawmakers during a challenging time.
Each spring and fall we provide a dedicated space for Mountaineers seeking to learn more about conservation policy and how to take action through advocacy. On Wednesday, November 5, we were joined virtually by 25 outdoor enthusiasts for our latest Conservation Policy Update event. We appreciated the opportunity to celebrate our shared advocacy this year and ready our community for further action.
With so many emerging threats to public lands, recreation, and the climate this year, how Congress and the administration’s actions are impacting Washington’s lands and waters is constantly changing. Attendees were eager to hear where our issues stand and how they can continue to make a difference. Read on to learn more and check out our event slides and webinar recording for a deeper dive into the event.
We kicked off the event with a brief overview of The Mountaineers Advocacy Agenda, what our shared advocacy looks like, and why our community is so effective at moving the needle on conservation and recreation policy. We then provided updates on the partial government shutdown and our recent advocacy trip to Washington, D.C with Outdoor Alliance.
As the shutdown nears the six-week mark, many agency staff are furloughed - leaving fewer land managers on the ground supporting conservation and recreation on federal public lands. These public lands have largely remained open with reduced services and staffing. For weeks, there was little progress on ending the shutdown, but lawmakers are beginning to take action. We could see a resolution sooner rather than later. We expect Congress to lean on a short-term funding bill to fully reopen the government before attempting to pass full-year appropriations bills.
We saw ripple effects from the shutdown on our D.C. visit last month with our partners from Outdoor Alliance Washington. The halls of Congress were a little sparse, House members were largely back in their districts, and we experienced a smaller staff presence on the Hill. Despite the differences, we were able to take advantage of a quieter capitol to have productive meetings with the Washington state congressional delegation: advocating for public lands with every office, gathering key intelligence on our issues, and elevating constituent voices from our community.
For the second year in a row we had the pleasure of teaming up with Washington state-based members of Outdoor Alliance’s Grasstops Collective. Two advocates with strong ties to The Mountaineers - Amy Kolor and Danielle Graham - joined our virtual event to reflect on their time in D.C. with us and underscore the important role that constituent advocacy plays in the legislative process.
Policy Updates for Public Lands and Recreation
Here are the latest updates and ways to engage on the issues we’ve been advocating for in D.C. and throughout the year. When things get moving in Congress, we’ll share additional opportunities to speak up for public lands and the land managers that steward them.
Land manager funding and workforce reductions
The administration revealed through court documents that they plan to reduce staffing at the Department of Interior by around an additional 2,000 employees, including nearly 300 at the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS Denver Service Center, which supports key land management planning operations at Park units across the country, is slated for reductions. A court order has temporarily barred the administration from moving forward with further reductions in force during the government shutdown.
Additionally, an expected reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture could eliminate regional offices at the Forest Service. These staff serve critical recreation and conservation functions at the agency. We’ve shared key information on local impacts with lawmakers - leading to action in Congress. Your stories and experiences can help inform this important advocacy. Share your public lands impact stories with us using our survey.
Public lands sell-offs
Our community showed up in a big way this year to help defeat a proposal to sell-off millions of acres of public lands through the congressional budget process. Our advocacy led to strong opposition to the sell-offs and support for public lands across the Washington congressional delegation. Sell-off attempts may return to Congress in some form; we’re hearing that Sen. Mike Lee from Utah is strategizing new approaches to selling off federal lands. To prepare for future sell-off attempts, we’re supporting efforts to build more bi-partisan support for public lands like the congressional Public Lands Caucus and the Public Lands in Public Hands Act. We’ll let you know the next opportunity to join us in standing against the widespread sale of public lands.
Protecting Backcountry Forests with Roadless Rule
The Roadless Rule - a critical conservation measure that protects millions of acres of national forests from unnecessary roading building and resource extraction - is at risk. As the administration continues to pursue a full rollback of the Roadless Rule, the two million acres of national forest Roadless Areas that support backcountry recreation in Washington could be put at risk. Earlier this fall, we generated more than 1,300 public comments to the Forest Service from our community in support of Roadless protections.
We expect a draft environmental impact statement to be released as early as winter 2026. We’ll share the next public comment opportunity as a part of this process. In the meantime, you can take action right now to help build support for permanent protections for Roadless Areas in Congress. Use our action tool to send thank lawmakers for supporting the Roadless Area Conservation Act.
Great American Outdoor Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund
The Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) has infused more than $270 million across 38 projects to restore and maintain federal public lands in Washington. Thanks to the LRF, trail improvements, facilities upgrades, and road improvements have enhanced the user experience in recreation hotspots across the state, including at Snoqualmie Pass, on the Olympic Peninsula, and in the North Cascades.
Funding for the LRF lapsed at the end of September, and land managers need these resources to help address an outstanding $41 billion maintenance backlog on federal lands nationwide. We’re advocating for continued funding for the Legacy Restoration Fund, and you can help by using our action tool to ask your Senators to support legislation to reauthorize this critical funding source for our public lands.
Forward Together
Our recent Conversation Policy Update also provided an opportunity to gauge what issues folks are taking action on this year and how they’d like to advocate through The Mountaineers moving forward. We’ll use this feedback as we consider additional ways for Mountaineers to advocate with us and advance our conservation mission.
Want to take the next step in your advocacy journey? Our Advocacy 101 eLearning course will build your advocacy skills and prepare you to make a deeper impact through lawmaker engagement this year and beyond.
