Conservation & Advocacy

Conservation & Advocacy

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Olympia Conservation & Stewardship - Maintaining Our Trails for National Trails Day

Our Olympia Conservation and Stewardship Committee has been championing stewardship for several years through an annual Stewardship Challenge and frequent work parties. We invite you to join us for National Trails day on Saturday, June 1, 2019 to give back to your local recreation areas, and to join us in recognizing the incredible work of the Olympia branch  at Wynoochee Lake on the south side of the Olympics. Read more…

Key Funding Takeaways in New State Budget

You’ve already heard from us a couple times this year about budget processes for Washington State. In February, we shared The Mountaineers funding priorities and in late April, we encouraged you to take action to speak up against proposed budget cuts – thank you to the 1,100 of you who did! Here’s where things landed with funding for state lands and outdoor programs for the next two years: Read more…

2019 Stewardship Challenge: Meet Our Stewardship Partners

As Mountaineers, we enjoy thousands of miles of trails and waterways throughout our public lands. We must set a compelling example as principled stewards who are willing to work hard to maintain the lands we enjoy. That's why our  Olympia Branch is challenging you to dedicate one day (or more!) this year 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. Read more…

The Era of Mega Fires - May 30

Join us for The Era of Megafires with Dr. Paul Hessberg, a research landscape ecologist with Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station. In this multi-media presentation, Hessburg explains how over the past decade the number of large, severe wildfires has been on the rise. These megafires burn more than 100,000 acres at a time; they can destroy communities, wildlife habitat, and natural resources. This special presentation conveys the conditions that lead to megafires and how they might be managed or mitigated. Read more…

This Summer, Help Us Sample Watermelon Snow for Science

We are excited to partner with Dr. Kodner and her students from Western Washington University for a third year on a citizen science project related to snow algae! This summer, take your alpine adventures to the next level and help us collect samples of summer "watermelon snow" algal blooms. These samples will support studies related to climate change and algal evolutionary biology. Read more…

Facilitated Access Permitting: What Mountaineers Leaders Need to Know

The complex landscape of permitting rules and regulations can be difficult to navigate as a Mountaineers leader. To help make things clearer, we've created a series of pages describing the various permit processes pertaining to Mountaineers activities, all organized by land manager. Read more…

Action Alert! DNR & State Parks Funding Under Threat

Earlier this year, we shared our funding priorities for state lands and outdoor programs (along with information about how our state budget is created). In a few short weeks, the final state budget will be on the desk of the Governor to sign. In the current proposal, state lands are underfunded, and we need you to advocate for better support for these places and recreational opportunities.  Read more…

Celebrate Earth Day With A Day of Service

Happy Earth Day, Mountaineers! We are proud to be one of Washington’s leading voices for protecting the outdoor experience in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. To achieve our goals, we partner with a number of environmental and outdoor industry groups and coalitions, and work closely with land managers and lawmakers to fight for public lands. Our strength comes from our members, who are inspired by the wild places they explore everyday. Join us in our stewardship efforts by volunteering at one of our many upcoming  opportunities with partners this spring. Read more…

Youth Outside | Growing Up with Nature

A little past noon, the younger members of our group started getting hungry. One of the parents found a small rock outcropping with a nice view for a bite, and I unburdened myself of my backpack and sat down next to my father. Taking in the early autumn air of the Appalachians, we ate the sandwiches he’d prepared earlier that morning. Read more…

Nature's Way | Earthquakes and Tsunamis: The Cascadia Subduction Zone

On February 28, 2001, a friend was being prepped for varicose vein surgery at the Seattle VA Hospital. He was given a mild sedative and began experiencing what he thought was vertigo when his surgeon announced that the procedure was cancelled and he needed to get dressed and leave the hospital immediately. An earthquake later known as the Nisqually, of a magnitude 6.8-7.0 had struck. My friend was disappointed at the postponement of his operation at the time, but it could have been worse. Read more…

Remembering Mountaineer & Conservationist Helen Engle

With sadness we share that Helen Engle, a 66-year Mountaineers member and lifelong conservationist, passed away this week at the age of 93. Helen inspired us all to live a life of purpose. She will be missed by The Mountaineers and the rest of the outdoor community. Read more…

It's Official: Public Lands Package Signed into Law!

Cross-country skiing in the Methow. Climbing at Exit 38. Hiking at Ebey’s Landing. There's nothing like the amazing landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, and thanks to your advocacy, they are more protected than ever! Read more…

Voices Heard | Life as a City Girl Gone Green

I am by nature a city girl. I enjoy bright lights and long walks down populated concrete sidewalks while street musicians fill the air with tunes. I am from Chicago, land of blues and backyard barbecue smells, where as a child I played double dutch near curbs on city streets in my Westside neighborhood. Big-city noises such as loud car motors and high-volume voices drowned out the sounds of pigeons, crows, and ravens, but the city was their home too. Read more…

The Seattle Program Center Solar Panels go live!

With the flick of a switch, our building underwent a transformation. What had been a normal Thursday at the Seattle Program Center - with staff bustling about while members perused our bookstore - changed in an instant. On January 17 our new solar panels were switched on and sunlight was converted into resource-saving energy that powered all the essential mechanisms for running the program center. Read more…

Introducing "We Are Puget Sound"

As Washingtonians, we know firsthand that Puget Sound is home to astonishing wildlife and beauty. This spectacular inland sea is a rich, life-sustaining home shared by two countries, a province, a state, and over 50 Native American Tribes and First Nations. But the vibrant blue waters can be deceiving - hiding stressed wildlife, pollution, and impacts from thoughtless development and climate change. We can change that, but we need your help. Read more…

Public Lands Package Passes the House - Set to Become Law!

The biggest public lands package in a decade passed the House of Representatives and is expected to be signed into law by the President soon. This is huge news for the wild places where we play! Read more…

Two Girls in the Mountains

With a whirlwind of energy, Aisha and Anisah enter The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center, along with their father, Hakim Ali. The program center is a giant playground for them, starting with the basalt columns outside. I’m always proud to share with guests that people actually climb them – but the little Mountaineers, Aisha and Anisah weren’t surprised. Read more…

Take Action: Public Lands Package Passes the Senate, Moves on to the House

A far-reaching public lands package has passed the Senate, and will now head to the House of Representatives. This is a huge step for bipartisan legislation that will benefit wild places and outdoor recreation across the country. The package includes measures The Mountaineers has spent years advocating for, such as the Land & Water Conservation Fund, Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area, and Methow Headwaters Act. Thousands of you answered our calls-to-action on behalf of these causes. Thank you! Read more…

Action Alert! 2019 Washington State Budget & Public Lands

In odd-numbered years (like this one), Washington legislators set the two-year state budget (capitol and operating). Lawmakers are currently negotiating this year’s funding package. Critical provisions for education, human services, infrastructure, and public lands hang in the balance. From the shores of Deception Pass to the Ponderosa pines of Riverside, our state public lands - and the agencies that steward them - need sufficient funding to provide the outdoor experience we know and love. Read more…

Hiking With Dogs - The Basics

There’s nothing like sharing the great outdoors with your best friend. However, it’s important to keep trail etiquette and safety in mind when you explore with a dog in tow. Below are excerpts from the Mountaineers Books title Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington by Dan A. Nelson. Learn what to do (and not to do!) when you and Fido hit the trail. Read more…

Five Questions with David Moskowitz

David Moskowitz’s work as a photographer, biologist, and wildlife tracker has led him deep into the world’s largest remaining inland temperate rainforest, home to the elusive, critically endangered mountain caribou. David spent years in the backcountry tracking and photographing these magnificent animals in order to understand and share their story with the world in Caribou Rainforest: From Heartbreak to Hope, a new book from Braided River. Read more…

Jim French on His Service Award and Conserving Our Public Lands

This award is quite an honor. There are so many great volunteers, thousands in The Mountaineers. How could anyone pick one? It didn’t seem possible that I was selected for the Service Award with so much competition. Read more…

Voices Heard | POC-in-Chief: A Legacy Living On

In Tucson, a large Latino community abuts Saguaro National Park but seldom visits it. It was there that I met Cam Juárez through work that Barack Obama made possible. Juárez was a planner and project manager outside the Park Service when he agreed to take on the challenge of connecting his community with Saguaro. Juárez is a miracle, really. He has birth defects that caused shortened upper limbs and missing digits, and a cardiac condition. His mother was a single parent and a migrant farm worker in California’s Central Valley, where she likely was exposed to pesticides associated with defects suffered by her son and now her grandson as well. Read more…

Take the 2019 Olympia Stewardship Challenge

As Mountaineers, we enjoy thousands of miles of trails and waterways throughout our public lands. We must set a compelling example as principled stewards who are willing to work hard to maintain the lands we enjoy. The Olympia Branch is challenging you to dedicate one day (or more!) this year 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. Read more…

Voices Heard | Belonging in Nature

In 2005, Dr. Carolyn Finney visited the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta with her father, a stoic man who grew up in the segregated South. She was startled when he grabbed her with a stricken look on his face. “I thought he was having a heart attack,” Finney said during a recent lecture at the University of Washington. Read more…

The Government Is Temporarily Reopened – Let’s be Patient as Land Managers Get back to Work

On Friday, a temporary funding measure was passed to reopen the federal government. The move marks the first step in getting our public lands up and running at full capacity, but recreationists should take heed that there’s still a long way to go. Read more…

What the New Congress Means for Public Lands

January 3, 2019 marked the start of the 116th Congress, and with it a new landscape for outdoor advocates to navigate. Here are some key changes to keep in mind as we work to conserve the public lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond: Read more…

Action Alert: The Government Shutdown and Its Impact on Public Lands

The government shutdown is now the longest in history, and it may continue for weeks or even months. One of the most visible manifestations of the shutdown has been its effects on our national parks, many of which are being kept open despite having few staff and no budget. Read more…

Winter Wildlands Backcountry Film Festival - Jan 10 & Jan 21

Calling all “go big or go home” winter enthusiasts! Get ready to get goosebumps while you “Ooh!” and “Ahh!” at the impact and importance of our winter wildlands through this collection of short films. The fourteenth annual Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival will screen in  Bellevue on January 10 and in Seattle at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center on January 21.  Read more…

New Things to Try in 2019 (with Mountaineers Books)

Welcome to 2019, everyone! It’s that time of the year when ambitions are high, and confidence is running even higher. It’s really time to carpe that diem! And if you are not already cranking your music playlist to loop “Eye of the Tiger” ad nauseam because you are not sure what to do this year, hey – we got a few suggestions for you. Veni, vidi, vici! (Guess who just checked “learning Latin” off this year’s list?) Read more…