Conservation & Advocacy

Our Everett Lookout and Trail Maintenance Committee (LOTM), a “get it done” group that maintains historic fire lookouts and trails and participates in events like National Trails Day, is a great community for anyone looking to get outside and make a difference. In the coming months, 30-year member and stewardship rock star, Louie Coglas, will offer several opportunities to give back to our wild places. Open to anyone who wants to participate! Read more…

The 115th Congress spent the first day of its new session making it easier to sell off our public lands. On Tuesday evening, Congress passed a “rules package,” which contained a provision [Section 3(q)(1) of H.Res. 5 (p. 35)] allowing lawmakers to transfer federal lands to the state without accounting for the economic ramifications. Read more…

On December 20, 2016, 115 million acres of the Arctic Ocean were protected when the US and Canada issued a Joint Arctic Leaders Statement launching actions to sensure "a strong, sustainable and viable Arctic economy and ecosystem, with low-impact shipping, science based management of marine resources, and free from the future risks of offshore oil and gas activity.” This action protects the wild Arctic Ocean ecosystem. Read more…

One of the stories from The Wild Edge that resonates strongly with me is from Baja California, of gray whales approaching boats and trusting people to touch their bodies and stroke their newborn calves. People who experience these intimate encounters with whales describe them as among the most stirring moments of their lives--a connection of heart and spirit. Read more…

Last week, Governor Inslee released his proposed 2017–19 operating, transportation and capital budgets. In addition to the proposal’s primary focus – fully funding basic education – the budget demonstrates a strong commitment to conservation and recreation.  Read more…

As it turns out, if you build it, they will poop. A lot.

Three years ago, the climbing community rose up to fund a pit toilet at the Frenchman Coulee climbing area - better known as Vantage - in Central Washington. Now, those same voices are calling for a second toilet to meet the growing needs of the popular climbing destination. Read more…

Small yacht cruise specialists Discovery Voyages will be donating one-hundred percent of the trip fees for a 5 day/4 night voyage in Alaska's Prince William Sound to Braided River, our partner nonprofit organization focused on protecting wild places in western North America.  Read more…

Yesterday, the recreation community, Congress, and President Obama came together to make history. With the passage of Outdoor REC Act, the recreation economy – and the billions of dollars, millions of jobs, and invaluable public lands it encompasses – will be counted as part of the national Gross Domestic Product for the first time.  Read more…

Today, if you go to Olympic National Park, you can head to the Valley of Rainforest Giants, where you’ll find some of the oldest, largest trees in the world. Among them stands the legacy of another giant: Polly Dyer, a long-time Mountaineers member and conservation visionary, integral to protecting wild places on the Olympic Peninsula and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we live and breathe the outdoors. It’s our passion. We love it all - from the big picture beauty to the tiny details: the elevation gain of an alpine lake trail, the training regimen to bag a new summit, the nuances of the latest travel management plan. Read more…