The Mountaineers
In the wake of deep reductions to the federal land manager workforce and cuts to the Washington state budget over the last year, volunteer stewardship work coordinated by nonprofits is increasingly critical to maintaining thriving, well-maintained public lands. The practice of stewardship brings Mountaineers of all ages together across branches and activities to care for the places where we recreate. Robust volunteer stewardship isn’t a replacement for the agency staff who support and guide our work, but is a great way to support public lands and the dedicated professionals who care for them.
Before we celebrate some 2025 stewardship wins from across the organization, we encourage you to sign up for a stewardship activity sponsored by The Mountaineers or an outside conservation or recreation organization.
2025 Stewardship Highlights
Throughout the year, our members played a hands-on role in protecting, restoring, and maintaining the lands and waters of our region, so they can continue to thrive for future generations. Our volunteer-led Mountaineers branch conservation and stewardship committees work with outside partners to organize valuable opportunities to give back to our landscapes through organized trail work, lookout maintenance, invasive plant removal, trash clean-up, and other activities. Other Mountaineers groups like activity-based committees in smaller branches and our youth clubs also help build a culture of stewardship across our community. We’re excited to share a few highlights from this great work in 2025.
Olympia Branch
This spring, stewardship leaders and participants working through our Olympia Branch supported land managers on the Olympic National Forest by cleaning up five campgrounds and preparing them for summer use. They also continued to steward their adopted trail, Olympic National Forest’s Church Creek Trail, by working the trail on both sides of the Olympic crest this year. Olympia’s Conservation & Stewardship Committee also focuses on Washington state-managed lands in the Olympia area. This fall they cleared trails at DNR’s Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area and are looking forward to more work at Tolmie State Park in 2026.
Olympia stewardship volunteers cleaning campsites at Olympic National Forest's Lena Lake campground. Photo by Ginger Sarver.
Foothills Branch
Foothills Branch stewardship leader Elizabeth Nakashima organized nearly a dozen half-day stewardship activities to restore and improve the grounds of our Seattle Program Center. These efforts included clearing out thimbleberry, general green space upkeep, and building an accessible pathway from the parking lot to the Program Center.
Foothills continued their trail building and maintenance at Northern State Recreation Area with Skagit Trail Builders. With guidance from Forest Service staff, The Mountaineers and Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust have focused their Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail work further from the trailhead than in previous years due to staffing cuts at the agency.
Volunteers steward the landscaping in front of the Seattle Program Center. Photo by Mckenzie Campbell Davies.
Everett Branch
This year, the Everett Branch’s Lookout and Trail Maintenance Committee focused on several on-the-ground stewardship projects, embedded stewardship in the Branch’s activity-based courses, and cultivated new stewardship leaders. They partnered with Friends of the Three Fingers Lookout and others to complete a major siding project on the Three Fingers structure. They also established a partnership with Washington State Parks to work on the Pilchuck Lookout.
Seattle Youth Clubs
Our younger Mountaineers aren’t just future stewards of our public lands - they’re already in the habit of giving back. Each year, several Mountaineers youth clubs feature at least one day of volunteer stewardship service into their year-round programing. In 2025, the Seattle Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) maintained cross-country ski trails with Methow Trails and completed trail work at Heather Maple Pass with Methow Valley Trails Collaborative. In 2025, they also teamed up with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance for a trail work party at Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park in Issaquah.
Next up for Seattle youth clubs stewardship is a January Explorers and Junior MAC stewardship day with King County Parks, and a MAC trail work day with Washington Trails Association in February. Mountaineers youth jump at the opportunity to get their hands dirty and give back to the natural world, including the trails and climbing areas they experience through our programs.
We greatly appreciate the work of these and other Mountaineers branches and committees, and look forward to sharing more about their ongoing efforts next year.
Give Back Through Stewardship
Wherever you are in Western Washington, there are opportunities near you to team up with The Mountaineers and outside stewardship organizations to better the parks, forests, and trails you love. Most stewardship activities require no prior experience or knowledge. Tools and other equipment are generally provided, and there is sure to be a friendly outdoor enthusiast on hand to show you the ropes. Think of participating in stewardship as just a different type of recreational activity, while also restoring the natural world, strengthening your connection to the land, and finding belonging outdoors.
We plan to share more in the new year about why Mountaineers stewardship leaders encourage your participation in 2026. In the meantime, get started today by earning your Stewardship Credit Badge by participating in six hours of on-the-ground stewardship.
