Most Popular Blogs

Meet Matthew Shawhan, a stewardship leader for the Foothills Branch who coordinates the branch's stewardship activities with Shadow Lake Preserve and has worked for many years with the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Read more…

The Nisqually Watershed Festival is an annual celebration of nature featuring art, discovery, science, and family fun. There are displays from local organizations, tours, an Insect Extravaganza, storytelling, salmon discussion, and more.  Learn about reptiles and bats, make a salmon lifecycle key chain, or bring a t-shirt to make a fish print.  Lunch options are available including a salmon barbeque. Read more…

Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry blends art and science to celebrate this diverse yet interconnected region through natural and cultural histories, poetry, and illustrations. Read more…

Attempting a summit comes with a series of celebratory moments that inspire reflection, personal transformation, and overwhelming gratitude. And reaching the top takes commitment and encouragement along the way.  Read more…

Each year, we host an annual meeting for our members to learn more about the organization's state of affairs from staff and board members. Join us to celebrate 2023 fiscal year highlights, preview 2024, learn more about our strategic priorities, and have the opportunity to ask questions of our leaders.  Read more…

We’re excited to once again be calling for nominations for individuals to join our Board of Directors. Our goal is for our Board to represent the communities we currently serve and those we wish to serve, and we have been successful in diversifying the perspectives and lived experiences of our Board in the last few years. Read more…

Last year, we came very close to passing a package of recreation bills called America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA). Many of you took action to urge Congress to pass this legislation because it included one of our long term policy priorities, the Simplifying Access to Outdoor Recreation Act (SOAR Act). If passed, AORA would have improved the unpredictable recreational permitting system that creates barriers for people who want to experience the outdoors through Mountaineers courses and youth programs, as well as other changes to improve outdoor recreation on public lands and waters. Read more…

Public lands and waters - the places we hike, climb, paddle, and find connection and belonging outdoors - are critical to The Mountaineers experience. Without them, the transformational opportunities and experiences our community provides would cease to exist. In our Conservation 101 blog, What Are Public Lands?, we celebrate the various types of federal public lands, but state-managed lands also play an important role in the outdoor recreation experience. Read more…

Our volunteer leaders are a huge part of what makes the Olympia Branch such an inspiring, fun, and impactful community. Each year we honor the hard work and dedication of one Olympia volunteer by presenting them with the Branch Service Award. Read more…

When was the last time you experienced the majestic natural splendor of one of Washington’s ancient forests? Groves of old fir, cedar, or hemlock trees towering above a trail, with thriving biodiversity below, can connect us to a different time in history. Old growth and mature forests can be found throughout Washington state, drawing Mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts from all over to Olympic National Park and other outstanding recreational opportunities among these ancient forests like the North Fork Sauk River Trail on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Read more…