Conservation Blog

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The Outdoor Access Working Group (OAWG) believes that people should be able to responsibly appreciate and experience America’s National Forests. For many people, organized trips are the ticket to outdoor recreation. Therefore, the organizations that lead these trips are crucial leaders in terms of outdoor recreation. Read more…

The Mountaineers have been helping people enjoy responsible outdoor recreation for over 100 years. Recent difficulties with outfitter-guide permits for facilitated use in National Forests have restricted many organizations from taking people outside. As as result, numerous people are unable to learn, appreciate, and experience America's Forests. Complex and inconsistent permitting procedures make the current system difficult for everyone. Read more…

Few have documented the new American West as thoroughly or as beautifully as conservation photographer Dave Showalter. In a new book of photography and essays, Sage Spirit (out in August from nonprofit conservation publisher Braided River), Showalter illuminates the Sagebrush Sea which houses an abundance of unique wildlife, including the quickly receding population of Greater and Gunnison Sage-grouse. Read more…

National Forests are by definition multi-use areas: they sustain a thriving recreation economy, protect wildlife and waterways, and support timber, grazing, and development. To balance all these interests, we must ensure that different communities can participate in decision making. Read more…

Have you heard about efforts in Western States, including Washington, to transfer federal public lands to the state? A campaign to transfer public lands to state control threatens hundreds of millions of acres of national forests, rangelands, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and historic sites across the Western US. Read more…

By Margaret Ullman-Hess, Communications Manager at The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust

Bipartisan legislation was introduced today to designate the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area. Senate legislation was introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and House legislation was introduced by Congressmen Dave Reichert and Adam Smith. Read more…

Earlier this month, our Everett Branch Trail Maintenance folks celebrated National Trails Day with work on the White Chuck Bench Trail outside of Darrington. Read more…

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) - our State's primary tool for conserving the gorgeous natural areas beloved by our community - is at risk. The State Senate budget will be dismantling the WWRP and cutting funding to almost all planned backcountry recreation and conservation projects for state lands. These projects preserve our natural heritage and ensure our lands and waters remain open to the public. Read more…

A call for Citizen Scientists - be a part of our regional volunteer effort to detect and eradicate invasive plant species! Read more…

From hiking in the stunning Methow Valley, to trail work in the Darrington area, The Mountaineers does a lot to celebrate National Trails Day.

The Everett Branch partners with the Darrington Ranger district of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the city of Darrington each year for a day of trail work. Read more…

One of the most important things we do as Mountaineers is inspire people to love the outdoors. Since you can only love what you know, we work to get people of all ages outside into nature. Our public lands provide outstanding places to recreate and experience the great outdoors up close. Read more…

Do you ever marvel at how beautiful our state is? From lush forests, to magnificent glaciated peaks to the shores of Puget Sound, we live in an awe-inspiring place. Read more…

Ten years ago the Forest Service issued a travel management rule designated to regulate wheeled vehicle use on Forest lands. At the time, snowmobiles were considered “optional” to regulate, and were therefore not included in the legislation. Then, last summer, we asked you to share your voice on a new proposal for winter travel management in our National Forests. Now, a new regulation known as the Over Snow Vehicle Travel Rule has been passed to account for snowmobile use. Read more…

We are facing a unique opportunity to protect 1.5 million acres of land in the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Extending from the Seattle waterfront to Ellensburg, the Greenway is an outdoor recreation paradise, hosting 1,600 miles of trails, excellent whitewater run, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing terrain, rock climbing routes, mountain bike trails, and views of the stunning Cascade Crest. Read more…

Eleven Olympia Mountaineers members joined forces with the Forest Service to help restore Lena Creek Campground on the Olympic Peninsula on April 15. The group cleaned up four camp sites that had been damaged in winter flooding. Read more…

As I look out over a plain of rushing water, a pleasant earthy smell permeates the air, hinting surprisingly of sulfur. Read more…

Blame the Internet. Blame social media. Blame me and other guidebook writers. Blame the Washington Trails Association (WTA). Read more…

On Monday, March 23, we were excited to return to Olympia with our partners in the No Child Left Inside Alliance to testify in support of Senate Bill 5843. Read more…

For our member profile this week, we take a different approach and introduce you to Katherine Hollis, our conservation and recreation manager. Learn about why she became interested in conservation, and what excites her most about working with The Mountaineers. Read more…

You’d be hard pressed to miss the invitations and communications over the past couple of months about our Mountaineers BREAKTHROUGH fundraising event on April 11. With an all-star lineup of climbers in the program, you’re probably wondering why we’re writing about it in relationship to conservation. Well, underlying the climbing theme of the evening is the impact story about why anyone should care about The Mountaineers efforts to get people outside – conservation is a primary driver of that story. Read more…

North Cascades National Park, considered the “wild nearby” for its incredible scenery and wildlife, is also at the center of an opportunity being led by the National Park Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Forest Service to restore a grizzly bear population. Read more…

Gone for nearly 40 years, the Western Bluebird had completely disappeared from the San Juan Islands. But local bird lovers are bringing them back. Read more…

Olympia Branch Members Jim French, Greg Lovelady, Ginger Sarver, Richard Geier, Carla Jonientz, Mike Riley, Regina Robinson, Curt Rosler, and John Sisco  took it upon themselves to make sure that The Mountaineers' presence was felt with our state legislators at the Big Tent Rally Day on February 24th, 2015. The Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition is an umbrella organization formed to highlight the importance of our state’s outdoor recreation sector in enhancing Washington’s economy and its reputation for healthy and active living. Our Olympia Branch volunteers "did us proud!" Read more…

We wanted to make sure that our Native American neighbors know we respect and care about potential concerns  with our members' outdoor activities on culturally-important locations. We reached out every tribe in our state and learned of no such conflicts.  Read more…

It was just a year ago in late December when I accepted the position as Conservation and Responsible Recreation Manager for The Mountaineers. If someone told me then, that within my first year on the job I would be taking a lead on planning an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, I think I would have cited my lack of event-planning experience. - but thanks to event co-hosts REI and the Wilderness Society, and a creative, passionate steering committee, we made it happen on November 15th. Explore Washington’s Wilderness was a special event to celebrate the landmark conservation bill that created a way for Americans to protect wildlands for future generations.  Read more…

We recently met with staff from Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park about their respective proposed fee increases. National Parks across the country are considering increasing entrance fees, camping, and wilderness permit fee increases. Read more…

It was another successful season! Wilderness Weed Watcher volunteers plodded along trails throughout the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest’s wilderness areas this past summer in search of invasive weeds. Many invasive plants were documented along nearly a dozen trails and 50 miles of our protected lands. The discovery of these plants reemphasizes the importance of this work – we’re doing our best as responsible recreationalists to protect the places we love so much. Read more…