Outdoor Alliance Welcomes The Mazamas As Its Newest Member

Outdoor Alliance is excited to announce that the Mazamas has joined as the newest member of our coalition. The Mazamas, based in Oregon, is one of the oldest mountaineering organizations in the U.S. Mazamas has a passionate and active membership that values climbing, hiking, and public lands in the Northwest and beyond.

Founded in 1894 on the summit of Mt. Hood, Mazamas is a nonprofit mountaineering education organization that has been a leader in conservation and climbing education for over a century. Joining the Outdoor Alliance coalition gives Mazamas and their members a stronger voice in Washington DC, and in the Northwest, and will elevate the Mazamas’ conservation efforts. “The voice of the Mazamas needs to be heard by our lawmakers and agency officials in D.C. Outdoor Alliance has been instrumental in helping us to build stronger relationships in D.C., with members of Congress, federal land management agencies, and even the White House,” the Mazamas’ Executive Director, Lee Davis, said. “Our work together has created a unified voice for outdoor recreationists and conservationists in our region and has helped move policy forward.”

Outdoor Alliance’s Executive Director, Adam Cramer, said, “We are excited to partner with the Mazamas, who have been connecting people to the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest for over 100 years. Oregon is a profoundly important place to the outdoor recreation community, and the epicenter of some of the most positive public land policy in the last few years. The Pacific Northwest is a crucial region for conservation and advocacy and Outdoor Alliance is excited to get the guidance and perspective of the Mazamas on Oregon policy issues.” As a coalition, Outdoor Alliance is most effective when we can bring influential local voices to bear on national policy issues. The addition of the Mazamas strengthens our collective voices, and will help us pursue our mission to protect public lands and waters and advocate for recreational experiences on them.

The Mazamas is the second regional membership and advocacy organization to join Outdoor Alliance. The Mountaineers, who joined in 2015, are based in Seattle. Tom Vogl, the CEO of the Mountaineers, said, “The Mazamas are one the oldest climbing clubs in the west and The Mountaineers have enjoyed a long history of partnership with them. They will add another strong community of passionate outdoor advocates to the Outdoor Alliance coalition. As part of Outdoor Alliance, The Mountaineers has advocated for permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, worked to formally designate the Mountains to Sound watershed as a National Heritage Area, and sought protection from mining for the Methow Valley, among many other issues. The addition of the Mazamas to this coalition will strengthen our work to protect public lands and improve recreation in the Pacific Northwest and across the country."

Outdoor Alliance unites the voices of outdoor organizations representing climbers, hikers, paddlers, backcountry skiers, and mountain bikers across the country. Our work is a testament to the idea that united, our voices are stronger. We are looking forward to working together with the Mazamas, especially on campaigns to protect landscapes important to climbers, hikers, and those who live and recreate in the Pacific Northwest.

To learn more about the Mazamas, visit their website.