Colorado Mountain Club Joins Outdoor Alliance!
Outdoor Alliance is pleased to share that the Colorado Mountain Club is the newest member of the Outdoor Alliance. Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) will be the ninth member of Outdoor Alliance coalition of human-powered outdoor recreation groups, joining American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Mountaineers, the American Alpine Club, and the Mazamas.
The Colorado Mountain Club is the state’s leading organization dedicated to adventure, recreation, conservation and education. Founded in 1912, the CMC acts as a gateway to the mountains for novices and experts alike, offering an array of year-round activities, events and schools centered on outdoor recreation. The Club comprises regional groups across Colorado to serve the local needs of its members and partners. To ensure the continued enjoyment of Colorado’s pristine places, the CMC also leads efforts to protect wild and public lands with its conservation and stewardship programs.
As a member of Outdoor Alliance, CMC will strengthen its voice in Washington DC on national public land policy, including issues like keeping public lands public, and protecting outdoor recreation opportunities on Colorado’s national forests. “Since our founding in 1912, the Colorado Mountain Club has worked to protect the human-powered outdoor recreation experience and to conserve Colorado’s public lands,” said Scott Robson, CMC’s Executive Director. “By joining the Outdoor Alliance as a national member, we are thrilled to partner with other like-minded organizations to amplify our voice on key land planning issues nationally and locally. It’s more important than ever for organizations like the CMC, who value and depend on public lands, to take a stand on issues that affect those lands and be a part of finding pragmatic solutions which is why we’re so excited to be a part of the Outdoor Alliance who has become a leading voice for outdoor recreationists and conservationists nationally.”
Outdoor Alliance’s Executive Director, Adam Cramer, said, “We have been working closely with CMC for a number of years, so it’s a natural progression to have them join the Outdoor Alliance coalition. Colorado Mountain Club was a founding member of Outdoor Alliance Colorado, our oldest and one of our strongest regional networks. In the west, Colorado is such an important state for public lands and outdoor recreation. With the inclusion of the CMC, we gave increased depth and local perspective on Colorado-based issues.”
As a coalition, Outdoor Alliance brings local voices together to improve both national and state-level outdoor recreation policy. The addition of the Colorado Mountain Club strengthens our collective voice, helping us to protect outdoor recreation in Colorado and across the country. Over the last five years, Colorado Mountain Club has advocated for the designation of Browns Canyon National Monument, has spoken up for outdoor recreation on national forests in Colorado through the forest planning process, has mapped an enormous amount of recreation data on public lands, and has taken part in defending Colorado’s national monuments and public lands from bad policy ideas.
The Colorado Mountain Club is the third regional membership and advocacy organization to join Outdoor Alliance. The Mountaineers, who joined in 2015, and the Mazamas, who joined in 2016, are based in Seattle and Portland.
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 more closely with the Colorado Mountain Club, especially on campaigns to protect landscapes important to mountaineers, climbers, hikers, and those who live and recreate in Colorado.
To learn more about CMC, visit their website.