Outdoor Allies: Jonah Meyers

Ever wondered how you can do more for public lands but you aren’t sure where to start? Outdoor Alliance’s Outdoor Allies series explores how other outdoor adventurers got their start and their advice for how you can harness your passion for the outdoors into protecting the places you love. Jonah Meyers is a volunteer advocate with Outdoor Alliance's DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) network. He works in philanthropy, lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and likes to ride his mountain bike, cross country-ski, snowboard, and hike with his wife, daughter, and pup.

Tell me about your relationship with the outdoors—how did you get started and what do you like to do outside?

I was fortunate to grow up in a household that spent a lot of time outside. My parents met on a cross-country ski trip, and we spent weekends going camping, biking, hiking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing. I started working in a local bike shop when I was 16, started rock climbing some in college, and led hiking and climbing trips for the Terrapin Trail Club.  

My wife is also an avid mountain biker, so we structure many of our weekends around riding some of the epic and rocky trail systems you can find in the mid-Atlantic, like Michaux State Forest, George Washington National Forest, etc.  I also have a one-year-old, so we spend a lot of time introducing her to the bike trailer and hiking with her and our dog. We also cross-country ski and snowboard whenever there’s enough snow to get out there.

Where did you first hear about Outdoor Alliance, and what attracts you to the organization?

I was briefly on the board of the local mountain bike advocacy organization, MORE, an IMBA affiliate. IMBA is an Outdoor Alliance member, and I had heard about Outdoor Alliance’s priorities and action items through that connection. I also had the chance to add Adam Cramer to my mountain biker network and hear more about OA’s work during rides. Some fellow local advocates got together to form a local network who could advocate for Outdoor Alliance’s issues with our elected officials, so I joined up.

Volunteering with Outdoor Alliance has been amazing. Its role to organize the recreation community around key policy objectives and advocate across levels of government and party affiliation has been critical for policy wins that protect the spaces we all love to get outside.

“As a mountain biker, every time I ride my bike I’m benefitting from lots of advocacy work and sweat equity from folks who have convinced government to set land aside for public use, who secured necessary permits and designed a trail system, and who did some digging.”

You’ve been an incredible advocate for the outdoors for years, working on local issues in the DC area, donating to Outdoor Alliance, and taking advocacy actions. We are super grateful. What motivates you to advocate for the outdoors?

As a mountain biker, every time I ride my bike I’m benefitting from lots of advocacy work and sweat equity from folks who have convinced government to set land aside for public use, who secured necessary permits and designed a trail system, and who did some digging. It’s actually relatively easy to take for granted the amount of work required to protect that access, and in some cases prevent development that would hinder access or conservation. Once I learned more about how much work went into the trails I enjoy, I knew I had to try and do my part.

As a former bike shop employee and enthusiastic mountain biker who sees what a good trail system can do for a town, what especially motivates me is making sure that we’re talking about the economic benefits that conservation can contribute, and the hope that those benefits enable us to lower the political temperature on conservation projects.

What are the outdoor advocacy issues that are most important to you?

Equity in the outdoors is really important to me. I grew up in a diverse community relatively close to some cool outdoor spaces, but not every household recreated outside. Our outdoor recreation communities really don’t reflect the diversity of American society, to the detriment of our society and to the earth. There’s so much evidence out there that regular recreation and relaxation in the outdoors is good for personal and public health and encourages more pro-recreation and conservation voices. Being welcoming when you’re in outdoor spaces and proactively contributing to outdoor equity is just the right thing to do.

I’m also always motivated to throw down for land protection projects, for the inherent value of each parcel and to contribute to 30x30. We can’t make more land, so we have to protect what we’ve got, frequently from moneyed interests who are just thinking about a short-term gain. 

What do you wish other outdoor recreationists would know or understand about outdoor advocacy?

Don’t assume that your fellow recreationists know about the issues that are important to you. Talking about public lands access, 30x30, etc. with your friends while you hike/bike/paddle is a good first step. Also, put your money where your mouth is/tires are and donate to your local advocacy organizations, Outdoor Alliance, and other organizations protecting our lands and advocating for outdoor equity.

Lightning Round:

Favorite place to get out around DC – Frederick Watershed

What you’re reading – Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, and Adventure Journal

An activity you wish you were better at – Whitewater kayaking