Outdoor Alliance Washington August Trip Report

Adapted from The Mountaineers’ blog (here and here)

Outdoor Alliance’s Washington network, led by staff at The Mountaineers, has been hard at work building strong relationships with Washington’s lawmakers and land managers to effectively advocate for shared conservation, recreation, and climate priorities.

This August, while many members of Congress are on recess, the Outdoor Alliance Washington team has been bringing the outdoor community together to advocate for key policy priorities, including land protections, climate action, and outdoor recreation policy.

Meeting with Representative Jayapal (WA-07)

First, Outdoor Alliance Washington brought together voices from Seattle’s outdoor community to meet with U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07). On August 10, The Mountaineers hosted a policy roundtable at their Seattle Program Center. This was a great chance for Outdoor Alliance Washington partners and local stakeholders to discuss climate change and access to the outdoors.

The Outdoor Alliance Washington team and partners with Rep. Jayapal

Currently serving her third term in the House, Rep. Jayapal is a strong advocate for addressing the climate crisis and environmental injustice. As head of the House Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force, her leadership helped secure investments in climate and clean energy that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act. She also helped introduce the THRIVE Act, and other legislation to transition our economy to 100% clean energy and address the crisis of climate justice.

As an influential member of the congressional leadership, Outdoor Alliance Washington was eager for the opportunity to share our policy priorities with Rep. Jayapal. When we arranged this roundtable talk to share with the Congresswoman why action on climate is so important to recreationists in her district, the fate of federal climate negotiations were uncertain. We didn’t know just how perfect our timing would be, and that we would have the chance to celebrate an imminent victory for the climate and our public lands.

“Climate change directly impacts our activities; whether it’s climbing, access to glaciers, or whitewater paddling opportunities that depend on snowpack. We’re very pleased Congress is taking action to address these issues,” shared Tom O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director for American Whitewater. We were pleased to have staff from REI Co-op and Outdoor Research attend the meeting to represent the local outdoor industry, as each has a large presence in the 7th District. REI Co-op Senior Government Affairs Manager Taldi Harrison reiterated the company’s support for addressing the climate crisis and, in particular, investments in forest conservation and urban tree planting included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Congresswoman Jayapal was eager to share her perspective on these issues and how we arrived at this critical moment. “Addressing the climate crisis has been such a priority for me personally and for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Passing the Inflation Reduction Act will be the biggest investment we've ever made in addressing climate change and climate justice. It’s a giant step forward. There are some people who are saying this is a baby step forward. It’s not baby steps, I don’t believe that. It's a huge success.”

Outdoor Alliance Washington Summer Celebration

At its core, successful conservation and advocacy efforts rely on people and relationships. As we work to grow Outdoor Alliance Washington, we seek to build relationships with local outdoor advocates who help make our advocacy successful.

Members of Congress typically return from our nation’s capital each August to meet with constituents and stakeholders in their districts. Despite busy schedules and an unpredictable legislative calendar, our timing worked out splendidly for us to celebrate the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act with Representatives Kim Schrier (WA-08), Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Adam Smith (WA-09) at a community event and panel discussion on August 17 at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center.

The event gave attendees - recreationists, business leaders, land managers and conservation and recreation partners from throughout the Puget Sound region - the chance to mingle and share stories from recent wins to protect public lands and advocate for bold climate action. Participants also got to hear reflections from three members of Washington’s congressional delegation during a panel discussion about climate, public lands, and role of the recreation community as important outdoor advocates.

Rep. Kim Schrier has been a leader on wildfire, forest resilience, and a strong supporter of the Forest Service’s Legacy Roads and Trails program during her time in Congress representing the state’s 8th Congressional District, including the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Mount Rainier National Park, as well as gateway communities in Chelan and Kittitas counties.

Rep. Suzan DelBene loves skiing, hiking, and the outdoors, and has represented Washington’s 1st Congressional District since 2013, which includes North Cascades National Park and the Glacier Peak. Wilderness. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, she helped shape the clean energy tax provisions that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Rep. Adam Smith has represented the 9th Congressional District since 1996, and currently chairs the House Armed Services Committee. He is a strong advocate for addressing climate change and protecting our lands and waters, and was instrumental in getting the Wild Olympics bill through the House as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act the past two years.

Rep. Schrier offered: “I’m excited about the passage of the IRA because there are certain things that people have been asking me about related to health care and climate change since I first ran in 2017. The Inflation Reduction Act is the answer to all of those questions. This is the biggest investment in climate ever, and it’s paid for in a fair way.”

Rep. DelBene shared that while there are so many great things in this new law, she’s really excited about some lesser-known provisions that will invest more resources in neighborhood access and grant programs that help communities in our state that have experienced flooding be more prepared and resilient from these disasters.

The three members were also asked for their take on how the outdoor community can be more effective champions for these issues and support their efforts back in Washington, D.C. Rep. Smith broke it down nicely: “Organize and educate, not just locally but nationwide. Advocacy isn’t just about showing up and telling us what you want, it’s building the environment and persuading people to agree with you on an issue.”

Learn more about Outdoor Alliance Washington

By amplifying the voices of more than 75,000 hikers, mountain bikers, paddlers, climbers, and backcountry skiers across the state, we can achieve a more sustainable future for Washington’s outdoors. You can get involved by signing up to hear more about our Washington work here:

Trip Report: Outdoor Alliance Washington Gathers Washington Lawmakers, Outdoor Enthusiasts in August