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 in advocacy work and their advice for how you can harness your passion for the outdoors into advocacy for the land and water you love. Kyle McCrohan is the founder of the Cascade Backcountry Alliance. Kyle grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is a passionate runner, skier, and climber who cares about advocating for access to the sports he enjoys. He is also a part of Outdoor Alliance’s Grasstops Collective.

What do you like to do outside and how did you first get connected with the outdoors?

As a kid, I spent a lot of time at the Denny Creek water slide, which is located at Franklin Falls in Washington. I remember visiting the Big Four Ice Caves with my dad, and him saying these caves might not be here when we got older. They still are, but they have definitely gotten smaller.

I didn't really do much skiing growing up, for my family it was too expensive. I ended up in a great group of friends, and we started trail running and going on hikes together. My first backpacking trip was during my senior year of high school in the Cascades. We ended up with a rain-snow mix, and a water bladder burst in the tent in the middle of the night, so we all had to get out. The skies had cleared and we walked onto this frozen lake looking up at the stars. Being out there felt wild, like nothing I’d ever done. There’s something about the feeling of self-sufficiency and where it can take you, and how wild the mountains are.

Kyle backcountry skiing in the Cascade range

I learned to ski in college and got some backcountry gear. I was building up all these different skills like rock climbing, backcountry skiing, ice climbing all at the same time. I found a lot of enjoyment in switching between different sports and also combining them. Last summer, I did the high route through the Picket Range in the North Cascades. The Pickets hold a certain lore, they are the holy grail for mountaineering, and I’d been wanting to go for years. It felt really good, using the culmination of my skills; we climbed fifth class rock, crossed glaciers, did some rappelling. It’s a wild and beautiful terrain, truly world-class.

What led to your work at your current organization, and as a group, what are you most focused on?

In 2018, I started a blog about my outdoor adventures. Eventually, I became more interested in using it as a platform for advocacy, for other folks who recreate. At the time, there was no advocacy group for human powered winter recreation in Washington. My partner, who volunteers with a local conservation group, encouraged me to start the Cascade Backcountry Alliance (CBA). We started in 2022 with the mission of advocating for backcountry skiers and snowshoers in the Pacific Northwest.

Our biggest priority at CBA is access to the outdoors, and a lot of that involves advocating for funding for projects that would get more people in the mountains. Getting into the mountains should also be an enjoyable experience, so improvements to parking areas, and local transit are within our core focus. We’re also looking at ways to expand access through Forest Management Plans, like the Northwest Forest Plan. There’s a provision within it for thinning within our forests, which would be really beneficial for backcountry skiers. With that also comes ecological benefits and making forests more resilient to wildfire, a win-win for everybody. We know our involvement there is a long play, but it’s important that the voices of recreationists be heard, and woven into the management plan.

I used to think that if you found the right person at the Forest Service and talked to them, they would easily be convinced that these things are good, but that takes a lot of time, relationship building, and trust. We’re in pursuit of a goal, and that means a number of different things, like building our reputation and brand, doing events, and partner meetups, fundraising, and community outreach. We want people to feel empowered to get involved, especially when we’re seeing cuts at land management agencies and access being threatened.

Public lands are currently under threat from a severe reduction in the workforce. An estimated 10-30% of staff at the Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have been laid off. How is this affecting places in Washington so far?

We’re already seeing the effects. One of the most popular Sno-Parks in Washington closed, some places have stopped grooming, and there’s more impact we haven’t seen yet with maintenance happening behind the scenes. There are projects that Cascade Backcountry Alliance (CBA) has been working on with the Forest Service, but now progress has stalled or outright stopped because of the layoffs. Some of our key contacts at the Forest Service were part of the layoffs.

As a volunteer organization, the impact we could be having taking care of places is also reduced. The Forest Service has been a great partner to work with. They recognize that working with volunteer groups is a great way to deal with being understaffed and underfunded–which has been happening for decades now. These recent layoffs will be a huge obstacle that turns us back in the wrong direction. In Seattle, our public lands bring a lot of value to our lives. We’re an hour away from some of the most beautiful and iconic mountains, lakes, and trails. We’re dependent on being able to access these places, and I fear that as summer looms closer, we’re going to see places closed off, and there won’t be stewardship needed to pick up trash and help educate hikers about Leave No Trace and responsible use of public lands.

Another big thing that’s going to hurt us is our ability to prevent and fight wildfire, which has been an increasing part of our life in the west, even in western Washington. The staff shortages could manifest in more fires, more smoke that is very unhealthy for us, and devastation in our rural communities.

What would you tell someone who is looking to get more involved in protecting the places they love/outdoor advocacy, but doesn’t know where to start?

Kyle, alongside OA Washington and Senator Cantwell in D.C.

Find people or local organizations in your community who advocate for causes you care about and ask to be involved! Even if they don't have opportunities, ask to meet 1:1 for a coffee chat and just pick their brain. Anyone can do advocacy work, you don't need a professional background on anything. Also, know that advocacy is a long game. The work can feel frustrating and slow, and you might go years without having a breakthrough, until one day you suddenly do! Focus on the process rather than the outcomes. The longer you do it, the more impact you’ll make over time. Find a way to stay engaged that’s sustainable, rather than burning yourself out too quickly.

Lightning round (one or two word answers):

Most used piece of gear: Running waist belt

A place you want to go: Norway

Another advocate you admire: Betsy Robblee, Conservation & Advocacy Director at The Mountaineers

Favorite close to home spot: Snoqualmie Pass

Outdoor Allies: Kyle McCrohan