Hiker Headlines: Avalanche Safety, Name Changes, Conservation, First Day Hikes

It’s December 8. The experts at the Northwest Avalanche Center have a safety reminder. The Department of the Interior will work to remove derogatory place names from federal lands. Washington just designated 230 acres of land as Natural Resource Conservation Areas. And, First Day Hikes are coming back to state parks on January 1. Here's some news you may have missed while out on trail this week. 

Avoiding avalanche terrain is an essential part of winter safety. Photo by Sharon Beerman. 

Avalanche safety: The experts at the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) recently shared some tips about avoiding avalanche terrain. Avoiding trails with high avalanche risk during the winter is an important part of recreating responsibly. To learn more about avalanche safety, consider taking a free avalanche awareness class from NWAC.

Place names matter: In late November, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced action to remove derogatory names from federal lands. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally established a process to review and replace derogatory names, declared "squaw" a derogatory term and created the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force to ensure that the names of our public lands respectfully honor their ancestral stewards and shared cultural heritage.

Conservation news: The Department of Natural Resources recently announced some new Natural Resource Conservation Areas. The land in Pacific, Wahkiakum and Skamania Counties totals 230 acres, which will be set aside to conserve marbled murelet and spotted owl habitat.

First Day Hikes: Washington State Parks will be hosting First Day Hikes at over 40 state parks across Washington on January 1. This annual event includes ranger-guided, and self-guided hikes, snowshoes, family-friendly activities and ranger talks throughout the state. Learn about the different events and register in advance to get a spot. And you can leave your Discover Pass at home since entry fees will be waived for the day.

BE IN THE KNOW

• Keep up to date with Trail News, our monthly email newsletter.
• Check our Hiking Guide for information on what trails are open.
• Check trip reports for latest conditions on trails. And if you go for a hike, file your own trip report.
• Sign up for Families Go Hiking, our email newsletter for families with plenty of tips on keeping kids busy.
• Sign up for Trail Action Network to stay up to date on issues impacting trails and ways to get involved.