Trip report: Bringing the concerns of hikers to Washington D.C.

by Michael DeCramer

Our voices are stronger when we speak up together. Washington Trails Association has a long history of bringing people together to protect recreational lands. Part of that work is advocating at the federal level. One important way we bring hikers’ voices into the national conversation is by participating in an annual event called Hike the Hill. Every year, representatives from trails and outdoor organizations from across the country come together to meet with federal land management agencies and lobby in support of national public lands. 

I spent last week in Washington, D.C., talking with federal officials and lawmakers about the importance of trails, access to the outdoors and preserving our wild and iconic places. I worked with my friends from the American Hiking Society, the Partnership for the National Trails System, the Pacific Crest Trail Association and many others to advocate for trails and public lands. Over the course of 3-and-a-half days, I met with 18 congressional offices, co-hosted a bipartisan congressional briefing with Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA) and Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), sat down with the acting director of the National Park Service and talked with the chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

Taylor Rogers (Outdoor Alliance), Kathleen Baker (Runners for Public Lands), Jamie Ervin (Outdoor Alliance) and Michael DeCramer (Washington Trails Association) met with congressional offices and advocated for public lands together.

WTA works year round with Washington’s congressional delegation to support legislation that benefits trails in our state. While in D.C., I spoke with all of Washington’s congressional offices about the importance of maintaining robust funding for our national forests, national parks and other federal lands. National public lands are threatened by deep cuts to their workforce as well as efforts to eliminate a wide range of environmental protections. WTA is pushing back against the ongoing staffing cuts at the U.S. Forest Service, National Parks Service and other federal agencies. We are also working with Congress to oppose attempts to remove protections for federal lands, such as rescinding the Roadless Conservation Area Rule. I thanked congressional offices for recent work to stand up for national public lands. In particular, I celebrated with our lawmakers that the current federal budget, which was signed into law in January, maintains funding for national public lands and includes a 10% increase in funding for maintaining Forest Service trails.

As part of our federal advocacy, WTA works extensively with Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of human-powered-recreation groups. On this trip, I joined our partners at Outdoor Alliance to meet with other public lands champions from around the country. We discussed with the staff in Senate and House of Representative offices that funding for managing recreation at the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management has declined significantly over the last two decades. Our national public lands need increased support to manage the high levels of visitation they receive.

Congresswoman Randall spoke about the value of public lands and trails during a congressional briefing she hosted with WTA. Photo Credit: Tyler Ray, American Hiking Society

One major highlight of this trip to Washington D.C. was working with Rep.  Emily Randall of Washington and Rep.  Kevin Kiley of California to host a bipartisan congressional briefing about the value of trails and public lands. We talked with other congressional offices about opportunities to support trails through upcoming legislation. Both Reps. Randall and Kiley spoke about the importance of trails and hiking. 

“I am absolutely committed in every way to fighting for our trails and our public lands, which are an important part of the character of our country as well,” Rep Kiley said. “You know, we had this attempt to essentially privatize or sell off our public lands last year, which I thought was a big threat and something that we absolutely had to defeat. Fortunately, we did, although you never know when these things will reemerge. So, we're going to remain vigilant in ensuring public lands are protected.”

Rep. Randall shared some of her personal story and expressed what many of us feel about living in Washington. 

“I grew up in my district on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state in a family that loved nature, like almost everyone who chooses to live on the Olympic Peninsula,” she said. “Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, you choose to live where we live because you love the Olympic Mountains and the Hoh Rainforest, and you love being close enough to the Pacific Ocean and being on the edge of the Salish Sea or being on a boat in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. You want to enjoy the trees and the hikes, and maybe you're hunting, maybe you're leading a tour company, maybe you're mountain biking, but folks appreciate nature in our community from all political camps.”

We encouraged congressional offices to help us request increases in annual funding for trails, reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund and support trails in upcoming transportation bills.

Tom Schultz, chief of the Forest Service, speaks with trails organizations at his office in Washington D.C.

Trips to Washington D.C. provide an important opportunity to speak directly with agency leaders. I met with Tom Schultz, chief of the Forest Service, as well as Deputy Chief Chris French. I raised WTA’s concerns about staffing cuts and the continued efforts to reorganize the Forest Service and eliminate positions. I asked the chief to preserve the ability for agency staff and their nonprofit partners to work locally to innovate and maximize the amount of trail maintenance that we can accomplish together. 

I also expressed concerns with the Trump Administration’s intention to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. I pointed out that the Roadless Rule’s core limitation on road building in the most rugged and inaccessible areas of our national forests protects the undeveloped character around more than 26,000 miles of trails. I made sure the chief understood that the Roadless Rule protects a wild experience and feeling of remoteness on sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and Pacific Northwest Trail in Washington. 

The chief was clear that the agency under his direction intends to remove the Roadless Rule and other regulations that currently restrict resource extraction and some forms of motorized travel on our national forests. Chief Schultz did emphasize that he personally identifies as a hiker. He mentioned backpacking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and day hiking at Mount Spokane State Park in Eastern Washington. 

I appreciated the chief taking the time to talk about trails. It's vital that he and everyone else in the federal government continues to hear that the Roadless Rule protects some of our state’s most beloved outdoor destinations, including Washington Pass along Highway 20, Baker Lake, Lake Chelan, Quinault Lake, Silver Star Mountain and more. We need these areas to continue to be protected from road construction and activities like logging and mining.

WTA met with 18 different congressional offices during this trip to Washington D.C.

Shuttling from meeting to meeting in Washington, D.C., it was clear that we have our work cut out for us. The threats to trails and public lands are very real. Our country faces a wide range of difficulties. Yet, each day in D.C., I kept finding glimmers of hope hearing people, including congressional staff, tell me their trail stories. The vast majority of people in our state and country value public lands and believe in protecting them. We know how precious our time on trail is for all of us. Our shared love for the outdoors is a strong foundation to work from to meet the challenges in the days and months ahead.

Thank you for being part of a community that cares about our trails and our national public lands.

• Sign up for WTA’s Trail Action Network and we’ll be sure to let you know the next time you can speak up for our national forests and the people who care for them.