September 25, 2025

In mid-September, 85 people from across the country converged at University of Washington’s Pack Forest for the 11th Biennial Grassroots Advocacy Conference. Since 2002, Winter Wildlands Alliance has been bringing together policy makers, athletes, grassroots activists, scientists, mountain guides, elected officials and other recreation and conservation stakeholders from across the country. Located in the Mount Rainier viewshed, the Pack Forest campus provided soft trails lined by towering Douglas Firs and Western Red Cedars and a tiered, mossy waterfall just a short hike from the conference hall. Participants were introduced to the place with a land acknowledgement ceremony by Hanford McCloud from the Nisqually Indian Tribe. 

Connection across this community felt more important than ever this year as the future of public lands are in a time of great uncertainty. Many conference attendees spent the months leading up to the conference working to defend our public lands from an onslaught of threats, including an explicit public lands sell-off, erosion of the National Environmental Policy Act, United States Forest Service reorganization, and rescission of the Roadless Rule. 

A broad theme for the entire event was the need to rethink and rebuild the future of our country’s public lands from the ground up. In her opening keynote, Meryl Harrell, Former Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the United States Department of Agriculture, highlighted that, in this time of uncertainty, we need to move toward a new future for public lands management rather than returning to the status quo.

“So how do we need to show up differently to create a different future? What are the load bearing walls that we need to maintain and carry forward? And what are the things that we have the opportunity to create differently so that we can improve and better deliver on the future that we want?” –Meryl Harrell

This theme was echoed across panels that explored opportunities for land management reform, solutions for creating sustainable winter land access, the potential for creating change through the process of and mandate for mapping winter recreation, and the importance of continuing to fund the programs that help us access and safely experience our public lands. 

The panels also acknowledged the ongoing challenge of balancing recreation interests with conservation values. Panelists explored ways to include indigenous leadership in land stewardship, how to balance wildlife needs with recreation uses, and strategies for effective public land advocacy across uses. A keynote by Rachel Heaton of the Muckleshoot Tribe underscored the need for connecting to place while also protecting against environmental damage. 

While the future is uncertain, the 11th Biennial Grassroots Advocacy Conference made it clear that the Winter Wildlands Alliance community is stronger than ever. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared their time, knowledge, challenges, and hope. Onward!

Missed the conference and want to hear more?

Stay tuned and subscribe for upcoming episodes of the Winter Wildlands Alliance podcast, Trail Break Radio, where we’ll share recordings from the conference so you can dive deeper into all these empowering and inspiring discussions.