In September 2024, Kyle McCrohan, President of the Cascade Backcountry Alliance, traveled to Washington DC with Outdoor Alliance. Outdoor Alliance is a coalition of human powered recreation groups, bringing together influential organizations including the Access Fund, American Whitewater, the Mountaineers, and Winter Wildlands Alliance.
Their purpose in DC was to advocate for the EXPLORE Act, a series of bills designed to improve access to the outdoors. A few notable bills included in the EXPLORE Act are:
Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act (PARC): This act safeguards fixed anchors in the wilderness for climbing.
Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR): This act streamlines the permitting process for groups and clubs like the Mountaineers, schools, or guides.
Biking on Long Distance Trails Act (BOLT): This act identifies opportunities to connect local trails together into longer trails.
Meeting with Senator Murray.
The EXPLORE Act has passed through the House with unanimous support. The CBA is hopeful it will soon pass through the Senate as part of a public lands package. Its popularity demonstrates that outdoor recreation receives bipartisan support.
While most components of the EXPLORE Act do not directly affect winter recreation, the experience was very impactful. Kyle got the opportunity to introduce Cascade Backcountry Alliance to WA Senators Patty Murray and Murray Cantwell, along with Representatives Kim Schrier and Pramila Jayapal. These relationships and learnings will pay dividends for our organization in the future.
Meeting with Senator Cantwell and Tommy Caldwell!
Kyle got this opportunity by joining the Grasstops Collective, a national cohort of local community leaders selected and trained by Outdoor Alliance. Cascade Backcountry Alliance would like to give a special thank-you to Outdoor Alliance for this opportunity, and to The Mountaineers, who nominated Kyle for this position in the Grasstops Collective.
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