Earth Day is an annual event held on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first held on April 22, 1970, and now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org.
Its conception was in 1969 at a UNESCO conference, after activist John McConnell proposed setting aside a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed at the United Nations, and a month later, Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970. It grew well beyond this original idea for a teach-in to include the entire United States, and got the name coined, “Earth Day”. Key non-environmentally focused partners played major roles in this growth; notably the United Auto Workers union, which was unusual for the day.
Early Earth Day commemorations were focused on the United States, but in 1990, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international and organized events in 141 nations.
The theme for Earth Day 2025 is Our Power, Our Planet, inviting everyone around the globe to unite behind renewable energy, and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.
Earth Day has been more than a commemorative event that looks back at the start of it all back in 1970; it was also intended from the beginning to be a participatory event. The participant count recently surpassed one billion worldwide in 183 countries, and there are many fine groups and organizations that are putting together local volunteer events near you, mostly on the April 19-20 weekend. These focus on repairing the damage done to our planet, and if you can find one and help them out, it would be great! Here is one that I partnered with for years to organize a local event to clean up around Portland’s Forest Park; they also list many similar events all around Oregon: solveoregon.org
Congressional leaders are proposing to sell federal public lands as part of the upcoming budget reconciliation package.
Our nation’s public lands face an unprecedented threat. A provision in the proposed FY2025 budget reconciliation bill would permanently transfer public lands into private ownership. This could:
Eliminate public access for outdoor recreation
Destroy critical wildlife habitat
Weaken environmental protections
Threaten historic, cultural, and Indigenous sites
Public lands belong to all Americans. They’re where we camp, hunt, fish, and hike. They protect watersheds that provide clean drinking water and serve as crucial carbon sinks in our fight against climate change. Once privatized, these treasures are lost forever.
Why Your Voice Matters Now:
The budget reconciliation process requires only a simple majority vote with no filibuster option. Every representative’s vote will be crucial in this decision.
Take Action Today: Contact your congressional representatives and tell them to reject any budget reconciliation bill that includes provisions to sell our public lands. These natural treasures belong to all Americans, not just the wealthy few who can afford to buy them.
Subject: Reject Public Land Sales in the FY2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill
Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name],
I am writing as your constituent to express my deep concern regarding provisions in the proposed FY2025 budget reconciliation package that would authorize the sale of federal public lands. Our public lands are irreplaceable national treasures that belong to all Americans. They provide:
Critical access to outdoor recreation for people of all backgrounds
Essential habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife – Protection for watersheds that supply clean drinking water
Preservation of significant cultural and Indigenous heritage sites
Natural carbon sinks that help mitigate climate change
The budget reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority vote without the possibility of a filibuster, should not be used to make such consequential decisions about our shared natural heritage. I strongly urge you to vote against any budget reconciliation bill that includes provisions to sell our public lands. These lands belong to all Americans, not just the wealthy few who might be able to purchase them.
Thank you for your consideration of this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your Address] [Your City, State ZIP] [Your Phone Number] [Your Email]
There’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing about to cut through our federal forests. It slipped silently through the U.S. House of Representatives, and is about to roll into the Senate.
The so-called “Fix Our Forests Act” (HB 471) is on the table, and its seemingly helpful name is a guise to pass legislation that prioritizes logging access over genuine forest conservation and would also remove judicial review of how forests are managed. This bill poses a significant threat to our ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them.
While the bill has some positive notions included, it lacks any proposal for how they’ll be funded and function more as eco-bait than anything else. The other aspects of the bill that do have teeth to them are far more hair-raising:
The bill includes no funding for federal land management agencies or communities most at risk.
Rejects a permanent increase for federal firefighter pay.
Slashes public participation and judicial review for a broad range of forest management projects. This judicial review is one of the only remaining safeguards that exists in our legal system.
Enacts large-scale, industry-focused shortcuts of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Includes a reckless reduction of ESA protections, exempting the Forest Service from any requirement to consider new scientific discoveries, new species listings or new critical habitat designations once a forest plan has been approved – setting yet another dangerous precedent.
It also does not address the main driver of catastrophic wildfires – climate change.
What to do:
Contact Your U.S. senators. It is essential to voice your opposition. Tell others. This bill’s name makes it easy to fly under the radar; not a lot of people know this is happening.
Oregon Senators:
Ron Wyden Phone: (202) 224-5244 Email: Contact Form
Jeff Merkley Phone: (202) 224-3753 Email: Contact Form
Washington Senators:
Patty Murray Phone: (202) 224-2621 Email: Contact Form
Maria Cantwell Phone: (202) 224-3441 Email: Contact Form
Key Points to Convey:
When you reach out, consider emphasizing:
The misleading nature of the bill’s title and the real implications it holds for logging companies to exploit our forests.
The urgent need for policies that protect our natural resources and promote sustainable management practices.
Your voice is crucial in this fight. Let’s work together to ensure that the health of our forests is prioritized over corporate interests.
For 131 years, the Mazamas has stood as steadfast defenders of our public lands, advocating for access, preservation, and protection of the wild places that define the Pacific Northwest. Since our founding on Mt. Hood in 1894, the organization has worked alongside dedicated land managers, biologists, and trail crews to ensure that these lands remain open, healthy, and protected for everyone.
Today, that legacy is at risk. Public lands across the country — and right here in Oregon — are facing an unprecedented crisis that threatens the trails we hike, the mountains we climb, and the forests and watersheds we depend upon.
An Unprecedented Threat to Public Lands and the People Who Protect Them
In recent weeks, sweeping staffing cuts have deeply impacted the agencies responsible for managing and protecting our public lands. According to the Outdoor Alliance, as well as reporting from the Statesman Journal, E&E News, and the Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management have seen between 10 and 30 percent of their workforce laid off, with some reports indicating that up to half of all recreation staff have been eliminated.
These cuts are already being felt, as noted by National Parks Traveler resulting in unmaintained trails, closed campgrounds, and reduced emergency response capacity. Communities that depend on the outdoor recreation economy—an industry that generates billions annually according to the Outdoor Industry Association—also face economic impacts as public lands become harder to access and enjoy.
Industrial Logging and Environmental Rollbacks Compound the Crisis
Making matters worse, a recent executive order promotes a major expansion of industrial logging on public lands, including old-growth forests, as outlined by Oregon Wild. This directive calls for weakening long-standing protections under laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Reporting by The Washington Post, Earthjustice, and the Statesman Journal confirms that these plans will fast-track logging projects while limiting public input and environmental review.
Rather than promoting thoughtful, science-based wildfire mitigation, this order prioritizes large-scale logging under claims of wildfire prevention and national security. Analysis from the Center for Biological Diversity and Earthjustice highlights how this move endangers ecosystems and wildlife while putting short-term industry profit ahead of conservation.
Why This Matters to the Mazama Community
As Mazamas, we know that public lands don’t maintain themselves. We’ve worked with rangers, scientists, and trail crews for generations to protect the places we love. Trails need maintenance. Forests need responsible management. And wildlife needs protected habitats to thrive. Without the trained professionals who safeguard these lands—and without the environmental protections now under attack—the future of our public lands and the outdoor experiences they offer are in serious jeopardy.
How You Can Take Action Today
Contact your members of Congress. Let them know you oppose public lands staffing cuts and the rollback of environmental protections. Ask them to reverse the staffing cuts, restore funding for public land agencies, halt large-scale logging in mature and old-growth forests, and prioritize science-based land management. Use Democracy.io to send a message quickly and directly.
Join the Mazama Conservation Committee. We need members to help us monitor and respond to these threats. Email us at conservation@mazamas.org to get involved.
Volunteer for trail maintenance and stewardship. The Mazamas regularly partner with organizations like Trailkeepers of Oregon and Washington Trails Association, which offer hands-on ways to care for our outdoor spaces. Look for trail tending opportunities on the Mazama calendar and via TKO and WTA directly.
Attend the Rally to Protect Public Lands hosted by People for Public Lands, happening Saturday, March 15 at noon in front of the Edith Green Federal Building in downtown Portland. Public lands belong to all of us, and showing up in person sends a strong message.
Finally, talk to others about what’s happening. Share this information, encourage friends, family, and fellow Mazamas to speak up, and remind them that these lands belong to all of us.
The Future of Public Lands Is in Our Hands
Whether you hike, climb, or simply find peace in nature, your voice matters. By speaking up, getting involved, and standing together, we can protect these places for generations to come. The wild places we love—mountains, forests, and trails—are still here because people stood up to protect them. Now it’s our turn.
If you’re ready to take action, email us at conservation@mazamas.org. Together, we can continue to protect and advocate for the mountains and forests that inspire and sustain us all.
Letter sent by Rebekah Phillips, Mazama Executive Director on behalf of the Mazamas to Morgan Steele, City of Portland Environmental City Planner
Dear Ms. Steele,
Established in 1894 on the summit of Mt. Hood, the Mazamas is an Oregon-based 501(c)3 with a proud tradition of providing excellence in climbing education, leadership, and conservation in the Pacific Northwest. Our mission – to build a community that inspires everyone to love and protect the mountains – is carried out in partnership with more than 300 highly dedicated volunteers through education programs, climbs and hikes, stewardship activities, and scientific research. Current membership includes about 3,000 individuals.
Many Mazama members have been involved with Portland’s Forest Park from the beginnings of the park in 1946; in fact, many of the original committee of 50 that urged the city to make this area a city park were Mazama members, including the founder and chair of this committee, Ding Cannon. Our roots run deep with Forest Park, and we continue today to host many of our local outdoor activities in the park.
We are deeply concerned with PGE’s revised land-use application in the north end of the park, which proposes to clear cut 4.7 acres of 150+ year old Douglas fir and bigleaf maple trees and proposes to remove five white oak trees estimated to be 170-500 years old. In total, the proposal includes the removal of 376 living trees and 21 dead trees. It will permanently fill at least two wetlands and disrupt two streams that support multiple species of aquatic wildlife.
According to PGE, Phase 5 of this project may impact another 15 acres of Forest Park to the northwest and west potentially disrupting the Miller Creek watershed which contains salmon habitat. Should Phase 3 be approved, it will pave the way to Phase 5 as the “least expensive” alternative.
This area of land lies within the City’s Environmental Conservation and Environmental Protection overlay zones, and also within the City’s Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan (FPNRMP). Legally, PGE must comply with this plan unless they can prove that there is no alternative to meet their obligation to provide reliable power. We are not convinced that PGE has investigated alternatives, nor have they been forthcoming with convincing information that they have tried to do so. Such information was requested as far back as 2022, and although a report on this was delivered to PGE by a private consultant at that time, it was not made available until a few weeks ago. Now PGE has released the report after withholding this information from the public for two years, and is requesting urgency on this matter to be decided.
As documented in the City of Portland’s 2012 Forest Park Wildlife Report, the northern area of Forest Park is home to over 200 species of interest, either listed, candidate, sensitive, or of concern at the State and Federal level. It is rich in wildlife structural diversity including larger trees, standing snags, and native understory. One of the streams that would be denuded is habitat for the northern red-legged frog, an at-risk species as noted in the Special Status and At-Risk Species List prepared by the City of Portland in 2022.
Ecological impact on the protected area of Forest Park would not be restricted to the area targeted for clear-cut. The edges of this pristine coniferous forest would be susceptible to plant invasions (ivy, blackberry, garlic mustard and others) that degrade forest health and limit diversity of species supported by the Park, tree blow-down from storms, land-slides, temperature increases which can weaken the forest making trees susceptible to insect and disease invasions. The slopes in this area of the Park are extremely steep, as documented in the Toth report, making this landscape prone to landslides when vegetation is removed.
Mitigation is not a solution for the environmental impact caused by power lines. Once a corridor is widened or opened, it is continually maintained in a manner that does not resemble the original natural state of the land. Proposing that this can somehow be compensated by improving other areas is ludicrous.
There are two more phases that PGE wants to follow up with. If this proposal is approved, against the overlay zones and long-ago approved FPNRMP, it will become a slippery slope – there would be an expectation that the following two phases could also be approved, incrementally increasing total impact to the north end of the park.
On behalf of the Mazama Board of Directors, Conservation Committee, and membership, I urge the City of Portland to reject this proposal.
Sixteen years ago, the Conservation Committee hosted the Melting Mountains Conference to a packed house in the Mazama Mountaineering Center (MMC) auditorium. We covered four climate change-related topics: the state and future of glaciers; governmental policies and actions by the city, county, and state; organizational change; and individual action.
I took the last two to heart and decided to make the Mazamas carbon neutral. It has been a long path with numerous obstacles: naysayers, financing, technical challenges, competing priorities, and my own foot-dragging. But now, after all that, I am thrilled to announce that we are finally there. The MMC is now carbon neutral! (The Mazama Lodge is not and will not be for a while unless an angel steps in with a donation of an estimated $250,000.)
We did this by eliminating our natural gas usage and going 100 percent electrical, installing high-efficiency heat pumps, reducing our electrical consumption, creating our own electricity via a large solar array, and purchasing 100 percent green power from Portland General Electric (PGE) for the balance of energy not created by our solar system.
The final step of replacing the boiler with heat pumps is particularly exciting. The new system will add heating and cooling to areas of the building not previously conditioned: the library, the library workroom, the basement lobby, and the MR1 classroom*. The boiler, which was far too large of a heat source for the auditorium, will no longer be driving us to wastefully open the windows an hour after turning it on. The auditorium will also have air conditioning. Mathew, in the library workroom, will no longer swelter in the summer and huddle around two space heaters in the winter. And the basement lobby and library will be comfy too. Along with these spaces, the archives have a new system too, far more efficient than the original system that broke nearly two years ago!
Our total energy bill might stay the same or potentially go down. We will use more electricity and less natural gas (zero actually). For the last two years, and likely this year too, the solar array has produced more than 100 percent of the electrical energy consumed. The excess production has been donated to PGE’s Energy Assistance Program, an average of $1,750 per yearǂ. The MMC also used approximately $1,250 per year in natural gas. This means there is $3,000 per year available to cover increased electricity usage for the new heat pumps. The actual usage depends on the members.
By the time you read this, a demolition party will have already removed the boiler, the radiators, and the piping. It took three weekends, nearly 200 hours of work and about 15 volunteers to haul away thousands of pounds of boiler-related remnants.
There are of course many people to thank—people whose efforts and donations made this possible. They are too many to include for all the projects since the start of this journey. For this final step, major funding came from Linda Lewis on behalf of her late husband and Mazama member Phil Dean, who was a champion of Mazama history and the archives, and from George Cummings, Rick Pope, Dick Miller, and Jim Van Lente, with additional donations from Albert Iggi, Terry Brenneman, Peter Boag, Debra Wilkins, Noelle Price, and Rahul Ravel. Jeff Welter and Rick Amodeo contributed in a big way by helping with the engineering of a different heat pump system for the auditorium that we ultimately did not pursue.
Efforts like this are not wasted; they are essential in the process of considering alternatives that lead to a final best solution. And Mazama Facilities Manager Rick Craycraft listened patiently to every one of my ideas and complaints, and to the range of emotions I experienced along the way. I am grateful to you all. Thank you.
It is my hope that the work we do together as Mazamas, to be consistent with our mission, will inspire others to action. The glaciers are melting. We have more work to do. Let’s keep at it. Please find a way to contribute in whatever way you can. If not on reversing climate change, then to the Mazamas in other ways. What we do together touches people’s lives in amazing ways.
* MR1 was heated by two electric wall heaters. Replacing these units with a heat pump will save significantly on peak electrical demand and overall consumption.ǂ Donating excess annual solar-generated electric energy to the Energy Assistance Program is part of the Net Metering contract with PGE.
Ever since our founding in 1894, the Mazamas wanted a presence on Mt. Hood in an effort to demonstrate the importance of this mountain and our organization’s devotion to it. The Mazama Trail was conceived as a way to mark our 100 years of existence, which began at the summit of Mt. Hood in 1894.
The closure and abandonment of the Cathedral Ridge trail in the late ‘80s made way for the creation of the Mazama Trail, located on the Northwest side of Mt. Hood. It took nearly a decade from conception. In that time, volunteers tended to constant blowdowns, out-of-control huckleberries, rhododendrons and underbrush that overtook the trail. The Mazamas worked on ridge reconstruction, switchback creation and obvious rest spots.
Photo by Mary Spiering
Since the successful completion of the Mazama Trail in 1994, the area has withstood the Dollar Lake fire in 2011 and ongoing winter storms. And every year, we tend to it, to ensure it remains an enjoyable trail, which we did this past weekend.
Photo by Gina Binole
Over the course of three days in July, and an advanced scouting trip in June by Trail Tending leader Rick Pope, more than 30 people, the oldest being 90, cut out 32 logs, brushed back about 3 miles of trail, cleared out 60 drain dips, initiated ¼ mile of tread repair and hauled 50 buckets of gravel, which was spread, or stashed in strategic locations. It required about 257 hours of volunteer time, plus 36 hours of scouting time in June for a total of 293 hours.
For the uninitiated, the Mazama Trail serves as a ridge crest connector to a number of destinations, such as McNeil Point, Cairn Basin, Dollar Lake and the Timberline Trail. It offers the diversity of shady forest, a couple of springs, a talus-filled gully, a rhododendron alley, gorgeous views of Mt. Hood and more.
The Mazamas fully embrace the opportunity to publicly support the Bureau of Land Management’s historic effort to address our intensifying climate crisis by improving biodiversity and ecosystem resilience on our public lands. Our current predicament unquestionably demands aggressive action and rethinking fundamental priorities.
We agree wholeheartedly that preserving mature, old-growth forests is essential to any new plan. Not only do these forests store vast quantities of carbon from our atmosphere, but logging activity in these forests instead releases vast, harmful quantities of carbon – and needs to stop now.
These mature forests have shown they are more resilient to drought, insects, and fire, rendering them more valuable than ever. They support countless wildlife and plant species, enhance our threatened water supplies, and help combat flooding and erosion. Saving them from destruction must be a keystone of any forward-thinking and, yes, planet-saving, standards.
We believe much more can, and should, be done to mitigate and even reverse ongoing damage to our public lands. The BLM must continue to decommission unneeded roads. It should greatly limit free-range grazing and transition to rotational grazing wherever possible. The Bureau must work to restore and protect critical wetlands; and focus on biodiversity (rather than monoculture) when replanting/reseeding in deforested or otherwise-damaged areas. While the BLM and other public land managers have long juggled competing priorities of economic, recreational, and ecological interests, at this point there is only one path forward, lest these publicly owned treasures simply cease to exist: Restoration and preservation of environmental health and biodiversity must lie foremost in all planning.
(This was submitted to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning on behalf of the Mazamas)
Meet the Schwabs: They’re a blended family— each with varying degrees of “from-here.” While Meg moved to Oregon from the Midwest as an adult, Michael’s family basically got here with the Pioneers. Tegan and Isaac actually have the deepest roots to the Pacific Northwest though, because they’re members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde through their mom’s side of the family.
Thankfully, they all love being outside equally, and enjoy spending lots of family time exploring the outdoors. They were grateful to discover the Mazamas during COVID, and decided to take the Families Mountaineering 101 class together last year.
Name: Michael (dad), Meg (stepmom), Tegan, 12, and Isaac, 9
Pronouns: He, she, she, he
Year Joined Mazamas: 2022
Present-day outdoor activities: Hiking, camping, backpacking, climbing, and snowshoeing
What’s your earliest outdoor memory? As a fam: the kids have been camping since they were babies, and we’ve been taking them on hikes since before they even liked it.
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? Since COVID, we were always on the lookout for activities to do outside, because it really seemed to help the kids get through being stuck with online learning and not being able to see their friends as often. We found Family 101 in 2021 (through a google search, I think?), but the planned dates that season didn’t fit with the 50/50 parenting-time schedule we have. For 2022, the calendar was almost exactly [magically] aligned, so we applied!
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? For families specifically: get started as early as you can! Even when you think it’ll be hard at first (FYI: you are correct), you’ll all get the hang of it eventually. Nothing has brought our family unit closer than the times we’ve been hanging out together outside. Also, if you have the opportunity to go with other families with kids (ex. FM101!): jump on it.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Every time we’ve been at the summit of a crazy-difficult hike and seen a parent walk by with their baby in one of those backpack-carrier things. So metal.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Primitive Technology by John Plant.
What’s on your adventure bucket list? Re-doing our favorite trips we did when the kids were too little to take them with us. Banff National Park, Zion, and the Inca Trail stick out as the main ones.
It’s April, and quite naturally Earth Day-themed events abound.
There are trash pickups, workshops on composting and tending native plants, and countless activities that let young children dig in the dirt, explore flora and fauna and learn how to help Mother Nature every day.
For Mazamas – who, shall we say, lean toward more vigorous pursuits – the calendar also offers serious roll-up-your-sleeves, lace up the boots and get after it meet-ups across the Portland-Vancouver metro area.
And that’s where we’ll focus this compilation of work party listings we unearthed for Saturday-Sunday, April 22-23:
In nearly the same neck of the woods – and facing the same creepy threats – North Clackamas Park in Milwaukie needs hands-on help. April 22. https://ncprd.com/event/earth-day
In nearbySouthwest Portland is another tree care event – actually two projects along Tryon Creek, one of them near the recently rebuilt Boones Ferry Road Bridge. April 22.
There are plenty more Earth Day events in our area and beyond, designed for all ages and interests. Included are numerous cleanups, family friendly gatherings and workshops, guided hikes, and other celebrations. To find a good match, check with your county, or city, or parks department; your church or school; or any outdoors or volunteer organization of choice.
Here are some good links with comprehensive listings:
