As leader of our Trail Trips committee, Scott gets folks connected and moving with the Mazamas via hikes, rambles and most recently, trail tending. He also spearheaded last year’s Used Equipment Sale, raising a record amount of funds for the Mazamas via that event.
When not hiking or climbing with the Mazamas, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, two of whom graduated high school this past spring.
Name: Scott Stevenson
Pronouns: He/him
Year Joined Mazamas: 2010
Present-day outdoor activities: Hiking/backpacking, rock climbing, biking and bikepacking
What’s your earliest outdoor memory: Fishing at Lake Lumina, Ontario, age 5?
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I was researching outdoor options before I moved to Portland in 2009, and I came across the organization. I took BCEP in 2010, mainly to find outdoor partners.
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Not every outdoor adventure has to involve the highest/fastest/longest/most scenic. Smell the flowers. Swim in the lake. Take an extra 15 minutes to research the less-traveled spots, and enjoy the quiet and lack of crowds.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Long-time Mazamas climb and hike leaders inspire me, because they share their love of the outdoors with so many others.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? I’m reaching way back into childhood here, and it’s a cliche, but The Hobbit and Lord of the RIngs trilogy were touchstones for me, and I think they planted the idea in my head that just walking out your door and through forests and over mountains were the grandest adventure one could have….”The road goes ever on…”
What’s on your adventure bucket list? A bunch of alpine rock climbs in wilderness settings, Cathedral Peak and Mt. Conness in the Sierras, Prussik Peak in the Enchantments, Pingora and Wolfs Head in the Wind River Range. Also backpacking in the Wallowas and Sawtooths, I could go on forever…
Ray Sheldon leading his last climb for the the Mazamas in 2018 of Plummer Peak.
Raised in Portland, Ray attempted his first climb, Mt. Jefferson, in 1954. He joined the Mazamas in 1960 and has been active and involved ever since. He started leading climbs in 1964 and has taken the Mazamas to the summits of the Cascades, Tetons and Switzerland.
These days, Ray, 90, still spends time outdoors, mostly hiking and trail tending. Married nearly 70 years to his wife, Betty, they have 3 children, 7 grandkids and by his last count, 8 or more great-grandchildren.
What’s your earliest outdoor memory: I remember living on the Willamette River in a houseboat and fishing for catfish, bass and other warm-water fish at night. There were so many happy times outdoors when I was a kid.
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I started work with the Oregon Fish Commission in 1953 and within a month was transferred to the fish hatchery at Marion Forks. Mt. Jefferson was right next door, and I had the urge to climb that mountain. The Mazamas seemed like the organization to help me accomplish that.
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Definitely get involved with the Mazamas.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Old-time climb leaders who were my mentors definitely were the reason that I led like I did, climbed like I did. Oliver Fursman was one. And later in life, there was a neighbor and Mazama climb leader back in the 50s and 60s, Rony Inderbinen. He was my age, but he was a 4th generation Matterhorn/Swiss Mountain guide. We just hit it off really good, and I used him as a source for other climbs when we’d take Mazama outings to the Alps.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? I dare you to read it. The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman. It’s down in the Mazama Library,
What’s on your adventure bucket list? There are things I sometimes dream about, but they aren’t important to me anymore. I think everything I really thought I’d like to do I’ve had a chance to do
Teresa has mountaineering in her blood. Both her parents were active Mazamas who instilled in her a healthy respect for the outdoors. She was just 6 when she first summited Mt. Hood, motivated by the prospect of keeping the small ice axe her dad had rented.
School and life led her away from the Northwest for many years, returning in 2016. That year, she and her husband enrolled in our Basic Mountaineering Education Program to refresh their skills, reacquaint themselves with the splendor of the PNW and make climber friends.
She graduated from ICS in 2019, enrolled in the Mazama Leadership Development Program, began volunteering for Portland Mountain Rescue and led a BCEP team last year. When not climbing, and even when she is, Teresa loves to take photos and share her love for adventure with as many people as possible.
Name: Teresa Dalsager
Pronouns: She/Her
Year Joined Mazamas: I was lucky to get to check out some Mazamas activities as a kid with my Dad, but officially joined in 2016, when I moved back to Oregon.
Present-day outdoor activities: Mountain climbing, hiking, kayaking, biking, backpacking, rock climbing, skiing and swimming.
What’s your earliest outdoor memory: Creeping into the forest (it was actually the woods) with my siblings and cousins behind my grandparents house in Stevenson, Wash.
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? As I’ve already mentioned, my Dad was a member when I was a kid in the 1970’s. I moved away after high school and upon returning to Portland in 2016 my husband Fred and I joined almost immediately to meet people who climbed. It was the best decision. We joined BCEP, made a bunch of friends, started climbing regularly and got more involved by volunteering and taking courses. My relationship with the Mazamas was a springboard for joining Portland Mountain Rescue.
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Learn mountaineering fundamentals and accident prevention through a trusted organization like the Mazamas. Resist the temptation to learn these skills on the fly through a meet up group or anyone who can’t readily provide their experience and qualifications.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? People inspire me. We all have different strengths and skillsets. It’s fulfilling to witness people overcome obstacles and reach their personal goals through determination, commitment, and sometimes sheer grit.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Book: A Prayer for Owen Meany, written by John Irving. The main message of the story is “not to judge a book by it’s cover.” This is a metaphor for not judging people based on the way they look. Check out the book or see the movie based on the book called Simon Birch. You’ll be inspired too.
What’s on your adventure bucket list? . Patagonia, Nepal (Spring 2024), Kilimanjaro, & Via Ferrata adventures in Europe.
Milton enrolled in our Intermediate Climbing School in 2016. He had previous mountaineering experiences climbing in Colombia and Peru, and some rock climbing in Georgia and North Carolina.
He is part of our Leadership Development team and has helped out with our Basic Climbing Education Program, ICS and crevasse rescue skill builders. When not outdoors, he works as a bilingual information systems specialist.
What’s your earliest outdoor memory? Climbing with my dad in Colombia when I was 12. We climbed Nevado El Ruiz, which is 5,389 meters with his group of friends. After that, I got hooked climbing snow peaks in the Sierrra Nevada El Cocuy.
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I was looking for a mountaineering club when I moved to Portland in 2015. I could not enroll in BCEP because I missed the registration date, but I signed up for ICS and then got hooked climbing the volcanoes in Washington and Oregon. After ICS I took the Backcountry Ski class with the Mazamas and started doing more backcountry tours in the North Cascades, Mt. Saint Helens and Mt Hood.Last year I did the Steep Snow and Ice class, and I’ve been climbing more technical routes, also doing some ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon and started leading my own climbs like El Dorado.
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Take a mountaineering class like BCEP that teaches you the basics like self arrest, climbing techniques, rappelling, and knots, and then take ICS if you want to be on more challenging climbs and start leading your own climbs with friends.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I got inspired when I read climbing reports on Facebook and the Mazama Bulletin. I like to see people going outside and challenging themselves doing what they love.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? My favorite book is Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. It is a true inspiration for all, what he did to survive after falling in a crevasse, even crawling on a glacier alone!
What’s on your adventure bucket list? All the peaks in the North Cascades. So far I have climbed Mt Shuksan, El Dorado, Ruth Mountain and some failed attempts to Sahale but there are some many beautiful mountains out there that I want to climb. I also want to climb the North Ridge of Mt Baker and the Kautz route in Mt Rainier.
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.
Lisa has been climbing mountains since she was little kid. She has served our organization in many capacities, volunteer climb leader, BCEP leader, canyoneering leader/instructor, teaching: ICS, AR, MFA, Crevasse Rescue, Rock Rescue, Skill Builders, FM101, CPR & First Aid and an organizer for our Used Gear Sale.
What’s your earliest outdoor memory: Catching frogs while camping with my family
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? Mazamas had a reputation in Portland as the best of the best. Very safety conscious, and a group that was serious about mountain climbing. I had already climbed a number of mountains including Mt Hood years before I joined Mazamas, then I decided I should take BCEP to learn more and to meet more climbers.
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Get some good training so you can enjoy the outdoors safely and more confidently.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Pick one. The BCEP students who are non-traditional. Who have not grown up hiking and spending time outdoors, and who might start out less physically fit.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Deep Survival (Laurence Gonzales) – Led me to consider why we do what we do, and how each of us deals with challenges when they occur.
What’s on your adventure bucket list? Kilimanjaro, Borneo, Antarctica, more Pacific NW climbing
Jeremy grew up on a lake in Minnesota, fishing and camping with his family. He spent three years in Bozeman, MT in college before permanently moving to the West Coast. He met a great group of friends through the Mazamas and our Basic Climbing Education Program, and now he spends most of his free time rock climbing or mountaineering with them.
Name: Jeremy Luedtke
Year Joined Mazamas: 2020
Present-day outdoor activities: Alpine and sport climbing. I recently summited Mount Shasta with Gary Bishop and have multiple ascents planned for the remainder of the summer. I have also been doing more outdoor rock climbing with a great group of people I have met through The Mazamas.
What’s your earliest outdoor memory: I grew up in Minneapolis & my mom was from the north woods closer to Canada. Her family still lived in northern Minnesota and almost every weekend in the summer we would go camping near her hometown and hang out with her family. My earliest outdoor memories were learning how to fish from my grandpa during these trips. He was a cranky old Norwegian fellow who was happiest outdoors and loved to fly fish. While he was always gruff (even around his grandson), he showed his affection by always taking the time to take me on adventures in the woods and teach me about it.
How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? After I moved to Portland, I ended up working with a Mazamas member who was on the Lodge Committee. We would chat at work about getting outside and into the mountains. He told me about the Mazamas, and said I would enjoy it.
As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Take advantage of the educational opportunities that Mazamas offers, such as the “gym-to-crag” class or the Sunday Skill-Builders, or volunteer to help with BCEP. Most of my friends, and all of my climbing partners are Mazamas that I met through these opportunities.
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Honestly, it is the instructors and volunteer assistants at Mazamas classes that I take. Personally, I believe that climbing fun & climbing safely go hand-in-hand. The instructors at Mazamas classes have so much passion about sharing both technical skills and safety best practices, that it inspires me to get outside even more.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Alpine Savvy, @alpinesavvy. It is both a website and an Instagram account. It is an encyclopedia of climbing knowledge. Definitely a resource that all climbers should subscribe to.
What’s on your adventure bucket list? Easter Island. I know it sounds funny because I don’t think you can do any climbing there, you just walk around and look at stuff. The fact that the island is so remote (the nearest inhabited land to it is 1,200 miles away), and filled with over 1000 giant stone heads is fascinating. Of course, it is also off the coast of Chile, and I heard there is some halfway decent climbing in Patagonia I could do on my way there…
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.
I’d like to begin by thanking all of you who attended or watched via YouTube our listening session in March, as well as those of you who have taken your time to email or stop by for a conversation as we work together to define the road ahead for the Mazamas. This is YOUR organization, and it’s heartening to see the level of engagement and care that members, staff, and the board have for our mission and our future.
Your questions and feedback from the listening session, along with the ongoing work of the staff and board, have helped us to clarify our next steps. We are going to focus on the following priorities in the coming months:
Financial oversight and budget planning—to overcome the deficit and rebuild the Mazamas financial assets and stability.
Identify revenue sources and build a fundraising plan—initiate new approaches to program/activity pricing and new sources of revenue generation to improve the bottom line.
Role clarity and responsibility for decision making—clearly define the respective roles, reporting, and decision-making authorities of volunteer leaders, staff, and the board.
Propose bylaws amendments—a well-planned process to identify needed changes, share rationale with members, hold discussions, and move to a vote within a timeline that resolves issues before hiring a new permanent ED and launching a strategic planning process.
Improve communication organization-wide—develop and lead a well-planned, pro-active approach to communications to help support and maintain a positive and cohesive community dynamic and engaged membership.
We’ll be actively using all the Mazama communication channels to share the work happening on these priorities, and we’ll be reaching out to many of you to help contribute to these efforts, so please answer your door when we come knocking!
One of the takeaways I had from the listening session was a recognition that it could be helpful to clarify the most common nonprofit operational and governance structures, to explain what structure Mazamas currently operates with, and to suggest some structural adjustments that could better fit your present needs and set the Mazamas up for success on the road ahead.
With that in mind, let’s dive into a conversation to better understand and compare nonprofit structures.
What is a Nonprofit Organization?
A nonprofit is an entity that is driven by a dedication to a social cause in areas such as religion, science, environment, public health, social service, or education. Unlike corporations, all revenues earned by a nonprofit organization are used in furthering its mission-focused objectives instead of being distributed to shareholders or employees of the organization.
Nonprofits in most jurisdictions are tax-exempt, meaning that they do not pay income tax on the income that they receive. Non-profit organizations in the United States are monitored by the IRS using Code Section 501(c). The code determines an organization’s eligibility for the nonprofit organization’s status. The revenues earned by a nonprofit organization are mainly from donations from individuals and corporate organizations, as well as from fundraising activities.
The donations are tax-deductible for the individuals or corporations that contribute, and the organization is not required to pay taxes on the monies. Nonprofits are accountable to their donors, volunteers, and the community. The projects nonprofits undertake help build public confidence in the organization.
Although nonprofit organizations are not driven by a profit motive, they must collect revenues that help them further their specific social cause. Nonprofits may also receive sponsorship for specific projects and events from corporations, government funding via grants or contracts, merchandise sales, and even private investments.
Due to the important role that nonprofit organizations play in shaping the community, over the years they’ve been forced to adopt new methods of raising revenue to be financially stable. Over-reliance on donations and events may create cash flow problems for organizations when the donors fail to make contributions, or the amounts donated fall below the funding levels needed to remain sustainable.
Membership
With a nonprofit definition and their basic purpose established, let’s now talk about the term “membership.” What’s important to understand is that in the non-profit sector, membership often has many meanings.
Let’s begin with the membership structure and definition that the Mazamas currently operate under, which is a formal membership structure. A formal membership organization is a nonprofit that grants its members specific rights to participate in its internal affairs. These rights are established in the articles of incorporation and defined in more detail in the bylaws. Usually, in a formal membership organization, members elect the board and/or the officers; approve changes in the bylaws; and authorize major transactions such as mergers and dissolution of the organization. In short, members have a strong interest and voice in the future of the organization and not just in the tangible benefits that they receive as members. For example, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and churches are typically membership organizations in which the members rely on the organization to advocate for better business opportunities or the religious beliefs and practices of a particular line of business or faith community.
To a high degree this structure is a leftover of a bygone era of fraternal orders—Elks and Lions clubs, Freemasons, Rotary, Kiwanis—that quite honestly no longer play a significant role in today’s society. Formal membership structures, when set up in decades past, were not designed to welcome the general public. In fact, they were often designed to define the criteria that would allow certain people to join and intentionally keep other people out. This reality doesn’t mean that there is no place today for a nonprofit with a formal membership structure, but it does reveal a truth that you can no longer avoid. And that truth is it’s time for organizations like Mazamas, that still operates under an outdated nonprofit model, to take a hard look at adjusting your membership and governance structure to re-establish your relevance in the alpine and mountaineering community and to determine how, going forward, the Mazamas can make a meaningful impact on the general public.
The structure we’ve just discussed is a formal membership structure, so what is an informal membership organization? Informal membership is a practical way to integrate supporters or donors into an organization. This type of nonprofit doesn’t have formal members, it has a membership program. In contrast to a formal membership nonprofit that grants its members specific rights to participate in its internal affairs, nonprofits with membership programs are creating a means of incentivizing donations and involvement within their organization. The nonprofit extends additional engagement opportunities to members in exchange for donations in the form of membership fees. The benefit of a membership program is that nonprofits can not only reap the benefits of extra donations through membership fees, but they also provide specialized perks and engagement opportunities for invested supporters—without the added complexity and burden of managing a membership-based governance model. Implementing a membership program is a nonprofit fundraising and stewardship strategy. It is not connected to how the nonprofit is governed.
For instance, you may have heard an Oregon Public Broadcasting pledge drive asking for members to join and donate to the station. They are using “membership” as a way to raise money, allowing people or businesses to participate in their membership program by making monthly or annual donations in exchange for services like an insider newsletter or invitations to member-only events. These “donor members” are interested in OPB’s mission and find the benefits package useful. And giving a donor the right to proudly claim and display “membership status” (on a tote bag, for example) can be a powerful donation motivator.
Well documented in nonprofit literature is the following truth, changing a formal membership structure into a self-sustaining board structure tends to be a challenging task. It asks members to give up some of their power to help an organization become more flexible by giving the board more latitude to take action, allowing them to respond much quicker to changes in the external environment like the economy; the shifting nonprofit fundraising landscape; the prevailing social issues of the day; and many other factors that nonprofit senior staff members and board members must adapt to on a daily basis. That ask is never easy, especially for those who are long-tenured members accustomed to the formal membership structure.
Because our future nonprofit structure is what the Mazamas membership needs to consider, let’s dive a little deeper into member-driven vs. board-driven structures. A nonprofit corporation can choose to be governed by formal voting members or by a self-sustaining board. The governing body of your nonprofit organization is empowered and responsible for setting direction, strategic decision-making, compliance, operating-policy setting, fiscal oversight, and overall accountability for the organization in fulfilling its vision. Recognizing that selecting the best governing structure is vital to ensuring the success, growth, and development of a nonprofit organization, the savviest nonprofits revisit their structure from time to time with open-mindedness about making necessary changes to increase their relevance and competitiveness in the nonprofit sector.
To do this, it’s critical to understand the difference between a governing structure that is board of directors-driven, or one that also incorporates a governing membership. Membership governance typically involves individuals—members—who are allowed to vote on some or all of the following: matters of governance, direction, approval of budgets, activities, staffing, and/or substantial financial obligations that the organization might undertake, or the approval of long-term contracts. This structure may include members voting to appoint a board of directors or an executive committee to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization and then the membership only votes on specific actions as necessary for the success of the organization. The board may bring those types of issues before the members as necessary. Membership may require membership dues to be a voting member of the organization, or not. Membership may also include benefits, such as discounts to participate in activities of the organization where participants are required to pay fees, or perhaps have access to special activities for members only. Eligibility criteria for membership is clearly defined, as well as what the benefits to members and their responsibilities will be.
This structure works well for organizations who want a democratic structure where each member has a say in what happens. The following types of nonprofits are typically member-driven since their primary goal is to serve their members:
Chambers of commerce
Churches
Social clubs
Trade associations
With a board-governed organization, there are either no official members or members with only limited rights. If a nonprofit corporation does not have a membership structure, its board will be self-sustaining instead of being elected by members. In this setup, board members elect their replacements themselves, usually via a board nominating committee, and the board of directors is the highest authority in the nonprofit corporation. This means that board members must accept responsibility for setting direction, making decisions, and managing the activities of the organization, whether they hire others—an executive director, staff, or independent contractors—to carry it out or use volunteers. In this governing framework, the board is not accountable to another body. Most charities choose a board-driven structure.
It may be possible for Mazamas to retain voting members and still be governed by a self-sustaining board, this is something I believe should be considered carefully. Would the membership be willing to change the bylaws, granting the board greater ability to make decisions, set board terms of service, choose board members based on criteria that helps the Mazamas to be viable in 2022 and beyond, and conduct the daily affairs of the organization with an enhanced ability to make real-time decisions to adapt to the environment without waiting for an annual vote of the membership?
To help you sort through these important decisions, my next article will be an exploration of nonprofit bylaws and some specific recommendations around how the Mazamas could elect to update its bylaws to overcome some of the obstacles the organization is facing today and to set yourselves up to raise more money and make a greater impact in the alpine community, as well as throughout the reigon.
If you would like to learn more about the efforts to stabilize and prepare the Mazamas for the future, please join us for our next virtual town hall event on Monday, May 9. Look for the link to register in the eNews and on the Mazamas social media channels.
Being and feeling safe is a right for all people. This is not true for many within our community.
Today, we are reaffirming that statement and voicing our support for our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members. The murderous rampage on March 17 in Atlanta by a racially-motivated gunman, led to the deaths of eight individuals, six of whom were Asian women. This alone is a horrific and tragic event. But it is not an isolated incident. The United States has a long history of anti-Asian violence and hate which has only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are dedicated to actively listening to the Asian members of our community, to receiving feedback, and implementing change. We want you to know that we see you, we hear you, and we are working to become an organization where you feel fully supported and welcome.
Today, we are calling upon our Mazama community to show their support for our AAPI members and to aid in disrupting the cycle of violence and hate. We ask you to act to prevent gender-motivated harassment and violence in our communities, and to learn about the history of racism and violence against Asians in this country. And we ask you to question your everyday interpretations, judgements, and actions as you review the list of resources below.
A few action steps the Mazamas have taken in the last year to address the culture of systemic racism and gender-based violence within our community:
Launched an online Preventing Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault training.
Published an Equity Statement that was crafted by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team.
Supported a Mazama board member and committee member’s enrollment in the Intertwine Alliance Equity & Inclusion Cohort.
Supported two staff members attending The Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge Fundamentals Training.
Implemented learnings from that training including updating language in our job postings and accessibility language on our website.
Worked with our partner outdoor organizations to schedule a Systemic and Structural Racism 2-day intensive training for our Executive Director and a board member. The learnings from this training will be shared with our membership. (scheduled for October 2021)
The Mazama Board voted to sign on to the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge.
Several other initiatives, including proposed amendments to our organization’s bylaws, are in progress. This is just the beginning of our work to make the Mazamas a truly welcoming and inclusive place.
What can you do to learn more and provide support to our AAPI community?
Distract: Find a way to pull attention away from the situation, or the person being attacked.
Delegate: Evaluate the situation and organize others to respond.
Document: Record the incident. Keep a safe distance when recording, and always ask the person targeted what they want you to do with the footage. Do not further victimize an individual by posting a video/audio without their knowledge.
Delay: After the incident, check in with anyone who was affected to show them that their experience and well-being matters, and that you see and value them.
Direct: Step forward in a situation directly and intervene, either physically or verbally.
The Mazamas does not tolerate violence or racism in our community. If you have witnessed or been subject to harassment while participating in our courses, activities, or events, we implore you to file an incident report. To the extent possible, confidentiality will be maintained except as necessary to conduct the investigation and take appropriate remedial action.
LEARN Most of us have a lot to learn when it comes to racism, anti-racism, and allyship in the United States, particularly as it relates to the history and prevalence of anti-Asian rhetoric. There are hundreds of important resources available online, in the library, and through your headphones. Here are a few places and statements to get us started:
We also encourage you to learn more about Oregon State Bill 289, which would increase penalties for bias crimes perpetrated on Oregon public lands and provide means for restorative justice. Email your state senator to share your support and encourage them to vote for this bill.
The Mazama staff would like to thank the members of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team who continue to hold us accountable and encourage us to use our platform to denounce hate. Their time, efforts, and support are critical to the Mazamas becoming a more inclusive and just organization.
