Advocacy Update - March 2025
There have been significant disruptions and challenges affecting our federal land partners in recent weeks. We recognize the difficulties they are facing and have been actively gathering information to keep our stakeholders informed. At the same time, we are working to understand how recent personnel changes and funding freezes might impact Evergreen and the broader mountain biking community in the year ahead.
The known impacts have been shared widely. In Washington alone hundreds of Forest Service workers have been fired, gutting entire recreation offices and trail crews in districts around the state. These are the staff members who we’ve relied on and partnered with to develop and maintain iconic trail systems such as #2 Canyon outside of Wenatchee and the Methow Valley area trails including the most recent work at Loup Loup.
From previous government shutdowns (pandemic caused and otherwise), we have seen the results of this land being left to fend for itself. Parking lots, trailheads, bathrooms will be closed. Administrative functions that facilitate our trail building work will be compromised, and the progress we’ve made over so many years would fall into disrepair.
Despite, or rather because of, these challenges, advocating for access and funding for mountain biking in Washington continues to be a high priority. In mid February we participated in the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition’s legislative effort. Many of our staff spent the better part of the day meeting remotely with legislators to advocate for fully funding their ask to support recreation through the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. We were also in Olympia later that week meeting our elected officials alongside our partners at the Outdoor Alliance including hearing from our new Governor about the importance of recreation. We also had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and our priorities to our new Commissioner of Public Lands David Upthegrove, and the new Special Assistant to the Governor for Outdoor Recreation & Policy Joe Impecoven.
Now more than ever we need to make sure our voice is heard and that we, as a community of riders, are plugged in and active. Trail building, maintenance, and advocacy happens from the highest levels of state government down to our small band of volunteer trail crews, chapter councils and board directors.
As of this writing, we are starting to see a small trickle of positions being rehired; this is good evidence that the initial pushback from the public had some effect. Let’s continue the momentum by telling your congressional representatives that the firings of public servants and freezing of public funds are having unnecessary and very negative impacts on the parks and land we value.
