American Alps Legacy Project

As we celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of the North Cascades National Park, it is time to address critical areas that were left out of the original park. Scenic landscapes, like those around Liberty Bell, Rainy Pass, Snowy Lakes, Cutthroat Pass, and the Cascade River were excluded from the park. Lowland wildlife habitats and pristine rivers and streams remain outside park boundaries. The North Cascades Conservation Council (N3C) wants to continue the legacy of conservation that inspired the North Cascades National Park. We need your help to complete the park. Speak up!  Volunteer!  Donate!

Visit the American Alps website and our blog!

Brief History of the North Cascades National Park

Writing a brief history of the North Cascades National Park is a truly challenging endeavor. Harvey Manning’s book, Wilderness Alps: Conservation & Conflict in Washington’s North Cascades provides an unsurpassed wealth of historical detail. We strongly recommend that you read this book if you are interested in the history of conservation in the North Cascades. Where to start?

The Campaign Begins

Creation of the North Cascades Conservation Council (N3C) in 1957 was a turning point for conservation in the North Cascades. This "single purpose" conservation group focused its energies specifically on land conservation and limited its attention to just the North Cascades. Current N3C Board members Patrick Goldsworthy, Polly Dyer, Phil Zalesky, and Laura Zalesky led the charge with many friends and colleagues providing encouragement and support (including national conservation advocates David Brower and Howard Zahniser).

Initially, the Forest Service rejected Washington Congressman Pelly’s 1959 request that the Forest Service conduct a study of the North Cascades for park potential. N3C did not take no for an answer, mobilizing a letter writing campaign and filing petitions with the Forest Service asking for a study. Other conservation organizations provided key support for N3Cs efforts at this point. The Sierra Club, National Parks and Conservation Association, Mountaineers, and Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs all called for the National Park Service and National Forest Service to enter into discussions about park creation.

Momentum Builds

Conservation allies rallied to the cause when it became apparent that the Forest Service of the 1960s was moving toward “sustained yield” as it guiding principle for the North Cascades. As vast swathes of old growth began to fall, conservationists began an all out campaign to alert the public to what was being lost. Pamphlets, newsletters, books, and films were used to educate residents of Washington State and beyond.

Bills were introduced in the US House and US Senate in the early 1960s directing the Forest Service to assess the North Cascades for park potential. By 1963, conservation advocates were helping draft bills to create the North Cascades National Park. Senator Warren Magnuson, Congressman Lloyd Meeds, and Senator Henry M. Jackson all became champions of the new park. By 1966, a study team had been formed and a report produced.

Senator Henry M. Jackson took the lead. A North Cascades National Park Bill was introduced in Congress in 1967. Unfortunately, the Bill that came out of the study team process had park boundaries drafted by Forest Service employee. N3C and other conservation advocates were not completely happy with the study team results, but were convinced by Senator Jackson that this was the best we could get in the short run.

A Major Victory

On October 2, 1968 the North Cascades National Park was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The enabling legislation states in section 101, “In order to preserve for the benefit, use, and inspiration of present and future generations certain majestic mountain scenery, snowfields, glaciers, alpine meadows, and other unique features in the North Cascades Mountains of Washington State.”

Harvey Manning later reflected on the compromise legislation. “In 2000, they will say of the North Cascades Conservation Council, “You were too timid. You compromised too much. You should have been more far-sighted, more daring.” I hereby place on record my personal apologies to the year 2000. In our defense, we will then only be able to say, “We did not ask for protection for all of the land we knew needed and deserved protection. We did, for a fact, compromise in the name of political practicality. We tried to save you as much as we thought possible.”

Completing the Park: The American Alps Legacy Project

Oddly enough, most visitors to the North Cascades never actually enter the North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades Highway stays within the Ross Lake National Recreation Area and the scenic highway corridor to the east, which is outside the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The only car-accessible area of the park is along the upper Cascade River Road leading to the Cascade Pass trailhead.

The beautiful 30-mile scenic Highway 20 corridor from Ross Lake to Early Winters did not receive the long-term protection from development that comes with park designation. Important lowlands, like the Cascade River valley, were excluded from the park. Several pristine valleys including Thunder and Big Beaver Creeks were designated as part of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, instead of park.

Permanent Protection Is Needed

Completing the park is not an abstract goal. Major portions of the study area are protected only by administrative provisions of the National Forest Service that can be changed by future administrations. Additional protections are needed to assure a permanent and fully functioning North Cascades ecosystem, as well as all the other amenities we have come to appreciate.

Watershed protection and wildlife conservation are among the driving forces for park completion. One of the most cost effective ways to preserve and restore the Puget Sound is to fully protect headwater streams in the North Cascades, such as Granite Creek, Canyon Creek, and the upper Cascade River (all in the American Alps study area). Lowland forests are critically important as over wintering habitat for mountain goats, elk, deer, wolves, cougars, and other species. Spotted owls and marbled murrelets nest in lowland old growth forests.

New conservation threats have also arisen in the past four decades. Energy shortages and high costs are prompting calls for hydropower dams that threaten pristine rivers and streams. Wind farms are becoming economically viable and could come to dominate scenic views in North Cascades mountain passes, as they have in the San Bernadino Mountains. Global warming is disrupting natural wildlife habitats and travel corridors, threatening the movement and survival of some species in the North Cascades. Shrinking glaciers are reducing water availability, threatening fresh water habitats for salmon, and prompting calls for new water storage dams in the North Cascades.

Recreation Opportunities Must Be Preserved

Recreation is also an essential aspect of the North Cascades National Park. Major Puget Sound population increases may overrun the limited recreation resources available in the North Cascades. Hiking, wildlife viewing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and climbing are all extremely popular. Opportunities for these outdoor activities must be preserved and expanded in the North Cascades. Incompatible uses, such as downhill skiing and motorized recreation, are also popular and are slowly encroaching on pristine non-motorized recreation areas adjacent to the current park.

The North Cascades National Park also provides unparalleled opportunities for economic development in adjacent gateway communities. Businesses in the Skagit and Methow Valleys could prosper with greater state, national, and international awareness of the North Cascades National Park and its recreation amenities. Green jobs in this new recreation-based economy can replace those lost from extraction-based economies of past decades.

A New Campaign

N3C is committed to a community-based approach to conservation. Partnering with other conservation and recreation groups will strengthen park advocacy. Carefully assessing the land (i.e., ground truthing) and obtaining background information on alternative land uses and values will strengthen the park proposal. Building bridges with economic interests and addressing the concerns of other stakeholders will facilitate broad community support for park completion. Securing public feedback on the park proposal will help mobilize support for change. All of these are in our plan of action.

Much progress has already been made toward completing the North Cascades National Park. The adjacent map shows the American Alps study area. The American Alps study area includes only public lands. Ground truthing of these public lands is nearly complete and extensive information has been collected on other uses and values associated with the study area. New partnerships are being established with multiple conservation and recreation groups. Outreach with local elected officials and other community leaders has been initiated. And, a draft proposal map is nearly complete.

Most of the preliminary work for a park completion proposal has been accomplished. N3C is now:

• Recruiting additional conservation and recreation organizations to support American Alps.

• Educating the public through PowerPoint presentations, brochures, and tabling at community events.

• Meeting with local elected officials and other community leaders to introduce American Alps and obtain their feedback.

• Soliciting feedback on the American Alps proposal from the general public via our website and community events.

What You Can Do To Help

• Encourage your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to support American Alps.

• Recruit people to participate in the American Alps action network.

• Encourage your organizations to support American Alps.

• Write an American Alps article for your organizations newsletter or your local newspaper.

• Help educate people in your community about American Alps.

• Meet with leaders in your community to encourage support for American Alps.

Contact Information

If you want to be part of American Alps, contact us at info@americanalps.org.