Programs - Past, Present, and Potential
Events
The Enchantments: What's Next?
December 16, 2025, 6:30 pm
REI downtown store, 222 Yale Ave N, Seattle (north meeting room) Details available
Mat Lyons, executive director of Wenatchee-based TREAD, and Gregory Scruggs, Seattle Times environmental reporter, will talk about the critical problems in the Enchantments and possible solutions for them.
Forest Service cutbacks and unregulated day use have created a crisis in the Enchantments, where too many people and no official presence are damaging this popular but fragile area. Volunteer groups have struggled to fill the vacuum. Next year's solutions are open for discussion.
We are also co-sponsoring a similar event on December 11, 7:00 pm at the Wenatchee River Institute's Red Barn, 347 Division St., Leavenworth, with streaming available. Details available
Past
- Alpine Lakes Wilderness map – Fund most costs to produce map that was a major source of revenue for Alpine Lakes Protection Society (ALPS).
- Icicle Network website (https://iciclenetwork.com) – launched in 2017. This website continues to provide current information about proposed dams and water use in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness' Icicle drainage.
- Icicle - Provided comments on water issues, especially proposals to replace the dam and change the reservoir at Eightmile Lake.
- Research – Helped fund legal research on Icicle water and wilderness issues.
- Old Growth - Helped finance production of working maps to identify old growth forests in the western Cascades, including the Alpine Lakes.
- Wild and Scenic - Submitted comments on management of Wild and Scenic segment of Middle Fork Snoqualmie River.
- State Park - Endorsed purchase of private land and addition to Olallie State Park in Mt. Washington area.
Recent
- Support Wenatchee Outdoors with equipment and supplies for their 2025 Enchantments volunteer stewardship program, as part of our effort to address heavy impacts in the Enchantments due to severe Forest Service cutbacks.
- Support Conservation Northwest's 2025 Wildlife Ambassador program, which provided in-person outreach at trailheads in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest -- mainly in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. This program informed the public about wildlife, best practices during wildlife encounters, and ways to minimize human impact.
- Support Washington Trails Association 2025 Trailhead Ambassador program, which provided in-person outreach at popular trailheads mainly in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Trained volunteers helped hikers identify trail issues, reminded them about wildlife encounters, protecting natural resources, and Leave No Trace, and were available to seek aid in an emergency.
- Contribute to expenses of a Girl Scout and her troop replacing pit toilet at Lake Mary in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
- Two year grant to Chelan High School outdoor program to buy gear for loan to students who could not otherwise afford it and to help cover their travel for outdoor activities in the Alpine Lakes and North Cascades.
- Fund production of map showing land ownership changes in the Alpine Lakes.
Current
- Help fund Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust 2026 Trailhead Ambassador program at popular trailheads in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, mainly on the Cle Elum ranger district. This program has similar purposes to WTA's 2025 trail ambassador program in other parts of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
- Fund field trips in the Cascades by a geology class at Cascade High School in Leavenworth.
- Provide additional funding to the diverse, 150+ student outdoor program at Chelan High School for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years.
- Sponsor or co-sponsor public events to address on-going issues in the Enchantments.
Potential
- Support on-going and new programs to address issues in the Enchantments.
- Recover Hatchery Creek trail from hundreds of downed logs following wildfire.
- Support further efforts to minimize harmful effects of Forest Service cutbacks on the Alpine Lakes.
- Youth programs, including outdoor education, visits, and Scout projects. We are especially committed to programs that provide under-served youth with outdoor experiences and an appreciation of wilderness.
Many of these Recent and Current programs are funded on a matching basis – with the Foundation matching on a dollar-for-dollar basis amounts others give to us for these programs.
On request, we can provide more information about each program. Contributors can earmark donations for one or more specific programs or have their donation apply to all projects that still lack full funding. Every dollar donated for any program will be applied to that program; we are an all-volunteer foundation and we keep no portion of any contributions for administrative or other purposes.