Raising awareness about the need to protect some nearby wild places, while also giving people an excuse to get out and explore those areas is a bright idea shared by at least two state wilderness groups-the Montana Wilderness Association (MWA) and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA). Both groups publish annual guides to great hikes throughout the state.
For nearly 50 years, MWA has put out Wilderness Walks, distributed free to its members and to any interested hikers in the general public who request a copy. MWA communications coordinator Kristi Ponozzo reports they published close to 6,000 this year, covering the cost through general grants and sponsorship by a number of groups, who are acknowledged in the guide. MWA's website notes that Wilderness Walks includes "leisurely outings for families with children to moderate walks for the more experienced, and strenuous trips for adventurous types. Participants will explore the rugged peaks of southwest Montana and the Absaroka-Beartooth region, the dense forests of northwest Montana, the mountainous folds and glacial lakes of the Crown of the Continent, open steppe country in the Island Ranges and Eastern Montana and riparian areas, canyons, and buttes." Hikes are organized by date, region and degree of difficulty.
"It's really a big deal," Kristi says, explaining that MWA holds Wilderness Walks kick-off events hosted by the group's chapters across the state. "The guide helps people new to hiking, new to Montana, and people who just want to get out and share a passion for walking in the wilderness. And it helps endear our wild places to them."
Wilderness Walks also includes wilderness etiquette, background on wilderness in Montana, and information on the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, a non-profit group working to restore and preserve the trail system and wilderness values in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. For more information, visit MWA's website.
The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance is newer to the game, celebrating the fifth year of its Wild Guide. This 160-page book not only lists great hikes around the state, but includes information about ongoing efforts to protect wilderness areas, celebrates some of the people working to ensure a wild legacy for future generations, encourages readers to get involved in stewardship projects and shares favorite recipes of the New Mexico's congressional delegation. This year's guide also features artists who have made significant contributions to protecting the environment, using their artwork to showcase the beauty of wild nature.
The vast majority of the Wild Guide hikes and projects are in wilderness areas or proposed wilderness areas. "We focus our hikes and projects on the areas we are working on, or will be working on," explains Nathan Newcomer, associate director of NMWA. "But we also try to add variety and be creative with some hikes," he says, pointing to executive director Stephen Capra's "Test of Will and Endurance Hike," which "traverses the entire length of the Sandia Mountain Wilderness-both ways-in one day!" Nathan's favorite hikes are going to the top of Alamo Mountain in Otero Mesa and backpacking up Indian Creek in the Apache Kid Wilderness.
The guidebook is sold for $9.95 in bookstores across the state, at tabling events, and at other NMWA events. NMWA gets a few grants and includes some ads in the guide to help cover the cost. For more information, visit NMWA's website.
Not only are these guidebooks useful tools to spread the word about the need to protect wilderness while giving activists and potential activists ideas for healthy and fun activities, they are also a way to reach the broader public through stories about the books and the hikes in the media.