What were your outdoor adventures in the Inland Northwest like 20 years ago when the first issue of Out There Monthly was published? Surely there were fewer of us out enjoying our favorite trails, campgrounds, fishing spots, climbing crags, and powder stashes. It’s easy to get nostalgic and even twitchy about that. But fast forward two decades and there are some pretty positive trade-offs to the increasing scarcity of elbow room and solitude.
In this special Anniversary section, we took time to reflect on how things have changed in conservation and recreation in our region since 2004. A few positives: the number of new, high-quality trails in recent decades; urban public lands (like Conservation Futures conservation and recreation lands in Spokane County); climbing area improvements; and trailhead/put-in/access facilities across the region that likely wouldn’t have been possible without more of us advocating. It’s pretty staggering to think about the change that the growing population of outdoor enthusiasts have been able to bring about. (Read Holly Weiler’s article page 62 in the print edition for that breakdown.) More invested people advocating for conservation and restoration of our public lands and fish and wildlife, including the region’s Native American Tribes and non-profit conservation organizations, have also led to some pretty dramatic success stories. (Check out Adam Gabauer’s article in this section about the incredible work of local Tribes on page 66 and the Public Lands Guide on page 26 in the print edition.)
At the same time, our region has long suffered from a surplus of neglected, unmaintained trails; threatened wildlands and urban open spaces; and a dearth in advocates to stand up for them. Which is why Out There has long dedicated many pages of each issue toward educating readers on conservation and outdoor recreation topics with the goal of leaving our natural wonders better off than they were before.
We don’t shy from encouraging more readers to visit neglected trails that would benefit from improvements. The same goes for out-of-the-way destinations and communities that have become more invested in protecting their nearby natural areas and trails when their local economies have benefited from an increase in visitors. (Give our Fall Road Trips Guide a read on page 38 in the print edition.) But our staff and editors have also become increasingly careful about over-promoting some of the more overcrowded trails and ecologically sensitive places.
Trade-offs like these in our rapidly-growing corner of the country can be tough to rationalize at times, especially when you’re sitting in traffic on your way out of town itching to get to the trailhead or have to pause your ride or hike over and over to let others pass. No doubt Out There will continue to grapple with these issues and do our best to adapt and evolve to best serve our local outdoors community and amenities, local economies, and the natural wonders that sustain it all in the years ahead—all while striving to provide inspiring, educational, and engaging content for a growing readership.
In this special anniversary section, we interviewed past Urban Outdoors columnist Jess Walters, asked a few of our long-time writers to reflect on the magazine or their favorite articles, and interviewed Out There founder Jon Snyder about the start of the magazine and what he thinks of it now. Here’s to 20 more years of Out There in print!
