We learned today that the head of one of our Industry Partners, REI, has been nominated by President Obama to become Secretary of the Interior. The AAC applauds the nomination of REI Chief Sally Jewell as a good choice for America. We advocate for opportunities to climb on American public lands and the importance of protecting the places we climb. Sally Jewell has a strong track record in both protecting public land and getting more Americans including our youth outdoors. We look forward to collaborating with Mrs. Jewell to protect even more public lands and encourage even more citizens to get outdoors, climb and conserve the places we love.

“We at the American Alpine Club are extremely pleased to see a climber like Sally Jewell be nominated for Secretary of the Interior,” said Executive Director Phil Powers. “Climbers are a diverse group with wide-ranging backgrounds and politics, but there is one thing we all agree on – we must protect the public lands where we find our crags and mountains.”