Harry Romberg is a native of the Puget Sound area - a rarity these days among Washingtonians. His love for and enjoyment of the outdoors started at an early age, encouraged by his father who took Harry hiking and camping as a child and helped him get a job at Mt. Rainer when Harry was in college. "I always attribute my interest in the outdoors back to my father and I think it evolved more than he ever expected it to."
Harry spent several decades, as a member of the Mountaineers - a Washington-based recreation and conservation organization founded in 1906, and the Sierra Club, hiking and climbing and getting into wild places before he started working actively to protect them. "I remember when Alpine Lakes and Henry M. Jackson Wilderness areas were protected, but I was not thinking at the time what it meant to protect all these wonderful places."
Harry is currently the Chair of the Forest Watch Committee for the Mountaineers and he has been working on the Wild Sky Wilderness campaign since its inception. The Wild Sky Wilderness Act, which is poised to move through Congress, would permanently protect 106,000 acres of rugged landscape, alpine peaks, and old-growth forest, breathtaking waterfalls and clear rivers in the heart of the Mount-Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.
"Wild Sky is my backyard and I have high hopes for it and for much more wilderness across the state of Washington. To the extent I can, I want to be part of protecting these areas. It is very exciting. There's a lot of support for more wilderness."
Harry Romberg visiting DC to advocate for
wilderness
An important and meaningful part of Harry's work on the Wild Sky campaign has been leading trips to proposed wilderness areas so that others can see and understand why he loves these places. Harry has spent countless hours leading Mountaineer and Sierra Club trips as well as working with numerous other organization and individuals to generate support for his backyard wilderness. "It inspires me to see folks make a connection to the land. I have met many wonderful and impressive people who have made me want to become more active and involved."
In addition to taking countless people to the Wild Sky, Harry has participated in numerous meetings and more recently had his first experience taking this wilderness protection message to the halls of Congress in Washington DC. "This was a whole different level of experience," he said. "It is really inspiring to be in the place where so many decisions are made about our country."
However, Harry found he did not need to be in the nation's capital to share his love for wilderness with members of Congress. He once went on a climbing trip in the Wild Sky proposed wilderness with Congressman Jay Inslee. Harry chuckled as he recalled that "Representative Inslee was in far better shape than I was." He also notes the congressman was "gregarious and outgoing with everyone he met. In the parking lot he introduced himself to a family that seemed truly amazed to see their congressman out in the wild." Back in Washington, Rep. Inslee blew up a poster-sized photo of Harry from that trip and used it in a House Resources hearing on the Wild Sky a few years ago. Harry jokes that the congressman pointed to the photos and said something to the effect that, "see people of all ages can enjoy the wilderness."
"As long as I have been working on protecting Washington's wilderness areas, Harry has always been there," said Tom Uniack, Conservation Director with the Washington Wilderness Coalition." Whether it is ground truthing the status of an old decaying road in the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal, reviewing endless drafts of maps or documenting the beauty and drama of old growth groves and alpine meadows in the Pratt River Valley, he has always made significant contributions to the coalition. Most recently, Harry has continued to add to his skills as an activist and made the effort to lobby our Congressional delegation in Washington D.C."
In addition to his tireless work on his backyard wilderness, Harry is also on the National Wild Lands Committee for the Sierra Club. He is fighting for protection for wild places across the country and working to stop the increasing pressure our nation's wild lands face. "On the national level, I worry about the drive for energy development such as oil, natural gas, and coal mining which threaten the desert, the Rocky Mountain Front and many other places." Additionally, he is working against the threats that off-road vehicles cause to wilderness in Washington State and nationally. "The proliferation of off-road vehicle use is a hindrance to wilderness protection." He recognizes that increased off-road vehicle use not only threatens wilderness, but wildlife habitat, and other sensitive lands nationally.
"I encourage anybody who's interested in protecting the land to find a way to get involved, that means the most to them. I have gone to wonderful places and met wonderful people doing the work I do. Both the people and the land have inspired me a great deal. By doing a little, a small handful of people can inspire a lot."