Ever wondered how you can do more for public lands but you aren’t sure where to start? Outdoor Alliance’s Outdoor Allies series explores how other outdoor adventurers got their start in advocacy work and their advice for how you can harness your passion for the outdoors into advocacy for the land and water you love. Byron Harvison is a rock climber, veteran, lawyer, and serves as general counsel and the director of advocacy at the American Alpine Club. Learn more about how his passion for rock climbing has helped other veterans overcome hardship through rock climbing and outdoor advocacy.

What do you like to do outside and how did you first get connected with the outdoors?

We moved around a lot when I was a kid, and I have distinct memories of leaving my home of Oklahoma to go to New Mexico. It was then that I fell in love with the high desert. We used to try to get lost on the bluffs outside of Farmington. Back then we didn't have video games or cell phones, so we were able to just be kids, roaming and riding, and exploring the land. Climbing came into the picture after we moved back to Oklahoma, and I've been hooked ever since.

While you were in college, you ended up joining the National Guard. Can you tell us how that changed your career path?

Byron Harvison, while serving in the U.S. Army

I lost a scholarship while attending college, so I took some time off and started wandering the west, climbing and cycling, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. One of my mountain bike buddies said at the time, “Hey man, you want to make some easy money? Join the National Guard. You get all these benefits, and they pay in-state tuition.” So I joined and found the kind of order and discipline that I was missing in my life. I ended up thriving in that environment and decided to make it a career. I ended up enlisting as an armor crew member on an M1A1 tank, then joined ROTC and later commissioned as an armor and cavalry officer. After a few years and a couple of deployments, I went to law school and re-branched to the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG).

Before you started working at American Alpine Club, you got involved with Hill to Crag, where lawmakers meet us where we are, in the places we recreate. Can you share the success of that event, and why it’s different from just doing meetings in D.C.?

Climb the Hill is an event where climbers and other outdoor recreationists visit lawmakers in Washington D.C. (also known as ‘The Hill’) to advocate for access to climbing and for protections of public lands all across the country. Rather than us going to where the politicians are, Hill to Crag brings them out to where we are. Our very first one was in Salt Lake City with some climbers from Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, and we got a few lawmakers and their staffers to come out. The next one, we got more folks involved and we were able to get Representative John Curtis there in support of the Emery County bill, which was bipartisan legislation within the Dingell Act. Having spent most of my life in the Army, I was able to utilize relationships with veterans to get them out, as well as friends from the Access Fund and Black Diamond. We all came together in Joe’s Valley, and we had everyone from seasoned climbers to county commissioners on some of the best bouldering routes in the country. The BLM and Forest Service were there, as well as a number of local orgs and nonprofits. We were able to show the people who work on the policy and land management for these places, just what they mean to us.

Byron and Hill to Crag participants in 2018

Getting to convey our passion for a place in person is much different than trying to do that in the halls of Washington D.C. Sure, we can be excited talking about a place in a lawmaker’s office, but nothing beats getting them excited about it. When they see that place in person, and they also get to experience it, that’s the magic juice right there. You don’t have to be a climber to appreciate it, you can just be present in the area. In Joe’s Valley, for example, you can smell the dirt, you can hear the creek that runs alongside some of the bouldering problems out there. Those little things help a person develop a personal connection, and then they also understand what’s at stake, and why climbers, and all of the outdoor recreation community, fight so hard to protect the places we get outside.

Last year, Outdoor Alliance, AAC, and the whole recreation community helped pass the EXPLORE which included the PARC Act. Can you tell us about that victory, and what it means for climbing going forward?

The way that EXPLORE came together is such a pivotal moment in time, because the fixed anchor issue (learn more about the PARC Act here) had been looming for a long time. Getting some actual guidance on paper for how agencies will recognize recreational climbing as an appropriate activity in Wilderness is really important for continued access to and use of fixed anchors, and for us being on the same page as land managers.

The PARC Act passed as part of EXPLORE and demonstrated the power of what we can accomplish when recreation groups come together. We all had our individualized goals within this huge bill, like the BOLT Act, and SOAR, there was something in there for youth, Veterans, the RV community, and we were able to prove that we have more power in getting legislation across the finish line when the outdoor recreation community approaches this work as a collective.

The American Alpine Club has spent a lot of time meeting with lawmakers in D.C. What makes those meetings successful, and why is it important to also bring other climbers with you?

Byron, alongside members of the Grasstops Collective in Washington D.C.

In Washington D.C., the American Alpine Club brings other voices to the table by facilitating meetings with lawmakers, most recently through assisting with OA’s Grasstops Collective. Of course, we also have a constituent point of view depending on who we're meeting with and the issue being addressed, but there are so many ways we can deliver the message to help move the needle on policy and have our interests heard when getting together with lawmakers and their staffers.

We often don’t get to rehearse before these meetings, so my job is to know beforehand who we’re bringing in from the climbing community, and what their connection is to the place or policies that we’re in there advocating for. Being in the role of the facilitator, I try to keep the conversation going, making sure that everyone is heard at an appropriate time. It’s important that the people we bring with us feel that they have made a contribution, which is key in being motivated and staying engaged after they leave D.C.

What would you tell someone who is looking to get more involved in protecting the places they love/outdoor advocacy, but doesn’t know where to start?

Find your issue and figure out how you can uniquely contribute to the cause. I think there’s a mystique around lawmaking and the advocacy process, and what we want to do is make getting involved less intimidating and more accessible. Get informed (see Outdoor Alliance’s Advocacy 101 series) and find, or even start a group that aligns with what motivates you. Of course, there will always be nuance and different perspectives to consider when navigating a particular issue, and there’s some policies that are complex that require a sensitive approach. But if you want to make a difference for the places you climb and get outdoors, you just have to be willing to take the first step.

What other big things are on the horizon for the American Alpine Club (AAC)?

We’re gearing up for AAC’s 125th anniversary, and looking back at our history, and the impact we have had with climbing and the outdoor recreation community. We’re also looking ahead to a number of future initiatives. Another piece of our work we plan to expand on is our global work and involvement with the UIAA. The American Alpine Club has been a member federation to the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) since 1932. We’ll also continue to work with great partners, like the Outdoor Alliance to promote the interests of our members which includes providing climbers with resources that advance their knowledge and inspiration in advocacy work. While we enjoy seeing what we’ve accomplished so far, we have a lot of climbing left in us, and we look forward to the challenges ahead.

Lightning round (one or two word answers):

Most used piece of gear: Chapstick

A place you want to go: Cochamó Valley, Chile

Another advocate you admire: Jason Keith

Favorite close to home spot: Wichitas Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma

Outdoor Allies: Byron Harvison