The Gifford Pinchot National Forest

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is the heart of the Cascades and is located in southwest Washington. It extends from majestic Mount Rainer on the north   to the windy Columbia River Gorge on the south and encompasses majestic Mt. St. Helens on the west and the heights of Mount Adams on the east. The GPNF is unique in that it contains areas recovering from the enormous heat, ash, and mudflows and eruptive activity of the Mount St. Helens in 1980.  The GPNF also harbors ancient forest that provides habitat for rare and endangered species and contains some of the region’s most beautiful and challenging rivers for fishing and kayaking.

The Mount St. Helens area, fascinating for its ashy slopes, crater, and growing lava dome, still shelters beautiful forest on its southeast side that is home to an abundant elk population which could provide an excellent food source for wolves returning to the Central Cascades. Mt. St. Helens northwest flank provides ample opportunity to see an active re-ermerging landscape. Ancient forest throughout the GPNF provides large ancient trees and snags that are home to the threatened spotted owl and marbled murrelet. The Wind and Lewis Rivers as well many other creeks and river on the GPNF provide the cool waters and sandy bottoms needed for salmon and bull trout recovery making them exceptional areas for conservation.
    Our conservation program work focuses on protecting the existing network of healthy and productive land that exists on the GPNF. We advocate for protection of the existing habitat by engaging in the discourse on off- highway vehicle use on the GPNF, timber sales, the special forest product program, water quality, road building, grazing, and other issues that arise that would have a significant impact on biodiversity and naturally-functioning ecosystems on the GPNF.