But mountain conservation seldom makes the media or the law books.
Companies use mountains to promote products.
Our icons suffer from encroaching development, mining, crowding on trails and other indignities. Athearn's group and five other conservation-minded recreation organizations met in September for a National Mountain Conference. Athearn said the united groups hope to instigate a political and social movement to protect mountains, just as our national consciousness frets over wetlands, rain forests and rivers. Mountains are 'water towers' where rain and snow is collected and stored to create the headwater streams of major rivers. However all of these benefits are being threatened due to overcrowding, overuse and mismanagement of this resource.