AHS and Mt. Washington Observatory Join Forces for Grant Contest

SILVER SPRING, MD – American Hiking Society and Mount Washington Observatory have two big things in common: a mutual love for the outdoors and a desire to work together to advance each organization’s work. That is the spirit behind a new partnership established by the two nonprofit organizations, a collaboration formed to facilitate joint marketing activities and possibly future programmatic elements.

The origin of the partnership is a national contest in which 30,000 nonprofit organizations are competing for a share of $5,000,000 in grants. Mount Washington Observatory and American Hiking Society have joined forces expand their outreach to potential voters in the Chase Community Giving contest, which runs from September 6 through 19. A total of 196 grants, ranging from $10,000 to $250,000, will be awarded on the basis of votes received from Chase customers and Facebook users. In light of Chase’s decision to dole the votes out in pairs, it made sense for each organization to select a compatible partner who would be willing to participate in cross promotions.

“Mount Washington Observatory is a very hiker-friendly organization – both in terms of location and mission,” commented Gregory Miller, President of American Hiking Society. “Mount Washington is high on the bucket list of many peak baggers, especially those who aspire to climb all 48 of the ‘4000 footers’ in New Hampshire. In fact, 50,000 people hike to the summit of Mount Washington each year, and it’s important for those hikers to know what weather conditions they will encounter as they climb.”

Changing weather conditions are one reason that American Hiking Society promotes the 10 Essentials of Hiking. The list is designed to ensure safe enjoyment of outdoor adventures, and many of the items on the list (such as extra clothing and rain gear) are included because a sudden storm could leave an unprepared hiker wet and chilled.

“We realize the importance to hikers of understanding the weather, and we admire the work of the mountaintop meteorologists at the Observatory. The only question that we had about the partnership was ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’” stated Miller.

“Since Mount Washington is the hub of the northeastern outdoors world, hikers from across the country travel here to ascend the mountain’s rugged trails. Hikers and backcountry enthusiasts look to the Observatory for our higher summits forecasts and our unique perspective on life atop New England,” says Scot Henley, Executive Director of the Mount Washington Observatory. “Working together with American Hiking Society makes good sense for both of us. We look forward to competing in the Chase Community Giving contest together and to collaborating in the future as well.”

Information on voting for American Hiking Society and Mount Washington Observatory in the Chase Community Giving contest can be found at www.americanhiking.org/join-donate/chasecontestpage/ or at www.mountwashington.org/giving/chase/.

About American Hiking Society

Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national, recreation-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas and the hiking experience. To learn more about American Hiking Society and its mission and programs, visit www.AmericanHiking.org or call (301) 565-6704.

About MWO

Mount Washington Observatory, which operates within the 59-acre Mt. Washington State Park, is a private, non-profit, membership-supported organization. For 80 years, the nonprofit Mount Washington Observatory has been studying the mountain’s incredible extremes, conducting scientific research, educating the public about the science of weather and climate, and amassing one of North America’s longest and most unique climate records. Weather, webcams, photos and more information can be found online at www.MountWashington.org.