One of our top priorities in the Pacific Northwest is the North Cascades Initiative. Rising from lush valleys to Mount Baker’s 10,778-foot peak, the North Cascades are in greater Seattle’s backyard and is the most glaciated area in the Lower 48. Glaciers carved many of the deep valleys and cut mountain sides much steeper than those on the higher peaks of the Sierra Nevada or Rockies. The North Cascades are one of the few intact ecosystems in the Lower 48 that is wild and large enough to support wide-ranging species such as grizzlies, mountain lion, and wolves. more