From the snow-capped peaks of Huascarán in the Andes, to the autumn gold meadows in the ancient Appalachian mountain range, to the mystical Tibetan plateau on the “roof of the world”, every mountain stone tells a story.

It is a story of inevitable change. It is a story of struggle and courage and hope. It is a story of remarkable people, whose traditional knowledge and unique spirit are threatened by poverty, health issues, dwindling natural resources, political instability and the negative effects of globalization. In addition to the people they support, mountains are home to some of the most fragile eco-systems on the planet; 60%- 80% of the world’s fresh water comes from mountain glaciers; and nearly half of the world’s conflicts occur in mountain regions.

As the new president of The Mountain Institute, I’m convinced that until mountain people can build sustainable livelihoods that provide them with those precious essentials of food, shelter, health, education and other human needs, we will continue to see natural resources decrease and conflicts increase.

As it celebrated its 30th year in 2002, The Mountain Institute evaluated all of its current programs, and committed to pushing even harder in the future to insure that livelihood development—-real jobs, economic impacts—-plays a major role in our international work.

Created in West Virginia in 1972, The Mountain Institute has evolved from a conservation-based education and outdoor adventure company into an international non-profit that works to advance mountain cultures and preserve mountain environments in the longest, oldest mountain ranges in the world.

As TMI grew and changed, many people helped it mature. From its truly visionary founder, Daniel Taylor-Ide, to its first major donor, the Lilly Endowment; from early Board members from West Virginia, who recognized a commonality of needs in mountains beyond Appalachia and expanded work to the Andes and the Himalayas, to former president Jane Pratt, who founded the first global mountain network; from current Board chairman Robert Whitby, who insists on solid evaluations of impacts, to a core staff of 58, comprised of fifteen nationalities, The Mountain Institute has enjoyed dedication, careful management, and ongoing innovation from its leaders and partners.

Just as each of us makes important discoveries during the process of “growing up”, TMI has benefited from many “lessons learned” from sustainable development and conservation projects we have implemented during the past 30 years. Some approaches have been very successful; others have not worked well. In 2003, TMI will publish those lessons from the field, sharing them with other organizations like ours, and with new ones just starting their adventures in the realms of appreciative inquiry and sustainability.

As I begin my second year as CEO, The Mountain Institute is sound - both philosophically and financially. New funding has increased by 168%; and our newest projects in the Andes, Appalachians, and Himalayas have been developed to include important, measurable impacts in their design. Global programs like the Mountain Forum, Sacred Mountains, and Sustainable Living Systems continue to explore universal mountain issues and to communicate them to a wider audience.

Wonderful new partners are helping us implement our work in the field, including village community groups, local NGOs (non-governmental organizations) working in the field, and international institutions that specialize in conflict mitigation and business development. Funding partners also are diverse and represent the global scope of our work. The governments of the Netherlands, Nepal, Switzerland and Peru; USAID; the Ford and MacArthur Foundations; and many other private foundations, corporations, and individuals have confirmed their support in 2003.

Like travelers in Lu Xun’s poem, we all are on the same path…on the mountainside. Together we must harness hope, stakeholders’ dreams, and lots of hard work to produce real and powerful results for the future of mountains and their people.

Catherine Nixon Cooke
President and CEO