Meet the Mountain Mtn. Rangers: a moose and goat that explore the wilderness and learn about preservation principles.

Their journeys make up the “Mountain Mtn. Rangers” series, written and illustrated by Silverthorne-based author Erin McCrea. The children’s book series focuses on educating kids about wilderness safety, especially those relevant to Colorado.

The series so far consists of three books: “Avalanche Dragons,” “Leave No Trace” and “Camping Trip.” A fourth book about compassing is in the works, McCrea said.

“As we see increased use of wilderness areas and just generally outdoors use, national parks and things like that, the impact of the users is greater,” McCrea, who works as a physical therapist, said. “It feels really important to try to create a more responsible and accountable generation of future wilderness users.”

The idea to write the stories came to McCrea while driving back from a ski trip in Crested Butte about 10 years ago. During that trip, McCrea found herself in several situations where she had to assist others in the mountains.

“We had some people who got their car stuck in a snowbank and then we found a dog that was outside in a blizzard, and we ended up bringing it to our hotel room for the night and sort of rescuing it,” she said. “So when we were driving back, I kind of thought of this idea of characters that just sort of help others in the mountains.”

The first book she published only a few years ago, “Mountain Mtn. Rangers: The Avalanche Dragons,” follows the two main characters as they venture up a mountain to deliver winter supplies to their friend, the wise old elk. With the terrain covered in snow, the pair assess the risk of an avalanche and work on avoidance as they travel.

“We see every year in Colorado several or more avalanche related deaths,” McCrea said. “We try to educate kids and at least get this idea of this risk into their heads at an earlier age.”

In the next book, “Mountain Mtn. Rangers: Leave No Trace,” the rangers go on a bike ride, discovering trash and poor trail conditions along the way.

“They figure out who is responsible, which is the bear, spoiler alert, and then they educate the bear about Leave No Trace practices and trail etiquette,” she said.

The most recent book, “Mountain Mtn Rangers: Camping Trip,” was released this past summer to teach about fire safety and bear awareness. When the rangers set out on a camping trip, they help fellow campers who are having trouble starting their fire to cook their food.

“We’ve been pretty fortunate with our summer season, and our fire season, but it’s not over yet. Obviously that has a massive impact on the Colorado community as well as the entire West,” McCrea said. “Wildfires are a natural part of the forest cycle to some degree, but human created wildfires are again something that we just need to try to educate kids at a younger age about.”

A fourth book centered on hiking, the 10 essentials and orienting is in the works, McCrea said.

Each of the books were vetted by outdoor preservation organizations before being released, McCrea said. They include the American Avalanche Association, Utah Avalanche: Know Before You Go, LeaveNoTrace.org, Colorado Mountain Biking Association and the National Park Service.

“They had all been sent the book beforehand for feedback,” she said. “These sort of overarching organizations in this area, as experts, before we published the book, we made sure that everyone was in agreement that this was good information.”

At the end of each book, McCrea also provides resources for further information on the subject, including QR codes that take readers to several sources.

Ultimately, McCrea hopes to tell stories that interest kids while informing them.

“What’s unique about the books is that they tell stories that are fun for the kids, and they weave in this education, which is, it’s always my goal to see to find an appropriate balance,” she said.