Friday, February 9, 2007

Get Outdoors

Hikers in wilderness At the core of some environmental groups is the belief that in order to protect natural resources, people need to experience them first hand. Only through direct experience can one learn to fully appreciate the quote from Henry David Thoreau: “In wilderness is preservation of the world.”

That is the reason that organizations such as the Sierra Club sponsor over 20,000 “outings” every year to local, regional and international destinations of importance and beauty. In Illinois, outings leaders guide trips every week. The public is invited to hike, bike, ski, canoe and kayak, watch birds, and many other activities. Leaders also conduct service projects to repair damage to nature and support the conservation efforts of local, state and federal governments saving these organizations lots of money.

I am honored to serve as the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club’s Outings Chair. In that volunteer role I oversee the outings programs across the state of Illinois. To find an outing adventure anywhere in Illinois visit here.

The Sierra Club is especially well known for the quality of its 350 “national outings” held every year since 1901 at locations from Tennessee to Tibet. These trips introduce people, some of which have never experienced wilderness, to the miracles of nature. I also chair the Midwest section of the Sierra Club's national outings program and have the opportunity to lead 2-3 week-long trips a year. There will be one national trip in the Shawnee National Forest of southern Illinois this year. I will be leading three others elsewhere:

Get off the couch. Explore the planet, enjoy and protect it. Get outdoors!

No comments: