REDWOOD NEEDLES Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter, The REDWOOD NEEDLES Return to Article Menu National activist outings Wilderness has always been at the core of the Sierra Club mission. Our outings program started in 1901 to educate and inspire people to fight for wilderness. In keeping with that mission, the Sierra Club has made activist outings a key component of the Wildlands Campaign. Activist outings show off wild areas that need help and train participants to become strong advocates for preservation in their local communities. Florida Keys Marine Ecosystem Workshop, Aug. 22-28, 1999. Trip #99103A, cost $580. In south Florida the extraordinary ecosystems of the Everglades and Florida Keys are threatened as never before. Based in Key Largo, our “Everglades to the Coral Reefs” outing is led by experienced guides Vivian and Otto Spielbichler. The week-long Marine Lab features classroom training as well as first-hand sea encounters with snorkel, mask, and microscope. The complex wetland and coral reef ecology deserves protection no less than a purely terrestrial area. Treat yourself to our intensive learning experience in the coral reefs, mangrove estuaries, sea grass beds and the backcountry of Everglades Ntional Park. (This trip is part of our water issues campaign as well as the wildlands campaign.) Utah’s Aquarius Plateau, Sept. 11-18, 1999. Trip #99104A, cost $445. Utah wildlands have achieved national prominence lately. America’s Redrock Wilderness Act, the exciting bill to preserve spectacular Utah wildlands, includes new areas this year. This sixth annual Utah activist outing studies the new expanded wildlands inventory. Led by Vicky Hoover and Jim Catlin, it is the first trip to highlight the plight of Utah’s national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands. A four-day backpack journey on lofty forested Boulder Mountain shows that Utah is more than desert. Broad views and slickrock canyons round out this eight-day odyssey, along with inspiration and learning skills to advocacy. Blue Skies Over Big Bend, Nov. 7-13, 1999. Trip #99105A, cost $395. Why have an outing to a national park&emdash;Big Bend&emdash;one of the chief scenic attractions in Texas? Isn’t it already protected? Alas, the blue skies and the famous spectacular vistas far off into Mexico may soon disappear into a dense haze. A gradual, apparently inexorable increase of pollution from power plants on both sides of the border clouds the future of this special place. Two short backpack forays plus carcamping will let you experience the spectacular scenic and geological features, unique flora and fauna, romantic border history, and unforgetable sunsets. Enjoy a journey back in time with leaders Rich Schiebel and Scott Royder and learn to be part of the solution. For more information, contact Vicky Hoover at 415-977-5527 or vicky.hoover@sierraclub.org. Ask about partial scholarships for applicants for whom cost is a deterrent. Some Chapters may be able to help if you become an official Chapter representative. For a trip brochure and application form, call the Sierra Club Outing Department’s 24-hour voicemail at 415-977-5522, or visit www.sierraclub.org/outings. &emdash; Vicky Hoover, Chair, National Activist Outings   Return to Article Menu Last updated on 3/02/99 Comments or suggestions? Drop us a line at heyneedles@aol.com