Andrea Feniger
In 2022, Sierra Club Military Outdoors (SCMO) went local and started outings in six Sierra Club chapters. By Veteran’s Day 2024, SCMO will have grown to 12 chapters – Atlantic, Alaska, Angeles, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Loma Prieta, Michigan, Mother Lode, North Star, and Ohio.
Thanks to the hard work of the Sierra Club chapters, volunteers, staff, and participants nationwide, we have expanded and Military Outdoors has become an integral part of many local communities. In 2024, Sierra Club Military Outdoors directly and positively affected 5,000 veterans, service members, and military families. We are optimistic that the number will double by the end of 2025.
This success looks different in each state. The Los Angeles Chapter conducted its second year of the Sierra Thrives series – an engaging 5-week educational series in collaboration with BeWell in Nature, the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, and SCMO. The Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter started a summer yoga program. They named it the Fluid & Flow Yoga Series, with a volunteer leader from SCMO who is also an active duty service member, Savana Jones. Organizations across multiple states have partnered with the dozen SCMO Chapters to run programs, including First Coast YMCA, Wounded Warrior Project, Alaska Healing Hearts, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, and multiple Vet Centers and VA Hospitals.
Through creating special series and teaming up with local organizations, Sierra Club Military Outdoors has helped grow its community. Helping veterans and their families find solace in nature and advocating for environmental conservation has strengthened the bond among community members by addressing each community’s unique needs and shared goals.
Accessibility is the Aim
Many people typically consider outdoor activities high-intensity extreme sports like skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, or whitewater rafting. These outdoor activities and adventures can be an excellent way for people passionate about the outdoors to enjoy time in nature. However, our SCMO Chapter Support Campaign encourages people to view an afternoon cookout, yoga in the park, or pole walking through your community as equally enjoyable ways to get outside. The Outdoors for All Campaign, of which SCMO is a part, strives to eliminate barriers to outdoor access. An excellent way to break down those obstacles is by bringing outdoor outings and events to individuals in their nearby communities and meeting them where they are.
The North Star Chapter has partnered with CommonBond in the Twin Cities. At CommonBond's Upper Post Veterans Housing, JR Hunte from the chapter has been working to build a community with veterans living there. Upper Post has studio and one-bedroom apartments for individuals and two- or three-bedroom homes for families, focusing on catering to unhoused veterans. JR has hosted on-site summer cookouts and morning coffee and donut events for veterans in this tight-knit community. We are attempting to support one of the most at-risk groups of veterans in our community – those facing homelessness.
The Atlantic Chapter partnered with Guardian Revival’s Another Summit program. They've had advancements in outings, participation levels, and quality events. Working with SCMO and the Atlantic Chapter's Lower Hudson Group, they arranged 120 outings this year, reaching over a thousand veterans and first responders. A special thanks to Aaron Leonard, a 20-plus-year US Army veteran, for his volunteer work with the Atlantic Chapter and for supporting the Outdoor Rx Coalition in New York.
Partnerships for Health and Healing
The 2024 year was remarkably successful in our Loma Prieta Chapter in Palo Alto, California. Our Loma Prieta Chapter has established a collaboration with the Veterans Administration in both Oakland and San Francisco. This partnership has led to the organization of many joint events and outings. The chapter was asked to attend the monthly meeting of the Disabled American Veterans in Oakland, an extraordinary opportunity for our SCMO volunteers, Lisa Barboza and Jayah Faye Paley. It arose from an encounter with Bob Cole, the Chapter Commander for Disabled Veterans of America, at the Alameda County Stand Down on May 4.
During Memorial Day, SCMO Loma Prieta partnered with the Veterans Administration to host a BBQ picnic at Lake Merritt in Oakland. About 25 veterans arrived, including two VA peer specialists and two VA workers. Alongside larger events, our volunteer leaders conduct regular pole mobility training workshops in various locations throughout the Bay Area in cooperation with the Veterans Affairs Administration in Oakland and San Francisco. These workshops train veterans, including wounded warriors, senior veterans, and individuals with mobility challenges, to trek with poles in their communities, helping them gain the confidence and skills to participate in outdoor activities.
Our Northeast Florida Group has collaborated with the First Coast YMCA in Jacksonville. A key goal in Florida is to promote the health and well-being of veterans, service members, and their families through outdoor experiences. Because of the initiative of SCMO volunteer leader and veteran Tammy Smith, the Northeast Florida Group has fostered a unique partnership with the Duval County Veterans Treatment Court to offer outdoor activities to program participants. The Northeast Florida Group also partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project to bring those wounded warriors into the Sierra Club and YMCA partnership.
The Alaska Chapter held various gatherings in partnership with Alaska Healing Hearts, a veteran service organization in Anchorage. The chapter has run several outings and events throughout the year, totaling around 250 participants in Alaska this year. Chapter Director Andrea Feniger deserves an enormous round of applause. She’s the sole Alaska Chapter staff member in Anchorage. Thanks to her, her great volunteers, and our partner organization, Alaska Healing Hearts, for getting veterans outside.
Starting Within Our Own Communities
These are just a few ways our chapters have linked up with local and regional partners. By devising fresh and ingenious approaches to connecting veterans to nature, we have diligently forged these alliances with determination, grit, and unwavering dedication to those who have served and are still serving our nation.
Military veterans, national guardsmen, and military family members are not only our participants but also among our SCMO volunteers and staff. They understand firsthand the significance of Veteran's Day, which is not about celebrating war but promoting peace within our own communities. It means our chapters have been able to link up with veterans from communities that aren't the usual Sierra Club members. This group includes disabled veterans, wounded warriors, homeless veterans, and individuals dealing with legal issues.
All our chapters embrace the same goal of our Sierra Club Outdoors For All campaign: Nature is a basic human right. The Military Outdoors team is pleased to be involved in achieving that aim. We are addressing challenges that prevent people from reaching the outdoors. Access to outdoor green spaces should be available to all individuals, regardless of their age, income, race, gender, religion, or abilities, and veterans and members of the military are part of many groups and populations that fall under those categories.
The military and veteran communities are vital in the battle against climate change and preserving the planet to guarantee clean air, water, and green spaces for the next generation. Our mutual goal is to encourage veterans and their families to go outside, appreciate nature, and experience its healing advantages. Our incredible partnerships have been crucial in accomplishing that.
Sierra Club Military Outdoors is thankful for our remarkable chapters and the volunteers and staff who have enabled this. We thank the fantastic community partners highlighted in this article and those not specifically named. We at Sierra Club Military Outdoors wish all veterans and service members a Happy Veterans Day.
