Inspiring Connections Outdoors

The Suwannee St. Johns Chapter (SSJ)

The Suwannee St. Johns Group (SSJ) of the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club serves 14 north central Florida counties including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, SW Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, and Union.

We are an all-volunteer organization. We believe it’s as important to enjoy and share our natural resources, as it is to protect them. Check out our Outings to join an activity or adventure for some good times and friendships.

Sierra Club Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) is a community outreach program which provides underserved youth the opportunity to explore, enjoy, and protect the natural world.

Through these outings, ICO promotes interpersonal skills and self-esteem by engaging participants in teamwork, teaching them self-reliance outside an urban setting.

Laughter and Learning

The Suwannee-St. Johns Sierra Club is very proud to host one of these special groups – Gainesville ICO. We take local kids on hikes, paddling on rivers, camping, and more. Thanks to ICO, these young participants discover plants and animals and a whole new world is opened to them.

Volunteer leaders, certified and specially trained in recreational, outdoor, and safety skills as well as environmental education conduct wilderness adventures for youth of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. From backpacking trips to neighborhood cleanups to naturalist-led hikes through local greenbelts and preserves, ICO volunteers introduce all people to the natural world and teach them how important it is to protect and restore wild places.

COVID-19 Restriction alert: As with many other parts of our lives, ICO has had to adapt to the new reality of the coronavirus and we have suspended all in-person activities until further notice. When it’s safe, our group experiences will begin again. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us with any questions/thoughts/suggestions.

The ICO program is made possible by volunteers who give generously of their time and skills, and by donations of money and equipment made by our supporters. Outings are conducted at low cost, but support from foundations and individuals is always needed.

Would you like to volunteer or donate to this effort? Please contact Roberta Gastmeyer.

And check out our beautiful ICO facebook and instagram pages created by University of Florida student volunteers CJ & Tanmayee!

ICO Blog

Taxonomy code ssj-ico

Gainesville ICO Update

June 3, 2021

At this time, we do not know if we can resume outings after July 4, but if we can, we may take the High School students from Environmental Ambassadors on an outing at the end of July. We definitely are ready to resume our outings for the fall once...