Sierra Club is working to provide opportunities to get outdoors to explore, enjoy, and protect and appreciate nature to protect the planet for everyone with the Outdoors for All Campaign www.sierraclub.org/outdoors-for-all People enjoy and are attracted to being outdoors. We learn better, improve our health, and feed our souls when we are in nature. Conservation issue based outings are a great way to bring together activists and volunteers, to educate and bring attention and build momentum for important environmental issues and campaigns and to learn and appreciate the natural environment we are saving.
In Maryland, Outings are an important component of geographically based campaigns involving land use, transportation, and natural area preservation such as 10 mile creek, ICC, Mattawoman Creek Watershed/Chapman Forest, and energy related campaigns such as retiring coal plants in Montgomery County and Baltimore and Southern MD, and preventing coal and fracked gas transmission and pipelines. We have hiked, biked, canoed, walked, used outings as a component of conservation campaigns to raise the profile with media releases and to bring public officials out with us for an enjoyable and educational experience.
On conservation issue education outings, participants not only experience and learn about the outdoors and the critters and plants and biological systems in the natural environment, but learn about local conservation issues, the links between physical conservation, implementation of legal protections, and the work that goes into passing good laws to protecgt the environment. Making these connections helps people understand the process from concept to implementation and allows them the opportunity to make a positive impact.
Several Sierra Club entities lead outings in Maryland. Below are the links to regional and statewide outings hosts around Maryland, D.C., and Virginia.
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Local Sierra Club Groups operate out of specific regions and counties within Maryland.
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Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO) is a section of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club that holds outings around suburban Virginia, D.C., and Maryland.
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Baltimore Inspiring Connections Outdoors (BICO) conducts outings around Baltimore City for those in an urban environment to still have an opportunity to connect to the natural environment.
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DC Inspiring Connections Outdoors (DC ICO) is part of the Sierra Club’s D.C. Chapter and hosts outings within the D.C. metropolitan area.
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The Northeast Outing Subcommittee holds outings throughout the Northeastern U.S. Contact Herb Wolff (h.marion.wolff@gmail.com) or Sandra Raviv (sandraraviv@gmail.com) if you’re interested and would like more information.
Invasive Plant Removal Outings Locations
Invasive weeds have been brought to the US from other continents. Most alien plants don’t spread, but a few with no natural predators will take over and cover everything. Invasive species are the biggest threat to our native plants and animals after habitat loss. Learn to identify some native plants versus invasive weeds and use hand pulling or other techniques to control their spread. Join in at a location near you!
Sample Past Trips
August 6, 2014
Last weekend, on July 26th, I joined the Beyond Coal Team as it hosted a hike along the historic C&O Canal Towpath to see one of Maryland’s last coal-fired power plants, the Dickerson Generating Station.