There is a long history of Oregon Sierra Club groups sponsoring local outings that have taken members and our friends into the forest, coastline, alpine, and desert environments across the state. The COVID pandemic interrupted these activities. There are now new bursts of activity emerging as volunteers show up determined to get local outings into the wilds once again.
How do we meet the requirements of the Sierra Club to reinvigorate outings across the state? Like any small bureaucracy, particularly one based on considerable contributions by volunteer leaders, it is a complex task. We first need people in coordinator roles to understand training requirements, first aid options, and born with the willingness to shepard the process of getting new outings assessed for safety while finding effective ways of informing members and our friends about trip options.
Where do we then find and train leaders for outings? Outings leaders qualify by completing an Outdoor Leadership Training (OLT) and gaining an additional certification in first aid. The final step is a provisional trip overseen by veteran leaders to assess a potential leader’s capabilities to provide outing participants with a safe and enjoyable experience. All three Oregon groups have volunteers helping support new leaders gain these qualifications. At the chapter level, I recently volunteered to assist with these efforts.
Another major task involves helping our membership learn about outings and training opportunities being sponsored by the group or chapter. A couple of our entities use MeetUp groups associated with our Sierra Club identities to share information with members and people interested in our adventures. Newsletters inform people as well. The Sierra Club is in the middle of creating a web platform called Campfire Events which will ultimately be a tool for local outings information to be distributed to the world.
Interested in getting trained to lead outings? The Juniper Group will be offering an Outdoor Leadership Training (OLT) class on June 24th and a Wilderness First Aid course on June 25th. The first aid workshop is offered to all Sierra Club members at a significant discount from WFA classes taught elsewhere as two of Juniper leaders qualify as instructors. Check out the Juniper Group Meetup for sign-up opportunities.
If you have questions concerning how to get outings re-established in your area, contact Kelly O. Smith, Chapter Outings Coordinator at kayakkelsc@gmail.com.
We look forward to getting people across the state out and about over this summer.