Welcome, tell us about yourself.
My name is Jim Williams, and I have been a member of the Sierra Club for twenty-two years. Although I joined in 1995, I did not become an active member until 2000. I was an active leader in a scouting program, but it was time to do my hiking and camping with adults in the Sierra Club, or so I thought.
I immediately volunteered to become an outings leader, and with the help of my scout hiking buddy, George Batten, we lead a trip to Olympic National Park in Washington State. It was actually our first trip as Sierra Club members, and one of the best trips I participated in. Olympic National Park is an incredible space!
With others, I lead and participated in numerous outings to Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe National Park, Gila Wilderness (New Mexico), Grand Canyon, and the Davis Mountains. I also joined the Inner City Outings (ICO) group. The ICO takes youth groups from various agencies on day hikes, car camping, and backpacking trips. The Sierra Club supplies the camping equipment and outdoors expertise. This was an incredibly satisfying experience.
Now that I was enjoying the wilderness experience, the Sierra Club ask me to help protect that wilderness by serving on the Local Executive Committee. Since I had a son in Austin who could provide a place to stay, I also volunteered to be the Houston Group’s representative to the State Chapter’s Executive Board. I served on the Local and State Boards for ten years before taking a hiatus for a couple of years. I am now finishing up an additional four years on the Local Board. I have served in various positions, including Chairperson.
Describe the first time you felt a strong affinity for nature.
I guess that I have always enjoyed the outdoors beginning with Cub Scouts. But my most inspiring times were with the ICO. The ICO scheduled trips to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Coast northeast of Rock Port with the Chinquapin School. In order to camp at Aransas, each group must do a service project. Normally scout troops camp at Aransas and do these service projects. Our Chinquapin group was one of the first non-scout groups to work there. The Ranger kidded us about the fact that we were not scouts and would we be able to do as much work. (Our group had both high school girls and boys.) The service project was to restore an area back to prairie by removing all the brush that had accumulated over the years. At the end of the day, the Chinquapin group had removed as much as the three scout groups combined. As we left, the Ranger said, “Please, comeback anytime.” And we did, and continued to amaze the Rangers with our service projects. The Chinquapin kids were great.
I guess that I come by environmentalism naturally. My mother, Ann Foster Williams, was an award winning environmentalist in Louisiana. She received awards from Ralph Nader, Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, and from the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN).
What kind of activities would you like to Sierra Club do more of and why?
I would love to see the ICO active again with fresh new leadership. The equipment used to outfit the participants is in storage and ready for use.
What environmental message do you have for young people?
I would encourage people of all ages to go hiking/camping/boating in the beautiful wilderness places, enjoying that experience, and then participating in the ongoing fight to protect and preserve these scenic wonders.