: anyone here on the bbs a member of the sierra club? just wondering if anyone
: here can give me a thumbs up, or down on it. just wondering....
: brett the hitman hart

I'm not a member of the Sierra Club, but about two years ago I was dating a lady who was. She "volunteered" us to help with a National Park Service project: removing barbed wire fences from former farmlands that were being converted into tallgrass prairies. In neighboring fields other groups of volunteers, many were members of the local schapters fo the Sierra Club, were gathering seeds from wildflowers and native grasses for use in prairie restoration efforts.

The people from the park service seemed to know many of these people and were very vocal in thanking us for our assistance. Apparently a lot fo park service projects are performed by volunteers, including scout groups, garden clubs, and national groups like the Sierra Club. Not all these people volunteer for the same reason. The various organizations obviously have different agendas, and varying political objectives. However, if you put the politics aside for a momment, there is work to be done with improving our environment, our national parks and other national lands -- and these groups, as well as some others -- help to provide the necessary labor.

At the same time, there are some socializing aspects that should not be ignored. There are lots of nice people who will be close to your age, -- and this is a lot better way to meet these people than by hanging around in a bar.

This is a nice way to meet single people who are interested in the outdoors and conservation. At the barbed wire clearing I found the pickup line: "Hi, I'm Paul. Can you hand me the wire cutters?" to be extremely effective. Not a single rejection! Even the cliched "Do you come here often?" gets a pleasant response.

Some hunt and fish, some don't. Some have personal beliefs that will clash with yours. But that is the way the world is.

If you are thinking of going on a outing with the Sierra Club, I suggest you do. Some are pleasure trips --sightseeing -- and the prices are compatible with adventure travel firms. Others are WORKing trips, where the costs will be much lower, and the locations more remote. "Trail building" means you shlep rocks or gravel along a trail too narrow for jeeps or ATVs, until you come to the end, where you dump your load of rocks, and go back for another load. Think WORK.

Personally, I look for the stream clean-up trips. You follow a stream or river removing debris, cutting back overgrowth, and removing snags that might be hazardous. In some areas you might be cleaning campsites, or marking take-out areas/portage routes around dams or waterfalls.

My local library has the monthly Sierra Club magazine and the back of each issue lists upcoming trips and conservation actvities. I believe some of these are on their websites:www.sierraclub.org/outings

there are 5 kayak related trips listed at:

http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/brochure/01201A.asp

There are also 7 upcomeing caone outings, including a family outing on Seagull Lake in the Boundary waters canoe area. I've been there and loved it.

According to their web page, most Sierra Club outings have no membership requirements. You don't have to pay dues, or be a member to go on these outings.

hope this helps.

PGJ