Great Outdoors America Week in Pictures
The story of Great Outdoors America Week 2013 is best told through photographs. Sierra Club Outdoors hosted 15 volunteers for a week filled with lobby visits, briefings, receptions and events. We participated in 20 meetings with elected officials where we advocated for increasing opportunities for kids and youth to get outdoors. We hosted a congressional briefing panel on the military community and the outdoors. We were joined by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell for the "Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival and Walk on the National Mall" put together by the Outdoors Alliance for Kids. We recovered from a long week with a Sierra Club Outing to Great Falls National Park. And those are just the highlights. Here's our first round of photos from GO Week.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Edwards, Sierra Club
Sierra Club Outdoors hosted a congressional briefing panel, "Military Community and the Outdoors," with Major General James A. Kessler, Marine Corps Installation Command; Stacy Bare, Army Veteran and Sierra Club Outdoors Director; Marine Corps Colonel Broughton; Sheri Robey-Lapan, Blue Star Families; Mike Christian, Marine Corps Veteran and Director of Outdoor Research Government Program; and Joshua Brandon, Army Veteran and Military Organizer for Sierra Club Outdoors.
Photo Credit: Kyle Ash
During GO Week, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (of which Sierra Club is a co-founder) hosted the "Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival and Walk on the National Mall" to draw attention to the importance of increasing access and opportunities for kids and youth to get outdoors. This event would not have been possible without the ongoing commitment of 50+ members of OAK. Special thanks to Michael Carroll and Paul Sanford and of The Wilderness Society, Susan Yoder of the American Camp Association and Sarah Danno and Katie Joyce rockstar Sierra Club Outdoors summer interns for all of the hours you put in to making this event (and GO Week) a success.
Additional thank yous to REI, GirlTrek, American Canoe Association, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation, National Recreation and Park Association, Outdoor Nation, American Hiking Society, YMCA of the USA, Earth Conservation Corps, AmericaWalks, International Mountain Bicycling Association, American Camp Association, Clif Bar, Outward Bound, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Photo Credit: Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
Sierra Club's Baltimore and Harrisburg Inner City Outings groups hosted a kayak demo station at the "Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival" on the National Mall. Thanks Molly Gallant, Nicole Veltre, Pat and Tony Reilly for lending your expertise (and your boats).
Photo Credit: Jennifer Edwards, Sierra Club
Festival go-ers explain why they get outdoors. Best Interns Daniel and Izzy (top left) were on site shooting video - stay tuned.
Photo Credit: Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell arrives at the Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival and heads straight for the kids. Here she is meeting a group of youth from the YMCA.
Photo Credit: Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
Secretary Jewell joins our friends at Outdoor Nation. ON Youth Ambassadors represent!
Photo Credit: Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
Secretary Jewell joins the Outdoors Alliance for Kids for a press conference on the importance of connecting kids, youth and families with the natural world. Thanks Sierra Club Angel Martinez for holding up our sign!
Photo Credit: Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
From left to right, Chair Nancy Sutley, White House Council on Environmental Quality; Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director; Secretary Sally Jewell, US Department of the Interior; Arturo Cervantes, Outdoor Nation Youth Ambassador; Jackie Ostfeld, Chair, Outdoors Alliance for Kids and Policy Manager, Sierra Club Outdoors; and Jamie Williams, President, The Wilderness Society. Thanks to all of our press conference speakers for their ongoing commitment to connecting kids and youth with our natural heritage.
Photo Credit: Javier Sierra, Sierra Club
We have arrived at the Capitol. Sierra Club joins Interior Secretary Jewell and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids for a walk on the National Mall following the "Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival." Big thanks to Vanessa Garisson and Morgan Dixon of GirlTrek for leading the walk. It was a hot day and the enthusiam of our GirlTrek friends kept us going.
Photo Credit: Eugenie Bostrom, Southwest Conservation Corps
During the GO Week Congressional Awards Celebration, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida receives an award for his work to protect America's great outdoors and to connect veterans with our public lands. Sierra Club Outdoors uber-volunteer Mark Walters (in the middle) is there to present the award.
Photo Credit: Jackie Ostfeld, Sierra Club
Sierra Club Outdoors GO Week Delegates unwind with an outing to Great Falls National Park after a long week advocating for connecting America with the outdoors. Thanks to Sierra Club Potomac Regional Outings Leader Mike Darzi for leading the hike. From left to right, meet our delegation (or most of it): Eric Uram, Denis Rydjeski, Jackie Ostfeld, Lydia Leos, Maggie Davenport, Monica Augustine, Sarah Danno, Kelly Mieszkalski, Tony Reilly, Katie Joyce, Pat Reilly, Mike Darzi, Mark Walters and Betsy Edlredge.