Come Learn about WV at Salt Lake City's REI!

Wilderness Volunteers fans in Utah are encouraged to attend a presentation at REI in Salt Lake City titled "Giving Something Back in 2009." The photo presentation encourages attendees to get involved in upcoming wild-land service opportunities.

Program Manager Dave Pacheco will present on July 22nd, 7:00pm at the Salt Lake City REI, 3285 E 3300 S.

More information at dave@wildernessvolunteers.org.

In Need of Nature

Pemigewassett Wilderness, White Mountain Nat'l Forest, NH

Do you ever get that feeling that you just need to get outside and head for the hills? Go for a hike? Hit the beach? Climb a mountain? Get lost in the woods?

I do. It happens all the time. I need nature, plain and simple. I need to get outside, run around, scan the trees for birds and the meadows for deer, even skip a rock or two. Many of us do. But why? What is it about the great outdoors that beckons us?

We've all got our reasons, and just needing nature in itself counts as one of them. But interestingly, as some recent studies have suggested, we need nature because it is good for us - and our bodies know it. It's in our genes.

Moreover, it turns out that what is good for the planet is good for us, and vice versa. Not bad.

Paul Bloom of the New York Times, Wray Herbert of Newsweek, and Andrea Thompson of LiveScience help to explain why.

Okay - that's enough time at the computer for now. I'm heading out for a hike. Bellevale Mountain, NY, here I come!

Search the Net, Help a Charity

While most of us tend to just "Google" whenever we search for something on the internet, there are actually many other search engines out there. Good Search is one that, along with helping you find stuff on the net, also tries to help out charities. For every search, Good Search donates a small amount to the charity of your choice (WV is among the 81,000 listed). $0.01 might not seem like a lot but, 100 supporters making 2 searches per day would add up to $730 a year and, with Search industry revenue adding up to 8 Billion a year, there is the potential to do some real good. So, next time you're looking for the best deal on a new pair of hiking boots or Tent, try searching for them with a little extra purpose.

About Us...

Here's a 4-minute slide-show presentation that provides a more personal, detailed look at who we are and what we do. Special thanks to Montana musician David Walburn, who was previously featured on this blog back in January, for lending his music to our mission.

Take a look:

Interested in participating in a project this summer? It's not too late. Check out our project list. There are over a dozen trips still in need of volunteers!

And to hear more great music from David Walburn, visit him at www.davidwalburn.com.

Saturday is National Trails Day

Since 1993, the first Saturday in June is National Trails Day - and this Saturday June 6th is no different. Organized by the American Hiking Society, the day celebrates America's +200,000 mile trail network, recognizes the volunteers, organizations, and agencies that develop and maintain this vast system, and seeks to inspire and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to get outside and explore the great outdoors. Now in its 17th year, National Trails Day is celebrated in all fifty states by thousands of people, and hundreds of events - including hikes, bike rides, site dedications, trail work, gear demos, horseback rides, photography clinics, educational workshops, and canoe and kayak trips - are held across the country each year.

To learn more about National Trails Day and search for events in your area, check out the American Hiking Society's helpful guide here.

Between hikes in New York City and dog walks in New Jersey, horseback rides in Utah and birding tours in Minnesota, trail work in Oregon and orienteering workshops in Florida, there is something for everyone - everywhere! So pack a lunch, grab a friend, and go exploring.

Me? I'm going hiking in the Adirondacks for the first time.

Where will you go and what will you do? Let us know.

Happy Trails!

WV Announces Alternative Spring Break Program

This spring, Wilderness Volunteers launched an exciting new program: Alternative Spring Break!

Designed to involve college students in the preservation and maintenance of our wild lands and wild places, WV's Alternative Spring Break program will give students from college campuses across the country the opportunity to spend a week "giving something back" in the nation's parks, forests, and wilderness areas and to become the next generation of environmental stewards and "wilderness volunteers."

During the second week of March, ten James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA) students and one faculty member packed their bags and headed west to Utah's Zion National Park to spend their spring break clearing trails, moving rocks, digging trenches, and working hard. No beaches, suntans, wild parties, or lazy afternoons here.

"Team J-M-U" maintained trails and built earthen water bars across the East Rim and Left Fork Subway trails, improved the wheelchair accessible Emerald Pools trail, and broke ice and cleared a path along the popular Observation Point trail.

Take a look:

The 8-day trip was a success, and was arranged through Breakaway: The Alternative Break Connection, which has been instrumental in providing college students with opportunities to spend their hard-earned spring breaks performing community service focused on some of the world's most important issues. REI generously donated tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags for the students to use.

The Zion service trip is the first all-student project that Wilderness Volunteers has organized as it endeavors to involve more college students in alternative spring break service trips across the country.

WV is currently scheduling projects for Spring Break 2010. For more information about how to connect your university group with a Wilderness Volunteers Alternative Spring Break Project, contact Dave Pacheco at dave@wildernessvolunteers.org.

Thanks again to Team J-M-U for "Giving Something Back!"

P.S. To learn more about Breakaway and the Alternative Spring Break movement, listen to this interview with Breakaway's Program Director:

WV Presents...@ REI in Salt Lake City

Outdoor enthusiasts in Utah are encouraged to attend one of two upcoming presentations at REI in the Salt Lake City area titled "Giving Something Back in 2009." The photo presentation will discuss Wilderness Volunteers' work and mission, and will encourage attendees to get involved in upcoming wild-land service projects.

WV's Program Manager Dave Pacheco will present on the following dates:

• May 14th, 7:00pm at the Sandy REI, 230 W 10600 S

• July 22nd, 7:00pm at the Salt Lake City REI, 3285 E 3300 S

Wilderness Volunteers and James Madison University would also like to thank REI for supporting the first-ever Wilderness Volunteers Alternative Spring Break Service Project, which ran during the second week of March in Utah's Zion National Park. As part of its committment to environmental stewardship, REI donated a tent for the students to use, and continues to support the work of Wilderness Volunteers.

Thanks from all of us!