Volunteer opportunities

One of the best springtime activities is volunteering for the Sierra Club.

Join us! New volunteers are always welcome. You'll meet other terrific folks while you get involved in important local conservation issues, help lead our hikes and other activities, or stuff envelopes - just to name a few possibilities. You have lots of options. Our Chapter Leadership List includes dozens of committees; each one has projects for volunteers. Check the jobs below. And for more ideas call Chapter conservation manager Jonna Papaefthimiou at (510) 848-0800, ext. 312, or by

Handyperson

The Chapter Office in Berkeley has a wooden table and a wood/particleboard desk that need repair. We are looking for someone with the know-how and the tools (the office tool box is limited). We will pay for supplies.

Like to refinish furniture? The chapter's large (14' x 6') oak table top needs refinishing. We will purchase the supplies for a volunteer with "the will and a way".

To volunteer your help, please call Joanne at (510) 848-0800, ext 315.

Can you house a volunteer?

The Host Committee is looking for housing for Sierra Club members attending the Sep. 8 - 11 Sierra Summit in San Francisco. Do you have a spare bed or room for a Club member or members from Ohio or Hawaii?

We are also looking for volunteers to staff the convention - registration, session monitoring, and San Francisco welcome desk are among the roles.

To volunteer, visit www.sierrasummit.2005.org or contact Becky Evans, (415) 775-3309 or by

Sierra Club's home in Yosemite

The LeConte Memorial Lodge is a hundred-year-old museum, library, and visitor center operated by the Sierra Club in Yosemite National Park. We are looking for Club members interested in volunteering one week next summer to assist in keeping the doors of the Memorial open to our many visitors. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet families and friends from around the world and to share your own interests in wilderness. As a volunteer, you receive free entrance to the park, and you may camp with us, free of charge, under the ponderosa pines near the Merced River with a wonderful view of Half Dome. Many weeks are still available for the 2005 summer season. Bring a friend or family member and volunteer together. For more information, see www.sierraclub.org/education/leconte/volunteering.asp

To discuss volunteering, contact Lodge curator Bonnie Gisel at (209) 403-6676 or by

Yodeler Photo Contest

Help make the annual Yodeler Photo Contest happen. To volunteer, contact Aphra Pia at (510) 655-0969 or email aphrapia at aol.com or Wade Sherwood at (510) 531-8664 or email wwsherwood2 at juno.com

Retired? Want a challenge?

Volunteer at the Club's national headquarters in downtown San Francisco (one block from BART and Muni); contribute your experience to help us come to grips with the environmental problems of the next century. You'll meet new people with similar interests; have access to computers, the internet, and one of the best environmental libraries in the country; and expand your own interests while sharing your time and skills. Experience is useful in just about any field. We can use skills at translating from English into a wide range of languages. In addition, we need a volunteer to help with administrative support including filing, copying, and some light correspondence and internet searches. For details, call Michele Perrault at (415) 977-5670.

Energy Committee

The Bay Chapter Energy Committee needs volunteers to help us keep abreast of energy issues affecting the Bay Area and to work with other Sierra Club entities to encourage renewable energy and energy conservation. Current needs include:

• following San Francisco's progress in implementing tidal- and wave-energy technology;
• implementing a plan to educate local communities about energy efficiency and conservation;
• exploring ways locally to move towards sustainability and to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

We meet once a month, usually on the fourth Wednesday. (See sfbayenergy.org for exact times/places), to discuss these and other local energy issues, and to hear presentations from energy experts. Experience in the energy field is helpful, but more important is an interest in learning the details of specific technologies and legislation. For more information, contact committee chairs Doug Beach (San Francisco/Marin Counties) at (415) 608-1439 or email dbeach7 at mac.com or Tom Roberts (Alameda/Contra Costa Counties) at (415) 203-2781 or tc.roberts at mindspring.com

Alaska volunteers needed!

The Bush administration is attacking the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the western North Slope, and the Tongass National Forest all at once. Help the Sierra Club's Alaska Task Force and the Alaska Coalition defend Alaska's unique lands! To volunteer, contact Vicky Hoover, Sierra Club Alaska Task Force, at (415) 977-5527 or email vicky.hoover at sierraclub.org

California wilderness and forests

The Sierra Club's Oakland Field Office is looking for passionate, dedicated volunteers to work on California wilderness and forest issues, particularly the California Wild Heritage Campaign, a historic statewide effort to protect the remaining wilderness-quality lands in California. The office needs many volunteers to help with this campaign, whether for an hour a month or an hour a day. Help with administrative/office work, organizing tabling at events, phonebanking, etc. Contact dave.westman at sierraclub.org or (510) 622-0290, ext. 220.

Outings Office assistant

Every month Sierra Club's Outings Department in downtown San Francisco receives hundreds of requests for information. We need a few volunteers for about three or four hours every couple of weeks to help mail out responses. The hours can be any time 9 am - 5 pm, Mon. - Fri. To help, call our volunteer coordinator at (415) 977-5686.

Brighten a child's life (and yours!)

Ever seen a child's face light up during their first real experience with nature? Join the Club's Inner City Outings Program and open new eyes to the wonder of day-hiking, backpacking, and car-camping. ICO provides outdoor experiences for those who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity. Diverse volunteer opportunities exist throughout the year. Most needed are volunteers interested in mid-week day hikes. No prior experience is necessary, but a love of the outdoors and comfort with children are highly recommended. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/ico/sfbaychapter/index.html or call Sven Thesen at (415) 973-1048 (work), (415) 401-6746 (home), or email sventhesen at yahoo.com