The Wilderness Committee

A committee that cares for volunteers

"At the March 10 Wilderness Workshop held at the club's library, it was felt that the Bay Chapter should have a Wilderness Subcommittee to back-up the national efforts to expand the Wilderness Preservation System." - April 1973 Yodeler, page 7.

"The Wilderness Committee of the Bay Chapter has a long history of developing Sierra Club leaders. John Muir was its first chair, and David Brower must have been a member." - from first draft of this article; red-penciled by editor: it couldn't possibly be true, but it's so in the committee's spirit.

The Wilderness Committee has a long record of nurturing leadership. One early committee chair, Larry Kolb, went on to become Chapter conservation chair and then in his professional work to his current position as assistant executive officer of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. More recent Wilderness Committee chairs include wilderness volunteer extraordinaire Vicky Hoover, who is now California/Nevada Wilderness chair and was previously chair of the Club's Northern California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee (RCC); Alan Carlton, who has since served as a Bay Chapter conservation chair and ExComm member, RCC chair, and chair of Sierra Club California; and Patricia Jones, now Northern California vice chair of the California/Nevada Conservation Committee.

What is the formula for this leadership development? The Wilderness Committee has met continuously for more than 20 years on the third Tuesday of the month. Its meetings are informal and friendly, and often feature refreshments. It welcomes and encourages new members. Its subject matter, protection of wilderness - including both management of already-designated wilderness and advocacy for prospective wilderness - is one on which most Sierra Club members agree. The meetings consist mostly of sharing information on wilderness issues and always include writing letters to decision-makers, which gives us something that everyone can do, including any beginners. The meetings often feature slide shows or speakers on wilderness issues. In short, the meetings provide a congenial and friendly atmosphere to work on wilderness issues and give even the newest members at least one thing they can do immediately to support wilderness.

But then the committee encourages members to take on other tasks: speaking to other groups, organizing tabling events, developing material for web sites. Working on wilderness issues requires a passion for wilderness but not any particular technical skills. The committee nurtures a culture of shared responsibility and effectiveness.

Since we do not have many specific local wildernesses to work on, the committee focuses on state and national issues, such as the California Wild Heritage Campaign, Utah wilderness protection, and the campaign to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from drilling. Some members get involved in lobbying on these. Some campaigns give an opportunity to work and network with activists from other organizations.

The committee also works on relatively local areas when they are at issue. When originally founded, it was an outgrowth of the Chapter's previously existing Sunol Wilderness Committee, which campaigned for this local East Bay Regional park. The committee worked on wilderness additions to Pinnacles National Monument for 20 years until they happened. It helped get cows out of Mount Diablo State Park. It is now working to protect Cache Creek wilderness areas in Yolo County, both through Rep. Mike Thompson's North Coast wilderness bill, which would include areas near the creek, and through a state bill, AB 1328, which would give the creek state wild-and-scenic designation.

The committee also publicizes and sponsors field trips to prospective wilderness areas so that our members can get out in the wilderness, to have some fun while learning firsthand about the lands we defend.

For information on Wilderness Committee meetings, see the Yodeler calendar, the web version of the calendar; or contact committee chair Patricia Jones at (510) 548-2204 or email protectwildplaces -at- yahoo.com

Alan Carlton