Volunteer opportunities

Yes, you too can join in the effort and fun. Almost everything you read about in the Yodeler is done by volunteers - not very different from you. So give us a call and become a Sierra Club volunteer yourself. Below is just a small sampling of opportunities. For lots more ideas and to get started, contact Chapter administrative assistant at the Chapter Office or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 315

LeConte Memorial Lodge

The LeConte Memorial Lodge is looking for dedicated volunteers to assist with seasonal operations. Volunteers are needed Sunday through Sunday from May 1 through Sep. 25. Hours of operation are from 10 am - 4 pm Wednesday through Sunday, and 8 - 10 pm for weekend evening programs. Volunteers must be members of the Sierra Club. They will enjoy free entrance to Yosemite National Park and free camping at the group campsite during the time they volunteer. For more information visit www.sierraclub.org/education/leconte/volunteering or contact Bonnie Gisel, the lodge curator, at leconte.curator -at- sierraclub.org or call (209) 403-6676.

Picky MS Word typing

Are you a detail-oriented typist, fluent in Microsoft Word, to help make picky editorial changes in Yodeler articles? You would work at the Bay Chapter Office in Berkeley. To help, contact Yodeler editor or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 305.

Your chance to write Sierra Club history

We have some great projects for volunteering, internships, even dissertations.

In the Bay Chapter Office in Berkeley and in the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley are extensive archives of materials about the Sierra Club and in particular the San Francisco Bay Chapter. We are looking for historians or antiquarians - amateur or professional - to pore through these fascinating documents to preserve and study them.

• We have a more or less complete collection of back issues of the Yodeler, going back to 1937. If we don't take action, however, gradually these are going to crumble into dust. We need you to help scan them into electronic form for long-term preservation.
• Help compile a list (do you have GIS skills? could you make a map?) of all the locations in the Bay Area that the Sierra Club has helped to preserve.
• Work with the Sierra Club's Oral History Project to interview local environmental leaders.
• Teachers and professors, these resources could be the base for a class project.

As you go through the archives, you can also develop your own projects, perhaps for publication in the Yodeler, perhaps for academic research in fields such as history, environmental studies, political science, planning, sociology, organizational behavior, library science, or geography.

If you are interested in such a project, contact Yodeler editor Don Forman at (510) 848-0800, ext. 305.

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

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.

Brighten a child's life (and yours!)

Have you 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 contact Sadie Rabe at (925) 768-2242 or email sadierabe -at- yahoo.com

Help stop clearcutting

You can help to stop massive clearcutting in California. Join other activists to work on this issue. You could help make phone calls, write letters, speak to other groups, help with mailings, collect signatures, create flyers, attend Board of Forestry meetings, or donate money to help support these activities - whatever your interest! Contact Patricia Jones at (510)548-2204