Amicalola Falls State Park Visitor's Center

In celebration of National Trails Day on June 2, 2012, Amicalola Falls State Park is hosting an Outdoor Adventure Weekend on June 2nd and 3rd.  A kids fishing rodeo, trail maintenance, and guided hikes are among the scheduled activities for the weekend. The event is free with a $5 parking fee for the day.

Be a part of America’s largest trail celebration and celebrate at one of Georgia’s 7 Wonders (and home to Georgia’s tallest waterfall).  Spend the weekend at the park by camping out, renting a cabin or staying in the lodge (with a spectacular view).

Hit the trail and enjoy the scenery to celebrate National Trails Day.

June 2 is quickly approaching. Have you made plans yet to celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Trails Day? If not, don’t panic. You can find a local event online or stay tuned for posts about local Georgia events.

First off, a little background: National Trails Day began in 1993 as an answer to Ronald Reagan’s call that, “all Americans be able to go out their front doors and within fifteen minutes, be on trails that wind through their cities or towns and bring them back without retracing steps.” As the American Hiking Society says, “Trails do not just magically appear for our enjoyment.”  Planning, hard work, and maintenance go into the trails so many of us enjoy.

National Trails Day celebrates the efforts of the many, many people and organizations that support America’s some 200,000 miles of trails. The event also serves to introduce people to the joys of hiking and getting outdoors.

Whether you are already an avid hiker or just getting started, I hope you will find a local event to celebrate National Trails Day. Maybe this year’s event will inspire you to volunteer for a trail maintenance program. Or maybe it will inspire you to hike more often or invite others to hike with you. Whatever the case may be, I hope you will at least remember the trails on June 2 and be thankful for all the hard efforts of many people that have made those trails a reality.

Happy Trails!

My son examines the wall he's about to climb, and yes, he did it!

Today was the first day I went to a rock climbing gym and didn’t really climb. But today wasn’t about me climbing. Today was about my son. At two-years-old, he isn’t learning to climb but he is getting a good introduction to climbing. He’s also getting great exercise. And of course, great entertainment.

A friend of mine and her two-year-old son went with us and the two boys had a great time climbing the kids’ wall, sliding down the slide, chasing each other through the tunnel, and watching the big “kids” do some real climbing. By the time we’d been there two hours, all four of us were quite worn out. And though I hate to speak for others, I think it’s safe to say we all had a great time.

Many rock climbing gyms have kid classes and kid climbing areas. Most classes don’t start until children are older than my son is, but that doesn’t mean younger kids aren’t welcome at rock climbing gyms. Escalade in Kennesaw, Ga., welcomes kids any age to their kid climbing area. For older kids, Escalade has a summer camp (for ages 6-12) or youth classes. Escalade also offers a homeschool program every third Thursday of the month.

Do your local climbing gyms offer kids’ programs? If so, please share in the comments.

Pumpkvine Creek Upstream South

My colleague recently started a blog on Pumkinvine Creek to document and share her research on the creek’s history, significance, and current condition.

If you’re interested in learning more about this creek, check out the blog On the ‘Vine.

Campsite at john's Mountain

John’s Mountain Wildlife Management Area is in Walker County, Georgia. My husband chose this site for our son’s first fishing trip. We arrived at John’s Mountain campgrounds, otherwise known as The Pocket, around 5 pm on the Friday. My son settled in to play in the rocks and dirt while my husband and I set up the campsite, which means I mostly kept my son from wondering off or running through poison ivy while my husband put up the tent and unpacked clothes and cooking supplies. We dined on burgers and enjoyed a little fire (very little because most of the wood in the campsite was damp and not burning well). It was an early bed but a peaceful sleep in our tent.

Interpretive signs on the Nature Trail (also the beginning of the Pocket Trail)

The next morning we awoke early to a chill in the air. We tried to convince our two-year-old son to stay under the warm sleeping bags a little longer but to no avail. As with most kids his age, he’s an early riser, and he’s not at all bothered by cold weather. So, up we got and began unpacking the food and cooktops and started our breakfast. It warmed up nicely and we took a short  hike on the Pocket Loop trail (walk through the day area to get to this trail–and don’t miss the sign at the trail head that shows pictures of the old CCC camp at this site).

Lake Marvin

In the afternoon, we drove down the road to Lake Marvin to cast a line. My son was a natural (no surprise) and took reeling without any instruction. Being two years old, he also lost interest quickly and began playing with rocks and sticks while my husband continued to fish. It was a successful introduction though not successful in fish catching. But the lake is beautiful and peaceful. A few other people were on the lake trying to catch something but it was mostly quiet and definitely relaxing.

Back at camp we chatted with the volunteer that helps maintain the campgrounds on the weekend. We often saw him pass by on a golf cart, sometimes with his son, or cleaning the restrooms, etc. He said he had been volunteering with the National Forest Service for years and was excited to help out on the weekends.

The next morning we decided not to rush to pack up and leave. We enjoyed a bagel breakfast, another jaunt around the day-use picnic area, and even went out for another fishing trip at Lake Marvin. And this fishing trip was a success. My son’s interest held out longer (plus we were armed with night crawlers) and he caught his first fish. I’m not sure who was more excited–my husband or my son–but it was a great morning either way.

I had been hiking around John’s Mountain before but this was my first camping/fishing trip. It was perfect. The campsites are nice, the campgrounds were quiet and not overcrowded, and the facilities are well-maintained. Plus, there is so much to do there! Take your fishing poles and cast a line or choose one of the nearby hikes (Keown Falls is also nearby).

Hunting is allowed in the area, so be sure to check the website  to see if it is hunting season, and if you are hiking during a hunting season, wear bright colors.

Below is a short slideshow from our trip. Enjoy!

Interview with Kathleen Jacecko, Founder/Director of  TeachingGreen:

What led to the creation of TeachingGreen?

As long as I can remember, I’ve been concerned about environmental issues, originally because I loved (still do!) animals and was concerned about how human activity was impacting their ability to survive and thrive. As an undergraduate chemistry student at UC Irvine, I dabbled in environmental matters when I worked in the lab of F. Sherwood Rowland, winner of the Nobel prize for his discovery that CFCs were destroying the Earths’ ozone layer. As a young adult, I realized that in addition to environmental issues, my other passion was education, so I ended up teaching high school science for three years, before leaving that to pursue my original passion: the environment. After volunteering for some environmental nonprofits in the LA area, I landed a job with the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust, then with Santa Monica Baykeeper. While at SMBaykeeper, I became increasingly frustrated with the apparent lack of environmental awareness I saw around me – especially in the South Bay area where I live. So I decided to do something about it. I figured with my background in science, experience working as a teacher and in the environmental nonprofit sector, and passion for the environment, that I had much of the knowledge and skills I would need to run my own environmental nonprofit. And other than an organization called Sustainable Works, which until very recently only served the people of Santa Monica (or outsiders if they pay a fee), no one was officially teaching the public about sustainable living. So there was a need, and I decided to fill it.

What is the main focus of your organization? (i.e., teaching children, teaching adults, helping people make better choices to live sustainably)?

We have two programs, one for adults and one for children, so we teach both about sustainable living, but most of our time has been spent teaching adults. We do this through classes offered to the public, usually at a local Whole Foods market, and also through presentations for private community groups of all kinds. We also maintain a website and send a quarterly e-newsletter, the Green Graze.

What do you think the biggest challenge is in teaching green living?

Getting an audience, hands-down. People are busy, so convincing them to make time for green education is a challenge, to say the least. Also, unless I’m talking to a private group where people are required to attend or don’t necessarily know the subject matter beforehand, I usually find myself preaching to the choir. With kids, the challenge is getting into the classroom. During the spring of 2011, when I was trying to spread the word about our new Growing Up Green program to elementary school teachers in the area, only four out of nine superintendents would even let me circulate my flyers via email. I’m not sure the reason, but if I had to guess, I’d say that the ones who declined were trying to protect overwhelmed and overworked teachers from just one more thing to look at. Also, I have been told by someone who has experience with this in Santa Monica (one of the most sustainable cities in the country) that in the past several years, with increasing pressure to perform on standardized tests, it has become increasingly difficult to get teachers to give up class time to extracurricular programs.

Why aren’t more people living sustainably (i.e., lack of education, don’t think they can make a difference, don’t think it’s a real issue, etc.)?

For a while there, between the release of An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 and the stock market crash of 2008, environmental awareness skyrocketed and the word “green” became commonplace. Now, while there are many times more eco-friendly products available to consumers, it seems that environmental concerns have sadly taken a backseat to people’s financial concerns. In the past couple of years, attendance at community environmental and Earth Day events has seriously declined from the peak in 2007 and 2008. Until people see a link between their health and happiness and the health of our environment, I believe that the vast majority will not take action to live more sustainability, at least beyond using reusable bags and bottles. I do think that if most people understood the issues better, many would be compelled to act. But again, the problem is how to get these lessons across to people, especially when most people shut down if they feel at all blamed for the environmental problems we face today. Another challenge is getting the information out to people without overwhelming them. There are so many things that people can do today to “go green” that it can be a bit paralyzing. Where to start? Our Green Life Guide has something called a Sustainability Improvement Plan (S.I.P.) to help people take action, one day, one step at a time.

What is the biggest thing a person can do today to help the environment? What do you think is the biggest environmental issue today?

Aside from giving up your personal vehicle, or at least seriously curtailing its use, the single most important thing a person can do to help the environment is to reduce the amount of meat in his or her diet. This is especially true for beef, then pork, then poultry (the impacts of which are significantly less than those of beef). The main issues here are water and energy inputs (and thus greenhouse gas emissions), water pollution and land use. The statistics in all categories are staggering, but for just a taste: in 2002, fully 35% of the US land area was devoted to livestock grazing. Seafood should also be chosen carefully, and the Seafood Watch program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a wonderful tool that helps the concerned consumer choose sustainable seafood.

What advice would you give to other educators on how to effectively incite change in people? What’s the best method to reach people? Is it different for children versus adults?

With adults, I believe the key is connecting environmental degradation to people’s lives. Everyone has their thing: money, health, animals, recreation, their kids’ future. The more you can make it about them, and the less you lay blame, the better. With children, I suggest focusing on animals and a general sense of responsibility. In general, people need a much better understanding of the interconnectedness of nature, and their place in the web of life. In other words, they need to understand that we are not somehow separate from nature, but rather part of it, and that if we don’t take care of it now, we will eventually pay the price.

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Jackecko’s book, The Green Life: A Guide to Sustainable Living in Los Angeles, is targeted toward to Los Angeles residents but offers sound advice for all. The book is well-researched and offers practical steps to create a more sustainable lifestyle no matter where you live.  It’s well organized, easy to read straight through or pick and choose topics that are of most importance to you. This book is great for anyone wanting to live a more sustainable life or to use as a tool to teach others.

Adventure Online TV: This site allows members to post videos of their adventures and including sailing, skydiving, climbing, kayaking, surfing and more. Share your adventures or enjoy watching others.

Adventure Week on Universal Sports channel:  Cliff diving, extreme rock climbing, kayaking (from Alaska to Seattle), cycling, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and an adventure race through Montana are just a few programs that will showing the week of October 10. If you don’t get Universal Sports channel, check out their website for info and videos.

National Geographic Channel: Check out the website for upcoming show listings and videos of past shows. Also check out Nat Geo Adventure.

Passport to Adventure: This PBS travel channel says its mission is provide “inspiring television that ignites a passion for travel & discovery!” Their website also has a travel blog, video clips, and recommended travel books.

West Coast Adventures: Need a British Columbia fix? This is the place for you. Whether you’re planning a trip there, dreaming of one, or just want to watch others enjoying BC, this site offers a tons of videos and info.

I’d love to see what you’re up to as well. Please stop by, post pics of your travels or ask questions about upcoming adventures.

Hope to see you there!

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