The Reason for it All

It’s one of the best times of the year.  Winter and spring are finally behind us, and summer is about to hit its stride.  As is common in the northwest, when the temperature increases, so does the pace of life.  We all have summer projects to tackle.  The fence needs fixing, the house needs painting, the garden requires attention.  There’s also the vacation to plan, and a million coffee dates with long-time friends.  But as we fill in our calendars and try to get to as many places to do as much as we can with these three months of bliss, we find ourselves walking on a slippery slope.  In the midst of the busy schedules, we might end up forgetting the very reason for it all.

Here at Outdoor Explorers, we ask ourselves that question on a regular basis: what’s the reason for all this?  Why do we spend hours and hours filling out planning forms and meeting with partners?  Why do we allocate hundreds of dollars to trips?  It’s a question everyone will ask themself someday: what is the point?

For an outdoor youth program, there are a few easy answers.  I could tell you about the obesity epidemic in America that everyone talks about.  I could give you stats on how being out in nature is psychologically beneficial to kids.  I could talk about how kids (and everyone else) are hooked on technology.  But let’s be honest, numbers are shallow to most of us.  Ultimately, the main reason the Outdoor Explorers Mentoring Program exists is this: the future.

The outdoor experiences for matches and volunteer opportunities for students that OEMP provides are our investment in the future of America and its public lands.  Yes, we’re a small program.  But whether it’s just two matches or 12, we believe even the smallest seed will bear fruit in time.

The Outdoors is a Great Place for Mentorship to Happen

Europe has its castles and chapels. South America has its ruins from ancient civilizations.  In America, we don’t have much of either.  What we do have are forests, rivers, grasslands, canyons; the list goes on.  America’s public lands are our heritage.  We might not have castles, but no other nation in the world has public lands like we do.

The point is this: we run Outdoor Explorers to mentor the next generation of land stewards.   America’s public lands are beautiful, extraordinary, and priceless.  The fate of these places depends on the choices of the next generation of Americans, including both college students and young kids.  The future of America’s public lands can’t be set in stone, but we can teach land stewardship and create connections between program participants and public lands.  That’s why it’s worth it.  The hours we put in, the meetings we attend, and the funds we allocate, and the lessons we teach all converge to be our contribution to the future of our nations treasure; our land.

I encourage you, take a minute this summer before beginning something and ask yourself: what’s the reason for this?  You might weed out some unnecessary things, and find more meaning for others.  Here’s to a summer filled with adventure, purpose, and memories.  Keep exploring!

The Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness, Central Idaho

Birds of Prey

“Aren’t raptors dinosaurs?”  I guess you can’t trust movies anymore.  As it turns out, modern birds of prey are also called raptors.  And this evening, we were going to have an up-close and personal time with them.

Meeting at Council Grove State Park just outside of Missoula, we started things off with barbecuing hotdogs and hamburgers.  Council Grove sits right on the banks of the Clark Fork River and is famous for being the site where the Hellgate Treaty was signed between the U. S. government and the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Orielle Indians to create the Flathead Reservation in 1855.  Tonight, however, we were here to make it famous for another reason.

After enjoying dinner, cooked by the one and only Steve Archibald, it was time to get things rolling.  Calling everyone to circle up, we had our friends from Wild Skies Raptor Rehab Center, Brooke, Kerry, and Jesse take center stage.  They began to explain the difference between birds of prey and other types of birds.  As Brooke and Kerry were talking, Jesse walked discreetly over to their car.  When he returned, a saw-whet owl no larger than a coffee mug was perched on his gloved hand.  Everyone’s ears were still listening to Brooke, but you can bet every eye in our group was staring at the little bird.  And rightly so!  Before we knew it Brooke had an owl on her hand too, this one a long-eared owl,  giving our group a closer look at the birds than most of us will ever get again.

Brooke Showing the Long-eared Owl to the Group

Next came an owl pellet dissecting activity.  The matches each were given a pellet to dissect and tools to do so.  Some got really into it!  Others………not so much.  To be blunt, an owl pellet is the indigestible remains of an owls dinner that it pukes up.  They look just like hairballs, but by dissecting them, you can tell what they ate for dinner.  All in all, a very educational activity.  The owls these pellets came from were on a steady diet of shrews and moles.  Pretty organic!

Trying to Find Some Birds

After seeing injured birds up close and dissecting meal remains, it was time to do some birding.  Everyone geared up with a pair of binoculars and a water bottle, and off we went.  Inevitably we found ourselves standing by the Clark Fork River, searching for birds in the air as we would for treasure in the ground.  It seemed we were in red-tailed hawk territory, as we saw a good number of them.  As we made a loop back to where we started, we came to a perfect spot to view an active osprey nest.  The pair of birds just sat there, perching at the top of their tree with pride.  Apparently, this wasn’t their first rodeo.

Eventually we came back to the parking lot, and the festivities for the night ended.  By this time we all had one thing in common: we all wanted a pet owl or hawk.  A hawk license isn’t too hard to obtain.  It is, however, illegal to have an owl as a pet in North America.  I guess we all have a reason to move to Great Britain now.

Looking at the Osprey

Thank you to all our partners that made this trip happen! Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula, the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, the Montana Natural History Center, and especially Wild Skies Raptor Rehab Center! Be sure to check our Facebook page for more photos, and check out the Wild Skies website at http://www.wildskies.org/.  Happy summer, and keep exploring!

3rd Annual Clark Fork River Cleanup

This years event was the 10th Annual cleanup in Missoula

April 20, 2013.  It was a cloudy, cool morning at Caras Park, in Missoula, MT.  Some would be deterred by such unpromising weather.  Some wouldn’t think it was worth it to spend 2 hours picking up trash along the banks of the Missoula’s main river, let alone if there was a chance of rain.  We, however, were not of the faint of heart.  Dark clouds and cool wind were nothing but a challenge to be accepted.  And accept we did.  Armed with plastic bags and gloves, we marched towards the banks of the river, intent on doing our part in this years battle against litter.  The 10th Annual Clark Fork River Cleanup was underway.

This year was our third consecutive  year participating in the Clark Fork Coalitions volunteer event.  Every year nearly a thousand Missoulians gather at Caras Park in downtown, Missoula, to receive instructions and meet up with other team members.  From there everyone scatters to their assigned section of the river to pick up whatever they can find along the banks of the river.  It’s an incredibly popular event.  This year, the Coalition reported that 900 volunteers removed 6 tons of trash from 15 miles of riverbank– a record turnout for the river.  Way to go Missoula!

Angie Sportin’ the OEMP Sign

Trash wasn’t the only thing we picked up though.  A match from Outdoor Explorers came across several Rubber Boa’s, a native species of snake to Montana.  Very small ones, but they were pretty active this particularly morning.  You never know what you’ll find in the outdoors!  Although volunteering for events like the Cleanup aren’t exactly the outdoor adventures we usually do, volunteering is something we value at OEMP.  As part of a community, it’s our responsibility to contribute to the public health of our city.  We encourage you to give back to your community; to help your neighbor; to do your part to make the place you live the best it can be.  You just might find you’re not only giving, but you’re also gaining.

Thanks for keeping up with our latest adventure, and a big thanks to the Clark Fork Coalition for putting on a great event this spring!!  Be sure to check out their website if you get a chance: http://www.clarkfork.org/river-affinity/river-cleanup.html. Check back soon for an update on our latest trip, and check out our Facebook page!  Keep exploring!

Bows and Arrows

The air was filled with the sound of nature as meadowlarks celebrated the return of spring.  The sun filled the plain with a warm glow.  A cool breeze blew across the tall grass.  This was the deep breath before the sprint that the nights activity would be.  We were at the Five Valleys Archery Club’s outdoor range out Lower Miller Creek Road, awaiting the arrival of the kids and their bigs.  Our plan was to hand 10 kids bows and arrows.  Not the plastic kind from the dollar store mind you; these Genesis bows and steel tipped arrows were the real deal.  What were we thinking?  ”Let’s give these kids the time of their lives.”  That’s what.

                       Let’s give them the time of their lives.

Eventually, all volunteers and matches arrived.  Needless to say, the pizza was gone pretty fast.    Soon after, Jim Davis, a board member from Five Valleys Archery Club, gathered everyone around.  Jim gave a quick intro to the sport of archery, highlighting things like safety, ethics, and such.  The introductory talk concluded, it was time to arm our little warriors.  Ever seen a seven year old boy be given a real bow?  You’ll never see eyes so bright.  Promise.

A Little Gets Her Bow

Once everyone was given a bow and a few arrows, the group returned to Jim to see a demonstration of proper shooting technique.  Just from the way he talked, it was apparent that Jim had been doing this longer than most of us had been alive.  What a pleasure to have such a veteran along!  After the group instruction, the matches split off into parties of four, each with a personal instructor.  FVAC has a wonderful 3D shooting range, and the matches took full advantage, wandering the whole range, shooting every kind of target imaginable.

A Match Shoots at a Target With an Instructor

30 minutes later, the littles and bigs had gone from hesitant shooters, to proud champions of the sport.  Everyone gathered back at the group area to end the evenings activities.  As the sun dropped behind the mountains, the littles shot balloons stuck to a target, which proved to be quite the experience for them.  I’m not sure what encouraged me more: hearing the sound of balloons popping after a successful shot, or the group cheering each little on when they were shooting!

Balloons Proved to be an Exciting Finish to the Evening

We had the pleasure of having Kate Siberell, a journalism student from the University of Montana, along on this trip.  Kate produced a short video documenting the trip for a class project, which included footage of the littles shooting and interviews.  If she’s half as good with a bow as she is with a camera, her skills would be legendary.  As far as the rest of the group, I wouldn’t be surprised if they joined the Merry Men in Sherwood Forest the first chance they get.  And more power to ‘em.

Thanks to all our partners for making another great trip possible!  Five Valleys Archery Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula, and the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, and all our volunteers.  Be sure to check our Facebook page soon for more pictures from the event.  Keep exploring!

Snowcaving Trip

At the end of January, we had a day of snowshoeing up Pattee Canyon (just outside of Missoula) lined up for Outdoor Explorers.  Unfortunately, the three days leading up to the trip date were filled with rain and temperatures in the high 30′s.  No snow = no snowshoeing.  Thankfully, March 2 had a much better outlook.  Montana cooperated by providing fresh snow, blue skies, and a warm Saturday.  Snow shovels and snowshoes were packed into the back of the volunteers car.  12 energetic explorers were packed into the passenger van.  If all went as planned, this Saturday was going to be packed with adventure!

A Match Works on Their Snowcave

An hour later, we pulled into the parking lot at Lolo Pass Recreation Area.  After a good stretching of the legs, donning of stocking caps, and a safety talk, we hit the snowshoe trail for a short hike to our spot for the day.  Walking on top of 5′ of snow, we finally came to a small hill.  If you know anything about building snowcaves, then you know that they can collapse if not constructed properly.  In the interest of avoiding any suffocations on this trip (good plan yes?), we had a short lesson on how to build a snowcave so that it is stable.  After the lesson, we turned the explorers loose to stake their claim on a spot of the hillside and dig their own shelter.

Soon it was lunch time, and the group enjoyed a well earned meal.  During the break, wilderness professional Ken Straley, from the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center in Missoula, gave a talk on snow.  Explaining how snow was formed, how avalanches occur, and how to deal with avalanches, Ken quickly became everyone’s favorite bearded man on the trip.  No competition there!

Wilderness Professional Ken Straley Teaching About Snow

Rejuvenated by the break, most of the matches decided to go on a snowshoe hike for the remaining hour we had in the area.  Led by volunteers Dylan Lang, and Lizzy Corliss, the group geared up and marched off down the trail.  The remaining match and three staff members started construction on an igloo to cover the entrance to one of the four sizable snowcaves.  It’s amazing how much you can accomplish in such a short time!  Some impressive caves and tunnels were dug in the short time we had up at the Pass.

Strapping up for Some Snowshoeing

Eventually it came time to gather our gear and head back to the parking lot.  But, what winter trip would be complete without a snowball fight?  And so the few of us who had stayed behind to work on an igloo hid to ambush our snowshoeing comrades.  Ambush we did.  Victory we claimed.  Glory we gained!  As we hiked out, we all grabbed some free hot chocolate from the visitors center, piled back into the vehicles, and headed back to Missoula.

I wasn’t in the van for the ride back, but I heard it was dead quiet, as volunteers and matches alike snoozed the whole drive.  Not surprising.  Fun is hard work.

As always, thanks to all our partners and donors from Missoula for making this trip possible!  Check back in a few weeks for a recap of our upcoming Archery Trip, and check out our Facebook page for more photos!  Keep exploring!

The Greatest Archer

Fact 1: foxes don’t actually make amazing archers.
Fact 2: Next Thursday night, kids and their mentors from BBBS Missoula will be introduced to the sport of archery. Maybe some Robin Hoods will be born?

A Guy Can Dream Can’t He?

We probably won’t get something like this erected this Saturday when OEMP goes up to Lolo Pass Recreation Area, but hey, a guy can dream can’t he?