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NOLS Alumni: Vision and Action
NOLS students learn and practice many skills during their time at the school. Recent activity by our far-flung grads and volunteer organizers demonstrates that alumni also have passion and leadership skills. The alumni-organized activities detailed below show fun and innovative ways for graduates to support the school while building alumni networks in their home communities.
Rupert, Vermont - Our intrepid NYC alumni group has organized a weekend of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in rural Vermont this weekend. This is a great chance for urban folks to get out and enjoy some winter recreation in Merck Forest.
Taylor Falls, Minnesota - Twin Cities area NOLS grad Alan Haskins is organizing a family ski day at the local ski area, Wild Mountain. Grads, guests and families can connect for lunch, special discounted lift tickets, and a whole lot of winter fun.
Greensboro, North Carolina - NOLS Instructor Brett Friedman is organizing an informal alumni gathering at the local REI store on February 24 where he'll show slides, talk about instructor courses and raffle off some cool NOLS gear. We have many outdoor-oriented grads in the area who will enjoy the camaraderie and connection provided by this volunteer-organized event.
Chicago, Illinois - A local Patagonia Fly Fishing & Backpacking course grad, Jonathan Gordon, is organizing an informal alumni happy hour on April 9 at the English Bar in Chicago. This event will bring diverse grads together for networking and brainstorming area outdoor opportunities. The Midwest has lots of outdoor options— including sea kayaking, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing and caving, so share the details!
Wow. That's an amazing list of diverse activities. And, all of that is in addition to the planned reunions and staff events we're already teeing up. If you're excited about NOLS and you'd like to put that passion into volunteer networking or service in your community, drop us a note.
January 29, 2009 in Alumni | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lessons for a Lifetime
University of Wyoming student Josh Fog was recently profiled in his hometown paper regarding his recent experience on a NOLS Semester in the Rockies.
To read more about Josh's course, head on over to the Emmetsburg Reporter and check out the article!
January 21, 2009 in Alumni | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
NOLS Statement on the U.S. Senate's Passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act
by John Gans, NOLS Executive Director
On January 15, 2009 the late Senator Craig Thomas’s memory was honored when the U.S. Senate passed the Wyoming Range Legacy Act by a wide margin. A critical part of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, this act will protect 1.2 million acres of Wyoming’s history and heritage from oil and gas development. This bill strikes a careful balance between energy development, a vital aspect of Wyoming’s economy, and the values that we Wyomingites hold dear—wild country, outstanding outdoor recreation, and open spaces.
The Wyoming Range has long been a favorite destination for our outdoor education courses, and for sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts across the state. We thank Senator John Barrasso for his stalwart support and proactive efforts to see this bill through and Senator Mike Enzi for his support of the legislation. Governor Dave Freudenthal’s longstanding commitment to the Wyoming values protected by this act are also greatly appreciated.
Contact:
Jennifer Lamb, NOLS Public Policy Director, jennifer_lamb@nols.edu, (307) 335-2262
Aaron Bannon, NOLS Wilderness Advocacy Coordinator, aaron_bannon@nols.edu, (307) 335-2312
January 15, 2009 in Public Policy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Help Pass the Wyoming Range Legacy Act
There is a great deal of activity in the Public Policy department today due to the sudden rapid movement of a bill in U.S. Congress we have been working on since 2004. Passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which would protect the state’s namesake mountain range from future oil and gas development, will be the culmination of a long-term goal for NOLS. This bill could possibly be signed into law as early as this week, and we are hoping to smooth its enactment as much as possible. To do so, we need YOUR help!
photo courtesy Brady McCarley
Several U.S. Senators are presently undecided about the bill. NOLS is currently looking for supporters who are from these Senator’s states, or have lived there in the past, to call their D.C. offices and indicate support for the bill. If you are from one of the following states, please consider giving your senator a call by Wednesday, January 14:
Maine: Susan Collins (202) 224-2523, Olympia Snowe (202) 224-5344
Minnesota: Amy Klobuchar (202) 224-3244
Tennessee: Lamar Alexander (202) 224-4944, Bob Corker (202) 224-3344
Missouri: Kit Bond (202) 224 5721, Claire McKaskill (202) 224-6154
Indiana: Evan Bayh (202) 224-5623, Richard Lugar (202) 224-4814
Delaware: Joe Biden (202) 224-5042,
Nevada: John Ensign (202) 224-6244
Pennsylvania: Robert Casey (202) 224-6324, Arlen Specter (202) 224-4254
Arizona: Jon Kyl (202) 224-4521, John McCain (202) 224-2235
Ohio: Sherrod Brown (202) 224-2315, George Voinovich (202) 224-3353
New Hampshire: Judd Gregg (202) 224-3324, Jeanne Shaheen (202) 224-2841
Please feel free to indicate your support in whatever way you feel comfortable. Here is some additional background on the bill:
- The Wyoming Range Legacy Act withdraws 1.2 million acres in the mountains of western Wyoming from future oil and gas leasing, forever. It also preserves the private property rights of existing lease holders within the withdrawal boundary.
- The Wyoming Range is an important year-round operating area for both NOLS Rocky Mountain and NOLS Teton Valley.
- The act is packaged with approximately 160 other public lands bills, brought forth from Republicans and Democrats, through grassroots efforts across the country. These combined bill would designate more that 2 million acres of wilderness and add more than 1,000 miles of national wild and scenic rivers across the country.
The Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which NOLS has been supporting for years, is one small part of a very important bill. We in the public policy department are thrilled that so many members of the NOLS community have an opportunity to participate in the passage of the landmark legislation. Thank you for your help! If you would like additional information or have any questions, contact Aaron Bannon at (307) 335-2312.
January 12, 2009 in Public Policy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
New Alumni Benefit: Zipcar!
Getting a NOLS education provides many benefits— leadership experience, technical expertise, wilderness medicine knowledge, and powerful connections to wild lands are a just few of the obvious ways our students gain from their time with NOLS.
But being a NOLS grad has other benefits too— we've teamed up with Zipcar, the car-sharing community, to offer all of our alumni (well, you do have to be 21+) discounted application fees (free) and memberships. Zipcar has over 5,500 cars sprinkled across about a dozen major cities and about 50 university campuses. Zipcar lets you reserve and use a car (comes with fuel, insurance and a parking space) by the hour or by the day. Not only is it convenient, it's also a great conservation step— not everyone needs to own a car.
To get special NOLS alumni rates, click this Zipcar link. From there you can examine Zipcar's system and locations to see if it's something that'll work for you. Zipcar will ask you for some personal information to approve your driving and credit status. You'll get the discounted rates upon confirmation of your NOLS and/or WMI alumni status.
We're thrilled to offer this conservation-minded collaboration with Zipcar. Contact the NOLS Alumni Relations Department with questions. Happy motoring!
January 12, 2009 in Alumni | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Speaker Proposal Submission for the 2009 WRMC
Industry leaders in outdoor education and professional guiding organizations come together from across the country once a year for the Wilderness Risk Management Conference sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School, Outward Bound, and the Student Conservation Association.
Participants in this amazing event have the opportunity to share and gain a wealth of knowledge on topics such as risk and crisis management, staff training, administrative techniques, new social media, medical screening, working with volunteers, and other important issues crucial to the success of any outdoor/wilderness educational or guiding organization.
We are accepting presentation proposals for the 2009 WRMC at the at the Durham Marriott Convention Center in Durham, North Carolina from October 14th-16th. We encourage you to visit our online speaker submission web-page to share your knowledge.
January 9, 2009 in Professional Training, WRMC | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
