Press Room

Earth Day Inspires Greening of Urban Curbsides- Bay Area Wilderness Training Plants its own Patch of Wilderness in Oakland

Kyle Macdonald — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:48:21 -0400

Come Earth Day, April 22nd at 2:00 pm, a number of staff and volunteers from Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) will be taking time away from their work getting kids outdoors to green-up the curbside outside their office on the corner of 23rd and Broadway in downtown Oakland. When BAWT moved its offices from San Francisco to Oakland a few months ago, the curbside was filled with litter, weeds, and dog feces.

“We’re all about connecting kids to the outdoors so that they understand the importance of taking care of the earth. We figured we’d better start by taking care of the space right outside our front door” says Founder and Co-director Kyle Macdonald.

With generous financial support from the owner of the building, and some discounted plants from Annie’s Annuals, a nursery in Berkeley, BAWT purchased a variety of hearty, drought tolerant plants and compost to green up the curbside. Staff and volunteers will spend Earth Day afternoon planting and landscaping the area. The group is welcoming the neighborhood to help with the planting.

Macdonald continued, “It seemed appropriate to do this on Earth Day. We’re hoping this area becomes a bright spot where people stop to look at the flowers and enjoy this small patch of wilderness in an otherwise urban landscape.”

BAWT (www.bawt.org) is a project of the Earth Island Institute, a 501(c)3 corporation. It provides Bay Area youth agency staff and teachers with wilderness leadership training and outdoor equipment, to enable them to take young people on outdoor adventures that inspire, challenge, and nurture a conservation ethic.

Bay Area Wilderness Training

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The Youth Outdoor Legacy Fund announces 2009 grants to 12 outdoor programs totaling $153,500

Kyle Macdonald — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:14:27 -0500

By Dennis Madsen, The Youth Outdoors Legacy Fund.

For Immediate Release. Salt Lake City, Utah and Seattle, Wash., January 22nd, 2009 — Four years ago, the mission of the Youth Outdoors Legacy Fund was founded with two fundamental beliefs: children need to be in the outdoors more and non-profit organizations and volunteers who work with kids in the outdoors need our help. Since its inception in 2005, YOLF has made grants exceeding $585,000 to support that mission.

“We cast the net wide in our search for children’s outdoor programs to fund and were pleasantly surprised by the number of quality programs being conducted in almost every corner of the U.S.,” said Dennis Madsen, founder of the Youth Outdoor Legacy Fund. “ While each program tends to be as different as night and day, the one common characteristic is the engaging outdoor activity that stimulates kid’s curiosity, enthusiasm, and love of the world around them. In New York, the Rocking the Boat outdoor program gives kids and opportunity to build boats and explore the Hudson River while in Washington state, the YBOYS program uses the local Cascade Mountains as a place to challenge and excite participants. The best programs have designed their offerings based upon the unique special places close by,” he said.

“Tough economic times are challenging businesses and non profits in the outdoor community. A variety of creative approaches which mutually benefit donors (such as cause marketing or a philanthropic savings account) continue to enable support of important non-profit programs. In spite of the volatile financial markets and challenges to its own resources, the YOLF Board has agreed to continue our grants program in 2009,” Madsen added. “We are especially grateful to Merrell for their 2008 donation of $15,000 and an opt-in program of $5.00 per order from their prodeal website. They are the first to implement this type of pro-deal level cause-marketing program resulting in an additional $4,317 raised for YOLF.”

Twelve organizations are receiving grants in 2009:

• Appalachian Mountain Club (Boston, Mass.) - $15,000 for its Youth Opportunities Program (YOP)
• Bay Area Wilderness Training (Oakland, Calif.) - $15,000 to support its Wilderness Leadership Training Program
• Chicago Inner City Outings (Chicago, Ill.) - $6,000 grant to provide outings to inner-city youth
• Colorado Mountain Club (Denver, Colo.) $10,000 to support its Youth Education Program
• Ebony Rose Ski Club (Portland, Ore.) - $14,000 grant to introduce African American high school students to skiing and snowboarding as part of the youth outreach activities conducted by ERSC (Grant to be made in the fall pending results from 2008/9 program)
• Kids in Training (Cary, N.C.) - $15,000 grant to provide access to fitness and health programs
• Metrocenter YMCA/YBOYS (Seattle, Wash.) - $12,500 grant for its YBOYS Outdoor Adventure Program
• Outdoor Outreach (San Diego, Calif.) - $15,000 grant to continue its core programming work. Programs currently offered include: rock climbing, mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking/backpacking, river rafting, camping, surfing and marine science education.
• Passages Northwest (Seattle, Wash.) - $15,000 to support two core programs: Girls Wilderness and Girls Rock
• Rocking the Boat (New York, N.Y.) - $15,000 to support its traditional wooden boatbuilding and on-water education program
• Trips for Kids (Washington, D.C.) - $8,500 to continue its core youth nature and biking programs
• Youth Conservation Corps (Waukegan, Ill.) - $12,500 to enable youth outreach to youth living in the low-income communities of Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Beach and Mundelein, Ill., in north suburban Chicago (Lake County).

About YOLF

The Youth Outdoor Legacy Fund begins its fourth year of effective outreach to programs around the United States and is supported by generous private donors as well as these outdoor industry leaders: Patagonia, Merrell, REI, Columbia Sportswear, prAna, WL Gore, YoungOne Corporation, Black Diamond, KEEN Footwear, and the VF Corporation. The fund is being administered through the Seattle Foundation (www.seattlefoundation.org), a highly respected and professionally managed community foundation. Grant making is overseen by the Youth Outdoors Legacy Fund advisory board. YOLF was created in 2005 with the vision to engage young people in outdoor recreation while at the same time preparing them to be our future outdoor advocates. To learn more about the foundation and the programs it supports, visit the website at www.youthoutdoorslegacyfund.com. To add your support to YOLF, contact Dennis Madsen by e-mail at dmadsen@youthoutdoorslegacyfund.com or call 206.713.1821.
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Bay Area Wilderness Training

Climbing for change: Durango memorial reaches out to inner-city kids

Kyle Macdonald — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:12:48 -0500

Photo by David Halterman

by Will Sands - The Durango Telegraph, January 8th, 2009.

A decade-old Durango climbing tragedy is growing into an opportunity for youths who have never seen, let alone summited, peaks.

Ten years ago, La Plata County native Greg Walker succumbed to acute mountain sickness and eventually fell to his death while mountaineering in Mexico. The well-loved, local figure had been attempting to climb Pico de Orizaba, an 18,500-foot volcano outside Mexico City.

The 23-year-old’s disappearance touched off difficult times for his family, friends and his new fiancé. In what could only be described as a “nightmare,” the search for Walker’s remains lasted months. Communication between Durango and Mexico was limited, and friends and family waited for news in the dark.

Nonetheless the local community rallied around the incident. A benefit raised more than $15,000 at Lady Falconburgh’s – Greg’s place of employment. The Walker family then paid a personal visit to the volcano and donated the funds to the Search and Rescue team, local mountaineers and families in the Orizaba region. A memorial to the local climber was also erected on Orizaba, where it still pays tribute to the young man’s life.

“Greg was almost Buddha-like,” local climber Shane Nelson said of Walker. “He was welcome in every group and brought people together. His bounce and energy were contagious, and he reminded us of the gift that every days is. Greg was definitely his own person.”

Ten years later, Walker’s loss is continuing to create positive spin-offs. A memorial scholarship is currently being created in Walker’s name. The fund’s purpose is to share his love of adventure and the outdoors for those who need it most – at-risk students stuck in inner-city environments.

Durango climbers Nelson and Kristy Graves are spearheading the scholarship, and they’re doing it with a plan to raise $18,490 – $1 for every foot of Orizaba’s elevation. In December, they will revisit and summit the peak that claimed their friend’s life. The funds will go to Bay Area Wilderness Training and “Climbing for Kids,” a nonprofit that gets kids out of inner-cities and into the backcountry.

“This is memorializing Greg Walker,” Nelson said. “This is honoring him and his spirit and what he gave us. I know without a doubt that he’d be reaching out to these kids.”

Nelson spent the last three years working with Bay Area Wilderness Training and Climbing for Kids. In that time, he led trips and workshops for kids from challenging neighborhoods like Compton and South Central L.A. and was exposed to remarkable young, human beings.

“These kids are at-risk because of where they live, not because of who they are,” Nelson said. “They aren’t choosing to be in gangs. They’re choosing to survive the walk home from school.”

Split between ocean and mountain environments, the experiential education program offers an insight into the outdoors and leadership skills not available to most urban dwellers. By raising funds for the Greg Walker Memorial Scholarship, Nelson hopes to share a piece of Durango with inner-city Los Angeles.

“We are living in this town because of lifestyle, and many of us work jobs that suck in order to pursue that lifestyle,” he said. “This will basically share some of that with kids who would never come close to it.”

Nelson and Graves have been raising funds and support for the Orizaba climb since August. A major step toward the summit push will be a benefit set for this Sunday at Lady Falconburgh’s (see sidebar). A similar event is scheduled for San Francisco a week later. Grassroots energy will be essential to the climb and putting nearly $20,000 toward bringing the backcountry into others’ lives, according to Nelson.

“There’s been a constant outpouring,” he said. “This community has been amazing. People either remember Greg, the incident or have no relation, but everyone is digging deep during a hard time.”

And Nelson and Graves are counting on that outpouring to carry beyond the borders of La Plata County. “This is the town where I learned to care about other people,” he said. “Durango taught me that I’m not the center of the universe. I’m hoping we can share that message, which was Greg’s message.”

photo: Mike Muldoon pulls down at the Turtle Lake boulders on Monday. A memorial scholarship has been created in honor of Greg Walker, a local climber who lost his life 10 years ago on Pico de Orizaba. Efforts are now under way to raise nearly $20,000 for “Climbing with Kids”, a program dedicated to getting at-risk kids onto the rock.

Bay Area Wilderness Training

2009 Climbing For Kids Season Opens

Kyle Macdonald — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:09:58 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
By Clifford Agocs, Climbing For Kids Coordinator.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 15th, 2008 - Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) launches its 2009 Climbing For Kids fundraising event nationwide on October 15th, 2008. Climbing for Kids is one of BAWT’s largest annual fundraising events and helps to finance programs that have gotten over 7,500 youth outdoors since 1999.

A growing body of research indicates that kids are spending less and less time doing outdoor activities. But the time children spend in nature determines their environmental awareness as adults. Dr Patricia Zaradic of the Environmental Leadership Program, and Dr Olivier Pergams of the University of Chicago-Illinois have described the cause as “videophilia”, a dramatic increase of television, computers games and Internet use.

The challenges of climbing peaks like Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Whitney " the highest peak in the lower 48 states, relate perfectly to what so many youth that we reach experience. April, a two-time climber, expressed: “The reward of supporting BAWT is two-fold: For the youth, raising funds to help them experience respect, and understand nature through BAWT’s programs. For me, to build confidence by putting myself through challenges on a mountain that I would never experience in everyday life.”

Climbers fundraise among their personal networks, and in return enjoy an incredible ascent of peaks like Shasta, Whitney, Rainier and the Grand Teton with professional guides and a gear package valued at $1,500 retail, which they keep at the end of their climb. Bay Area Wilderness Training is a San Francisco based non-profit organization that facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area, and has raised over $650,000 in that last four years through the event.

“Our climbs are life-changing " for climbers and the kids that benefit” says Clifford Agocs, Climbing For Kids Coordinator. “Climbers will train their way to the top and learn mountaineering skills on a climb that they will never forget. The youth BAWT serves will experience nature in ways they never have before thanks to climbers’ fundraising, which makes dayhikes, overnights and backpacking trips a reality for thousands of at-risk and underprivileged youth every year.”

About Bay Area Wilderness Training:
Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit project of San Francisco’s Earth Island Institute, facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area. BAWT provides professional training courses for adult youth workers in skills necessary to conduct safe, high quality wilderness trips for the young people they serve and a comprehensive library of outdoor gear that leaders can utilize to outfit their trips free of charge. The BAWTmobile program gives youth leaders access to low-cost transportation to take youth on outdoor adventures. BAWT has served over 7,500 youth since its founding in 1999.

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Bay Area Wilderness Training becomes a proud partner of the “Take a Child Outside” Week

Kyle Macdonald — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:52:47 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
By Kyle Macdonald, Bay Area Wilderness Training Founder and CEO.
San Francisco, CA, September 22, 2008

An increasing body of alarming evidence is linking a host of pediatric health problems - from childhood obesity to increased rates of Attention Deficit Disorder - to kids’ sedentary lifestyle. A growing number of Bay Area parents whose kids spend too much time in front of the television now have a new campaign directed to help them.

According to takeachildoutside.org, a Web site dedicated to the event, Take A Child Outside Week is a program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. Their goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration.

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a San Francisco based Non-Profit Organization, is among the 250 organizations in the U.S. and Canada to take part in this year Take A Child Outside Week. The concept began last year in North Carolina, and has now spread throughout much of the U.S. Liz Baird, Director of School Programs at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, who came up with the idea of Take a Child Outside Week, explains that parents today often have to force their children to go outside.

“We’re thrilled to be connected to a larger growing, national movement to get youth outside” said Kyle Macdonald, Bay Area Wilderness Training Founder and CEO. “The growing body of evidence helps illustrate what we feel we’ve known for 10 years " getting outside is critical to the health and well-being of all children.”

Take A Child Outside Week gives people the opportunity to pledge to take a child outside and record their outdoor experiences, get ideas for outdoor activities and find participating organizations in their area.

BAWT’s mission is to create opportunities for urban youth to experience wilderness firsthand. It does this by training youth workers and teachers to lead safe and effective trips into wilderness for their youth, and then provides all the equipment they need at no charge. BAWT plays an important role in connecting youth to nature by exposing urban youth to wilderness, where a broadened sense of self, others, and the larger world is a frequent result. Since 1999, BAWT has helped over 7,000 youth get outdoors.

About BAWT.
Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit project of San Francisco’s Earth Island Institute, facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area. BAWT provides professional training courses for adult youth workers in skills necessary to conduct safe, high quality wilderness trips for the young people they serve and a comprehensive library of outdoor gear leaders can utilize to outfit their trips free of charge. BAWT has served over 7,000 youth since their founding in 1999.

About Take A Child Outside Week.
Take A Child Outside Week is a program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on outdoor activities, their goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration.

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Going 'green' a way of life: Acuna has always been connected to the environment

Kyle Macdonald — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:04:28 -0400

By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer
Launched on Vallejo Time Herald - 7/28/2008

Thinking "green" is nothing new to Vallejo resident Jasmin Acuna.
The Fairfield city planner and newlywed said she's been actively "green" since she was a teenager.

"I really got into the environment my senior year of high school, and now everything I do is connected to the environment in some way," the 1998 Vallejo High School graduate said.

Even her job in Fairfield, which includes geographic information systems mapping - like finding where the high crime areas are - involves being mindful of the environment, she said.

"I hope eventually to be part of a group that helps the community at large," the UC Davis graduate said. "I hope to one day be a planning commissioner for the city of Vallejo."

Acuna said she and her family moved to Vallejo when she was 5 from her native Hawaii. "When I was 11 or 12, I remember once reading a book called something like '50 Things You Can Do For The Planet,' or something, and I remember trying to do each and every one of them," Acuna said. "Recycling, and making my own paper, for instance, which didn't work too well. You couldn't write on it, it was a clump of mushy paper, but the thought was there."

She's still an avid recycler, though, and Acuna said she reuses wrapping paper, ribbon and other materials. "You see things change over time and you want to make things better for the future for society," she said. "I'm seeing more people 'going green,' driving more slowly to save gas, for instance."

But Acuna's impact has been greater than just reusing wrapping paper.
"I met her when she was still Jasmin Dayrit, right after I founded BAWT (Bay Area Wilderness Training,) at an environmental educational event in Marin," said Kyle Macdonald, 38. "She was a member of a youth panel, and when I called for people to help in my work, she stepped up and became involved."

The San Francisco-based BAWT trains volunteers to take inner-city youth on wilderness excursions and provides an equipment "lending library" for the purpose, Macdonald said.

"She became a founding board member, and that was 10 years ago," he said. "It's not a stretch to say she was a pivotal person in an organization that has so far served 6,000 youth."

Calling Acuna "a super star," Macdonald said he expects her to continue benefiting her community and the causes she holds dear.
"With her youthful energy and intelligence, she's really helped solve problems and get people involved," he said.

For her part, Acuna said she's enjoying her work with the city of Fairfield. "I work with projects that come straight from City Council, and not everyone gets to do that," she said. "In five years, I still see myself working for the city, and I hope to have a bigger presence in the city of Vallejo in environmental things."

Jasmin at a glance:
Jasmin Dayrit Acuna
Age: 28
Hometown: Vallejo, by way of Hawaii
Occupation: City planner and GIS mapper for Fairfield
Family: Husband of nearly one year, Jerome
Quote: "Everything I do is connected to the environment in some way."

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Climbing for a Cause

Kyle Macdonald — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:26:39 -0400

By Mary Beth Hislop
Launched on Los Altos Town Crier- 7/9/2008

From Bullis-Purissima to Egan Junior High schools, from Gunn to Menlo high schools to college in Ohio, Caitlin Looney has a new destination: the peak of Mount Shasta.

The Los Altos native and longtime resident hopes to reach the summit of the 14,179-foot mountain with three others on a trip scheduled Thursday through Monday. It's not just a whim.

Looney and friends are climbing for a cause- Climbing for Kids- in support of Bay Area Wilderness Training, an organization that provides wilderness excursions for at-risk and underprivileged youth.

"This is important to me personally, because my success and character come from outdoor activities and participating on sports teams," Looney said. "Imagine how nice it would be for these kids to leave their troubles at school, troubles they may face at home or on the streets to spend some precious days and nights under the stars."
Looney's taking her climb one step farther; she wants to share her trek and the view from the summit with others.

To help reach her fundraising goal, Looney is integrating mobile (MOB) marketing technology from Mozes, a start-up company in Palo Alto where she is the marketing manager. Whether or not participants sponsor her climb, those who join Looney's MOB will get a first-hand account of her climb as she transmits text messages and photos from her BlackBerry from certain milestones on the mountain.

It's going to be tough. Although she's been training for months, Looney loves to hike and rock climb. She's not quite sure how she'll cope with the thin atmosphere.

"I have the skill for it, but I don't know how my body's going to handle it," she said.

Fighting for a cause is not new for 25-year-old Looney. She worked with her mother for the National Charity League, a philanthropic organization dedicated to community service and leadership development through mother-daughter relationships.

"That sort of kick-started my awareness to making a contribution to the community," Looney said.

The death from cancer of several middle and high school friends deeply affected Looney and many of her classmates, she said, launching her involvement with the American Cancer Society.

Working with the Sunbeam Foundation, co-founded by 1998 Los Altos High School graduate Brad Wolfe after friend Sara LaBoskey's death in 2002 from Ewing's Sarcoma, Looney and her mother hosted the "Have a Heart" fundraiser in 2007. They raised $50,000 for the foundation, established to build awareness and fund research for the rare disease.

In 2006 Looney participated in the Relay For Life of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, walking 24 hours straight and raising $10,000 for the cancer society. And last year, she raised $5,500 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society running in the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon.

Through the years, Looney estimates she has raised approximately $75,000 for the causes she believes in. A lot of that support came from family and friends.

"And my friends are the kids I was in kindergarten with Bullis, Egan, they've been great," she said.

Looney supports other causes, too, and recently supported a friend's marathon for Team In Training.

Through sponsorships, Looney is nearing her $3,200 goal for the wilderness training organization, which will give 50 children the opportunity to sleep under the stars, learning about nature, science, teamwork and camaraderie. Every little bit helps.

"I don't think it's about giving big," Looney said. "It takes a village."

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Innovative BAWTmobiles Offer Affordable Transportation to get Youth Outdoors

Kyle Macdonald — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:00:00 -0400

JUNE 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kyle Macdonald
415-788-3666, x125
kylemac@bawt.org

Innovative BAWTmobiles Offer Affordable Transportation
to get Youth Outdoors
City CarShare and Bay Area Wilderness Training Pool Resources to Serve Youth

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, (San Francisco, CA) Here in the Bay Area, where we often pay the highest gas prices in the nation, transportation issues get lots of attention. But for many youth workers it turns out, transportation is more than just expensive, it is often the missing link in efforts to get kids to nature. Short trips across the Golden Gate, or even across San Francisco from The Bayview neighborhood to the Presidio have been near impossible. But now there’s a new, innovative solution to this barrier, called the BAWTmobile. This aptly named problem-solver is part of a groundbreaking program that was recently launched by two San Francisco based non-profit organizations- City CarShare and Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT).

Reports citing childhood obesity, rising rates of attention deficit disorder, low self-esteem and a dramatically decreased connection to the natural world among our youth, are unfortunately abundant these days. An increasing body of evidence, much of it cited in Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods- Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, is pointing to a seemingly simple solution to all of these complex problems: take kids to green spaces so they can explore, play and learn nature.

The BAWTmobiles are two, all-wheel-drive minivans that were purchased by BAWT and placed into City CarShare’s fleet of shared vehicles. Through the BAWTmobile program, teachers and youth educators can join City CarShare as BAWT approved members. As members, they simply reserve the BAWTmobiles online, access them and go. This unique program allows youth educators to avoid legal, administrative and financial drawbacks that are often obstacles to taking outdoor field trips. And since they are sharing the BAWTmobiles with all City CarShare members, they get to decrease their eco-footprint too. Theadora Ildifanzo, who is a youth worker in Visitation Valley, with Real Options for City Kids says “We’re running three summer camps this summer. Not having to rent more expensive vans, and having the added flexibility of this car share program will make all the difference.”

The program compliments Bay Area Wilderness Training’s existing programs, which provide wilderness skills training and free outdoor gear loans for youth educators. “This partnership helps us take our support services to the next level and will help get hundreds more kids outdoors” says Kyle Macdonald, CEO of BAWT. “City CarShare has amazing systems that manage and maintain the vehicles so they can be shared by both youth workers and all of City Car Share’s members.”

As with all car share services, gas, maintenance and insurance are included with membership. “We’re very pleased to extend car sharing in a way that supports healthy activities among youth through our partnership with BAWT. With rising gas prices adding to transportation costs, we’re especially delighted that local youth educators can now save money while gaining easier, more eco-friendly access to the outdoors,” said Rick Hutchinson, CEO of City CarShare.

In the average American home, the television is on for well over 8 hours everyday, according Nielsen Media Research. And according to BAWT, unplugging the set and reconnecting kids to nature has become more important than ever. By getting outdoors through a car share program, Bay Area kids are already taking a step towards a more sustainable world.

About BAWT
Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit project of San Francisco’s Earth Island Institute, facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area. BAWT provides professional training courses for adult youth workers in skills necessary to conduct safe, high quality wilderness trips for the young people they serve and a comprehensive library of outdoor gear leaders can utilize to outfit their trips free of charge. For more information, contact Kyle Macdonald at (415) 788-3666 ext.125 or visit the Bay Area Wilderness Training Web site at www.bawt.org.

About City CarShare
City CarShare, a local nonprofit organization, has proven to be a popular, effective and green alternative transportation option for the Bay Area. A federally funded UC Berkeley study found that City CarShare members drive 49% less than those that own cars. Based on more results from the study, City CarShare estimates that its members, who share hundreds of conveniently located vehicles, save about a million gallons of gas and reduce 25+ million pounds of CO2 emissions each year. Visit www.citycarshare.org

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Contributed by Kyle Macdonald

Bay Area Wilderness Training

Bay Area Wilderness Training named a finalist for the Outdoor Industry Association Annual Ambassador Award

Kyle Macdonald — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:00:00 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Salt Lake City, UT, January 24, 2008 " Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced that Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) is a finalist for the 2008 Outdoor Industry Ambassador Award, as nominated by the outdoor industry and then selected by OIA’s Board of Directors. The award winners were announced at the Industry Breakfast on Thursday, January 24, 2008, which kicks off the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Outdoor Industry Ambassador Award recognizes a company that has made significant and ongoing achievements toward the growth of participation in outdoor activities. Those efforts could include spearheading conservation programs, the development and support of programs or efforts intended to serve as model practices for the industry, the introduction and advancement of responsible tourism practices, outstanding consumer outreach campaigns, or strides in encouraging youth to develop an active outdoor lifestyle. This award pays tribute to a company that has embraced a worthy cause and made a significant achievement. The finalists include Adventure Cycling Association, Bay Area Wilderness Training, Great Outdoor Provision Company, Mountain Gear, Sierra Club, and The Coleman Company. Previous recipients of the OIA Ambassador Award include Atlas Snow-Shoe Co., Backpacker magazine, and River Sports Outfitters.

“We’re honored to be named a finalist for the Outdoor Industry Ambassador Award” said Kyle MacDonald, Bay Area Wilderness Training Founder and CEO. “Our partnership with the outdoor industry allows BAWT create opportunities for at-risk youth to see the Milky Way or the mountains for the first time. We are deeply indebted to our industry sponsors for supporting us in our life-affirming work of getting kids into the wilderness.”

BAWT’s mission is simple: to provide Bay Area youth service organizations with professional wilderness-leadership training and quality outdoor equipment, so these adult leaders may safely lead youth in exploring the power and beauty of California’s wilderness. Since 1999, BAWT has served over 5,000 youth.

BAWT’s corporate sponsors are leaders in the outdoor industry, including Auclair, Atlas Snow-Shoe Co., Big Agnes, Clif Bar, Columbia, Gregory Mountain Products, Gu Sports, Julbo, Leki USA, Merrell, Outdoor Research, Pacific Outdoor Equipment, Princeton Tec, Teva, and Timberland.

“Our corporate sponsor support is also essential to the success of our Climbing for Kids™ benefit climb program,” states MacDonald. “They generously provide over $1,500 of free gear that each Climbing for Kids participant keeps after they join BAWT on a professionally guided climb on one of six amazing mountains.”

About BAWT

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit project of San Francisco’s Earth Island Institute, facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area. BAWT provides professional training courses for adult youth workers in skills necessary to conduct safe, high quality wilderness trips for the young people they serve and a comprehensive library of outdoor gear leaders can utilize to outfit their trips free of charge. BAWT has served over 5,000 youth since their founding in 1999. For more information, contact Kyle Macdonald at (415) 788-3666 ext.125 or visit the Bay Area Wilderness Training Web site at www.bawt.org.

About Outdoor Industry Association

Outdoor Industry Association® (OIA) is a national trade association whose mission is to ensure the growth and success of the outdoor industry. OIA provides trade services for over 4000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers in the outdoor industry. OIA programs include representation in government/legislative affairs, market and social research, business-to-business services and youth outreach initiatives. Educational events include the annual Rendezvous, Outdoor University, and the Capitol Summit. Outdoor Industry Association is based in Boulder, Colorado, and is the title sponsor of the Outdoor Retailer tradeshows. For more information go to www.outdoorindustry.org or call 303-444-3353.

PRESS RELEASE CONTACTS:

Kyle MacDonald, Founder and CEO
Bay Area Wilderness Training
415-788-3666 x125

kylemac@bawt.org
Ann Obenchain, VP Member Services & Marketing
Outdoor Industry Association
303-327-3514
aobenchain@outdoorindustry.org

Contributed by Stacy Chu

Bay Area Wilderness Training

World-Class Climber Conrad Anker Joins Climbing for Kids Benefit Climb To Help Get At-Risk Youth Into the Wilderness

Kyle Macdonald — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:00:00 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 30, 2007 Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) announces that world-class climber and alpinist Conrad Anker has joined its Climbing for Kids 2008 benefit climb program as the honorary Climb Chairperson. The six-mountain benefit climb program will raise more than $600,000 for programs to give at-risk and under-privileged youth the opportunity to enjoy life-affirming experiences out in the wilderness.

The exceptional growth of the Climbing for Kids program (www.climbingforkids.org), thanks in part to top program sponsors Gregory, Columbia Sportswear and Clif Bar, will allow Bay Area Wilderness Training to expand its programs to many more at-risk youth. BAWTís mission is simple: to provide Bay Area youth service organizations with professional wilderness leadership training and quality outdoor equipment, so these adult leaders may safely lead youth in exploring the transformative power and beauty of Californiaís wilderness. Since 1999, BAWT has served more than 5,000 youth. Our benefit climb program continues to have massive appeal to beginning and experienced mountaineers from around the country,î comments Roger Miller, Bay Area Wilderness Trainingís Executive Director. ìWeíre excited to have Conrad Anker on board as the Climb Chairperson. With his support, the in-kind product donations of many leading companies in the outdoor industry, and the skills of our highly qualified mountaineering guides, BAWT has been able to get more and more at-risk and underprivileged youth into the wilderness.

My involvement with Bay Area Wilderness Training is very rewarding,î says Conrad Anker, the Climb Chair of the Climbing for Kids fundraising benefit climb. ìMany young people arenít able to escape the fear, anger, racism and violence of their urban communities. Iím eager to help get these deserving young people out on empowering outdoor adventures.

Participants in the Climbing for Kids benefit ascend one of six of the most sought after alpine climbs in North America. Each participant receives over $1,500 of free gear, from sponsors including Auclair, Atlas Snow-Shoe Co., Big Agnes, Clif Bar, Columbia, Gregory Mountain Products, Gu Sports, Julbo, Leki USA, Merrell, Outdoor Research, Pacific Outdoor Equipment, Princeton Tec, Teva, and Timberland.

About Conrad Anker

Alpinist, environmentalist and humanitarian, Conrad Ankerís specialty is climbing the most technically challenging terrain in the world. This quest has taken him from the mountains of Alaska and Antarctica to the big walls of Patagonia and Baffin Island and the massive peaks of the Himalaya. Conradís Antarctic experience spans a decade, with first ascents in three regions. In 1997, Conrad teamed up with Alex Lowe and Jon Krakauer to climb Rakekniven, a 2,500-foot wall in Queen Maud Land. In the Sentinel Range, Conrad climbed the Vinson Massif via three new routes. His climbs in Pakistanís Karakoram include the west face of Latok II along the ìTsering Mosongî route, which begins at the same height as the summit of Denali, climbs 26 pitches on a vertical cliff and then tops out at 23,342 feet. On Yosemiteís El Capitan he joined Steve Gerberding and Kevin Thaw to establish ìContinental Drift,î a steep nail-up on the right side.

In May of 1999, as a member of the Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition, Conrad discovered the body of George Mallory, the preeminent Everest explorer of the 1920s. The disappearance of Mallory and Sandy Irvine on their summit bid in June 1924 is one of climbingís great mysteries, and Conradís discovery and analysis of the find has shed new light on the pioneering climbs of the early expeditions. He is a board member of the Conservation Alliance, the American Alpine Club and the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. For more information, vist www.conradanker.com

About BAWT

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit project of San Franciscoís Earth Island Institute, facilitates outdoor experiences for youth in the greater Bay Area. BAWT provides professional training courses for adult youth workers in skills necessary to conduct safe, high quality wilderness trips for the young people they serve and a comprehensive library of outdoor gear leaders can utilize to outfit their trips free of charge. For more information visit www.bawt.org

PRESS RELEASE CONTACTS:

BAWT CONTACT:
Roger Miller
415-788-3666, x127

roger@bawt.org

Conrad Anker
406-282-7803

conrad@conradanker.com

Contributed by Kyle Macdonald

Bay Area Wilderness Training