About the Dallas Sierra Club
The Sierra Club's members are 1,400,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.
Our Mission and Purpose
The Sierra Club history was started in 1892 by John Muir and others who had a committed interest in preserving what is now Yosemite National Park. John Muir believed if "ordinary" people would come see that wild space then they would just naturally want to protect it.
For over 125 years Sierra Club has been on a two-fold mission of taking people on "outings" to see our wild spaces and then acting lawfully to "conserve" our habitats for the long term benefit of all living things. The Sierra Club mission and purpose that guides our activities is:
To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the Earth
Dallas Sierra Club volunteer leaders conduct over 150 outings a year free of charge. These outings include day hikes around Dallas, weekend car camps at various state parks, and backpack trips to national wilderness areas.
You can learn how outings work and then look at the outings list to find a trip that interests you. You can also talk to our Outings leadership about our program and training.
To practice and promote the responsible use of the Earth's ecosystems and resources
The Dallas Group focuses on local conservation issues to promote citizen awareness and participation in improving the health of our planet and local community.
Our volunteer leaders conduct our outings in a way that minimizes the impact on our environment. These volunteer also teach classes on backpacking, wilderness navigation and wilderness medicine.
To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment
The Dallas Regional Group hosts a general meeting the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. Click here for meeting location information. These meetings are free, open to the public and feature interesting topics relevant to our local community.
We also have service opportunities in our community and support issues that improve the health and life of our families.
To use all lawful means to carry out these objectives
Dallas Sierra Club volunteers are active in local elections, environmental issues and legislation that affects our families and our futures. Find out more at the Conservation page.
The Dallas Regional Group of the Sierra Club in entirely volunteer; we have no paid or full-time staff. We are governed by a nine member Executive Committee (ExCom) which meets 6:30 pm the first Wednesday of each month.
ExCom sets Dallas Group policy and conducts Group business in accordance with our bylaws. ExCom meetings are open to all members and members are encouraged to attend and speak out.
Who We Are
The Dallas Regional Group is an all volunteer grassroots organization. We are organized around the following four groups of special interests and skills.
Outings Volunteer Leaders
These volunteer leaders are responsible for creating and conducting our outings program. Talk to any of these people about hiking, canoeing, bicycling activities. There are also leaders for singles and family outings.
Conservation Volunteer Leaders
These people are the Issue Coordinators that focus on various conservation topics including clean air and water, transportation, hazardous waste, forests and endangered species.
Special Interest Volunteer Leaders
These volunteers create special programs that reach out to inner city youth, provide photographic/video opportunities, political activism and local service projects.
Executive Committee (ExCom) Members
The nine elected ExCom members are responsible for Dallas Sierra Club policy, budgets and volunteer programs.
There are several groups within the Dallas Sierra Club which focus on getting people with similar interests together. Three such groups are:
Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO)
ICO has been introducing disadvantaged children to the wilderness for years. ICO is our local community outreach program making a difference in the lives of our youth.
Photography and Video
These groups help volunteers learn how to create photographs and videos that are more creative, entertaining and informative. Both novice and experience people learn together.
Local
The Dallas Regional Group of the Sierra Club is 4,100 people committed to improving the health and well being of all residents through responsible, legal environmental activism.
Regional
The Dallas Regional Group is part of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club serving over 23,000 members throughout Texas except El Paso. The Lone Star Chapter provides a full time professional activist staff to lobby the Texas legislature to protect and preserve Texas' diverse and valuable natural heritage.
National
The Dallas Regional Group and the Lone Star Chapter are part of the Sierra Club serving 750,000 members throughout the United States and Canada.
How to Join Us
The Sierra Club has been devoted to preserving nature's miracles for over 100 years. We belong because we are committed to a more healthy Earth, and we encourage you to check out the benefits of Sierra Club membership.
There are two quick ways to join. You can attend a Dallas Sierra Club general meeting and get a special price and gift for joining at the meeting.
Or you can join online. Or to print a mail-in membership form, click here. If you're already a member, you can renew online.
If you want more information, send an e-mail to our Membership Chair or call the Dallas Regional Group voice mail at 214-369-5543. (We are all volunteers, so the voice mail may take some days to get a message back to you.)
Whether you join or not, you are welcome to participate in all our Sierra Club activities.
Find out how to make a donation toward the work of the Dallas group.
Want to keep up to date with our latest events? Subscribe to our e-mail lists and to our monthly e-mail newsletter!
