Program Goals

• Actively engage people in the outdoors through outdoor activities, including backpacking, car camping, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, rafting, service projects, skating, skiing, sledding, etc
• Promote appreciation and protection of the natural environment through outdoor adventures and environmental education;
• Create opportunities through outdoor experiences for personal growth and life style change, outdoor skills and leadership development;
• and foster respect of self, others, and the environment.

Our 56 volunteer-run ICO groups nationwide conduct more than 900 outings for approximately 14,000 participants each year. By introducing participants to the transformative power of nature, ICO serves a key function within the Sierra Club and supports John Muir's assertion that people who experience wilderness firsthand are much more likely to preserve it for future generations.

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