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Penny Bernard Schaber

Appleton, Wisconsin
Water Quality/Habitat Chair
Fox Valley Group

In 1982, Penny Schaber went on a Sierra Club outing to Rock Island State Park in northern Wisconsin's Door County. There she found the vistas, hiking trails, and serene campsites for which the pedestrian-only island is renowned. What she wasn't expecting to find was her future husband.

"Dale and I met on that camping trip," she says. "We realized right away that we had a love of hiking and the outdoors in common, and we've been working together on environmental issues ever since."

One of their joint pursuits has been helping promote, protect, and build segments of the 1,000-mile-long Ice Age Trail, a national and state scenic trail located entirely in Wisconsin. "Dale and I have already hiked 600 miles of the trail together, and this summer we plan to do the remaining 400."

An activist for 25 years and a former chapter chair, Schaber says her recent work has been focused on making the chapter executive committee run more smoothly. "By doing all this organizing and coordinating stuff I've helped our chapter staff be more efficient. I've also been able to recruit and retain more volunteers, and helped the chapter develop and begin implementing a strategic plan."

Schaber encourages Club members who aren't yet active to recognize that "you can start as a novice, with no special training, and become a Club leader just on the basis of your passion and enthusiasm. I'm a physical therapist, not a scientist or a lobbyist, and when I started out I had no expertise in organizing or grassroots activism. All you need to make a difference is to care."

Published: April 25, 2007