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Military Families Outdoors
Non-traditional allies with historical ties
The Sierra Club and the military are part of America's heritage. While the military works to defend this country, the Sierra Club is helping people explore, enjoy and protect those natural wonders that make this country great.
Members of the Armed Forces and the Sierra Club share a deep caring for our nation and a commitment to the ideals of democracy and civic engagement. Sierra Club's first president John Muir is known to have remarked that "Uncle Sam's soldiers were the most effective forest police," concerning the care that the U.S. Calvary showed in safeguarding Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks prior to the establishment of the National Park Service.
During World War II, Club leaders, including the legendary David Brower, responded to the need for an alpine fighting force by using the mountaineering and skiing skills they had developed with Sierra Club to found and train the 10th Mountain Division -- a unit that has distinguished itself from the Dolomites of Italy to the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan.
In addition, military leaders recognize the importance of energy security to global security and to our nation's future. Academic institutions, such as the U.S. Army War College, which has hosted Sierra Club leaders in the past, are instructing brigade-level commanders in the consequences of global warming and how to address those consequences. The Department of Defense is investing heavily in the development of clean, renewable energy technologies. Similarly, the Department of Defense is one of the largest employers of wildlife biologists in the federal government.
The U.S. Marine Corps, which manages tens of millions of acres of federal land, is among one of the most progressive federal agencies when it comes to developing solutions to aid the recovery of plants and animals listed under the Endangered Species Act. Solutions include helping conservation organizations and local governments purchase private lands around military installations to supply needed habitat.
The Sierra Club is proud to serve America's military families. The goal of the Military Families Outdoors Program is to ensure that those military families making the greatest sacrifices for our country are given the opportunity to benefit from the healing powers of our natural heritage.