1. Trail Mix - New Faces at VO
Venture Outdoors has brought some
fantastic folks on board in multiple areas. Take a look below and
on the
Staff
Page on our website to find out more! Our expanded staff is
one way that Venture Outdoors is working to further its mission of
getting people outside in Western PA!
Tere Bailey, Member Relations Coordinator
Mila Nguyen, Membership Manager
Jeremiah Morrison, Program Coordinator
Deb
Alley, Kayak Pittsburgh Downtown Manager
John Curtioff, Kayak Pittsburgh North Manager
2. Outdoor
Announcements & Events
Get out your planners folks...
Special Events
 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Thursday, April 5 and Friday, April 6
7:00 PM
Byham Theater
For more information visit,
www.ventureoutdoors.org/banfffilmfest.asp
The best in outdoor adventure films is coming to town again!
Venture Outdoors is pleased to present this year's festival, which
includes stunning international film productions on mountain themes
ranging from mountaineering to ice and rock climbing to snowboarding to
wildlife environmental issues and unique cultural encounters.
For tickets, please call Venture Outdoors at 412-255-0564
OR contact the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Box Office:
www.pgharts.org
412-456-6666 OR at your next visit to
REI
Also, check out the special pre-event on Friday with renown climber,
author, and speaker Arlene Blum!
Guest Speaker Arlene Blum (www.arleneblum.com)
with Wine and Cheese Reception and Book-signing
Friday, April 6
Location: Byham Theatre
Schedule:
4:30 PM - Arlene Blum's presentation,
with Wine & Cheese reception to follow
6:00 PM - Book-signing
Cost: Included in Friday Night's Ticket Price!!
Brought to you by:
The
Center for Environmental Oncology of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer
Institute
Future Events - Save the Date!
April 19th Venture Outdoors Town Hall Meeting
about County-wide Riverfront Park – time, TBD, location, tentatively at
Cork Factory in the Strip.
September 7th VO Day at PNC Park: Pirates vs Cubs.
Craft Beer School
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will be holding craft beer schools. There
will be a preview on February 20
at the Cabaret at Theater Square. Our friends from
Vecenie Distributing, who provides
the beer at our beer tasting hikes,
will be teaching the classes. The rest of the series will be:
March 20 - 101: Ales vs. Lagers
April 17 - 102: American Craft Beers
May 5 - 103: European Specialty Beers
June 19 - 104: Wheat Bier
Find out more about this series from
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. For tickets call 412-456-6666.
If you are attending this series please contact Rob Walters at
412-255-0564, ext. 28 or
rwalters@ventureoutdoors.org.
Fly Tying Nights
by
Wilderness Voyageurs
What?: Join Dale Kotowski for Fly Tying Nights. We have some supplies,
but feel free to bring your own. Share patterns and tips or learn new
ones.
When?: Beginning November 1st, every other Wednesday
night at 6:30 PM
Where?: Falls City Restaurant and Pub
For more information: Contact Wilderness Voyageurs at
724-329-8336.
Environment/Health/Community
Sense of Wonder--Play by Kaiulani Lee
Sunday, April 15th 5:00pm
Richard E. Rauh Theater
in Shadyside Academy's Hillman Center for Performing Arts.
The Garden Club of Allegheny County begins their celebration of the
Rachel Carson Centennial with a special performance of Kaiulani Lee's A
Sense of Wonder. This one-woman play portrays Rachel Carson, her love
for the natural world, and her fight to defend it. A reception with
Kaiulani Lee will follow the performance. For more information contact
Cindy Tilson at (412)741-7114.
Outdoor-themed Art classes at PCA
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts spring classes will run
March 26 through May 22.
Adult classes
Writing About Your Senses with Lisa Chewning (creative writing)
Balms, Butter and Lotions with Adriane Pacella (mixed media)
Organism Priting with Brian Goff (photography)
Field Sketching with Robert Huckestein (drawing)
Chinese Lanters with Kelly Young (mixed media)
Copper Sculpture Workshop with Melissa Davenport (sculpture)
Children's classes
Flower Power (ages 4-6)
Spring Into Art (ages 4-6)
Draw, Paint and Sculpt Wildlife (ages 10-14)
Workshops for ages 9 and up (children under 12 must be
accompanied by an adult)
Japanese Fish Printing with Sharon Wilson-Wilcox
Kite Making with Con Engels
For more information and a listing of all of our spring classes,
click:http://www.pittsburgharts.org/school/spring07.html
or call 412-361-0455
Environmental Book Club
First Monday of the month
7:30pm
Borders Book Store on McKnight Road in North Hills
We usually hang out at the comfy chairs near the science section behind
the music. It is not compulsory to have read the book or bought the book
here. The discussion is informal and often fun. Borders also makes these
books available to us at 20% discount.
Our next books are: Monday, March 5: The Death of Nature by Bill
McKibben Monday, April 2: 1491 by Charles C. Mann (through p. 228)
Monday, May 7: 1491 (p. 229 to end)
Preregistration is not required but if you have questions you can
contact Kim Metheny
kmetheny@hotmail.com.
5,000,000 Steps for a Cure
Starting March 17, 2006, Mark Shaffer will be attempting a thru hike of
the Appalachian Trail in memory of his nephew Eric, who lost his battle
to leukemia a year before. His goal is to raise $20 for each mile
walked. If you would like to support Mark's endeavor to raise funds for
the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, visit his website:
www.fivemillionsteps.org. You can also track Mark's progress on the AT
through his blog at
http://fivemillionsteps.org/trailjournal/
Clean-Up/Trails
Great Allegheny Passage
The trail from Pittsburgh to DC is now complete!
Click here for the Pop City article.
3.
Venture Outdoors Membership Corner
Home and Garden Show
Update
Good news! We snagged
about 21 new members this past weekend at the Home
& Garden Show. Thanks to the fabulous volunteers who made it
happen! If you are still interested in volunteering for the show
this weekend, we may still need your help to fill in some shifts!
Call Becca Malena for more information: 412-255-0564 x29.
Sign up for Membership today and
pledge your support to outdoor recreation!
Put yourself in the center of the action!
We make it easy for you to become a member with Venture Outdoors TODAY.
Members receive discounts on the hundreds of activities with Venture
Outdoors throughout the year, discounts from local merchants, priority
listing on activity waiting lists and subscriptions to Contours and
Adventure Times as well as providing support for the organization that
means so much to you.
To join, contact Mila
Nguyen,
mnguyen@ventureoutdoors.org.
Become
a V.O. Member!
Discover the advantages of a Venture Outdoors membership...call
today!
412-255-0564, ext. 26
Or, click here.
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4.
Job Opportunities with VO
All Job opportunities at
www.ventureoutdoors.org/jobs.asp
Kayak/Canoe Attendants
Spring is here and Kayak Pittsburgh will soon be open for business!
Want to spend some time near the water? This seasonal job is for
you!
MSA/Venture Outdoors Technology Intern
MSA and Venture Outdoors are looking for a computer-savvy intern to help them update
this Southwestern PA non-profit's technology. Online registration
anyone? For information systems majors, this is the dream job!
For more information click on the following link:
http://www.ventureoutdoors.org/docs/MSAintern.pdf
Please send applications to Erik Lingren, Executive Director:
elingren@ventureoutdoors.org
5. Support VO
Do
your online shopping through iGive
and support Venture Outdoors!
That's right, go head and buy something for yourself
or a friend - a new CD, the latest bestseller, essentials like
toothpaste or vitamins, even a computer. But first join at
www.iGive.com/VentureOutdoors.
Every time you shop at one of the over 600 name-brand stores
in the Mall at iGive.com, we'll receive a donation of up
to 26% of each purchase you make, at no cost to you.
Membership is free and your privacy is guaranteed.
Thanks for supporting Venture Outdoors!
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I. The Venture Outdoors
Activity Spotlight
Here are some trips that you'll really enjoy.
Saturday, March 17
Geology of City Parks
Pittsburgh was once part of a vast tropical rain forest where coal swamps, rivers, and seas covered the landscape. While traversing the park trails with Carnegie Museum geologist, Albert D. Kollar, we will learn how to recognize ancient rocks and the fossils within. We’ll also look at features and rocks from the last Ice Age, when the world was so much colder than it is today. Included with the trip is a copy of “The Geology of Frick Park” guide for each participant.
Location: Frick Park
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Cost: $15.00 member, $22.00 non-member
Saturday, March 24
Aviary & Arboretum Hike
These lovely little hikes combine fresh air amidst towering trees with the exotic climate of the National Aviary. Starting with a tour of Pittsburgh's oldest park, the Allegheny Commons, we'll see a wide variety of massive trees marked with name plates dating back to 1867. Once we've toured the 80 acres and scenic bridges of Lake Elizabeth, we will head indoors to warm up in the Aviary and enjoy a guided tour. The Aviary is a delight to the senses, with rooms of exotic birds walking across your path, flying overhead, and building nests just a few feet away without the separation of cages. There are also eagles and parrots and over 200 species to see. All ages welcome.
Location: North Side of Pittsburgh
Time: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Cost: $20.00 member, $22.00 non-member
Sunday, March 25
Day Trek
Spend a day in the woods, explore a trail, get some exercise and discover something new about the world all around us. Day treks vary in length and difficulty, but all are designed to showcase some of the best hiking in western Pennsylvania.
Location: Laurel Hill State Park
Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Cost: $5.00 member, $10.00 non-member
II. Words of Inspiration
Things that make you go, "Hmmmm..."
"Only
within the moment of time represented by the present
century has one species -- man -- acquired
significant power to alter the nature of his world."
~Rachel Carson
Poetry by Sharon McDermott
http://venture-outdoors.blogspot.com
III. Venture
Outdoors Activities
For more information
on any of our activities visit our website
www.ventureoutdoors.org.
Thursday, March 15
All Terrain Night Hikes - Winter Series
Location: Riverview Park
Time: 5:45 PM - 8:30 PM
Cost: $10.00 member, $14.00 non-member
Saturday, March 17
Geology of City Parks
*Spotlight Activity*
Sunday, March 18
Day Trek: Lite
Location: Charles F. Lewis Natural Area
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Cost: $3.00 member, $10.00 non-member
Saturday, March 24
Aviary & Arboretum Hike
*Spotlight Activity*
Sunday, March 25 Activities
Day Trek
*Spotlight Activity*
Fly-Fishing: Intro 1
Location: Ohiopyle State Park
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Cost: $60.00 member, $75.00 non-member
Thursday, March 29
All Terrain Night Hikes - Winter Series
Location: North Shore / Southside
Time: 5:45 PM - 8:30 PM
Cost: $10.00 member, $14.00 non-member
Saturday, March 31
Wine and Cheese Hikes
Location: Hartwood Acres
Time: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Cost: $20.00 member, $30.00 non-member
IV. V.O. in the News
Check
out the latest about Venture Outdoors in the news. See more press on our website.
Spring forward, for energy's sake
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
-Saturday, March 10, 2007
Venturing Outdoors
My Generation
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Magazine
-Wednesday, January 24, 2007
V. What's Goin' On?
More action-packed activities from groups all
around the region. If you or your organization wants
to contribute an event to this section of Contours,
email
tchicka@ventureoutdoors.org for more
information.
Friday, March 16
Birding Walks
Location: Sewickley Heights Boro Park
Time: 7:30 AM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania
Saturday, March 17
Scout Program
Location: Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania
Sunday, March 18
Restoration Tour
RSVP by calling
412-371-8779 or emailing
jessy@ninemilerun.org.
Location: Lower parking lot of Frick Park off
Lancaster Ave entrance
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Nine Mile Run
Watershed Association
Tuesday, March 20
Western PA. Mushroom Club Meeting
Location: Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve
Time: 7:00 PM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania
Wednesday, March 21
Woodcock Walk
Location: Harmarville Area
Time: 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania
Friday, March 23
The Legacy of Our Land
Location: Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve
Time: 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania
Saturday, March 24
Pymatuning Bird Outing
Location: Pymatuning
Time: 9:00 AM
Cost: Free
Organization:
Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania
Complete Listings at www.ventureoutdoors.org
Questions?
Call us 412-255-0564
Contours is an e-newsletter of
Venture Outdoors and is published every two
weeks. |
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