Sierra Club facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sierra Club

Motto	Explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.
Formation	May 28, 1892; 133 years ago (1892-05-28)
Founder	John Muir
Type	Social welfare organization
Legal status	501(c)(4) organization
Purpose	To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth, practice & promote responsible use of the earth's ecosystems & resources, educate & enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural & human environment, use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Headquarters	2101 Webster St. Suite 1300
Location	Oakland, CA, USA
Membership	over 750,000 nationally (self-reported)
Acting Exec. Dir.	Dan Chu
President	Ramón Cruz
Affiliations	Sierra Club Foundation, Sierra Student Coalition, Sierra Club Books, Sierra Club Canada
Budget	$97,891,373 (2013)
Staff	Approximately 600

The Sierra Club is a large group in the United States that works to protect the environment. It has offices in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The club was started on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California. It was founded by John Muir, a Scottish-American who loved nature. Muir was the first president and held the job for about 20 years. The Sierra Club works only in the United States. Sierra Club Canada is a different group.

The Sierra Club was one of the first big groups in the world to focus on protecting nature. Today, it talks to politicians to encourage laws that help the environment. The club works to promote sustainable energy and fight global warming. It also opposes using coal, hydropower, and nuclear power.

The Sierra Club is known for supporting political candidates. They often back candidates who are liberal and progressive. These candidates usually support environmental protection.

The Sierra Club is set up at both national and state levels. Each state has chapters, except California, which has many chapters named after its counties. These chapters have local groups and committees. Some of these groups have thousands of members. They also have special interest sections, like for photography or outdoor trips. While local groups do a lot, the national club makes the main decisions.

Besides political work, the Sierra Club also organizes outdoor activities. Historically, it was famous for mountaineering and rock climbing in the U.S. Members helped create the Yosemite Decimal System for climbing. Much of this climbing happened in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which the club is named after. The Sierra Club offers wilderness courses, hikes, and sometimes alpine trips for its members. In California, it's like other state mountaineering clubs.

What the Sierra Club Does

The Sierra Club's main goal is "To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth." They also want to teach people to use Earth's resources wisely. They aim to get everyone involved in protecting and improving our natural world. They use all legal ways to reach these goals.

The Sierra Club is led by a 15-member Board of Directors. Every year, five directors are chosen for three-year terms. All club members can vote in these elections. The Board chooses a president each year from its members. An executive director manages the daily work of the group.

Members of the Sierra Club belong to state chapters and local groups. There are also national and local groups that focus on specific issues. The national Sierra Club decides the main policies and rules for the whole organization.

The club has two main activities. First, it promotes and leads outdoor trips. These happen across the U.S., but mostly in California. Second, it works politically to support environmental causes. The Sierra Club is known as one of the top environmental groups in the U.S. They also support specific candidates in elections.

How the Sierra Club Started

Early Days and John Muir

A journalist named Robert Underwood Johnson worked with John Muir to create a larger Yosemite National Park. This effort was successful in 1890. Johnson encouraged Muir to start a group to protect the Sierra Nevada mountains. Early meetings were held to plan the new organization.

In May 1892, Muir and lawyer Warren Olney officially started the Sierra Club. They based it on a similar club in the eastern U.S. The first members chose Muir as president. He stayed president until he passed away in 1914.

The club's first goals included creating Glacier and Mount Rainier National Park. They also wanted the California government to give Yosemite Valley to the U.S. federal government. Another goal was to protect the coastal redwood forests in California.

In 1903, Muir showed President Theodore Roosevelt around Yosemite. Two years later, California gave Yosemite Valley to the federal government. This was the Sierra Club's first big success in getting new laws passed.

In 2020, the Sierra Club looked back at its own history. They said that in its early days, the club sometimes favored white members. Some early leaders, like Muir, were linked to ideas that were not fair to all people.

Growing Stronger: 1920s–1940s

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Sierra Club was mostly a social group. They organized outings, kept trails in good shape, and built cabins in the Sierra mountains. They also worked to make Sequoia National Park bigger in 1926. For over 30 years, they worked to protect Kings Canyon National Park, which was created in 1940.

After World War II, new leaders joined the Sierra Club. These included lawyers Richard M. Leonard and Bestor Robinson, and photographer Ansel Adams. David Brower also joined and became the first executive director in 1952.

Becoming a National Group

By 1950, the Sierra Club had about 7,000 members, mostly on the West Coast. That year, the first chapter outside California was formed in the Atlantic region. David Brower helped the club grow.

The Sierra Club became well-known across the country when it fought against the Echo Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. Brower led this fight, getting support from other nature groups. They published a book called This Is Dinosaur. By reminding people of past dam projects, they convinced Congress to stop the Echo Park dam in 1955. This victory helped the Sierra Club's membership grow from 10,000 in 1956 to 15,000 in 1960.

The club also helped pass the Wilderness Act in 1964. This law protected 9.1 million acres of public land from development forever. Grand Teton National Park and Olympic National Park were also made larger because of the Sierra Club.

Books and the Grand Canyon

In the 1960s, Brower started a series of large, beautiful books with photos. These books, published by Sierra Club Books, helped more people learn about the Sierra Club. They sold many copies and helped introduce the public to protecting wilderness.

The Sierra Club's most famous fight in the 1960s was against building two dams in the Grand Canyon. They placed ads in newspapers asking, "Should we also flood the Sistine Chapel so tourists can get nearer the ceiling?" These ads caused many people to protest to Congress. The government agency that handles taxes started looking into the Sierra Club's tax status. Even so, more people joined the club, from 30,000 in 1965 to 75,000 in 1969.

The club won the fight against the dams. However, to make up for the lost power, the Sierra Club supported building coal power plants. This meant the Grand Canyon was saved, but some other areas became more industrial.

Changes in Leadership

Even with its successes, there were disagreements about money between Brower and the board of directors. The club was losing money each year. There was also a disagreement about a nuclear power plant in Diablo Canyon. The board voted to support the plant, but Brower disagreed.

In 1969, the board voted for Brower to resign. Later, Brower and the club made up. He was elected to the board again in the 1980s and 1990s.

Michael McCloskey became the second executive director in 1969. He helped guide campaigns to save the Grand Canyon and create Redwoods National Park. During the 1970s, McCloskey led the club's work on new environmental laws. These included the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Sierra Club started a political committee and supported its first presidential candidate in 1984. McCloskey stepped down as executive director in 1985. Carl Pope became executive director in 1992.

The 21st Century

In 2008, some Sierra Club leaders quit because the club agreed to promote products from Clorox. Clorox was known for using certain chemicals. The deal brought the club $1.3 million. In 2011, Carl Pope stepped down as chairman.

Between 2007 and 2010, the Sierra Club received over $25 million from the gas industry. Most of this came from Aubrey McClendon, who led a large gas drilling company.

In 2013, executive director Michael Brune announced that the Sierra Club would take part in its first act of civil disobedience. This was to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. On February 13, 2013, Brune was arrested along with 48 other people.

In 2015, the Sierra Club chose its first black president of the board, Aaron Mair. The Sierra Club supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020 for U.S. president. They opposed Donald Trump's environmental policies.

Outdoor Adventures

Mountaineering and Climbing

In 1901, William Edward Colby organized the first Sierra Club trip to Yosemite Valley. Famous mountaineers led these annual "High Trips." Many first climbs in the Sierra Nevada happened on Sierra Club outings. Members were also early fans of rock climbing. Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, a famous rock climbing guide, was sponsored by the Sierra Club. The Wilderness Travel Course is a basic mountaineering class taught by the Sierra Club.

Over time, the Sierra Club focused more on political work. Mountaineering activities became less common after the 1980s. However, some chapters, especially in California, still have large mountaineering programs. The club sometimes gives out the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award to great mountaineers.

Hiking and Outings

During World War II, many Sierra Club leaders joined the 10th Mountain Division. David R. Brower was one of them.

The Sierra Club also organizes hiking tours in many parts of the country. Their website has a "hiking near me" tool to find upcoming trips.

The old "High Trips" were sometimes very large expeditions. Now, there are more smaller trips across the U.S. and even abroad. These outings are a big part of the Sierra Club's culture. In some chapters, they are most of what members do. Other chapters focus more on political work. Chapters in California are usually more active with outdoor activities.

Sierra Club Awards

Ladybug, Ready for Takeoff – Grand Prize Winner in the Sierra Club's April 2010 Trails Photo Contest

The Sierra Club gives out several awards each year. These include the Sierra Club John Muir Award and the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography. They also give awards for public officials, journalists, legal work, and international environmental protection.

What the Sierra Club Believes In

Land Protection

Protecting land, allowing access to it, and saving it are key areas for the Sierra Club. They have strong local groups in rural areas. Much of their work focuses on using public lands fairly and in an environmentally friendly way. This is important because many members join to hike and use public land.

Fighting Against Coal

The Sierra Club wants to replace coal with other energy sources. Their "Beyond Coal" campaign aims to close many coal plants in the U.S. Michael Bloomberg has given large donations to this campaign. The campaign says that many coal plants have closed since 2010.

Against Nuclear Power

The Sierra Club is completely against nuclear power.

Against Hydropower and Dams

The Sierra Club has worked against hydropower projects and large dams. They argue that these projects can harm animal habitats.

The Sierra Club opposes dams they think are not good, especially some government-built dams in national parks. In the early 1900s, they fought against damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. Even though Congress allowed the dam, the Sierra Club still wants it removed.

The club also supports removing other dams, like the Glen Canyon Dam. They also oppose importing energy from Quebec's hydropower plants to New York. They say this could harm the environment and slow down new energy projects in New York.

Different Views on Solar Projects

Some Sierra Club groups have opposed solar power projects. They worry about the impact on animal habitats, like for the desert tortoise. However, other groups within the Sierra Club have supported solar projects.

Working with Labor Unions

The Sierra Club is part of the BlueGreen Alliance. This group brings together environmental organizations and labor unions. They work together on issues that help both the environment and workers.

Views on Population and Immigration

In the past, immigration was a very debated topic within the club. In 1996, after many discussions, the Sierra Club decided to stay neutral on immigration levels. As the club has become more progressive, this position changed in 2013. Now, they support a fair way for undocumented immigrants to become citizens.

History of Views

Some critics have said that past efforts by some club members to limit immigration were linked to older ideas about population control. In 1969, the Sierra Club published a book called The Population Bomb. This book said that population growth was harming the environment.

During the 1980s, some members wanted the club to get involved in immigration issues. They believed that the U.S. population could not be stable with current immigration levels. They wanted the club to support reducing immigration.

Other members felt that immigration was too far from the club's main environmental mission. They worried it would hurt the group's ability to work on other goals. In the mid-1990s, the club slowly moved away from supporting immigration limits. In 1996, the board decided to be neutral on immigration policy.

In 1998, most Sierra Club members voted to stay neutral on immigration. However, some members who wanted to reduce immigration formed their own group. They wanted the Sierra Club to go back to its older position. Some also claimed that the club changed its mind because of donations from an investor.

The debate came up again in 2004 when some people who wanted to reduce immigration ran for the Sierra Club's board. Groups outside the club got involved. These candidates did not win. In 2005, members voted against a proposal to set lower limits on immigration to the U.S.

Today, with more progressive members, the Sierra Club has changed its stance even more. The Sierra Club now supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. They also oppose a border wall and work with immigrant groups on environmental justice.

Other Groups Connected to the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club Foundation was started in 1960. It is a separate group that helps with education and other non-lobbying activities. The Sierra Club also has a Canadian branch called Sierra Club Canada.

In 1971, lawyers who worked with the Sierra Club started the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund. This group later changed its name to Earthjustice in 1997. The Sierra Student Coalition (SSC) is the student-run part of the Sierra Club. It has 30,000 members. They also have a leadership training program for young people.

The Sierra Club has its own publishing company, Sierra Club Books. They also publish books by their founder, John Muir.

The Sierra Club Voter Education Fund is a group that works to get people to vote. They became active in the 2004 Presidential election. They aired TV ads about candidates' views on environmental issues.

Money and Funding

The Sierra Club's yearly budget was about $88 million in 2011 and $100 million in 2012. In 2013, it was $97.8 million.

In 2008, Clorox gave $1.3 million to the Sierra Club. In return, Clorox could put the Sierra Club's logo on some cleaning products.

In 2012, it was reported that the Sierra Club had taken over $26 million from the natural gas industry. Most of this money came from Aubrey McClendon, who led a gas drilling company. The Sierra Club used this money for its Beyond Coal campaign. Michael Brune, the executive director, said he ended the financial agreement with the natural gas industry.

The Sierra Club also has a super PAC. This group spent over $1 million in the 2014 elections, mostly against Republican candidates. The Sierra Club is also a partner of America Votes, a group that supports progressive issues.

Some people who have given money to the Sierra Club include David Gelbaum and Michael Bloomberg.

Criticisms

In late 2020, a politician named Liz Cheney asked the government to look into environmental groups like the Sierra Club. She suggested that these groups might have foreign influence.

Border Wall Views

The Sierra Club has been criticized by groups that oppose immigration. These groups say the Sierra Club's opposition to a wall on the U.S. southern border is for political reasons, not environmental ones.

Leaders of the Sierra Club

Presidents

Executive Directors

Directors

See Also

In Spanish: Sierra Club para niños