What we’re about
### Sierra Club Kansas City Outings
Welcome to our Meetup site, where as volunteers we manage activity announcements and sign-ups.
### Our Programs
We offer various outdoor programs, including beginner backpacking. This is typically held in spring and fall, supported by our modern equipment library and a separate wilderness navigation course. Additionally, we organize day hikes, service days, other activities, and backpacking trips.
### Our Mission
Part of the National Sierra Club's "Local Outdoors" program, our outings focus on the Kansas City area community. We are a coalition of the Sierra Club's Thomas Hart Benton, Kanza & Wakarusa groups. We aim to be inclusive and welcome individuals from all backgrounds, with many members committed to conservation, equity, and social welfare advocacy.
If you're looking for advocacy opportunities - check out our Sierra Club | Kansas City | Advocacy | Environment Meetup Group.
### Locations
Our activities take place in well-known locations like Missouri and Kansas, and sometimes farther afield. Historically, these areas had different names and inhabitants. Here are some resources to explore these historical contexts: mapping tool, trail references, and additional perspective.
### Get Involved
Looking to connect with nature, meet new people, or get some exercise? Our local outings are here on Meetup; together with Sierra Club's domestic and international outings, we have something for everyone. Join us today! While membership is not required to participate, joining the Sierra Club for as little as $15 supports our programs.
### Support and Contributions
We may ask for small donations to cover the costs of things like leader training and maintaining our gear lending library. Note, donations to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible (we're a Section 501(c)(4) non-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Code.) Our leaders are unpaid volunteers who generously give their time. Speaking of that, we're always interested in finding new leaders and assistant leaders.
### Join Our Volunteer Leadership Team!
🌟 Love the outdoors and adventure? We're looking for passionate volunteers to help guide unforgettable journeys! Start as an assistant leader (sweep) and grow into a leadership role—all while building valuable skills and lifelong connections.
Our local backpacking trips beyond the class have slowed, but with new leaders stepping up, we can bring them back strong. To lead safely and confidently, Wilderness First Aid certification is required (you’ll take it on your own). And yes, there’s some paperwork—it’s simple, ensures trip safety, and includes the waiver each participant signs. As a volunteer, you're also covered under the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997, which provides legal protections to those serving in nonprofit programs, and Sierra Club has in-house counsel and a structured risk management program.
Step up, make an impact, and help keep the adventure alive! Prove yourself as a leader, increasing the odds of being invited on personal trips to grander places. 🚶♂️🌲💪😉
### Backpacking Trips
In addition to our beginner backpacking program, we have hosted beginner and advanced backpacking trips locally and regionally, with options for national and international outings. These trips offer progression for those who complete the beginner program and provide team-building opportunities for leaders.
### Activities and Leadership
Our volunteer leaders organize diverse activities based on their interests, including both backpacking but also day hikes, cycling, and camping. We also engage in conservation efforts like picking up trash, bird watching, and trail maintenance. And sometimes we take social trips with a community or historical connection. Our leaders are certified and trained in first aid, which sets us apart.
### Participation Requirements
- RSVP: Please RSVP in advance; walk-ins are not accepted.
- Minors: Minors can join some activities with a responsible adult. Please check the outing description to see if it allows minors. Please understand that there is additional work a leader has to complete to include minors.
- Pets: Generally, pets are prohibited unless specified; bona-fide service (versus emotional support) animals are generally permitted, but it also depends upon the venue's requirements and the activities involved. Leaders are not certified or trained in pet first aid or rescue.
- Standards: Leaders may establish the focus for their activity, and may require certain minimums, e.g. for: fitness, experience, and equipment.
### Carpooling
Carpooling is encouraged among participants who use their own judgement on doing so. It is important to note that carpooling arrangements are strictly private and not covered by Sierra Club's insurance. As such, the club assumes no liability for any issues arising from carpooling or ride-sharing arrangements.
### Participation Agreement
All Sierra Club outing participants must sign a standard participant agreement as part of the sign-in process. This agreement will be linked in individual Outing announcements so that you can easily review it beforehand and be ready to sign.
### Medical Form
You must complete a medical form if you plan to go on a backcountry, overnight, or day trip more than an hour away from an emergency medical facility. The trip leader will review the form and respect your privacy. We take the privacy of our participants very seriously and ensure that the responses on the form are kept confidential. In emergencies, the form will be available during the trip. After the trip, we will either return or delete the form. Whenever possible, we prefer to collect medical forms at the trailhead. However, for backpacking trips, we need to conduct a more thorough advance vetting process of the participants to ensure everyone's safety, so we can be happy and inspired along the way. Therefore, we require the medical forms to be filled out and submitted upfront for backpacking trips. If you feel unwell or show symptoms of illness, please do not attend outings.
### Feedback and Concerns
If you have any concerns during or after an outing, inform the outing leader immediately. For unwelcome messages on Meetup, follow Meetup’s guidance and contact us if needed.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- DarkSky Missouri: How Light Pollution and Satellites Impact Dark Skies (Live)Kansas City Public Library: Plaza Branch, Kansas City, MO
NOTE: This Signup is for the In Person Meeting at the Plaza Library.
You can also attend virtually by Zoom here:
https://www.meetup.com/kc-sierra-club-outings/events/310566329/About the Event
Join DarkSky Missouri for a talk from Bill Wren, who will talk about the threat to ground based astronomy posed by the growth of light pollution and the increasing numbers of artificial satellites.
For the vast majority of human history, we have enjoyed a view of the heavens unencumbered by outdoor lighting. Since the invention of the electric light a mere 150 years ago, night skies around the world are brightening at an astonishing rate, endangering conventional ground-based astronomical research.
Rapidly increasing numbers of artificial satellites in orbit around the Earth further compound the problem, threatening even the most remote observatories. Options are limited.
The talk will be in the Large Meeting Room at the Plaza Library, with time included after the talk for questions.
About the Speaker
Bill Wren has been fascinated by the night sky all his life. He was a Public Affairs Specialist and part time researcher for the McDonald Observatory at University of Texas at Austin. During his career at the observatory, he enjoyed conveying the wonders of the universe to its visitors.
He helped design and build several unique telescopes, including a wheelchair accessible telescope that is available for public use at the Observatory’s Visitors Center. He was also the Commissioning Telescope Operator of the 10-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope.
Bill has long been actively involved in protecting the Observatory’s dark night skies. He has retired to Kansas City after acting as the Special Assistant to the Superintendent for the McDonald Observatory at University of Texas at Austin.
Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet 🌎
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org.](http://www.sierraclub.org./)Why America must protect 30x30 (w/ Sen. Tom Udall, Dr. Enric Sala) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o)
- DarkSky Missouri: How Light Pollution and Satellites Impact Dark Skies (Zoom)Link visible for attendees
NOTE: This Signup is for the Zoom Meeting.
You can also attend in person at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Library here:
https://www.meetup.com/kc-sierra-club-outings/events/310552486/You will need to be logged into a Zoom account to attend. If you don't have a zoom account you can create one here.
The Zoom Link will be added to the event a few days before the meeting. See the Zoom Details section for more info.About the Event
Join DarkSky Missouri for a talk from Bill Wren, who will talk about the threat to ground based astronomy posed by the growth of light pollution and the increasing numbers of artificial satellites.
For the vast majority of human history, we have enjoyed a view of the heavens unencumbered by outdoor lighting. Since the invention of the electric light a mere 150 years ago, night skies around the world are brightening at an astonishing rate, endangering conventional ground-based astronomical research.
Rapidly increasing numbers of artificial satellites in orbit around the Earth further compound the problem, threatening even the most remote observatories. Options are limited.The talk will be in the Large Meeting Room at the Plaza Library, with time included after the talk for questions.
About the Speaker
Bill Wren has been fascinated by the night sky all his life. He was a Public Affairs Specialist and part time researcher for the McDonald Observatory at University of Texas at Austin. During his career at the observatory, he enjoyed conveying the wonders of the universe to its visitors.
He helped design and build several unique telescopes, including a wheelchair accessible telescope that is available for public use at the Observatory’s Visitors Center. He was also the Commissioning Telescope Operator of the 10-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope.
Bill has long been actively involved in protecting the Observatory’s dark night skies. He has retired to Kansas City after acting as the Special Assistant to the Superintendent for the McDonald Observatory at University of Texas at Austin.
Zoom Details
To prevent interruptions and spam, you must be logged into a Zoom account to attend. The Zoom Link will be added to the event a few days before the meeting.
There will be a wating room when the event starts, and you will be admitted to the talk. Please make sure your Zoom name matches your Meetup name. Turning on your camera is not required.
During the talk, all participants will be muted. There will a dedicated time after the talk for any questions.
Please make sure to test and configure your Zoom setup before the meeting if needed.
About the Sierra Club
Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet 🌎
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org.](http://www.sierraclub.org./)Why America must protect 30x30 (w/ Sen. Tom Udall, Dr. Enric Sala) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o)
- Tour National Natural Landmark Onondaga Cave and Cathedral CaveOnondaga Cave State Park, Leasburg, MO
Descend into the depths of Onondaga Cave State Park and drop into a world of wonder: towering stalagmites, dripping stalactites, and active flowstones help make the cave a National Natural Landmark and illustrate why Missouri is often called “The Cave State.” We will take two guided tours into this underground wonderland. The 11:30 AM tour of Onondaga Cave near the Visitor Center is along a one mile lighted concrete walkway and lasts 1.5 hours. The 2:00 PM afternoon tour of Cathedral Cave near the campground last 2.0 hours. It is not lighted and the park provides flashlights or you can bring your own. The temperature in both caves is 57 degrees so bring a light jacket and wear sturdy shoes. Also, bring a sack lunch to eat between tours. The cost for both tours is $32 for adults and $29 for seniors which you will pay for at the Visitor Center.
There is as campground that you can stay at Friday and/or Saturday night. Reservations are on your own and not part of the structured activities organized by the Sierra Club. The campground fills fast and leaders have already reserved their basic sights #67 & #68 which are right across from the bathroom. You are welcome to join us for happy hour at our campsite each night for some brief discussion about the National Park Service and Missouri’s State Parks. BYOB.
https://mostateparks.com/campgrounds/onondaga-cave-state-parkAt sign-in - all participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard participant agreement you can read here, if you would like to read it b4 you choose to participate, www.tinyurl.com/sonsite
The outing officially begins & ends on the dates & the locations designated by Sierra Club. Carpooling for this outing is not included or arranged by Sierra Club leaders. It is at your discretion with other participants to & from the outing; each participant is personally responsible for all risks associated with this travel. For directions and park information go to -
https://mostateparks.com/park/onondaga-cave-state-park| Missouri Parks Association Newsletter Oct. 2024, Susan Flader, Editor |
“The Missouri State Parks team flipped the switch at Onondaga Cave State Park [July 9, 2024] for a much- awaited reopening of the premier show cave in the cave state. The cave had been closed during installation of a new LED lighting system. The incandescent system previously used for tours was more than thirty years old and at the end of its useful life.
The new lighting provides visitors with a more enjoyable cave tour, illuminating more of the cave formations and natural beauty, costing less to operate, and reducing the amount of heat transferred to the cave. “The upgrade benefits the cave’s ecosystem by reducing invasive algae growth and providing a more suitable home for the cave’s inhabitants, who are accustomed to the dark,” said Ken McCarty, director of MSP’s Natural Resources Management Plan …
…Onondaga cave, discovered in 1886, was first opened for tours in
1904, coinciding with the World’s Fair in St. Louis, and it has contin-
ued to captivate tourists for 120 years. Drawing more than 20,000 visitors annually, the cave is a National Natural Landmark, hosting some of the most rare and majestic speleothems in the world.Incandescent lighting was original installed in the 1950s and had been upgraded over the years, with MSP making expensive repairs yearly to keep the old system functioning. Many of the system’s parts became obsolete, making the lights difficult to shut off, which was harmful to cave life. “We were in jeopardy of having to shut down the commercial cave operation without a new electrical and lighting system,” said MSP director David Kelly.
Missouri contractors were used to complete the $2.1 million project, with Rogers- Schmitt Engineering designing it and Meyer Electric doing the installation. Onondaga tours are “the oldest and most popular in Missouri
State Parks,” said David Kelly, “and the operation brings in more than $400,000 annually.” This means the projected revenue should allow a complete payback in about five years…”
https://missouriparksassociation.org/Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet 🌎
In the evening we will discuss threats to the National Park Service because of administration cutbacks. Onondaga is one of several National Natural Landmarks (NNLS) which are natural areas that contain significant examples of the nation's biological and geological features. The 600+ NNLs are designated by the Secretary of the Interior as the best examples of a type of biological community or geological feature. The National Park Service works cooperatively with landowners, managers, and partners to conserve these sites.The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with over 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org. ]
