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By Steve McPhee
On October 3rd, the first Inner City Outings (ICO)
event was offered to students in the science program at C.A.S.T.L.E.
High School.
Five students, 2 ICO leaders, and the science teacher attended
the Fall Festival at Lake Farmpark for a day of
fun, fresh (mostly) air, and educational farm activities. The favorite
activities included
a wandering trip through a corn field cut into a maize. The corn
stalks were taller than the tallest students and surrounded all
with green and nature. There were also lots of raccoon tracks and
partially chewed ears of corn. Another favorite was watching the
sheep dog heard a small flock of sheep to the shouted directions
of the shepherd. The dog would approach the sheep in a stalking
fashion which would scare them to run away. By directing the dog
left, right, away, and forward, the sheep were kept together and
close to the shepherd. Other activities included milking a cow,
making cheese, apple cider pressing, bee keeping and honey production,
and sampling some handmade ice cream. The day was completed by
seeing a balloon sculpture exhibit made from over 30,000 balloons.
There were planes, cars, a chicken coup with chickens and eggs,
a tree with a swinging girl and mischievous boy, a frog, and more.
Most of the participants in ICO outings have had little or no
visits to forests or large parks, and have not hiked, paddled,
or skied before. We hope these ICO experiences will help our students
to understand their place in nature and the world better, and foster
more respect and appreciation for nature. With some, we hope an
interest in Sierra Club and environmental stewardship will grow
and thrive.
Sierra Club leaders have run an
active ICO group in Cleveland since 1989. ICO is organized as an
outreach program of the Sierra Club
Foundation, and there are groups in major cities across the country.
To volunteer as an assistant leader on ICO outings, contact Steve
McPhee for C.A.S.T.L.E. HS outings at (440) 891-0714
or Claire
Brugnoletti for Goodrich Gannet Neighborhood Center
(aged 7 – 12) outings at (216) 932-6618.
Cleveland ICO does our own fund raising to pay for outing expenses.
Donations can be made to “The Sierra Club Foundation, FBO
Cleveland ICO” and are federal income tax deductible. Mail
them to Steve McPhee, 19 Parkview Drive, Berea, OH 44017 or directly
to TSCF in San Francisco. You can find instructions and more
information online at www.sierraclub.org/ico/donate.asp.
From their home page, at 1729 Superior Avenue in Cleveland, is
C.A.S.T.L.E High School, the Cleveland Academy
of Scholarship,
Technology, and Leadership Enterprise.
Their motto is "Our
People Make the Difference in Student Success." By "People" they
mean the "caring and highly-qualified staff, and active parents
[who] work to cultivate leaders who are well-rounded and productive
citizens in accordance with both our vision and mission." They "do
this by instilling our 7 Core Values into the minds of our students
and providing curriculum, programs, activities, and opportunities
that are either Relevant, Rigorous, or Rewarding (The Three "R's")." The
parents and staff at C.A.S.T.L.E High School can add the Sierra
Club leaders to their group of "People" who
care enough to take the time to help shape their children of today
into the
leaders of tomorrow.
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The City of Cleveland's 
Do you know of a local environmental issue in need
of attention? Do you have inside information on what's
going on in your city or township? With over 5,000
members in Northeast Ohio we count on you to be the
Club's eyes and ears of the region. While the Federal
government and large corporations continue to wreak
havoc on our environment, it is more important than
ever before to act as watchdogs in our own backyards.
For those new to
calling state or federal representatives, it's easier and
less confrontational than it sounds. You will never
speak directly with your rep or senator - an aide
will answer the phone, take brief notes plus your name and city (sometimes), and that's it.