Kids from John Muir Elementary School in Seattle discover the
big (and little) outdoors on Bainbridge Island. THE SIERRA CLUB
BELIEVES IN EVERY KID'S INALIENABLE RIGHT to watch bugs, climb
rocks, get muddy, and fall in love with nature. Two of its
initiatives help them put down the joystick and get out to
explore and enjoy the planet. For 35 years, the Club's Inner
City Outings program has introduced low-income, inner-city youth
to the wilderness, many of them for the first time. Volunteer
leaders in some 50 cities across the country work with local
social service agencies and schools to arrange hikes and other
outings for kids who might otherwise never get the opportunity.
One Texas teen describes an eye-opening trip to Guadalupe
Mountains National Park: "I got to see the stars under a naked
night sky, meaning that it was free from pollution and the city
lights. I began to think about peaceful things and animals. As I
was standing up there, a bird flew right by me mighty fast, and
it felt so breezy, like a w