2009 season finally begins for me.

March 14th will mark my first official climb for 2009. The weather and my work schedule have prevented me from getting off the ground for too long now.

This Saturday, Carbon County Environmental Education Center's newly formed Eco-Venture! Club will meet to learn the basics of recreational tree climbing. These 11 through 15 year-old kids are hardcore. LOVE IT! Pics to follow. (If I don't forget my camera again:dry:)

Well, As expected, I DID forget my camera. But, one of our volunteers didn't. When I get the pics I'll post 'em.

This was a great morning. The kids had a blast climbing, we saw a Bald eagle, and a HUGE flock of Snow Geese too.

Hey Baker ~

I love hearing about getting kids up in trees and teaching them respect and awareness for the world around them. Sounds like a great club and I hope it is a success!

I am very curious ~ how did you guys get funding for outfitting a group climb?

I drive every couple of weeks between upstate NY (southern Adirondacks) and Philadelphia, and pass right through Carbon County on 81. Let me know about events, and maybe I can schedule one of my trips through there to coincide.

And please, post pics when you get them!

Eric

Here are a couple of pics, Hoot:


The first steps are the hardest


Knot practice first - always

Funding? None. Not exactly. Much of the equipment we've been using I purchased myself, or is my own personal stuff. When I bought a NT Vi saddle for me/my wife, I explained our program to Barb (and Viola), and asked if there was any way they would be able to donate a kids saddle. They did. One length of Arbormaster Blue Streak rope was donated by a local hardware store that sells a little bit of gear. I almost got a saddle donated from one of the larger arborist supply places when they were clearing them out, but I was too late, they were all gone.

The rest of the stuff, helmets, gloves, etc. are not \"regulation\" if I can steal a word from the Little League hand book. We/I bought a few hard shell action sports helmets in various sizes (some are adjustable), and we use a couple of rock climbing harnesses too. I know, I know, it's not all tree climbing gear, but this is a very beginner session only. Up the line, look around, and come back down. No extended hanging.

We are a small organization with limited resources. If we continue to do more of these programs, and can raise the funds, we are planning to purchase a few more saddles.

I guess this would be a good time to remind folks that organizations like ours are funded, in great part, by public donations, both monetary, and in-kind.

So...

If anyone would like to make a TAX DEDUCTIBLE gear donation:
CCEEC www.carboneec.org is in need of tree climbing saddles - both adult and kid's sizes - nothing fancy - your old Basic saddle would be great! Also needed are some auto-locking biners.

To make a donation, please contact me:

Franklin \"Baker\" Klock
Carbon County
Environmental Education Center
151 E. White Bear Drive
Summit Hill, PA 18250
570-645-8597
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.carboneec.org

That's inspiring! Thanks for sharing the info Baker. More power to you for just doing it and getting it going. I bet the kids were pretty excited just to get the taste. I hope that you are able to get some funding and gear donated and really get the club going aloft on a regular basis. Keep us posted!

And thanks for the pics...

Eric