Tampa Bay Sierra Club Chair Rocky Milburn has always loved the outdoors. He’s an avid bird watcher and hiker. So, when his co-workers invited him to his first Sierra Club meeting over 20 years ago, he was happy to go.
The Sierra Club, founded in 1892, is the country’s oldest environmental organization, and it has 64 chapters across the United States. Florida’s chapter is broken into 16 groups, including the Tampa Bay group serving Hillsborough County and parts of Pasco County.
“My favorite part is meeting people and teaching them about the outdoors and getting them outdoors,” Milburn said.
The organization’s main goals are to raise awareness, educate future generations and “enjoy, explore and protect” the environment.
Last year, the Tampa Bay Sierra Club fought big issues, like attempts to turn state parks into recreational areas. In 2025, the group plans to continue its efforts to protect state parks, encourage paper grocery bags over plastic and save trees, Milburn said.
Beyond advocating for or against legislation, the group hosts events throughout the year to get people outside, including several hikes.
Scheduled hikes will be posted on its website, but trail closures due to hurricane damage have made planning these events more difficult, he said.
The Tampa Bay Sierra Club has also launched a student group at Riverview High School that has around 60 students, making it the first school in the state with a Sierra Club student organization, Milburn said.
The Tampa Bay Sierra Club helped fund and build a native plant garden at Riverview last year.
“We visited a couple weeks ago,” he said. “It’s really looking good.”
Leto High School also has a student group, and the Tampa Bay Sierra Club is forming a group at Tampa Bay Technical High School. The goal is to start an organization at every school in the county, he said.
The Tampa Bay Sierra Club hosts speakers to talk about a variety of environmental topics on the second Wednesday of every month.
For more information on the organization, to see an event schedule or to sign up for its newsletter, visit www.sierraclub.org/florida/tampa-bay or contact Milburn at rockymilburn@tampabaysierraclub.org.
You must be logged in to post a comment.