VOLUNTEERS  

• Volunteers must submit an application including the names and contact information of three references prior to participating in an outing.
• After a volunteer’s references have been checked and approved by the ICO Volunteer Coordinator, the Coordinator will notify the ICO Mailing Coordinator to add the new volunteer to the ICO mailing list.  
• The name, phone number, and e-mail address of the volunteer will be posted in the next issue of the ICO newsletter, so leaders will be encouraged to contact the volunteer for inclusion and support on their outings.  
• Volunteers are also encouraged to take the initiative in contacting leaders and asking to participate in outings.
• If an ICO hike leader has a serious concern about a volunteer’s participation, then that leader must note that concern in the comments section of the Sierra Club ICO Trip Report.

AGENCIES

• ICO welcomes school and other groups that request hikes.  Our outings spark interest in and enthusiasm for the natural environment. Because of budget limitations, we restrict trips to Title I schools and other agencies in low-income areas. There may be up to five day trips and one overnight camping trip per school or agency. 
• ICO assigns to each agency an ICO member, designated as a coordinator, who will assist in scheduling hikes, arranging for transportation, and finding leaders.  
• Each agency needs to appoint a liaison who will represent the agency and work with the ICO coordinator to set up hikes, assist in making hike participants aware of how to dress, what to bring, and how to comport themselves.  The agency liaison needs to come to an ICO meeting.  These are generally on the third Monday of each month.  At the meeting, he or she will fill out an "ICO Outing Information Form, " which the bus coordinator will keep on file.  

TRIPS  

• Trips have to be scheduled at least eight weeks in advance.  The first one must be requested at an ICO meeting.  The trip request is written on a "Bus Request Form," one copy of which will be given to the bus coordinator and the other to the secretary.  Check in the upcoming issue of the "Bulletin" to verify that the trip is scheduled.  After the initial visit to an ICO meeting, the agency liaison is not required to attend other meetings.
• The largest school bus will hold 52 adults (2 per seat), or 78 children, 3rd grade or younger (3 per seat). Smaller buses are available. Often two classes go on a hike, but the quality of the hike is better with fewer participants (about 25 to 30).  ICO requires one adult from the agency for each ten children. 
• Bus pick up and return times are generally:
• 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM weekends       
  9:00 AM - 2:00 PM weekdays
• Buses must be cancelled at least 72 hours prior to a scheduled trip.  To cancel a bus, the ICO coordinator needs to call MRCA.  (MRCA's phone number and pager number are in the "Bulletin.")  Try to establish right away another date for the hike so that it can be rescheduled when the bus is cancelled.  Then there won't be an eight-week waiting period to obtain a bus.
• Most of our outings go the Santa Monica Mountains, because the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority subsidizes part of the cost of the buses to the Santa Monicas for LAUSD schools and for some but not all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles.
• Agencies are encouraged to furnish their own transportation.  Sometimes city council members or county supervisors donate a bus.  A bus can also be rented from the city.
• The most frequently used parks are:
• Malibu Creek State Park
• Topanga State Park
• Will Rogers State Park
• Temescal Canyon
• Solstice Canyon
• Occasionally, ICO provides hikes, overnight camping trips, and snow trips to the San Gabriel Mts.  To be eligible for ANY camping trip, youngsters must have previously participated in at least three ICO hikes.
• Schools and other agencies are responsible for getting permission slips from parents.  In addition, ICO requires a liability waiver for every participant, including, teachers, teacher aids, family members, and friends.  For each participant under 18, the liability waivers must be signed by a legal guardian.
• Teachers are encouraged to prepare children by providing instruction about local natural history, geography, and plant and animal life.  Again, ICO's goal is to interest children in nature.  The better prepared the children are, the more they will benefit from the outings.
• If possible, the hike leader(s) will visit the school or other agency a few days before the trip to further prepare the participants.  This, too, enables them to get more out of the trip.
• The hikes are easy for some but strenuous for others.  If it is a family outing, the adults accompanying the children should be in as good shape as the children.  Strollers cannot be accommodated on a trail, and to carry little children for several miles up and down trails is too difficult for most people.  Special attention should be paid to wearing sturdy shoes and bringing plenty of water.  (See "Things to Remember on an ICO Trip.")  If a person has asthma, he or she must bring an inhaler.
• Volunteers wishing to go on a scheduled hike are welcome, with the permission of the hike leader and provided that they have completed the requirements to become a volunteer.  Call the leader (see the “Bulletin" for phone numbers and e-mail addresses) to tell him or her you would like to volunteer.  For the protection of youthful participants, ICO outings are closed, that is, they are not published in the Sierra Club Schedule
• If the total cost of a trip is $1200 or less, ICO will pay the total amount and no pre-approval is required other than the standard review of trips at the monthly meeting.
• Trips which are likely to cost more than $1200 must be pre-approved at a regular meeting.
• LA ICO encourages high school groups to plan more extensive, in-depth outings. We encourage groups and schools to involve their students in planning these trips. 

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

• The equipment quartermaster will maintain an up-to-date inventory list with spaces to sign out and sign in equipment.
• Equipment must be returned when the equipment quartermaster is available to receive it.
• Equipment must be returned in clean and dry condition within seven days after a trip.
• Sleeping pads and bags must be returned tightly rolled.
• When leaders notice tents and/or equipment is in need of repair, they should either take care of repairs directly or notify the equipment quartermaster.
• New equipment will be labeled ICO with a permanent marker.
• The equipment quartermaster can establish further guidelines in consultation with the chair as these become necessary for the condition in which equipment must be returned.
• An equipment care party will be held annually.
• The food allowance for overnights is $3.00 per participant per meal.
• For backpacking trips, additional specialized gear will be borrowed from the REI Gear Bank.  It has almost all needed backpacking equipment and lends it free of charge.  The current contact for the REI Arcadia store is Mike Oliva (626-447-1062)
• Also for backpacking trips, bear canisters will be rented for areas that require them.

TRANSPORTATION

• Bus reservations must be submitted through the online form or in writing to the bus coordinator and the secretary at least eight (8) weeks prior to the date of a trip.
• Bus reservations must be submitted during the same week as the monthly meeting, i.e., between the third and fourth Monday or each month.
• An ICO leader, no matter what the cause, must make all bus cancellations 48 hours prior to the date of the trip.
• When a bus must be canceled due to rain, at the time of the cancellation, the leader should let the Santa Monica Conservancy know if he or she will reschedule and give the new date if known.  The leader needs to notify the bus coordinator of the changes.
• Notify the bus coordinator and the treasurer of all cancellations.
• A minimum of 15 participants (other than leaders and volunteers) is needed to justify hiring a bus for an outing.
• If a bus has not arrived at the pickup point ten minutes prior to the scheduled departure time, the agency contact should phone Robin's pager at 310-572-5990 and leave a message.  (Note: Robin does not arrive at work until 10:00 a.m. )
• The Sierra Club policy regarding automobile liability policy is at
  http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/finance/risk_manual/auto.asp .  There is a section on rental cars on that page.  People considering using a rental car to transport participants also need to review the Outings Leader Handbook and ICO Addendum to the OLH, both on the extranet site.  People will need to use the user name "clubhouse" and password "explore" in order to have access to the extranet.  
• When renting a vehicle, one should write "Sierra Club/their name."
• With a conventional driver's license one can transport only ten passengers if any of them are children.

Policy for Obtaining and Safeguarding Photograph and Video Permissions for LA ICO Outings:

1. The primary person responsible for obtaining the photograph and video permission is the outing leader.
2. The ICO Trip Permission Form contains a "Publicity Permission." By signing this Permission, the parent or guardian authorizes his/her child’s words or photograph to appear in ICO promotional materials. A signed Publicity Permission is not required in order for participants to participate in the outing.
3. If the outing leader intends to use photographs from the outing as promotional material for ICO, he/she must assure that a Publicity Permission is signed by the parent or guardian of each youth participant who is photographed.
4. Within seven days after the outing, the outing leader must send an email to the LA ICO Chair and the LA ICO web masters stating that he/she has obtained Publicity Permissions for each of the youth participants who were photographed during the outing. The leader must also state in the email that he/she has sent the originals of the Publicity Permissions to Elizabeth Neat for safekeeping

Current Committee Officers

Dave Hickman, Chair
Roger Johnston, Vice-Chair
Ann Salvador, Secretary
Catherine Ronan, Treasurer
Dan Butler, Bus Coordinator
Sparky Sotcher, Certification Chair
Elizabeth Neat, Volunteers Coordinator
Les Wilson, LEADERS Database Coordinator

Newsletters
Current news, articles of interest, and trip schedules are published in the ICO Monthly Bulletin.

Web Links of Interest

• Angeles Chapter Sierra Club Web Site
• National ICO Web Page
• National Sierra Club Web Site

Contact ICO

For general information:

• ico@angeles.sierraclub.org
• Dave Hickman, Chair
• write to: 
  Inner City Outings,
  Sierra Club Angeles Chapter,
  3435 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 320 ,
  Los Angeles , California , 90010-1904

If you would like to volunteer:

• View Volunteer Opportunities web page

If you would like to donate to ICO:

• View Donate to ICO web page 

If you would like information regarding Inner City Outings for Long Beach or Orange County :

• Contact ICO Orange County
  
  This site designed by Ann Zumwinkle and by Catherine Ronan

Write ups under "Recommended ICO Hikes" written by Shirley Hickman and Erlinda Cortez.

 If you have comments/corrections regarding this web site:     please contact the webmaster