ORC offers rentals ffor fall activities and more
Utah State University’s Outdoor Recreation Center offers workshops, classes, trips, rentals and a new program for outdoor volunteer and paid work to university students.
“You can rent anything, like general camping gear, sleeping gear, tents, sleeping pads, stoves, backpacks, Dutch ovens, canoes and rafts,” said Emily Stahr, rental shop worker and a junior majoring in parks and recreation.
“You can still go out in October and November and have a good night sleep with our sleeping bags,” said Emily Proctor, a senior in English technical writing.
“Another idea is to get a group together and go up in the canyon. We have Dutch ovens and stoves for rent,” Proctor said.
“The most popular thing to rent for fall season is probably the rock climbing equipment,” Stahr said.
Kevin Kobe, ORC director, said, “We understand how important it is to keep our gear in good shape and we have tons of new equipment.”
According to an ORC general handout, the ORC is partially subsidized by student fees and money earned from rentals goes directly back into the program to improve facilities, service and rentals. Rental prices, for this reason, are incomparably low.
The ORC provides students with more than just a place to rent outdoor equipment.
“Our scheduled workshops are very diverse,” Kobe said. “Right now the ORC is sponsoring Fred Simpson to teach an African drumming workshop here in the valley. It will be held in our classroom.
“We are also offering a bicycle maintenance workshop,” he said. “Basically it will teach how to completely overhaul your bike.
“We are also planning a drum making workshop and some avalanche education classes this winter,” Kobe said.
Proctor said, “We also have weekly and monthly trips.”
The next weekly trip will be a hike at Jardine Juniper Trail on Wednesday, Oct. 31. This month’s trip was a four-day backpacking trip in Zion’s National Park.
“Students can get involved as participants or they can be a trip leader,” Kobe said.
Neil and Morgan Decker are coordinators for trip planners.
“We also host evening programs,” Kobe said. “In the past, professional climbers and explorers have come to speak. We also bring the Banff Mountain Film Festival to Logan … they tour with the best outdoor films. It’s a really fun evening.”
“Come check [the ORC] out,” Proctor said. “It’s cool to see and we’ve been working a lot in the shop.”
Kobe said, “The gear is right out in the front so people can see what they can rent. We have a new room this year for ski and snowboard rentals. We will be installing a computer and printer to better serve customers.”
The ORC is now sponsoring the newly formed Utah Conservation Corps (UCC), formerly the Bear River Conservation Corps.
“I think this is a really important service and an amazing opportunity for USU students,” Kobe said.
Sean Damitz, UCC director said, “Basically the UCC is an AmeriCorps program. For those who don’t know what AmeriCorps is, it’s basically like a nation peace corps. What we do deals with environmental education and natural resource programs.”
This summer, UCC crews traveled to work at Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Fossil Butte and the Golden Spike Monument. Their projects included creating handicapped accessible trails and educating school children, according to the ORC general handout.
“So basically, during the winter, we do the education volunteering and in the summer we have students doing outdoor work for the Parks Service or Forest Service,” Damitz said. “[The summer work] comes with a living allowance and an education award that can be put toward future college tuition or past student loans.
“Utah State students can get involved in a lot of ways. On Tuesday, Oct. 30, for example we have a community cleanup. We will be recruiting 36 students for summer positions that start in May and go through August,” he said.
For information about the ORC or rentals, call 797-3264 or visit www.usu.edu/orc. Information regarding the Utah Conservation Corps can be obtained by calling Damitz or Keith Shaw at 797-0964. For those interested in becoming trip leaders, an application can be picked up at the ORC 1050 N., 950 East or accessed online at www.usu.edu/orc.