Category: Newsletter

Events, Family Outdoors, General Outdoors, Newsletter, Special, Wander Tots, Women Outdoors

Butterfly Report — December 2021

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Year end events, meet new team members, and 1St Day Hike

Thanks for a wonderful 2021! Things are still a little different, but we’ve enjoyed finding a new normal with y’all outdoors. We’re excited for all the changes and growth this year has delivered, and we have two new team members for you to meet this month. In the New Year, the team will continue to grow and you can join us January 1st at Monte Sano State Park for a First Day Hike. We can’t wait to share a whole new year with you soon!

🦋 December 10th — Winter Adventure & Toy Drive, a Wander Tots session ($15/household, Please bring a toy to donate)

🦋 December 19th — Mindfulness Hike, special event ages 12+ ($18/person, family discounts available)

🦋 December 14th — Women Outdoors, Hiking 101 ($7/person, virtual seminar)

Click below to find all the details on these and other upcoming events, then sign up for your next adventure today!

Upcoming Events
Team Member Highlight
Emily Alman, Outdoor Guide

Emily is passionate about wonder, wholeness and authentic connection. Emily loves the invitation that nature offers to believe in (among other things) abundance, reciprocity and the power of diversity. Emily has been known to hug the “best” tree on the trail, come home with a camera roll full of fall foliage, and occasionally take her boots off to hike barefoot in the woods. Emily is one of the lead educators at Little Mountain Forest School and a 200-hour trained yoga teacher. 

Butterfly Outdoors is excited to welcome another wonderful member to our team, and hope you can join Emily on trail for a Mindfulness Hike December 19th!

Photos and profiles of all our new team members will be available on our website soon!

First Day Hike

We’d love to have you join us as we kick off the New Year with a First Day Hike at Monte Sano State Park. Butterfly Outdoors is co-hosting this year’s event with Monte Sano State Park, and we are excited to begin 2022 with such a special event!

Normal park entrance fees apply, but there is no additional cost for this guided hike. Learn more about this nationwide event here, and click the button below to get the details you need to join our local hike.

Learn More
Support a local nonprofit this Giving Tuesday

Butterfly Outdoors is working to make the outdoors more welcoming to all users, but we need your help. Please join us by taking this “Giving Tuesday” to donate to local organizations such as Black Kids Adventure, Inc.

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support

Events, Family Outdoors, General Outdoors, Newsletter, Women Outdoors

Butterfly Report — November 2021

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Upcoming Events, Team Member Highlight, and Partner Programs

This fall has already brought so much adventure, and we are gearing up for more excitement! I’ve had the opportunity to lead women, families, and co-ed groups on hikes and outdoor learning. Thankfully, there is more coming soon…

🦋 November 6th — Walls of Jericho Day Hike ($35/person, co-ed, ages 16+ welcome)

🦋 November 12th — Discovery Wander, a Wander Tots session ($15/household, FREE to Veteran’s Family’s)

🦋 November 19th — Learning to Layer, a Wander Tots session ($15/household)

🦋 November 21st — Women Outdoors, Discover Rock Climbing ($68/person, equipment and instruction included)

Click below to find all the details on these and other upcoming events, then sign up for your next adventure today!

Upcoming Events
Team Member Highlight
Jessica Larmon, Outdoor Guide

Jessica’s love of the outdoors and desire for adventure began at a young age. During childhood she asked her father if they could hike to Florida from their north Alabama home, and he loaded up a pack full of crackers and headed off to the woods to help inspire her curiosity of nature. She went on to earn a BS in Biology, and continued her hikes into the wildlands of Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Today she works closely with the National Speleological Society (a nonprofit focused in cave conservation), and she has taken her exploring heart to high peaks of the western US as well as into the depths of southeastern caves.

We are thrilled to have her experience, curiosity, and adventurous spirit join the Butterfly Outdoors team!

Photos and profiles of all our new team members will be available on our website soon!

Partner Programs & Upcoming Events

We’d love to have you join one of our Upcoming Events, but we also wanted to share some FREE events from our partners and friends. You may even find us leading a hike or activity at one of these upcoming programs!

Join the Land Trust of North Alabama for a guided hike, trail project, or education program, and look for Butterfly Outdoors at the Fall Education Fair. Check out all their upcoming events here.

Black Adventure Crew and Black Kids Adventure, Inc. have a lot of fun outdoor activities coming this fall! Check out the upcoming Hero Hike for Veteran’s on November 6th.

Let’s be friends

Did you know we have social groups where you can meet other women and families who love the outdoors? Check out Young Naturalists, Wander Tots and Women Outdoors and join our groups on Facebook.

Get to know us here
Barriers to the Outdoors

Butterfly Outdoors is working to make the outdoors more welcoming and accessible to all users, but we need your help. Please support us in our gear drive, contribute to our scholarship fund, and search for ways you can make the #outdoorsforall and #diversifyoutdoors. Another great way to aid this effort is joining communities like Accessible Alabama, and Outdoor Afro, and by donating to local groups such as Black Kids Adventure, Inc.

Support Scholarships

Our scholarship program helps us provide services to underserved members of our community, and we appreciate assistance expanding this program in 2021.

***Butterfly Outdoors is an LLC not a 501(c)3.  We appreciate your support, and pledge to utilize donations toward free services and scholarships.  However, please understand your donation is not tax deductible.  PLEASE INCLUDE “DONATION” IN THE COMMENTS OR DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PAYMENT TO ENSURE YOUR FUNDS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.***

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support
Events, Family Outdoors, Newsletter, Personal Story, Trail/Adventure Review, Women Outdoors

Butterfly Report — September 2021

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Paddling, Playing, and Planning for More

I’ve been paddling and exploring new places to lead groups, and I’ve found some neat spots all ages can enjoy! Next month I’ll be leading our Young Naturalists group and the Women Outdoors group in paddling trips, and we have “fairy fun” for our Wander Tots as well. Check out our upcoming events and signup for adventure!

Did you know we have social groups where you can meet other women and families who love the outdoors? Check out Young Naturalists, Wander Tots and Women Outdoors and join our groups on Facebook. Registration is open for events in all three groups!

Upcoming Events
Work with Us!

In our last newsletter I mentioned we’d have Job Openings coming this fall. We are excited to offer a Social Media Internship to assist us with managing our social accounts, organizing virtual content, and marketing events. We also hope to train and hire multiple Outdoor Guides to expand the areas we are able to lead Women Outdoors activities within Alabama, as well as to assist us in programs we are leading. A special newsletter will be released in mid-September with full job descriptions and information on how to apply. A brief overview of preferred candidates for each position is outlined below:

Social Media Internship

Butterfly Outdoors is found on several social media platforms, and we produce content, market events, and organize groups through these platforms. We are seeking a college student majoring in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, or a related field. Students who apply should be in their final two years of coursework toward a Bachelor’s degree in one of these fields, and they will need to provide a resume along with at least one reference letter from a professor in their major of study.

A scholarship toward coursework and a monthly stipend will be provided for satisfactory work. Opportunities for professional development, networking, and references are also available.

Get to know our platforms
Outdoor Guide

Butterfly Outdoors leads guided hikes, paddling tours, and overnight trips in north Alabama, but we want to provide Women Outdoors experiences statewide. We are seeking experienced women outdoors to lead other women on guided hikes and outdoor activities throughout Alabama. We also welcome applicants interested in learning wilderness skills, and willing to train under experienced guides. Applicants should be in good physical health, and willing to work in natural settings year round despite hot, cold, rainy, or otherwise undesirable conditions. Applicants should also be willing and able to travel within their region of the state, and open to assisting with trips to other regions occasionally. Guides will be expected to attain CPR/First-Aid and/or Wilderness First Aid prior to paid work, but assistance with training costs is available.

We have multiple positions available for Outdoor Guides. However, it should be understood that this is contract based work.

Be on the look out for our special newsletter with full job descriptions and how to apply.

Our May anniversary hike of Section 5 is up now! We had a great time sharing the trail with 120 plus runners from the Make-A-Wish, Trailblaze Challenge. Check out this trip, and stay tuned for my finial spring trip coming soon! Please be sure to like and subscribe to the linked video and YouTube channel to stay posted on the next section of my travels.
Pinhoti Section 5

Local blogger, outdoor enthusiast, and founder of Black Adventure Crew, Zenovia B. Stephens, shares her family’s trip to Scottsboro. This short, fun read has definitely added some sights to my next trip!

More ZeNotes
Barriers to the Outdoors

Butterfly Outdoors is working to make the outdoors more welcoming and accessible to all users, but we need your help. Please support us in our gear drive, contribute to our scholarship fund, and search for ways you can make the #outdoorsforall and #diversifyoutdoors. Another great way to aid this effort is joining communities like Accessible Alabama, and Outdoor Afro, and by donating to local groups such as Black Kids Adventure, Inc.

Support Scholarships

Our scholarship program helps us provide services to underserved members of our community, and we appreciate assistance expanding this program in 2021.

***Butterfly Outdoors is an LLC not a 501(c)3.  We appreciate your support, and pledge to utilize donations toward free services and scholarships.  However, please understand your donation is not tax deductible.  PLEASE INCLUDE “DONATION” IN THE COMMENTS OR DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PAYMENT TO ENSURE YOUR FUNDS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.***

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support
Buy Me A Coffee

CREATIVITY TAKES FUEL, and coffee is our preferred power source!!! If you enjoy our content then click the image below to fuel our next story by buying us a coffee! ☕️

Buy Me a Coffee
Events, Newsletter, Trail/Adventure Review, Wander Tots, Women Outdoors

Butterfly Report — August 2021

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Enjoy the Memories, Plan for the Future, Live Now

Summer paddling and creek play Wander sessions have been fun, and we have more of both coming soon!!! Check out our Upcoming Events to learn about how to join Women Outdoors’ and Wander Tots’ activities this month.

Registration is open for events in Women Outdoors and Wander Tots.

Upcoming Events

We are also making plans for fall, and we have big plans for Butterfly Outdoors and our groups moving forward. Over the past year our following has been growing, and in recent months the hunger for outdoor experiences has grown beyond what Blaire and I can provide alone. I’m making plans to extend our services through partnerships, member training opportunities, and new team members!

More information on Job Openings will be available in our next newsletter.

Section 4 of the Pinhoti Trail is now posted on our YouTube channel. I hiked this section with my sister in spring, and it was truly beautiful! Please be sure to like and subscribe to the linked video and YouTube channel to stay posted on the next section of my travels.
Pinhoti Section 4

We also love hearing about your discoveries so please share them with us on social media, and leave reviews or recommendations if we’ve already helped you discover a new way to EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors.

Connect with us here

“Accept the Land Trust #HugaTreeLT Challenge and start exploring amazing local spaces!”

This challenge features 9 different trees, at 9 different green spaces across Madison County. Each month offers guided hikes to these locations, and you can search for them independently anytime! Click the image to learn more, and start exploring the Land Trust today.

Help us break down barriers to the outdoors

We are still working to offer more opportunities to beginners, underserved communities, and essential workers. We believe time outdoors is a valuable stress reliever and hobby that should be a right, not a privilege. You can help us break down barriers such as lack of funds, lack of gear, and lack of opportunities.

If you have gear you no longer need, or funds to donate to this cause please email ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com. Need gear? Let us know, and we’ll help however we can!

We are still accepting donations for scholarships and creative content. Read on to learn how you can participate, or contact us to discuss how we can help break down barriers you may face.

Support Scholarships

Our scholarship program helps us provide services to underserved members of our community, and we appreciate assistance expanding this program in 2021.

***Butterfly Outdoors is an LLC not a 501(c)3.  We appreciate your support, and pledge to utilize donations toward free services and scholarships.  However, please understand your donation is not tax deductible.  PLEASE INCLUDE “DONATION” IN THE COMMENTS OR DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PAYMENT TO ENSURE YOUR FUNDS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.***

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support

Thanks to everyone who has supported us during these challenging times, and if you find value in our content and share in our commitment to help others EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors please consider contributing to our efforts or contacting us at ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com to discover how you can get involved.

Buy Me A Coffee

CREATIVITY TAKES FUEL, and coffee is our preferred power source!!! If you enjoy our content then click the image below to fuel our next story by buying us a coffee! ☕️

Buy Me a Coffee

Events, Family Outdoors, General Outdoors, Newsletter, Trail/Adventure Review, Women Outdoors

Butterfly Report — July 2021

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We’re Back… Paddle, Wander, Discover What’s Next

It’s been a while, but I’m happy to update the entire Butterfly Outdoors’ community on what we’ve been up and what’s next. First, our virtual communities are growing, and I’d like to welcome our new members. We love for you to follow our adventures, but we’d really love to help you find your own. Let us know what you’ve been dreaming of doing, and we’ll help you plan and prepare. We offer skills lessons, gear consultations, training hikes, and overnight workshops to help you prepare for family campouts, paddling trips, and backpacking excursions. Moving forward the Butterfly Report will resume monthly posts highlighting upcoming events, sharing our adventures, and promoting causes important to our vision, mission, and community.

We also love hearing about your discoveries so please share them with us on social media, and leave reviews or recommendations if we’ve already helped you discover a new way to EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors.

Connect with us here

Since our last post in April 2021, I’ve added a new video on my Pinhoti Trail adventure. I have video footage from three more sections of the trail I hope to edit and share this summer! Please be sure to like and subscribe to the linked video and YouTube channel to stay posted on the next section of my travels.

Pinhoti Section 3

Our Young Naturalists group has been providing FREE programs both in-person and online, and we are available to schedule private programs for families, scout troops, and groups. Blaire Baxter, Naturalist and Young Naturalists mama, is doing amazing things for that community and she has more wonderful programs planned moving forward. We’ll share details on upcoming events for that group later this month!

Registration is open for events in Women Outdoors and Wander Tots. We are also planning more frequent activities for each of our groups this summer and fall. Find the right event for your interest and budget on our Upcoming Events page, or contact us to plan a private experience for your family or group.

Upcoming Events
Help us break down barriers to the outdoors

We are still working to offer more opportunities to beginners, underserved communities, and essential workers. We believe time outdoors is a valuable stress reliever and hobby that should be a right, not a privilege. You can help us break down barriers such as lack of funds, lack of gear, and lack of opportunities.

If you have gear you no longer need, or funds to donate to this cause please email ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com. Need gear? Let us know, and we’ll help however we can!

We are still accepting donations for scholarships and creative content. Read on to learn how you can participate, or contact us to discuss how we can help break down barriers you may face.

Support Scholarships

Our scholarship program helps us provide services to underserved members of our community, and we appreciate assistance expanding this program in 2021.

***Butterfly Outdoors is an LLC not a 501(c)3.  We appreciate your support, and pledge to utilize donations toward free services and scholarships.  However, please understand your donation is not tax deductible.  PLEASE INCLUDE “DONATION” IN THE COMMENTS OR DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PAYMENT TO ENSURE YOUR FUNDS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.***

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support

Thanks to everyone who has supported us during these challenging times, and if you find value in our content and share in our commitment to help others EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors please consider contributing to our efforts or contacting us at ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com to discover how you can get involved.

Buy Me A Coffee

CREATIVITY TAKES FUEL, and coffee is our preferred power source!!! If you enjoy our content then click the image below to fuel our next story by buying us a coffee! ☕️

Buy Me a Coffee

Events, Newsletter, Personal Story

Butterfly Report — April 2021

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Follow Our Adventures & Discover Your Own

Since the last Butterfly Report I’ve been fortunate enough to hike, camp, paddle, and bike. I try to spend as much of my life outdoors as possible, and this is something I work daily to share with my daughter as well. Beyond that I love sharing my adventures with others, and this year I hope to share my section hike of the Pinhoti Trail. You can follow this excursion on Butterfly Outdoors’ YouTube channel and our blog. Click the button below to check out my first two sections of the trail.

Pinhoti Trip

We also love hearing about your discoveries so please share them with us on social media, and leave reviews or recommendations if we’ve already helped you discover a better way to EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors.

Connect with us here

We love for you to follow our adventures, but we’d really love to help you find your own. Let us know what you’ve been dreaming of doing, and we’ll help you plan and prepare. We offer skills lessons, gear consultations, training hikes, and overnight workshops to help you prepare for family campouts, paddling trips, and backpacking excursions.

Coming Soon

We have many events on the calendar from overnights to the Walls of Jericho to a community Earth Day cleanup project. Find the right event for your interest and budget on our Upcoming Events page.

Upcoming Events — beta page

***Since this content will be public it may not contain as many details and information, especially related to meeting locations. This is a safety precaution since most of our activities are geared toward women and families.

Help us break down barriers to the outdoors

We are working to offer more opportunities to beginners, underserved communities, and essential workers. We believe time outdoors is a valuable stress reliever and hobby that should be a right, not a privilege. You can help us break down barriers such as lack of funds, lack of gear, and lack of opportunities.

This month we are hosting a gear drive and fundraising event! If you have gear you no longer need, or funds to donate to this cause please email ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com or visit my Facebook fundraiser. Need gear? Let us know, and we’ll help however we can!

We are still accepting donations for scholarships and creative content. Read on to learn how you can participate, or contact us to discuss how we can help break down barriers you may face.

Support Scholarships

Our scholarship program helps us provide services to underserved members of our community, and we appreciate assistance expanding this program in 2021.

***Butterfly Outdoors is an LLC not a 501(c)3.  We appreciate your support, and pledge to utilize donations toward free services and scholarships.  However, please understand your donation is not tax deductible.  PLEASE INCLUDE “DONATION” IN THE COMMENTS OR DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PAYMENT TO ENSURE YOUR FUNDS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.***

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support

Thanks to everyone who has supported us during these challenging times, and if you find value in our content and share in our commitment to help others EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors please consider contributing to our efforts or contacting us at ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com to discover how you can get involved.

Buy Me A Coffee

CREATIVITY TAKES FUEL, and coffee is our preferred power source!!! If you enjoy our content then click the image below to fuel our next story by buying us a coffee! ☕️

Buy Me a Coffee
Events, Newsletter

Butterfly Report — March 2021

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The Magic of Spring edition

The beauties of spring are abundant even though the official start is still a few days away (March 20th, if you were wondering). On the trail I’ve been spotting new buds of young leaves and flowers waiting to burst free since late February, but in the past couple of weeks new shoots have opened and tiny wildflowers are blossoming in abundance. Spring is the perfect time to stroll along creek trails in search of breeding frogs and budding wildflowers; test your photography skills on new blooms and birds at your feeder; and get the kiddos exploring with magnifying glasses anytime you step outdoors. We are here to help you discover the magic of spring through our upcoming events, and through private hikes and workshops.

We also love hearing about your discoveries so please share them with us on social media, and leave reviews or recommendations if we’ve already helped you discover a better way to EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors.

Connect with us here
Coming Soon

We are still working to setup our Event Calendar and Registration tools, but we are consolidating our Upcoming Events into one location. This new feature will be available this month, so you can view events across groups and share activities with friends outside the Facebook community. We will continue to post events and have open discussions through our Facebook communities, but we want to make these opportunities more accessible to those outside of Facebook.

Upcoming Events — beta page

***Since this content will be public it may not contain as many details and information, especially related to meeting locations. This is a safety precaution since most of our activities are geared toward women and families.

Get to know Our Team

As I mentioned in last month’s Butterfly Report the unique climate of 2020 lead Butterfly Outdoors to find new focus. We developed virtual community groups, and have provided a combination of virtual and in-person events! We now serve three main groups: Women Outdoors, Wander Tots, and Young Naturalists. Again, if you haven’t found your niche in one of these groups we will continue to provide private services and co-host opportunities with our partners in conservation.

The changes of 2020 meant I needed more help, and I’d like to introduce everyone to the wonderful women who are serving their communities in making new services and opportunities to EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY possible. Without Blaire, Amy, and Venus I would not be able to provide the quality or frequency of activities now available.

Join the team

Over the coming year we also hope to recruit Regional Leaders in Women Outdoors so we can offer opportunities for hikes, paddles, and experiential education throughout Alabama. If you are interested in taking a leadership role in your community, gaining access to training and special leadership events, and getting discounts to Butterfly Outdoors host events please contact ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com.

Help us break down barriers to the outdoors

We are working to offer more opportunities to beginners, underserved communities, and essential workers. We believe time outdoors is a valuable stress reliever and hobby that should be a right, not a privilege. You can help us break down barriers such as lack of funds, lack of gear, and lack of opportunities. If you are able to support Our Mission and Our Vision to help others find their place outdoors then please consider a contribution to support scholarships, provide gear access, and offer special rejuvenation events for essential workers. Read on to learn how you can participate, or contact us to discuss how we can help break down barriers you may face.

Support Scholarships

Our scholarship program helps us provide services to underserved members of our community, and we appreciate assistance expanding this program in 2021.

***Butterfly Outdoors is an LLC not a 501(c)3.  We appreciate your support, and pledge to utilize donations toward free services and scholarships.  However, please understand your donation is not tax deductible.  PLEASE INCLUDE “DONATION” IN THE COMMENTS OR DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PAYMENT TO ENSURE YOUR FUNDS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.***

Donate Here
Thanks for Your Support

Thanks to everyone who has supported us during these challenging times, and if you find value in our content and share in our commitment to help others EXPLORE~LEARN~PLAY outdoors please consider contributing to our efforts or contacting us at ButterflyOutdoors@gmail.com to discover how you can get involved.

Buy Me A Coffee

CREATIVITY TAKES FUEL, and coffee is our preferred power source!!! If you enjoy our content then click the image below to fuel our next story by buying us a coffee! ☕️

Buy Me a Coffee