Great Outdoors upcoming events

PS - Speaker Series - Esperanza's Sanctuary : A non-profit Farm and Farm Animal Rescue, Rehab and Rehome...and much much more! (Tue, July 28, 2026)

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Speaker Series:

Esperanza's Sanctuary

GOPS is honored to welcome Tabitha Davies, co-director of Esperanza's Sanctuary: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal sanctuary and community hub located in Sky Valley, CA.

The mission of Esperanza's Sanctuary is advancing animal welfare, food sovereignty, regenerative agriculture and environmental education.

Esperanza's Sanctuary is a working farm that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes farm animals; grows food for distribution and grows native plants and forage crops; all while using sustainable climate-resilient practices.

Please join GOPS for this fascinating and informative conversation with Tabitha as she shares the important and wonderful work of Esperanza's Sanctuary.

This presentation will be held before our monthly Core Group meeting located at:

The LGBTQ Community Center: 1301 North Palm Canyon Dr., Room 3, Floor 3, Palm Springs 92262

Light refreshments will be provided before the presentation.

For questions about the event, contact Jeff C at Outreach-PS@greatoutdoors.org

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS OF THE ROOM, WE MUST LIMIT THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES TO 30 PERSONS.

IF THE EVENT IS FULL, PLEASE REGISTER AND YOU WILL BE PUT ON THE WAITLIST. IN MOST CASES THERE ARE CANCELLATIONS PRIOR TO THE EVENT AND WE CAN USUALLY ACCOMMODATE EVERYONE.

PS - Monthly Membership Meeting - In-Person and Zoom (Tue, July 28, 2026)

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 01:30:00 GMT

GOPS Monthly Core Group Meetings are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of each month starting at 6:30 pm, subject to change due to holidays and conflicting events. Meetings can be attended online via Zoom each month. Meetings are held simultaneously in-person in January, March, May, July, September and November 2026. In-person meetings are held at the Center, 3rd floor Meeting Room 3, 1301 North Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA.

Check the event registration details for the date and the particulars of the meeting.

GOPS members can attend by registering for the meeting. For best results in attending via Zoom, plan to use a computer or tablet equipped with a camera and microphone. Information on how to enter the Zoom meeting will be provided to registrants in their Confirmation and Reminder emails.

SD/OCLB/LA/SBVC - Great Outdoors Archive Visit @ USC Libraries ONE Archives (Sat, August 01, 2026)

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:45:00 GMT

USC ONE Archives Visit

Saturday Aug 1, 2026 at 10am sharp

Join us for a family friendly day to learn about the history of Great Outdoors from when we began in 1978 to today, including our founders and historical chapters across California and beyond!

Day of Schedule:

10:00am USC One Archive Visit

11:30am Urban Walk through USC Campus (1.1 miles, ~30min)

12:00pm Lunch as group

Potential Urban Walk Information: This hike from the ONE Archive at USC to lunch will all be paved and accessible for all age groups. This urban walk is expected to take 30mins at a generous pace. We will aim to visit the campus statue, Tommy Trojan, for a group photo op!

Parking: USC's ONE Archive has a free private parking lot, so anyone coming directly to the archive will be fine.

Cost: Free

Time Commitment: Plan for approx 3-4 hours

Dogs: No animals allowed.

Health Problems/Allergies: It is the responsibility of participants to carry on their person a record of significant allergies, medications and medical history in the event of a medical emergency. Discuss any medical concerns with a trip leader if you wish.

Contact/Question:- If you have any questions not addressed by the information above or on our registration page, please feel free to contact the trip leader:

Tyler Roosden (651.497.1611)

Great Outdoors San Diego EDI Statement

Great Outdoors San Diego and our members enjoy the privilege of using the outdoors for recreation. We strive to include more of our community, especially those historically not included. Please encourage your friends, neighbors, and community members to come out and join us! If something is holding them back, please contact GOSD to explore accommodations including equipment available for lend or sponsorships for events.

SBVC - Monthly Social & Meeting (Wed, August 12, 2026)

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Monthly Social & Meeting
Join us in Ventura

Wednesday, August 12, 2026
6:00–8:00 PM
@ Bright Spark Brewing

Join us for a fun evening of food, conversation, and community! Whether you're a longtime member or a new friend, everyone is welcome.

We'll kick off the evening with a casual social hour and dinner, so grab a drink and order something to eat. Bright Spark Brewing offers a great selection of craft beers, non-alcoholic beverages, and delicious food. During the second hour, we'll hold our monthly chapter meeting.

We'll be catching up after Ventura County Pride, sharing highlights from the festival, and talking about upcoming hikes, camping trips, and social events. We'll also be discussing our upcoming All-Chapter Campout & Conference at Lake Cachuma, October 16–18, as we prepare to welcome members from chapters across California.

Come enjoy great company, good food and drinks, and learn more about Great Outdoors—we'd love to meet you!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Chris Curry, President GO-SBVC, 805-280-2016

Bright Spark Brewing
4561 Market St
Ventura, CA 93003
brightsparkbrewing.com

SBVC - Flying Club / Primetimers BBQ - SAVE THE DATE (Sat, September 12, 2026)

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Flying Club / Primetimers BBQ

Fire up the grill, let's make some noise,
Burgers, dogs, and happy joys!
Good food, good friends, a perfect day,
Come hang with us, don't delay!

WHEN: Sept 12, 2026 @ TBD

WHERE: Goleta Beach Park

*Registration is not open at this time. More info to follow...*

PS - Hike / Bike / Day Event Planning Meeting NOTE NEW LOCATION (Thu, September 24, 2026)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Hike, bike, and day activities planning meeting. We will eat breakfast, review the calendar and coordinate events through the rest of 2026.

Due to the permanent closure of the Palm Springs IHOP and low attendance at the Rancho Mirage IHOP, we will meet at the Denny's (map here) across the street from the LGBTQ Center of the Desert in Palm Springs.

If you are unable to attend, please submit your hike, bike or other events and we will schedule them.

Day Activities to consider other than hiking/biking:

Bird-watching at your favorite wetland
Movie night with an environmental focus
Plan a creative celebration of the equinox or solstice
Organize a docent-led tour of museum or park
Take a docent tour and then lead a similar one yourself for Great Outdoors
Attend a conservation lecture with other members
Organize a service trip to repair or build trails or weed out invasive plants
Set up a potluck brunch organized around a letter-writing campaign
Photography hike and follow-up potluck to review photos
Tour city dump or county watershed
Tour a sewage treatment plant
Tour little known public parks or open space
Mountain biking
Old-fashioned potluck picnic
Special events or exhibits
Ride horses
Planetarium or museum or zoo visit on free day
Anything that broadens our awareness of our environment is a valid outing

Contact VP of Outings click here with your ideas and suggestions.

SBVC - Lake Lopez California: Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival Weekend! (Thu, September 24, 2026)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Lake Lopez - Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival

The Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival is a local favorite event that features everything from entertainment to food, scarecrow and baking contests, games for the kids, movie night, and so much more! This family-friendly event highlights the best of Arroyo Grande and its neighboring communities. Harvest festival not your thing? Lake Lopez has lots to offer as well, with fishing, boating, zip-lining, water slide activities, hiking, and more! Also the Arroyo Grande area has several wonderful wineries minutes from Lake Lopez for touring and tasting! The village of Arroyo Grande is sprinkled with antique shops galore as well!
Your weekend is only limited by your imagination folks!

So come join us for a four day weekend of fun, friends and relaxation!

When: Sept 24 - 27, 2026 @ Lopez Lake Recreation Area-El Jardin Group Site

Thursday-Check-in starts at 3pm-come on in, set up, settle in, meet your fellow campers and enjoy some snacks after all that set up work!

Friday-Harvest Festival starts in the afternoon at 4pm, so that gives you the whole morning to explore Lake Lopez itself, or the surrounding areas.
Saturday-Today's got a lot going on, with the Harvest Festival Parade from 1000-1130AM in town. Followed by the Harvest Festival Wiener Dog Races from 2pm-3pm.

Sunday-A mellow morning of breakfast with your fellow campers and packing up, as check out is at 1100AM.
So come on out to this central coast location and enjoy your Great Outdoors folks!

PARKING LIMIT-As always, there is a limitation of how many vehicles (ANYTHING with a license plate {car, truck, travel trailer, motorhome} counts!) of 10 vehicles for this trip. So please please please, carpool if you can, and if there's any question, please touch base with your trip leader:
Joe D-805-588-1142
email-countryboyjoe1@gmail.com

SBVC/CORP - 48th All Chapter Conference and Campout - SAVE THE DATE (Fri, October 16, 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMT

*** SAVE THE DATE ***

Hello GO!

Please make sure that you mark your calendars for the
48th All Chapter Conference and Campout
Hosted by GO-SBVC

Dates
Friday, October 16 thru Sunday, October 18, 2026
Location
TBA