Members of a group called the Great Old Broads for Wilderness will host an event in Tucson Wednesday to tell about their organization and invite others to join them in doing “serious work for Mother Earth.”
The nonprofit group, founded 25 years ago, has 4,500 members nationwide, including about 200 in Arizona. It aims to engage the activism of elders and others to preserve and protect wild lands.
“We want to let people in Tucson know about us, and ultimately we would like to organize a chapter there,” said Kathy Ann Walsh, leader of the group’s Phoenix chapter. The Broads also have chapters, known in the group as “broadbands,” in Prescott, Flagstaff and Nutrioso in eastern Arizona.
The free event Wednesday — from 6 to 8 p.m. at a residence at 725 S. Seventh Ave. — will include “food and beverages, great camaraderie and opportunities for advocacy, education and stewardship,” Walsh said.
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ALL ARE WELCOME
Walsh emphasized that everyone is welcome at the event regardless of age or gender.
“The group is made up primarily of women over 50, but we certainly have male members and younger women — great old broads in training,” she said. “We don’t turn anyone away.” Members pay an annual membership fee of $25.
She said the group was founded by “some older women” who took issue with an argument that more roads were needed in wild areas to accommodate older people.
“They said they were not decrepit, that they were active hikers, campers and backpackers — and they didn’t need more roads in the wilderness,” Walsh said. “They chose the name of the group because it was catchy and funny and would get attention.”
BROADS ON A MISSION
“The group’s mission is to preserve and protect wilderness areas and wildlife from threats such as mining, all-terrain vehicles and overgrazing,” Walsh said. “We use education, advocacy and stewardship.”
Members also pitch in with volunteer work on public lands.
“We do work projects with the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Arizona Game and Fish Department,” Walsh said.
“But we try to have fun, too, while trying to do some good for the world,” she added. “We don’t take everything super seriously.”
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