River City Outdoors Opens New Gear Lending Library

ST. LOUIS - July 6, 2023 - PRLog -- River City Outdoors (RCO), a nonprofit organization based in the City of St. Louis, has opened a new Gear Lending Library that makes outdoor equipment more accessible to residents and removes barriers for those living in the St. Louis region to get outside.

The Gear Lending Library is located at the Big Muddy Adventures Guide Shop at 4662 Washington Boulevard in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis and offers free borrowing of outdoor equipment for hiking, camping, paddling, bikepacking, and more. Inventory and check-out services are available at https://rivercityoutdoors.myturn.com.

The Gear Lending Library is currently open to RCO network member organizations serving St. Louis youth and their families, and school groups. RCO staff provides free training to borrowers on how to properly use and care for the equipment prior to check-out. After a trial period, RCO hopes to expand the gear library to the public at large.

Funding for the project was provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service's Urban Connections program, an initiative that bridges the gap between urban residents and the national forests in their backyard and provides opportunities for urban audiences to get involved in natural resource activities in national forests and in their cities.

The Gear Lending Library is also being supported by the Outdoors Empowered Network (OEN), a national network of community-led, youth-centered outdoor education groups that are dedicated to increasing access and diversity in the outdoors through gear libraries and outdoor leadership training. Equipment was provided by GCI Outdoor, GSI Outdoors, Goal Zero, Mountainsmith, Petzl, FE Active, NEMO, Big Agnes, ShowersPass, Carson, and others, as well as through private donations.

One St. Louis emerging community leader sees the Gear Lending Library as an exciting, equitable way to keep outdoor time high and wasteful environmental impact low.

Ujima, a St. Louis-based organization that cultivates community through food justice, environmental stewardship, and youth empowerment, plans to use equipment from the gear library for its summer outdoor education programs, which include two camping trips and a new float trip.

RCO is one of 13 Thrive Outside communities across the United States. The Outdoor Foundation's Thrive Outside initiative awards multi-year, capacity-building grants to diverse communities to build and strengthen networks that provide children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors. The community-led initiative is built with trusted local and national partners and is supported by three years of funding.

About River City Outdoors

River City Outdoors (RCO) is a nonprofit organization that is growing a network of intersectional partners that collectively aim to address the barriers that exist to safe and equitable outdoor access in the St. Louis region. For details about RCO and its partners and programs, visit https://www.rivercityoutdoors.org.