Great Old Broads on a mission to save wilderness

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. 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.” “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...more