Idaho State Rep. Mat Erpelding will raise money for the Idaho Redside Foundation this August. He will attend to hike the nearly 1,000 mile Idaho Centennial Trail in 40 days. He hopes to raise money for a nonprofit cause. He is also attention to Idaho’s rural economies and the value of our public lands.
Did you know that in 2012 the Idaho Outdoor Recreation
Industry reported $6.3 billion in sales? That compares to $7.7 billion
in sales for Idaho’s crops and livestock. Everyone knows how important
agriculture is to Idaho’s rural communities. Few understand that Idaho’s
Outdoor Recreation Industry, which is heavily reliant on public lands,
has similar impact.
The Idaho’s Redside Foundation is a new organization
that supports Idaho’s guiding and outfitting workers. These workers are
often Idaho’s only ambassadors to visitors from out of state. Yet, this
working population struggles with the ups and downs of seasonal work.
Redside offers health care assistance, financial counseling, and much
more to these adventurous, brave, and hearty workers.
Read more about this project and how to help the cause below:
This August, Mat Erpelding, an Idaho state representative from District 19, will hike the 950-mile Idaho Centennial Trail.
Mat will attempt to shatter the current speed record for this hike as
well as raise money and awareness for The Redside Foundation.
Mat believes that Idaho’s rural communities benefit
economically and socially from the commercial outdoor recreation
industry, and that guiding and outfitting are integral to long-term
economic wellbeing in Idaho. Therefore, Mat strongly believes in
Redside’s mission to preserve the health and vitality of Idaho’s
commercial guiding community.
Donate now to support Mat’s ambitious goal and spread awareness of The Redside Foundation:
A little more about Mat…
Mat Erpelding is a high-altitude
climbing guide, an educator, a business owner, and a member of the Idaho
House of Representatives. In 1993, Mat moved to Idaho to attend Idaho
State University, and now lives in Boise. A vibrant and healthy
community with exceptional access to wildlands drew Mat to Boise, and it
is why he loves Idaho.
Mat is a co-owner of Experiential Adventures, which
he founded in 2004. Experiential Adventures LLC specializes in
leadership development, group facilitation, and teaching collaboration
using experiential education as its foundation. EA has grown over the
years to include clients such as the military, higher education
institutions, and corporations seeking to improve their organizational
culture.
Until December 2012, Mat was an instructor at the
College of Western Idaho Dept. of Physical Education, specializing in
training teachers to use experiential education in the classroom. Mat is
an adjunct faculty member in the Leadership Studies Minor at Boise
State University. Mat has also worked in the Division of Student Affairs
at different colleges and universities including Boise State
University, California State University, Chico, Evergreen State College,
and Texas Tech University. Mat recently co-edited a textbook for
outdoor leadership programs called Outdoor Program Administration.
He is the Past President of the Association of
Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE), and in 2006 was awarded the Jim
Rennie Leadership Award for outstanding service and dedication to the
Association. In 2010, Mat was awarded the Wilderness Education
Association’s Instructor of the year for bringing innovative and
substantial curriculum improvements to the organization. He ranks among
the Idaho Business Review’s “40 Most Accomplished Under 40.”
As a high-altitude mountain guide, Mat has reached
the 20,320 ft summit of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in four out of five
attempts while helping more than twenty clients reach the top as well.
Mat approaches mountaineering much as Willi Unsoeld did as a member of
the first American Everest expedition in 1963. Willi said, “The
final test for me of the legitimacy of the [mountaineering] experience
is ‘How well does your experience of the sacred in nature enable you to
cope more effectively with the problems of mankind when you come back to
the city?’” Mat’s passion for wilderness has shaped his belief that civic engagement is essential to living in our community.
In addition to being elected to the Idaho House of
Representatives in 2012, Mat has served as the Vice Chair of the Ada
County Democrats, and was named “Activist of the Year” by the Idaho
Democratic Party at the 2012 Frank Church Banquet. Mat understands the
challenges faced by Idaho legislators. He worked hard to support the
members of both the house and senate by organizing and preparing the
2012 Idaho Jobs and Opportunity Blueprint during the legislative
session. He has pledged to devote much of his career to public service
to help build sustainable urban and rural communities in Idaho.
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