In Loving Memory of Rocky Milburn

By Gary Gibbons

Florida’s outdoors lost a true hero in April. Rocky Milburn, a leader in Sierra Club for decades, passed away peacefully, surrounded by close friends who loved him deeply.

Rocky’s passion was to take people (especially young people) on outings to discover the wonders of nature. He trained dozens of people (including me) to lead outings and taught First Aid training as part of his extensive outings training.

Rocky was an expert birder as well, and he loved doing bird surveys to count various species of birds to determine the impact of habitat loss on them.

But, Rocky will be best remembered in Sierra Club for his many years of work with the ICO Program (Inspiring Connections Outdoors) which enabled inner city youth to experience educational and fun outdoor activities that these young people would never otherwise have had the opportunity to experience. From hikes and camping, to pulling seine nets along the shoreline at Fort De Soto, these young people’s lives have been changed by the quarter century of ICO work that Rocky spearheaded and continually expanded. His work in ICO resulted in Rocky receiving a National Award from the Sierra Club a few years ago.

At every Sierra Club meeting, and in emails to Outings Leaders nearly every week, Rocky would say “We need more Outings!” He knew that when people get to experience the joy and rejuvenation that occurs when they get outdoors, they begin to appreciate the natural beauty around us and want to do more to preserve our wild places and the wildlife that needs it.

So, if you ever met Rocky, or ever were fortunate enough to go on an outing or bird watching with him, say a prayer of thanks for Rocky, and keep his memory in your heart.

Whenever I hear a bird singing, I know I’ll be thinking of my dear friend, Rocky Milburn.

Rest In Peace, Rocky. We learned so much from you.

Click this link to read more eulogies written in his honor: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/iWSd2wry

EVENT NOTICE: His legacy was honored during the City of Tampa Earth Fair on April 19th at Al Lopez Park.