Eastern Missouri Group E-Newsletter

AUGUST 2014

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Creek crossing, Pioneer Forest by Becky Denney

August 28, 2014, General Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road at Lindbergh Blvd., Ladue, MO 63124 (map)
Short presentations given by members on a variety of Sierra Club projects, environmental issues, and educational topics, e.g. trail work, green roofs, eco-driving, etc.

September 25, 2014, General Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road at Lindbergh Blvd., Ladue, MO 63124 (map)
Hiking in the Current River Country - Pioneer Forest's vast holdings of privately conserved and managed timber lands offer unique opportunities to hike and explore in the Current River valley. Join the L-A-D Foundation's Neal Humke to learn about trails of the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry and of other Foundation lands.

Looking Forward
      by Paul Stupperich
We are now in the dog days of August and looking forward to cool fall weather and getting back to hiking. It is also time for the Trails Committee to plan our trail work for the fall. The Trails Committee has two events already planned and we invite your participation. The first event is our September General Meeting (see above).

The second event is the October work week that runs from the 18th through 26th. We will be staying overnight at Current River State Park while working days on the trails in the Pioneer Forest. Our favorite chef, Luise Stephan will be cooking for us again this year. If you have not been to the Pioneer Forest this is a great opportunity to see some beautiful country, improve our hiking trails and enjoy great food with friends.

To sign up or for additional information, contact Paul (314-429-4352). 

St. Louis ICO has a New Name and a New Treasurer
      by Renee Payton, ICO Leader
Inner City Outings (ICO) was started by the Sierra Club in 1976 as an outreach program for people, especially youth, with little or no access to outdoor experiences. In January 2013, a name change process began because "inner city" doesn't reflect everyone participating and is potentially offensive. After an 18-month process, the chosen name was announced: Inspiring Connections Outdoors.

Another change for St. Louis ICO is that I have taken on the role of group treasurer. We thank Alan Newman, our previous treasurer, for his years of service and wish him well in retirement.

St. Louis ICO works with youth served by Karen House, Kingdom House and Saints Teresa and Bridget Church. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or leader, please contact me.

New Office for Missouri Sierra Club
          by Michael Berg

The Sierra Club in Missouri is moving on August 21 to the corner of Sutton and Maple.
The new address will be: 2818 Sutton Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63143.

The office will serve as the Sierra Club headquarters for the Eastern Missouri Group, the Missouri Chapter and the Beyond Coal campaign. The new location gives us space to accommodate the staff of all three programs, host membership meetings and trainings, and store trail maintenance tools. With its kitchen, conference room and large central area, it is a great space for members, volunteers, interns and staff to collaborate.

There will be one phone number for the office, for all Sierra Club programs in Missouri: 314-644-1011. The previous phone number for the Eastern Missouri Group (314-644-0890) will no longer be in service.

It’s a beautiful place, across the street from a park. Please come by and visit the new office.

Piney Creek Wilderness
      by Toni Armstrong

Piney Creek Wilderness by Richard Spener

Bring your boots and walk the “sidewalk” as you head down to Piney Creek on the Pineview Trail in Piney Creek Wilderness.  The “sidewalk” is a 1/3 mile long rock slab that has been incorporated into the trail.  The trails are rocky and steep.

Piney Creek Wilderness is in southwest Missouri.  Its 8,142 acres is crossed by 13 miles of trails and is bisected by Piney Creek which is formed by Piney Creek Spring.

Two trailheads offer hikers access to Piney Creek Wilderness:  Pineview Tower Trailhead off Highway 76 (32 miles west of Branson, MO in Barry County) and the South Trailhead off Lake Road 39-1. There is minimal signage of the trails, and with the interconnecting trails, a map and compass are highly recommended when you visit this rugged wilderness area. For the multi-sport enthusiast, paddling Table Rock Lake to the trail along Piney Creek provides a different access to the wilderness and its system of trails.

Piney Creek Wilderness is second-growth forest as it was logged in the late 1880’s and then the rocky ridges were farmed.  The area was abandoned by the 1950’s.  As you walk the rocky trails, you will be amazed that anyone tried to farm this area.  Glades are interspersed in the oak hickory forest.  If you are lucky you will catch a glimpse of a mature bald eagle as it passes overhead.

Piney Creek is one of seven wilderness areas in Mark Twain National Forest.  This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964.  


Celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of Ozark National Scenic Riverways
      by Becky Denney
On Saturday evening August 23, the National Park Service (NPS) will host a celebration at the Depression Era Cabin at Big Spring.  Park Superintendent Bill Black will welcome visitors, NPS historian Donald L. Stevens, Jr. will be the main speaker, and an historic film about the Ozark region in the early 1960s will be shown.  Alec Riffle and the Stiff Riffs, a Bluegrass/Newgrass band from Poplar Bluff, will provide lively entertainment.

Current River valley - dam free

Mr. Stevens is well qualified to speak about the grassroots efforts to found the park. He wrote an historic resource study published by NPS in 1991,  A Homeland and A Hinterland: the Current and Jacks Fork Riverways which you can read online.

Selected facts from A Homeland and A Hinterland, Chapter 10: Government Intervention and Modern Recreation:

Private power companies had plans to dam the Current River as early as 1918 when an engineering survey was performed. Lack of finances and the Depression kept private companies from building dams on the Current River. But these plans came into public focus by the 1930’s.

“In 1933, Senator Bales sponsored a bill requiring the state to review the licensing of private power companies after the Federal Power Commission licensed the Kansas City Power Company to survey the possibility of building three dams on the Current—at Blair Creek, above Van Buren, and above Doniphan.”

In the 1930s Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers to build 50 dams in Missouri. Disagreement about damming the Current River went on for years even within the Army Corps of Engineers. 

“Between 1930 and 1960, conservationists and local opponents of the Corps' dams devised their strategies to preserve the Current as a free-flowing river at the Rose Cliff Hotel, a popular gathering spot for Missouri conservationists.”

As opposition to dam the river grew there was disagreement as to whether the area should be managed by the National Park Service or the US Forest Service.

The story has always been, and is related in A Homeland and A Hinterland,  that the September 1961 float trip on the Current River was the decisive event for Department of Interior and NPS support.  That was when Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall along with conservationist and writer Leonard Hall, National Park Service officials and some of Congressman Ichord’s constituents were convinced of the need to protect this beautiful natural area.

Early in 1962 the Ozark National Monument was one of nine new national parks proposed by President Kennedy in an important speech to Congress. The act which created the Ozark National Scenic Riverways was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 27, 1964.

 

Green Time TV - Setting It Straight
Green Time appears in four Missouri areas.  In the St. Louis area it airs at noon on Saturdays on Channel 24-1 and at 8 pm on Mondays on Channel 24-2 on these dates:

September 6 & 8: “Harambee 101 (Action Has No Season)”  Michael V. Roberts describes his first business venture of cutting grass as a child, with host Maalik Shakoor.  Mr. Roberts believes that the most important part of success is developing self-esteem so that a person can put aside fear of failure and be confident of accomplishing one’s goals.

September 13 & 15: “Will Rubber Mulch Make You Safe or Sorry?”  Donna Jones and Rachel Slaughter discuss dangers of rubber mulch with host Don Fitz.  Rubber tires are full of toxins that are skin and eye irritants and contaminate ground water.  Now, they are being ground up for rubber mulch to be put on children’s playgrounds and used in yards.

September 20 & 22: “Harambee 101 (A Look Inside Our Schools)”  Ravon Lingard, of the Junior Black Chamber of Commerce, and Sean Nichols discuss the school learning environment, including how the Individualized Education Plan can help and hurt black students.

September 27 & 29: “Save the World One Bite at a Time--Go Veg!” Bonnie Boime describes the horrific conditions in Confined Animal Feeding Operations.  Government regulations do not ensure that farm animals are treated humanely.  Is it healthy for people to avoid animal products?

September shows include portions of a movie on Michael V. Roberts, “The Hazards of Rubber Mulch,” “IEP,” and “Glass Walls.” To volunteer to help produce Green Time call 314-727-8554 or email Don.

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Eastern Missouri Group Outings Calendar

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