Monthly Newsletter of the Eastern Missouri Group
DECEMBER 2014
Eastern Missouri Group Website | Join | Group Leadership
January 22, 2015, General Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Sierra Club office, 2818 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood, MO 63143 (map)
Andy Knott, Campaign Representative for Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign will discuss the Clean Power Plan.
February 26,2015, General Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Sierra Club office, 2818 Sutton Blvd, Maplewood, MO 63143 (map)
African Americans in the Environmental Movement -- A panel discussion with Harry Jackson – St Louis Post Dispatch Writer who produces the weekly hiking column; Dennis Cooke – Outdoor Skills Specialist, Missouri Department of Conservation; and Representative Clem Smith – member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.
Should Ameren Raise Our Electric Bills?
This January will kick off yet another round of Ameren rate case hearings. It is very important that Sierra Club members turn out en masse and make it clear that ratepayers do not want to support any more rate increases for dirty coal. The first two hearings are in St. Louis on January 5 -- one at 12:00 pm and one at 6:00 pm. If you need helpful talking points or have questions, please email Andy Knott or call (314) 644-1011. For a full list of hearings and locations, click here.
Eight Years in the Making: Ozark National Scenic Riverways GMP Completed
On December 12, the National Park Service released the final General Management Plan (GMP) for Ozark National Scenic Riverways. A revised GMP was long overdue as the park has been operating with a 1980s version. But the new plan itself was slow in coming. Comments started back in 2006, followed by stops, starts and pauses.
 Enjoying the Jacks Fork River |
Now finally, what is the result? We are still reviewing the details, but the new GMP puts the park on a better path toward managing the dynamic relationship between public access and recreation and protecting the park’s environment. Included is the recognition of “wilderness characteristics” of a tract called Big Spring. This will ensure that the 3,430 acre area will continue to be managed primarily through low impact, non-motorized means.
There are some disappointments and challenges in the new plan. Unfortunately on the Current River below Big Springs the motor boat size limit has been raised from 60 to 150hp. And upper reaches of Current and Jacks Fork will be open to 25hp gigging boats. Thus there is no portion of the ONSR that is motor free all year round.
An ongoing challenge will be the process to develop an updated roads and trails plan for the park. The new GMP sets goals for closing illegal roads, trails and access points and developing some new mileage with improved design and location. But completing that process is expected to take three years and will require our continued engagement to be successful.
Thanks to everyone who helped comment on the new GMP. A job well done, but more to do.
The GMP is now available online with other formats due out soon. As you review the new plan, let us know if you find areas of concern. Look to the Club’s website, newsletters, etc., for more information as the GMP is implemented.
Trail Report
It's that time of the year to look back over the past year and to look forward to the new year. The Trails Committee set three goals for 2014 that were met. Our first goal was to get a committee up and running. The EMG did not have a Trails Committee before this year. Our second goal was to reach out to the public on National Trails Day in June. We had a table at both Hawn State Park and in St. Charles. Last but not least was our trail work in the Pioneer Forest. At our two work events last year on the Ozark Trail we had over 1200 work hours and 70 volunteers working on the Ozark Trail, the Laxton Hollow Trail and the Brushy Creek Trail -- we maintained over 38 miles of trail. The Trails Committee is very happy with our first year. In 2015 we will return to Hawn State Park for National Trails Day in June and we will be back doing work in the Pioneer Forest in the Spring and with our week-long event in October.
The Trails Committee looks forward to the up and coming year and with your help we hope to have another great year.
The Population and Environment Committee Needs You!
The link between people and climate change is undeniable. The Population and Environment Committee gets the word out on how individuals can have a big impact on the environment while doing something that will directly help themselves at the same time!
The plan: People decide when to have a child based on when it is right for them emotionally, financially, career timing, etc. Once people have their plan, they figure out a way they are comfortable with to keep to the plan. Since 50% of all pregnancies in the U.S. and 40% of the pregnancies globally are unintended, the reduction in population growth would be dramatic.
Fewer people means reducing greenhouse gases and global warming, less ocean and forest destruction, preserving natural resources for future generations and slowing species extinction. According to the United Nations, if women's need for family planning and health care was met globally, the effect on carbon emissions would be the same as replacing all coal plants with solar power... or doubling the fuel economy of every car.
Population is a critical part of the solution.
In the past, many of the committee members have attended the activist training sponsored by the national Sierra Club Global Population and Environment Program. We have developed flyers about the benefits of planning the number and timing of children and handed them out at a number of environmental functions. One of our members, Kay Pinner, has even published a book recently that touches on a number of environmental issues including population. Her book, The Greatest Moment in Human History is available on Amazon.
One of our next projects will be to reach out to young adults with this message. We need your help to reach them in social media and in person. Since young adults are more receptive when they are approached by others around their same age, we are especially excited about adding some younger volunteers to our group to help us craft the discussion and help deliver the message. We also need someone who is familiar with social media. Do you have any other ideas on how to reach young adults? Join our group and let us know your ideas.
Are you interested in making sure women have access to women’s’ health care facilities? Do you have other ideas on how we can slow down the population growth? We would love to hear from you! Please email Dane Kamin or call 314-822-3943.
Building Codes in St. Louis County – get involved in the campaign to upgrade the residential energy efficiency code from the outdated 2009 code up to the current 2015 code. Updating the code will mean that new homes built in St. Louis County would be about 30% more energy efficient – that means lower utility bills as well as cleaner air (due to reduced use of electricity and natural gas). To get involved, email Michael Berg or call him at 314-644-1011.
Energy Efficiency Rebates
Make your existing home more energy efficient with the help of rebates from the utility company! Details are on the Ameren website and the Laclede Gas website.
Go on a local Outing! Although the days are short and the temperature is cold, there are still many local Sierra Club outings to participate in! Many hikers enjoy winter outings the most. Take a look at your choices!
Drive on Sunshine!
Get a $750 rebate with the purchase or a lease of a SunPower solar system for your home, and SunPower will donate $500 to the Sierra Club. SunPower, Ford, and the Sierra Club are partnering to encourage you to Drive Green for Life. Enjoy big savings on a SunPower solar system to power your home and charge your Ford battery-electric or Plug-In Hybrid vehicle.
Green Time TV - Protecting Our Communities and Ourselves
Green Time appears in four Missouri areas. See the webpage at greentime.tv. In the St. Louis area it airs at noon on Saturdays on Channel 24-1 and at 8:00 pm on Mondays on Channel 24-2 on these dates:
January 3 & 5: “Veterans of Chemical Warfare” Is it too extreme to talk about use of Agent Orange as chemical warfare? Michael McPhearson and Don Fitz discuss effects of Agent Orange on US soldiers, Vietnamese civilians and plant and animal life in Viet Nam. They explore consequences of depleted uranium in recent wars.
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January 10 & 12: “Storm Water Management” How do soil compaction and asphalt surfaces affect water? Lance LeComb and Lorin Crandall discuss MSD’s dual functions regarding waste water and storm water infrastructure. They look at natural watersheds, rain gardens, trees, native plants and riparian buffers.
January 17 & 19: “Will Rubber Mulch Make You Safe or Sorry?” Donna Jones and Rachel Slaughter discuss dangers of rubber mulch with 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 to be used in yards.
January 24 & 26: “Redeveloping North St. Louis” Romona Taylor Williams and Rev. Elston McCowan discuss how urban renewal dismantled the infrastructure of the black community. They also look at how cities like Paris, France are built more sustainably and how development could happen without excluding people.
January 31 & February 2: “Redevelopment Traumas” What are the psychological and social costs of gentrification? How does the rapid gentrification in St. Louis differ from patterns in other communities? Romona Taylor Williams and Samuel Taylor discuss the St. Louis Sustainability Plan and demographic changes in north St. Louis.
January shows include “Agent Orange: American Chemical and Biological Warfare,” “Introducing MSD Project Clear,” “The Hazards of Rubber Mulch,” “Carfree Cities: The Gritty Details,” “Cully Grove,” and “Village Market - Non-Profit, Super Local”
To volunteer to help produce Green Time call 314-727-8554 or email Don. Like Gateway Greens on Facebook and click Get Notifications.
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Schnucks Donates to EMG
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2015 Sierra Club Calendars Make Great Holiday Gifts |
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Eastern Missouri Group Outings Calendar
Sierra Club members and non-members are welcome to join Club members on our outings.
Visit the Eastern Missouri Group website for more information about outings, activities, and issues.
Please consider making a donation to the Eastern Missouri Group today!
