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EMG Trail Builders Successful at Re-route of Eroded Ozark Trail
19 intrepid volunteers showed up on Oct 23rd thru Oct 31st for trail building on the Blair Creek Section of the Ozark Trail. Another member showed up to visit and bring food!
During that week we only got to know a mile or 2 of the 14 mile section the Sierra Club maintains, but we are eager to see more of it. The whole Blair Creek Section from Highway 72 to Highway 106 at Owls Bend (Powder Mill Ferry) on the Current River is about 26.5 miles and one of the earliest sections of the Ozark Trail to be developed. It offers outstanding views of the Current River as well as springs, creeks, fens, well-managed forests, and old fields. The area's scenery is unmatched anywhere else on the Ozark Trail.
Look for Bob Gestel's kudos to the folks who helped during Work Week in the upcoming SierraScape and click here to see some amazing photos from the trailbuilding week.
Neighbors
of Chain of Rocks Bridge Oppose Koman Casino
Gloria Broderick, a longtime member, is our advocate opposing the Koman Casino complex (Casino Celebration) The proposed building location is across from the Chain of Rocks Bridge just south of Highway 270.
Click here to learn more about this important issue.
Convenient To Metro
Convenient To Metro is a local Sierra Club project that aims to enlist local businesses and institutions in helping to communicate to St. Louis area residents the environmental benefits of transit and about how to use Metro to reach those businesses and institutions.
If you would like a speaker to visit your community group to stimulate interest in transit and show how the Convenient to Metro project can be used, please contact Cheryl Hammond at info@todaydata.com or 314 210-4054.
Missouri Chapter hires a Director for next year
EMG member John Hickey became the Missouri Chapter Director on Nov 16th after serving on the Missouri Chapter Executive Committee. Chapter leaders were particularly impressed with his work this year as the Missouri Chapter Political Chair.
Congratulations to John Hickey!
Save the Confluence Coalition has support from Ken Burns
The SierraScape will be mailed on Saturday with an article by Gloria Broderick explaining why there will not be a casino complex built just south of the Confluence. Meanwhile, check out the letter from Ken Burns as well as other letters in support of the Confluence as a natural floodplain.
An excerpt from Ken Burns letter:
"...the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi has a value that transcends history. It is a sanctuary for wildlife. And it is a place for beauty and sanctuary for the soul, where we can refresh our spirits and reconnect with the natural world." -- Ken Burns, letter to the Missouri Gaming Commission, Sept 9th, 2010
Sierra Club Files Brief to Support EPA Regulation of CO2!
On November 1st, 2010 the Sierra Club along with 12 other environmental organizations and 20 states filed a motion in the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC to oppose a court case filed by 17 states who are trying to limit the right of the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases in regard to four regulations:
- The Endangerment Finding
- The Vehicle Rule
- Timing Decision
- Tailoring Rule
The Obama administration has also asked a federal court not to limit the right of EPA to regulate greenhouse gases in 2011.
There is a lot at stake in each of these regulations. For instance if the challenge to EPA won in court, and the Sierra Club lost, there are 21 major CO2 emitting plants who may apply for permits next year with the potential to emit somewhere between 30 million and 90 million tons of CO2 every year. So the EPA would not be able to apply their new regulations to these plants.
Many of the intervenors in this case are the same states that won in the Supreme Court 2007 ruling of Massachusetts v. EPA, which required EPA to make a decision as to whether carbon dioxide was a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.
Calender
November 18th -- EMG General Meeting including Annual Member's Photo Show, 7:30 pm, Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road (map)
November 19th -- SierraScape mailing party at EMG office, 6 pm, 7164 Manchester Road (map)
November 20th-21st -- Last Chance to Tour the EarthWays Center
The theme of the tours this weekend will be "Looking Forward" as the Center celebrates its move to the the main campus of the Missouri Botanical Garden. This move will allow the center to expand its ability to promote sustainability. They will also look back on their 10 years at the EarthWays Center.
When: November 20th and 21st. Tours will be held at 11 a.m, 12 p.m, 1 p.m, and 2 p.m.
Where: 3617 Grandel Square (map)
Admissions: $3 for Adults, Free for children
Many other great outings are happening in the near future! For a full list check out our website.
For a full list of speakers and workshops click here.