Eastern Missouri Group E-Newsletter
NOVEMBER 2012
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November 15, 2012, Sierra Club General Meeting
7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road at Lindbergh Blvd., Ladue, MO 63124 (map)
Annual Members' Photo Show -- Great nature photography from our local area to the Arctic Wilderness! Note that this meeting is one week earlier because of Thanksgiving.
December 15, 2012, Holiday Party and Potluck Dinner
Bring your beverage and a dish to share. Call for time and directions. Barb Wall, (636) 529-0477, Marilyn Harlan, (314) 966-8797, or Ann Eggebrecht, (314) 725-1560. Sierra Club calendars will be available for purchase at the party.
Trivia Night Was Fun For Everyone
Our first-ever Trivia Night and Silent Auction, held on Saturday, October 27th at the Heights in Richmond Heights was a success! Sponsored by The Alpine Shop and Schlafly Brewery, it was a fun-filled evening, with participants enjoying complimentary Schlafly beer, fresh-popped popcorn, games between rounds, and a costume contest.
The evening raised approximately $3,000, all of which will be spent locally to benefit conservation work such as efforts to remedy damage in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, coal ash landfill problems and Missouri River issues.
Check out our website and our Facebook page (Nov 2 entry) to see photos from the event and our full list of sponsors and donors.
Chapter Employee Retires
Sue King, who has served as Administrative Assistant for the Missouri Chapter for the past five years, has notified the Chapter that she intends to retire. She had hoped to do this in June but has agreed to stay until she can train her replacement. Sue has been active in the Sierra Club in St. Louis since 1978. She has served on both the Eastern Missouri Group Executive Committee and the Missouri Chapter Executive Committee. As Chapter Membership Chair, Sue coordinated the annual chapter campouts at various locations. She worked as a bookeeper for the EMG for about 10 years before coming to work for the Missouri Chapter. Asked what she liked best about working with and for the Sierra Club, Sue replied "The chance for educational enrichment on environmental issues" and also the "good people" in the Sierra Club.
A committee of members has interviewed candidates for the position Sue is leaving. The job mainly entails keeping track of the intricate finances of the Missouri Chapter using an online accounting system and assisting the Chapter Treasurer in preparation of the financial reports to the Missouri ExCom and also the annual financial report to the Sierra Club national organization. The Sierra Club finances are very complex and Sue has admitted "I think it's fun." We all are grateful for her attention to detail and her hard work over the past five years. We look forward to her continued involvement in the Club as a volunteer and friend.
EMG Executive Committee Election Results
We wish to thank the members who sent in ballots for the 2013-2014 EMG Executive Committee election. Frank Lorberbaum will continue as an ExCom member. He will be joined by Paul Stupperich, who has served on the ExCom in the past and volunteered to resume those duties. In addition, serving on the ExCom will be newcomers Sarah Merida and Mark Ostendorf, both of whom were instrumental in ensuring a successful Trivia Night fundraiser. Sarah and Mark will join Rob Polzin as "under-30" ExCom members, hinting that a new generation is poising itself to eventually take over EMG responsibilities! Congratulations all!
Needed: Program Chair to Organize General Meetings
We have a vacancy in our Program Chair volunteer position. The Program Chair is responsible for reserving our General Meeting location (Litzsinger School in most cases) and scheduling approximately eight speakers per year. There is no experience necessary for filling this valued position! If interested, please email Richard Egan.
EMG Seeking Conservation Leader
The EMG is looking for a volunteer or two to serve as Conservation Chair. This important position provides leadership, direction, and guidance on conservation issues in Eastern Missouri; motivates and directs the Conservation Committee; and delegates activities related to conservation to committee and group members. If you are interested in learning more about this position, please contact Richard Egan or another ExCom member.
Well-Fed Volunteers Enjoy the 2012 Ozark Trail Work Week!
Autumn leaves often crunched as we worked on the Ozark Trail (OT) October 19 to October 27 in the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcounty. But there were still bright red oak leaves, and beautiful maple and dogwood leaves for gorgeous views across the Blair Creek and Barton Creek valleys. Since much of our 12.09 miles of the OT follow just above Blair Creek, fewer leaves on the trees meant we had a clearer view of the creek and the surrounding hills.
We passed some cultural landmarks such as the ruins of Harpers Springhouse, the Root Cellar, and the gated Dance Hall Cave as we worked our way from the North Box of Pioneer Forest to the South boundary of Pioneer Forest south of Little Blair Creek.
A big thank you to all 25 of you—members and friends who worked throughout the week! Special thanks goes to member Luise Stephan who cooked for us all week, to Bob Gestel, Suzanne Smith, Robert Smith (not related to Suzanne), Michael Berg and Becky Denney. OTA certified sawyers Robert Smith, John Wieland, Dean LaBoube, Todd Horn and one other cleared the trail of wind falls from the North Box to the Laxton Hollow Junction and then cleared the Laxton Hollow Trail to Himont.
View more photos of our volunteers working on the Blair Creek Section of the OT!
2013 Sierra Club Calendars
Brighten your year with a calendar filled with gorgeous nature photos. A great choice for holiday gifts that support the environment. The calendars are available at the Sierra Club office, The Alpine Shop in Kirkwood, the EMG holiday party on December 15 and at our EMG General Meetings.
If you would like to order your calendars by mail, send $13.95 for each Wilderness Wall Calendar, $12.95 for each Engagement Calendar, plus shipping: $5 for the first three calendars and $1 for each additional. Mail your check and order to: Sierra Club EMG, 7164 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63143. Include your email address if you'd like to be notified when your order is taken to the Post Office.
Piasa Palsades Group Holds Benefit Contra Dance
The Contra Dance will raise funds to repair the pre-1940s Civil Conservation Corps camp cabins on the bluff above Pere Marquette. The Piasa Palsades Group of the Illinois Chapter will hold the event on November 18, 2012, at 6:30 PM at the Esic YMCA in Edwardsville, IL. Details on this PDF. Call your EMG friends and set up a carpool for a fun and invigorating evening.
Green Time TV: Protecting Forests and Other Ecosystems
Green Time has a new air time on KNLC: 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. It airs in four Missouri areas. See listing on Facebook and greentime.tv.
In the St. Louis area it appears at noon on Saturdays and 5:30 p.m.
Wednesdays on Channel 24-1 and at 8 p.m. on Mondays on Channel 24-2:
Current River from Coot Mtn Lookout Tower |
December 1, 3 & 5: A Darker Shade of Green, Jim Scheff, of Kentucky Heartwood, explores the deep interconnections between forests, carbon and climate.
December 8, 10 & 12: REDD Alert, Jim Scheff explains how a forest differs from a tree plantation and how forests can be changed from being a carbon sink into a carbon source.
December 15, 17 & 19: The Future of Forests, Jim Scheff explores how economic growth can hurt forests. He explains terms like "externalized cost" and why the carbon market is called a "shell game."
December 22, 24 & 26: Organic Agriculture, James Meinert of New Roots Urban Farm and Paul Krautmann of Bellews Creek Farm discuss how pesticides and herbicides affect biodiversity and how to use food scraps and weeds to build soil.
December 29 & 31 and January 2: Native Grassland Conservation, Jay Fish, of UMSL's Campus Honors Environmental Research Program, and Missouri Prairie Foundation's Jon Wingo discuss multi-organizational efforts to restore and reconstruct pieces of Missouri prairie.
December shows include portions of A Darker Shade of Green: REDD Alert, Nicotine Bees and a Bill Krekeler movie. For more information call 314-727-8554 or email Don Fitz.
Eastern Missouri Group Outings Schedule
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!