Eastern Missouri Group E-Newsletter
JANUARY 2013
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January 24, 2013, 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)
Jay Turner, D.Sc., associate professor at Washington University will speak on air quality issues in the St Louis area. Turner manages a multi-institutional U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air pollution study.
February 28, 2013, 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)
Our speaker will be Dave Robertson, political science professor at UMSL
and a frequent commentator on KWMU and various local TV stations. He teaches courses on
politics and the environment and is an expert on political polling.
The Great January Thaw Service Outings
Join us on one or more of the three upcoming service outings at Hawn State Park as we continue to remove old barbed wire fencing in the backcountry. There are many miles of barbed wire that the park managers are eager to see removed. When helping remove the fence you will be seeing areas of the park that very few people get to see. Some workers who would rather not mess with barbed wire can do general maintenance on the trails. The work you do will help wildlife and improve the quality of the backcountry.
Wednesday, February 13 ~~ this is a 1-day outing but you still may opt to camp.
Wednesday through Sunday, March 20-24
Wednesday and Thursday, April 10-11
For more information contact: Paul Stupperich @ 314-429-4352 or Bob Gestel @ 636-296-8975. Or visit our EMG Events and Activities webpage.
New Membership Committee
The
EMG will be partnering with the Missouri Chaper to provide some extra
support for new Sierra Club members. We are looking for a few EMG
members to help. This will be a small time comittment, not a lot of
work. If you might be interested or want more details, please contact Sarah Merida, 660-988-1412.
Trivia Night 2013
It's
time to start planning our 2nd annual Trivia Night! If you would like
to be a part of the planning committee for this year's event, please
contact Sarah Merida, 660-988-1412.
Seeking New Leaders!!
The EMG is looking for people who want to get more involved.
In particular we are looking for someone to chair or co-chair our Conservation Committee.
This is a position that can be split among multiple people if
necessary. The Conservation Committee will be responsible for staying
informed on the conservation issues arising within the EMG's area and
advising the ExCom on how to respond to various issues. The Chair or
Co-Chair will work alongside the EMG Chair to respond to press inquiries
and issue public statements about the club's postions. Regular
meetings can be established to allow EMG members a forum to discuss the
issues. The EMG Conservation Chair can help recruit activists to work
on projects, keep the membership informed on key issues - through the
newsletter, on line, monthly meeting announcements etc.
We would also like to fill the position of Political Chair.
The Political Chair leads the Political Committee which is primarily
active in even-numbered years and semi-dormant in odd-numbered years.
The committee assesses races and candidates at the state and local
level, making decisions about which races might be impacted by the
Sierra Club, and which candidates deserve our endorsement. The
committee is responsible for writing a questionnaire, sending the
questionnaires out to candidates in the relevant districts/races, then
reading and assessing the returned questionnaires. When deemed
necessary, the committee interviews candidates. Then the committee
makes recommendations to the EMG ExCom and to the Chapter Polcom for
endorsement. Once endorsements are made, the committee decides which
races might be impacted the most by Sierra Club involvement, and
organizes/coordinates campaigning with the relevant candidates.
If
you are interested in either of these positions, want more information,
or would like to discuss other opportunities for involvement, please
contact EMG Chair Sarah Merida, 660-988-1412.
Seventeenth Annual Winter Backpack Trip
In early January, the winter backpack trip for 2013 took seven hardy hikers to Shut-in Creek between Bell Mountain and Lindsey Mountain.
Tom Ballard, Bill Neubert, Bob Gestel, Jim Moody, Paul Ohlendorf, Steve Bozoian, George Behrens |
Bob Gestel who has recently gotten into lightweight equipment, showed up with a 21-pound pack, with his latest LL Bean one person tent weighing only 2 pounds 13 ounces. Tom Ballard said he thought his pack weight was about 65 pounds.
The weather was clear with overnight temperatures below freezing. The
hike into camp, which ordinarily would have been easy, became difficult
with many windfalls across the trail. Most of the group checked out the mine while Bob took a nap. They sat around the camp fire that night and told wild stories of previous adventures.
Sunday morning they broke camp early and hiked up to the cars. On the drive back to St. Louis, pizza and beer made a perfect lunch. And so ended our 17th annual winter backpack trip.
Annual Sierra Club Sing-A-Long
At the Sierra Club office, 7 to 9 pm on Saturday, January 26. A unique experience. For more info or weather cancellation call George Behrens at 314-821-0247.
Save the Date!
The annual Confluence Trash Bash will be held on Saturday, March 23rd.
For more information, you can contact Dona Anderson, 314-436-8708.
Here's an easy way to raise money for the Sierra Club- Eastern Missouri Group.
Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to us every time you do a search! Last year the EMG received about $30 from Goodsearch. Let's see if we can make it $100 this year! Here's the web site.
Green Speaker Series will host Rachel Levi
This month, the Green Speaker Series will host Rachel Levi of EarthDance Farms. EarthDance is an urban farm that sustainably grows food, farmers and community. The talk will be at 7 pm on Thursday, January 17, at Town & Country's Longview Farm Park (map).
St. Louis County RainScape Rebates Now Available
Combating stormwater runoff in west St. Louis County just got easier. Residents, schools, churches, businesses, and parks in fourteen participating municipalities can now apply for RainScape Rebates of up to $2,000 to improve their yards with rain gardens, trees and shrubs, soil amendments, or rain barrels, etc. The purpose of this program is to help minimize stormwater runoff, reduce flooding problems, and improve water quality within the Deer Creek Watershed. Take full advantage of this opportunity to upgrade your landscape, increase habitat for birds and pollinators, and improve property value! Application deadline is March 1. For more information, visit the Deer Creek Watershed Alliance website or consider attending workshops for landowners on February 9 and 12.
Green Time TV: Building a Better Environment in Missouri
Green Time airs in four Missouri areas. It has a new prime air time on KNLC at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. 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 on these dates:
February 2, 4 & 6: "House Calls for Habitat;" Mitch Leachman of Audubon (with help from Jennifer Porcelli & Jan Freeman) describes naturescaping as landscaping with native plants.
February 9, 11 & 13: "The National MLK Street Initiative;" Melvin White, William Carol & Barry Jarmon discuss the use of green visions and technology in rebuilding MLK streets in America.
February 16, 18 & 20: "Ozark National Scenic Riverways;" John Hickey (Sierra Club) & Greg Iffrig (L-A-D Foundation) review rivers known for their clear water, gushing springs, and long, clean gravel bars.
February 23, 25 & 27: "Threats to the Ozark Riverways;" Kally Coleman (Friends of Ozark Riverways) & Greg Iffrig warn of illegal roads, ATVs, scenic easements, and horse traffic.
February shows include the movies Beloved Streets of America and Why We Must Save the Current River and footage by Tom Malkowicz. To volunteer to help produce Green Time 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!