Eastern Missouri Group E-Newsletter
FEBRUARY 2014
Eastern Missouri Group Website | Join | Donate | Group Leadership
February 27, 2014, Sierra Club General Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road at Lindbergh Blvd., Ladue, MO 63124 (map)
Rick Hunter, CEO of Microgrid Solar, will discuss the 'triple
bottom line' as a practice of sustainable business.
March 27, 2014, Sierra Club and Audubon Joint Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. (map)
Mitch Leachman, with the St. Louis Audubon Society, will discuss naturescaping and a new program called Bring Conservation Home.
March 26 - Missouri Sierra Club Lobby Day
On Wednesday, March 26, spend the day in Jefferson City with the Missouri Sierra Club! We will be talking with legislators about issues of environmental importance to Missouri. Clean air, clean water, protection of wild lands, renewable energy and a sustainable future - come to the Capitol to tell your senators and representatives what we need.
We will meet at 10 am in Hearing Room 5 in the basement of the Capitol. You can RSVP here. You can also RSVP or learn more by contacting Michael Berg or call the office at 314-644-1011.
Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness
By Paul Stupperich
My first hike into Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness was on a cold February day before the Sierra Club helped secure Rock Pile Mountain as a Wilderness Area. I didn't know what to expect other than a big pile of rocks on the mountain. As we hiked, I learned more about Rock Pile Mountain and the proposed wilderness at just over 4000 acres. As we hiked into the proposed wilderness I was taken aback by the sheer beauty. The rock pile on top the of Rock Pile Mountain, two beautiful shut-ins, rock outcroppings, an old growth forest and much more awaited our group. It would take me many years of day hiking and backpack trips to explore and learn the many different aspects of this special area.
So the question may be asked when and how should one explore Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness? I like fall, winter and spring to hike and explore the wilderness. I started day hiking in the wilderness with the Sierra Club and that is a good way to start. Once I learned about the area, I started to lead backpack trips, spending 2 or 3 days camping, hiking and exploring the area at a time.
Whatever way you chose to explore this wilderness, whether it is a day hike or a backpack trip, now is a good time to start your adventure. Join a Sierra Club hike to explore Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness, see outings list below.
Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness is part of the Mark Twain National Forest; it is located in Madison County southwest of Fredericktown, Missouri. Visit the Forest Service's Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness web page for more info.
Bell Mountain Wilderness |
UPCOMING HIKES IN MISSOURI'S WILDERNESS AREAS:
March 1 and 2 -- Bell Mountain Wilderness on Saturday and Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness
on Sunday. Two day hikes with optional nearby car camping. Join us on
one or both days to explore two wilderness areas on the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the Wilderness Act and see what makes these areas so
special. The Sierra Club fought for many years so we could enjoy places
such as these. Car camping at Silver Mines campground. George Behrens,
(314) 821-0247.
April 2 (Wednesday) -- Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness
This is the smallest wilderness area in the Mark Twain National Forest but it
does make for some great views of the countryside in Madison County.
Several glades mark the trail to Rock Pile Mountain which has a circular
ring of granite rocks piled on the mountain summit, apparently made by a
much earlier civilization. Contact Doug Melville, 636-288-1055 for information on time and meeting location.
Mar 19 (Wednesday) Bell Mountain Wilderness
Bell Mountain is part of the St. Francois Mountains and is located in
Iron County. Great views with a walk in the woods best describes our
outing. Contact Doug Melville, 636-288-1055 for further information.
April 16 (Wednesday) -- Mingo Wilderness
This is the western part of the Mingo Wildlife Refuge and is managed by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are two boardwalk trails in
the Wilderness Area with the remaining using old roads and levees. Great
bird watching opportunities in marsh habitat. Contact Doug Melville,
(636) 288-1055 for meeting time and
place.
Volunteer with EMG Streamteam
March 22, Sat: We will investigate a high quality stream in a wooded niche near expanding Eureka. Our stream team will monitor Fox Creek and send the data to the Department of Natural Resources. At two locations we will test for dissolved oxygen and other chemical parameters. We also do visual surveys, measure streamflow and net aquatic invertebrates. You may see some castings for the Insect Fear Film Festival. Please contact: Leslie Lihou (314)726-2140 or Jim Rhodes (314)821-7758,
Celebrate Earth Day in Pioneer Forest April 9-10 or April 12-13!
Celebrate Earth Day, 2014 with us as we maintain the Ozark Trail in Pioneer Forest. We may see early flowers and hear native birds in this special area known as the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry.
Weekdays: On April 9 and April 10 we will meet at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park Visitor Center at 8:30 am each day for the drive to Pioneer Forest. Register with Paul Stupperich at 314-429-4352.
Weekend: April 12 and April 13 we will again meet at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park Visitor Center each morning at 8:30 a.m. for the drive to Pioneer Forest. Register with Becky Denney 636-751-3158.
Camping will be free at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park but plan to bring your meals. You are welcome to come for 1 or all 4 days but registration is required.
Green Dining
Planning a dinner out with friends? Visit Green Dining Alliance to choose a restaurant that embraces sustainable practices. This initiative of St Louis Earth Day has an easy-to-use Find A Restaurant feature with a map and alphabetical listing of local restaurants with their level of certification. You won't have to bring your leftovers home in a styrofoam box!
Green Time TV - The Powers of Destruction
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:
March 1 & 3: "West Lake Landfill: The True Story" Dr. Bob Criss and Ed Smith ask why the EPA is holding back information on radioactive waste in the West Lake Landfill. Why have they not properly investigated it? Why have no criminal charges been filed against those responsible? Location in a flood plain and earthquake zone could strongly affect radioactive releases. Radiation can increase the likelihood of leukemia 38-fold and decrease the proportion of male babies born. The waste in West Lake Landfill will actually increase its radioactivity for at least 9,000 years.
March 8 & 10: "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?
March 15 & 17: "Perils of "Free" Trade" Marilyn Lorenz and Karen Wilson describe how the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), currently being negotiated in secret, could push poor people off their land and cause enormous environmental damage.
March 22 & 24: "Perils of a Pacific "Partnership"" Jillian Severinski and Mark Strothmann explore how the TPP could allow foreign lawsuits to overturn domestic courts, expand extractive industries, hasten climate change, reduce access to medicines and increase US job loss.
March 29 & 31: "Peabody, Coal & St. Louis." Sara Edgar, of Beyond Coal (Sierra Club), and Henry Robertson, of Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, discuss health effects of burning coal, how it affects our drinking water, and how thermal pollution of waterways affects wildlife.
March shows include portions of the movies "Big Picture: Atomic Battlefield," "Glass Walls," "What Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership?" "Peril in the Pacific," and clips from the January 25, 2013 demonstration to "Stop Peabody." To volunteer to help produce Green Time call 314-727-8554 or email Don Fitz.
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!