Eastern Missouri Group E-Newsletter
OCTOBER 2014
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The common goldeneye is a winter resident on Mingo Wilderness Area. Photo by Richard Speener |
October 23, 2014, General Meeting
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Litzsinger School, 10094 Litzsinger Road at Lindbergh Blvd., Ladue, MO 63124 (map)
The Source of
Wilderness
- Professor Matt Zahniser will talk about the “Advocate and Architect of 1964 Wilderness Act”. He is especially qualified since that “architect” was his father, Howard Zahniser. We will hear about the history of the act and what it means to us today. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act and we are privileged to have such a distinguished guest to help us celebrate. Join us!
November 13, 2014, General Meeting
Annual Members' Photo Show - See great photos taken by our members. Meeting starts at 7 pm and will be held at the new Sierra Club office at 2818 Sutton Blvd in Maplewood. (map) If you are interested in presenting 5 minutes of your photos, contact Mark Ostendorf at (417) 850-0064. Limit 8 presenters.
Trivia Night Registration is Now Open!
Enjoy a fun Trivia Night and Silent Auction on Saturday, November 15, 7 PM at 8001 Dale Ave, Richmond Heights (map). Register here and support Eastern Missouri Group's work to protect our natural areas! Our sponsors again this year are The Alpine Shop and St Louis Brewery, Maker of Schlafly Beers.
Enjoy, Explore and Protect the Confluence Left: Endanged Least Tern, Photo Source: USACE |
Supreme Court Decisions Endanger the Clean Water Act – your comments are needed now.
It’s common sense that big problems can start in small streams. Small streams feed and create even our largest rivers. If small streams are not protected, if they are polluted or filled in, not only will habitat be lost but detrimental downstream impacts will follow. But which of those small streams and wetlands are protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA)? Supreme Court Decisions have narrowed those options and left ambiguous interpretations. In response the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed rules to clarify which small streams and wetlands have a connection to larger waters and are thus covered by the CWA.
How to define what small streams and wetlands connect with other waters, can be a complicated determination. Some streams are intermittent, some wetlands are seasonal. Losing streams, which flow partially underground, may also provide connections. Read more here.
The EPA has done a credible job in defining the importance of small streams and wetlands in their proposed rule. EPA is accepting comments on the proposal through Oct 20. It is very important that the EPA receives positive comments . Unfortunately, EPA’s efforts have also been met with opposition. Your voice needs to be heard by the EPA and by Senators and Representatives. You can comment directly to the EPA via email or on their website.
Another way for Midwesterners to submit comments is through 1mississippi. Your comment will be copied to your Congressional representatives. At this site you will be able to edit or re-write a sample letter.
Suggested points to make in your letter:
Support EPA efforts to clarify the CWA to include small intermittent streams, losing streams, sinkholes and wetlands under CWA protection. Without these protections surface water cannot be kept clean and reliable. Over half of Missourians rely on surface water for drinking. Missouri has many small streams that deserve protection. Add anything personal about how important Missouri waterways are to you -- for wildlife habitat, recreation, drinking water, etc.
If you have questions about this notice, contact Caroline Pufalt, Missouri Chapter Conservation Committee. Thanks for your efforts to protect the Clean Water Act!
Volunteer Appreciation Party
This is your invitation to the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party (AKA Lemonade Party). If you have done ANY volunteer work in the past year (or wished you had, or planned to but it didn't work out) you are invited. If you squeezed lemons or wrote a letter to the editor. If you did trail maintenance or responded to our request to write to your legislator. If you helped with phone banking or mailing the SierraScape. If you campaigned for a Club endorsed candidate or donated to the Silent Auction. Or anything else.
The party starts at 6:30 pm on Saturday, November 8. Bring your own drink and, if you wish you may bring an appetizer or a dessert to share. Location is 905 Lami Street in the Soulard Neighborhood of Saint Louis. If you have a question, co ntact our host Jim Young at 314-664-9392.
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Exploring Bell Mountain Wilderness
by Paul Ohlendorf
At 9143 acres, Bell Mountain Wilderness is the third largest wilderness area in Missouri. Peak-baggers rejoice! It contains the third highest mountain top in the state. Bell Mountain, which is part of the St Francois Mountains, tops out at 1702 feet.
There are three trailheads leading into this area. The Ozark Trail access on Highway A is good for first timers. Starting at 950 feet elevation your trek proceeds up the face of Bell Mountain using a series of switchbacks. The views are abundant and unblemished. The vastness of the surrounding area will take your breath away. Large glades and rock outcroppings dot the terrain.
Once on top, a short spur will take you to a loop trail. This trail forms a half-bowl (a mini watershed). Go left from the spur and you walk down into the bowl and into a lush bottomland of flat terrain and creeks. Keep walking and you will eventually walk out of the bowl and onto a ridge. This ridge will take you to the very top of Bell Mountain. Views of the St. Francois Mountains to the east and southeast are something to behold.
After savoring the view, follow the ridge to the spur and down the mountain you go. You will have traveled a total of eight to ten miles. You will be hooked. Bell Mountain Wilderness will always beckon.
Whether you do this hike on your own or with a Sierra Club led group, a topography map of the area will enhance your experience. Detailed information and topography maps on all the Missouri Wilderness Areas are available free of charge. Go to the Mark Twain National Forest website and click on Special Places.
Visit a Missouri Wilderness Area To Celebrate the 50th Anniversary
October 29, Wednesday: The Irish Wilderness Area located in Oregon County, Missouri will be the fifth Wilderness Area that we have visited this year. We will be hiking along the Whites Creek Trail beginning from Camp Five trail head to see the largest Wilderness Area in Missouri. With good vistas and many colorful trees along the route makes for a great hiking experience. Contact Doug Melville, (636) 288-1055 for further information including meeting time and location.
December 5-7, Friday - Sunday: Bell Mountain Wilderness Backpack. Let's continue with our celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act as we enjoy the crisp fall air and the impressive views. On Saturday we will bushwhack to Lindsey Mountain. 10 person limit. $10 donation requested. This outing is led by Paul Gross of the Thomas Hart Benton Group. Call him at 816-285-6563 or send an email.
2015 Sierra Club Calendars Make Great Holiday Gifts |
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2015 General Meetings
It's time to plan for the 2015 General Meetings. It you have ideas/suggestions for program speakers/topics, let Mark Ostendorf know, (417) 850-0064.
Green Time TV - Sierra Club in Action
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:
November 1 & 3: “Clean Line Transmission Project” Is it possible to deliver clean, affordable electricity from Kansas windfarms to Missouri? Cari Van Amburg, Dave Desmond and John Hickey discuss a proposal to reduce air pollution and confront climate change. There could be more than 1,000 jobs in Missouri depending on wind power.
November 8 & 10: “Energy Efficient Building Codes” Why does it make sense to incorporate energy efficiency when the structure is built, instead of later? How difficult is it for builders to adapt to modern energy efficiency standards? Caryl Kinsey Fox, Richard Reilly and Don Fitz discuss local building codes.
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November 15 & 17: “The Coal Ash Crisis in Missouri” Patricia Schuba, Gary Kappler and John Hickey, discuss groundwater monitoring, coal ash dumps in Crystal City MO and North Carolina, problems with the Rush Island plant, and ask if Ameren is doing what it should be doing.
November 22 & 24: “Repairing Our Big Rivers” Caroline Pufalt, Tom Ball and Don Fitz explore advantages of habitats along the Missouri River, how the federal government could protect it, alternatives to constructing levees, and what the river has to do with the Gulf of Mexico “dead zone.” .
November 29 & December 1: “Wilderness Act: 50th Anniversary” The 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act is 2014. Toni Armstrong, Richard Spener and Don Fitz ask what qualifies an area as wilderness. The guests tell us about some of their favorite wilderness areas in Missouri.
November shows include the movies “Who Builds America’s Wind Farms,” “Save Wind Energy Jobs,” “Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,” Morgan Freeman on climate disruption, “Coal 101: What's Wrong with Coal?” “Overview of the Missouri River Recovery Program,” “The Sierra Club: About Us,” “America’s Wilderness” and “Wilderness Act 50th: What Does Wilderness Mean to You?.”
To volunteer to help produce Green Time call 314-727-8554 or email Don. Like Gateway Greens on Facebook and click Get notifications.
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!