Monthly Newsletter of the Sierra Club Eastern Missouri Group
June 2015
Eastern Missouri Group Website | Join | Group Leadership
Thursday, June 25 EMG Summer Picnic Time
June 25th EMG will host a potluck picnic from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the East Pavilion in Deer Creek Park. Bring your own beverage and a dish to share. Members and non-members are welcome. Bring the family, there is a playground near the pavilion. Enjoy the company of other Sierrans, good food and great conversation.
Deer Creek Park is located at 3200 Laclede Station Rd, Maplewood with parking inside the park at 7875 Edgebrook Dr, Maplewood (this is the closest address to the pavilions)
For those who may be familiar with the area, Deer Creek Park is also know as "Rocket Ship Park" for the large rocket playground area.
Here are a few sites that will show you the park and its location - Great Rivers Greenway, Yelp and the Rocket Ship Park facebook page.
Saturday, June 20 - Green Homes Festival - Sierra Club booth
This Saturday is the Green Homes Festival at the Butterfly House in Faust Park (15193 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63017). The Sierra Club will have a booth at the festival, and we need your help promoting the club and promoting higher standards for energy efficiency in new St. Louis County homes. We have shifts available from 8 to 11 am, 11 am to 2 pm, and 2 pm to 3 pm. If you are able to be part of the Sierra Club booth, contact Gretchen Waddell Barwick at Gretchen.WaddellBarwick@sierraclub.org or call our office at 314-644-1011.
Eureka Citizens Push Back Hard on Proposed Mine
The ghost of Joe Hill would have been pleased with the June 8 hearing on a proposed sand and gravel mine near Eureka MO. Area citizens, upset at the prospect of major mining activity in their neighborhoods, did not mourn for the future, but instead organized an impressive collection of personal testimony and background research to support their call for a denial of the mining project.
The St Louis County Planning commission listened to over 3 hours of testimony regarding the expected negative impacts of the mine on the land, water, air and community safety that residents anticipate from the Winter Bros Material Co. proposal. The hearing room was nearly full with citizens opposed to the mine. The only attendees who spoke in favor of the mine were company representatives.
The area in question is currently primarily agricultural. The proposed mine and resulting mine pit lake would border the Meramec river just south of Hwy 44 and Route 66 State Park. Despite planned buffer areas between the mine and the river, the area is still within the Meramec river floodplain.
Citizens pushed back against the company’s claim that the mine would not reduce property values with documentation strongly challenging the company’s data and site specific examples. Residents raised credible concerns that truck traffic and company routing would in effect close some entrance ways to area parks. With the company admitting that area roads were not their problem, residents clearly documented the hazards of up to 24 dump trucks an hour (based on company records) traveling on the limited area roadways.
The next steps for this controversial project are a recommendation from the planning commission to the County Council and then decision by the Council. For more routine projects this would normally start with the July 6 commission meeting. But this case is certainly not routine and will likely take longer.
Members interested in connecting with the local citizen group in opposition to the project can contact: http://www.saveourhomeseureka.com/
Sustainable Development and Conservation in Maryland Heights
For the last seven years, development in the Maryland Heights floodplain, Howard Bend area, has been hampered by the economy. Developers had little money, and the market didn’t really want the office/flex/distribution options offered by the city. With the economy slowly recovering, development demand is reemerging.
Maryland Heights Residents for Responsible Growth, along with support from the Eastern Missouri Group of the Sierra Club commissioned a Feasibility Study of Sustainable Development and Conservation for Maryland Heights, an assessment of Green Infrastructure for Howard Bend, now named Maryland Park Lake. The study was prepared by the i5 Group, a community planning firm based in St. Louis.
This feasibility study is a concise, high level document that outlines opportunities and a process for future sustainable development and conservation in the Maryland Park Lake district. While this report does not make specific recommendations for the type of sustainable development or where conservation should occur, it recommends that a full green infrastructure plan and ecosystem evaluation be undertaken.
You can download a free copy of the study here.
As one of the largest undeveloped areas in the St. Louis metropolitan region, NOW is a once in a lifetime opportunity to promote sustainable development that will create value for landowners, the city, the region, habitat, and wildlife for generations to come.
The report has been endorsed by The St. Louis Audubon Society, Open Space Council and the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, among others. Keep up to date on progress by visiting www.marylandheightsresidents.com or following the Maryland Heights Residents Facebook page.
Urge Representative Clay to support LWCF
What’s in an acronym? A lot, when it’s LWCF for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This landmark legislation, dating back to 1964, is designed to provide federal funds for land/water based conservation efforts, often in partnership with state and local governments. Federal funds come from royalties paid by offshore energy contracts.
The LWCF is a popular law, but it is sometimes supported more with rhetoric than actionable authorized spending. Unfortunately that seems to be the current situation in Congress. We need co-sponsors and supporters for House Resolution 1814 which would permanently fund the law, avoiding yearly authorizations which are too often caught up indefinitely in political wrangling.
Rep. Lacy Clay has a good conservation record. But he still needs to hear from his constituents that the LWCF is important to Missourians and we hope that he can support H.R 1814.
Rep. Clay can be reached at: http://lacyclay.house.gov/
For more information on the LWCF see: http://www.lwcfcoalition.org/
EMG Outings - June and July
Sierra Club Outings are open to the public. A dollar per person donation is requested. No guns or pets are allowed on trips. Use of audible electronics must be approved by the leader. Participants must sign a liability release. Outings Leaders are volunteers. Outings officially start at the trailhead or river access. Carpooling is encouraged but not the responsibility of the Leader. For more information contact the Leader of a particular Outing or for general information contact Doug Melville, (636) 288-1055 or douglas.k.melville@gmail.com.
Jun 26, Fri: Day hike: Join our weekly group for a summer hike. For more info contact thisissuzanne@yahoo.com
Jul 1, Wed: Little Grand Canyon, Illinois. For this hike we will be climbing down into a 300' limestone canyon, traveling through the moist bottom land and then hiking out of the canyon to a spectacular panoramic view the Mississippi River valley. A fun hike for something that you do not normally see in our hikes. Contact Doug Melville, (636) 288-1055 or douglas.k.melville@gmail.com for further information.
Jul 11, Sat: Cool off in the Castor River Shut-ins at the Amidon Memorial Conservation Area. We will first do a 2-mile hike on the Cedar Glade trail and then we will enjoy the shut-ins and swim if anyone would like. Call Jim Rhodes at (314) 821-7758.
You can learn about more outings here.
Sierra Club - EMG is now on Meetup.com!
In an effort to reach more people and potentially increase our membership, your Eastern Missouri Group Executive Committee has setup a meetup. The meetup is at: www.meetup.com/SierraClub-EMG. To join the group, just press the red “Join Us” button.
Once you join the group, you will be notified via email of meetings you may be interested in attending. You can also communicate to other members of the Sierra Club-EMG Meetup as well if you would like. You can also recommend future Meetup activities as well. There are probably a few other things you can do on the site, but these are the primary functions available to you as a member of the group.
The vast majority of the meetings will be associated with the Sierra Club, but there may be a few others from other environmental groups included as well. At this time, we are including the educational presentations (primarily given during the monthly meetings), lobbying events by the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter, social events, and all committees except the Outings Committee. Given the large number of events the Outings Committee hosts and the needs of the people who will become meetup members, a separate meetup for this group is planned for the near future.
Check us out on Meet UP!
Dane Kamin, CFA, Population and Environment Chair EMG Sierra Club, Population Connection Volunteer - dane.kamin@gmail.com | 314.822.3943
Green Time TV
Growing Against Racism
Do organic farms have a part in growing a world without racist intimidation? July Green Time episodes explore complex issues of environment and racism. Green Time appears in four Missouri areas. See the webpage at greentime.tv. 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:
· July 4 & 6: “Rooted in Ferguson” EarthDance was a multi-ethnic urban farm in Ferguson before that city became infamous for the killing of Michael Brown. Its participants share the common ground of growing food together. EarthDance alumnus James Young explains his history as a black educator and experience of overseeing youth programs at EarthDance.
· July 11 & 13: “Black Lives Lost” Many young black people had been killed in St. Louis prior to Michael Brown in 2014. Jamala Rogers and Zaki Baruti discuss how that killing was reminiscent of lynchings. Little happens to cops who kill; the media portray outrage as riots; and Supreme Court inaction encourages more killings.
· July 18 & 20: “Green Handcuffs” Are black drivers more likely to have their cars searched for drugs? LeShea Agnew describes her experience of being stopped by Belleville IL police with attorney, J. Justin Meehan, and John Payne. They explore how her victimization is repeated with other black and brown drivers throughout the US.
· July 25 & 27: “Racism in Drug Law Enforcement.” In communities such as Ferguson, how has racial bias in drug law enforcement affected distrust of the police? Host Don Fitz and guests Kenny Murdock and John Payne discuss the role of the drug war in police militarization. What was the role of racism in the 1930s criminalization of cannabis?
To volunteer to help produce Green Time call 314-727-8554 or email don@greentime.tv
The Sierra Club Eastern Missouri Group supports Green Time TV for its coverage of environmental, health, democracy and community fairness issues.
Like us on Facebook
“Like” the Eastern Missouri Group Facebook page – a great tool for keeping up with local Club news and activity!
https://www.facebook.com/EMGConnector
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!