http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2011/01/02/20110102inspire0102.html#ixzz19uWVPahG

10 women share stories of challenge and triumph that will inspire you

Jan. 2, 2011 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

At some point in a woman's life, there comes an event or a moment that tests her ­ who she is, who shewants to be, where she will go next or what she's made of. She has to decide whether to get up, dustherself off and keep going. She has to choose between keeping quiet or speaking up. She has to workthrough heartache. She has to do what she knows is right, no matter the consequences. She has to chooseto lead. Or she has to take a chance. We have gathered 10 inspiring women who will awe you with theirdetermination, grace and dignity.

These are their stories, told by Arizona Republic reporters.

SANDY BAHR

Environmentalist is a thorn in Legislature's side "In Arizona, there's so much to protect and yet the electedofficials seem to be so uninterested in keeping what is so cool about this state."

On a small poster taped to a filing cabinet in Sandy Bahr's central­Phoenix office is a well­worn aphorismwidely attributed to the Dalai Lama: "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to sleep with amosquito."

For the purposes of this story, think of Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter, as themosquito and the Arizona Legislature ­ or at least certain members ­ as the wide­eyed wielders of bugspray.

As she has for about a dozen years, Bahr buzzed through the first six months of 2010 at the state Capitol,working the hallways and committee rooms in what she describes as one of the worst sessions ever forenvironmental causes.

The devoted readers of her much­forwarded front­line reports could hear the frustrated sighs as shechronicled bill after bill, often herself amazed at what won votes. Yet she never seemed resigned and almostalways found some iota of hope.

"If you're not there, you can't make a difference," Bahr said, an answer to a question ­ "Why do this toyourself?" ­ that others clearly have asked. "Sometimes you can amend a bill that might improve it or makeit tolerable or even make it less damaging."

At the Legislature, the 50­year­old Bahr is the face and voice of the environment on issues as diverse as airquality, global warming and the preservation of Arizona's rivers and forests.

Lawmakers know her. Some flee from her. One or two have been known to fiddle with hearing agendas toshorten the time available for her to speak. But until the past year or two, most legislators were willing toconsider ­ and occasionally accept ­ Bahr's suggestions.

Not anymore. Last year was especially tough on the bipartisan front.

"There's less interest in trying to work on a bill," Bahr said. "A lot of the committee chairs are justdismissive of anyone they disagree with."

For the record, Bahr is a registered independent. She first enlisted in the environmental movement becauseshe cared about the issues, not the politics. That the issues are now so politicized saddens her.

"In Arizona, there's so much to protect," she said, "and yet the elected officials seem to be so uninterestedin keeping what is so cool about this state."

When she can escape the Capitol, Bahr heads out to the mountains or to favorite hiking trails or . . . towork. She sweated through one July afternoon on a project to remove invasive buffelgrass from the SaltRiver.

This month, she'll return to West Washington Street as persistent as ever. It's all about being there,because you never know when someone might bite.

"You don't give up on a bill," she said, "until it's signed."

­ Shaun McKinnon

Archive for Febuary 2011

EPA Chesapeake Bay Total Max. Daily Load

Posted by Carol Nau, Friday, Febuary 11, 2011

Comments (0) |Edit

Hello,

I'm writing from Maryland where the EPA has established a Total Maximum Load (of pollution) for all watersin the Chesapeake Bay Water Shed. The state of MD has completed their plan to achieve the TMDL in adocument called Phase I WIP (Watershed Implementation Plan). Now it is up to each county in the state touse the EPA TMDL and MD Phase I WIP to prepare their own WIP, Phase II WIP. This is a huge initiative!

I'm wondering if there are other Sierra Club members here in the Chesapeake Bay Water Shed that want toform a Chesapeake Bay and/or Maryland Water Sentinels Group to help support the EPA and legislation toenforce and fund the bay restoration.

Please respond.

Thanks, Carol

King Coal's Kink: Conductivity

Posted by Scott Dye

Friday, Febuary 4, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinels Rick Handshoe, Rick Clewett and Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile fortheir turns in this article about how simple inexpensive conductivity meters in the hands of our volunteers aregiving King Coal massive headaches, slowing down their permits, and slowly grinding their destruction ofAppalachia to a crawl.

This story is a great example of illustrating how the Water Sentinels program empowers people with thetraining and tools they need to protect the waterways they love.

From the Lexington Herald Leader article:

‘HUEYSVILLE — Every Sunday, Rick Handshoe strolls from his mobile home across a two­lane paved

highway, down the hill to Raccoon Creek, which is sometimes orange, sometimes silty, sometimes clear.

He notes whether any frogs or crawdads can be found, dead or alive, and he notes how much water isflowing from the pond built at the head of the Floyd County creek by a coal company about five years ago.

Handshoe has been watching his creek ebb and flow, die and come alive and die again, as the cycle ofblasting, mining and reclamation has continued on land surrounding his retirement home. Until a year ago,his observations were just that; he couldn't afford to send periodic water samples to a laboratory to find outwhat minerals were leeching into his creek.

But for the past year, Handshoe has been armed with a new weapon: a conductivity meter given to him bythe Sierra Club.

The small beige instrument, which looks like an oversize digital thermometer, measures the amount ofdissolved minerals and ions by sending an electrical current through the water. It is cheap, compared to labtesting, and it can be used over and over.

And Handshoe has been using it every Sunday for a year, measuring the microSiemens of electricitypassing through his water at 500, 600, 1,200, 1,600, and marking them on a calendar.

Since April, when the Environmental Protection Agency issued guidance that suggested the target specificconductivity for Appalachian streams like Raccoon Creek should be 200 or less and began objecting tostate­issued mine permits, Handshoe's handheld meter has become a symbol of the Kentucky coalindustry's biggest environmental headache.

Since the guidance, only two Kentucky mine operators have been issued Army Corps of Engineerswater­pollution permits. Both companies rejected the permits and are appealing their conditions. It's taking18 months or more to receive mine permits when 10 years ago, the worst case was six months, operatorssay.

A conductivity meter won't tell you what's in the water, just that there's stuff in it.

Coal industry advocates say that's the problem… they say the conductivity benchmark of 200 to 500microSiemens is impossible to meet…

Handshoe recognizes the strangeness of the situation.

He says he's not pretending to know anything about water chemistry and biology, but he is learning. He hasa GED and retired from the Kentucky State Police as a radio technician because of a back injury. Heworked on transmission towers.

Handshoe says his goal is simply to know what's in Raccoon Creek's water, and he hopes to use thatinformation to make sure it is safe and healthy for his neighbors' kids to play in and for fish to swim in.

Environmental scientists consider conductivity measurements "a good first­cut test" to determine where tospend money on more expensive testing, said Rick Clewett, political director for the Cumberland Chapter ofthe Sierra Club.

Conductivity is an important measure when it applies to the right kind of shallow, intermittent or headwaterstream common in Appalachia, said Kentucky Environmental Protection Commissioner Bruce Scott.

Because of uncertainty of regulations, companies aren't investing the capital in machines and equipment tomaintain production and hiring levels that they've had during the past few years, [TECO Coal’s] Zik said.

"We have had situations where we have cut back on production, laid people off and idled equipment due todelays" in getting Army Corps of Engineers pollution permits that have been delayed by the EPA, [ICGCoal’s] Kitts said. "We have changed mining plans, scaled back plans to a certain extent, to work aroundthe permitting situation."

The companies, Czar Coal Corp. and Sapphire Mining, a subsidiary of United Coal, did not return phonecalls seeking comment, but Army Corps of Engineers regulator Lee Ann Devine said the companies areappealing the permit requirements partly based on issues surrounding conductivity. It's not that the permitrequirements can't be met, Devine said, but that the companies think that achieving the requirements isn'teconomically feasible.’

____________________________________

Training the Guards­­Arizona's San Pedro

Posted by Scott Dye, Monday, March 21, 2011

ALL HAIL Arizona Sentinels Sandy Bahr and Steve Pawlowski and allies with the University of Arizona andBLM for expanding our water­quality protection efforts to include the San Pedro River, one of the mostvibrant but endangered rivers in the state.

From the article:

‘More than 20 area volunteers spent Saturday learning the basic techniques they will need over the course ofthis year as they take part in an effort to test the San Pedro River’s water quality, help clean and restorevegetation around the river and to monitor area wells.

“The Sierra Club started the Water Sentinels Program to protect, improve and restore the nation’s waters,”said Sandy Bahr, conservation outreach director for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club. Whenshe moved to Arizona 24 years ago, the first river Bahr saw was the Salt River and she wondered why it wascalled a river.

The more she learned about Arizona, the more Bahr came to appreciate the importance even a little waterplays in a desert, and learned that many of the state’s rivers were once much more impressive, she said. “Idid learn that they were indeed rivers and they were important rivers, but that many of them had really beenworked to death. There’s probably no other landscape where we call upon rivers to do as much as in thedesert. I came to appreciate that even the smallest trickle in our arid land was really important, because inthose trickles is life. They really are the life blood of this land.”

[The San Pedro is] also really important and essential to the survival of a number of imperiled species,”Bahr said. Across the state, about 60 percent of Arizona’s native wildlife relies on riparian areas associatedwith rivers and streams, while 70 percent of threatened or endangered vertebrates rely on them.

Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Water Sentinels Program Coordinator Steve Pawlowski presented atentative plan for the coming year that will involve taking samples of river water at five different points at fourdifferent times in 2011.

All the water quality data will be shared with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, which has anobligation to statewide water quality assessments, Pawlowski said.

“We’ve demonstrated that we’re capable of effectively killing rivers in Arizona, but we have not yetdemonstrated that we can save them,” Bahr said. “That’s part of what you all are doing and what we need todo.”’

______________________________

http://www.svherald.com/ (Pay Site)

The Sierra Vista Herald

Water Sentinels get lesson on river testing procedures

Volunteers will restore San Pedro vegetation and monitor wells, By Adam Curtis

Herald/Review, January 24, 2011

Training the Guards­­Illinois Coalfields

Posted by Scott Dye, Monday, March 21, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud and allies with Prairie Rivers Network for training citizenscientists to monitor water quality before a proposed coal strip mine is built in the watershed of theirdrinking water supply, and to check if closed mines in the area are polluting waterways.

From the article:

'To help keep their guard up against a proposed strip coal mine northeast of the city, an environmentalgroup will host a seminar Saturday on how property owners can test water quality on their land.

Objections filed by a group of residents to the surface mine planned for 1,084 acres near Canton Lake, thecity’s main water supply, still await administrative review by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The seminar “will help us keep on top” of the potential impact of that mine, but the public can also learnwhether other mines in Fulton County are producing pollutants in area streams, ponds and lakes even afterthey’ve been closed, Brenda Dilts said Friday.’_________________________________

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1145631179/Water­testing­seen­as­proactive

Water testing seen as proactive

Group opposing mine proposal will host seminar in Canton

By Michael Smothers

Peoria Journal Star, Posted Jan 28, 2011

Training the Guards­­Appalachian Coalfields

Posted by Scott Dye, Monday, March 21, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile and the Club’s Environmental Law Program for giving thepeople of Appalachia the training and tools they need to fight back against the plague ofmountaintop­removal mining.

From an article by Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards…

__________________________

http://www.samsva.org/

Community Takes Action on Water Quality into Own Hands

By Susanna Ronalds­Hannon

In response to community concern regarding the water quality in Appalachia, Southern AppalachianMountain Stewards has recently launched a water monitoring program targeting some of the coal camps inand around Appalachia. With skills and knowledge acquired from the Deputy Director of the Sierra Club’sWater Sentinels, Tim Guilfoile, we set out in September to begin our monitoring of pH, conductivity, andtemperature in Exeter’s Pigeon creek. In a new guidance by the EPA, conductivity levels beyond 300microsiemens have been declared dangerous and beyond 500, (five times above normal levels), irreversiblydamaging to streams and aquatic life. Given these guidelines, our data has been disheartening andfrightening, although not surprising. With conductivity levels measured downstream of mountaintop removalsites averaging over 700 microsiemens and often exceeding 1000, our streams carry extremely dangerous

amounts of heavy metals. In one location we measured 1390 microsiemens, almost three times the amountdesignated by the EPA as the absolute upper limit for safe water.

In surface mining, overburden is stripped from on top of a coal seam and deposited elsewhere. Althoughresponsible mining requires this “waste material” to be contained in some way so as to prevent pollutantsfrom leaching into the groundwater and surface run­off systems, irresponsible practices leave the loose,unconsolidated overburden uncovered where it is susceptible to leaching and eroding into the off­siteenvironment (Mineral Policy Center, April 1995). In effect, conductivity is a measurement of inorganicdissolved solids; heavy metals such as selenium, manganese, lead and arsenic are all toxic to humanhealth in concentrations above the minute.

The public comments period for EPA’s new guidance on conductivity levels, ended on December 1st. Wenow await a decision from the EPA, based in part on public response, on whether to modify the guidance orkeep it as is. SAMS recently submitted a comment of our own, backed up by conductivity data collected byour citizen’s water monitoring team. We recognize that we need to show the EPA, with our data andfirst­hand experience with our own watershed, that the clear benchmarks set by this new guidance isnecessary for “preventing significant and irreversible damage to Appalachian watersheds at risk from miningactivity” (EPA press release, 4/01/10). We are in communication with the EPA regarding the health of ourwatershed, and we will continue to monitor the streams in and around Appalachia. We invite you to join our“stream team” – we meet at the office at 11 am on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, and weseek more community members concerned with our water to get involved. We hope to eventually developthe capacity for multiple monitoring teams regularly testing streams in various communities and gatheringdata to be made available to the public. We at SAMS feel, as articulated by Lisa Jackson, EPAadministrator, that “the people of Appalachia shouldn’t have to choose between a clean, healthy environmentin which to raise their families and the jobs they need to support them.”

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Training the Guards­­In the Beginning

Posted by Scott Dye, Monday, March 21, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Chair Hank Graddy for this great op­ed on the creation of Kentucky’s statewideWatershed Watch program, and how its success—and concurrent success with Sierra Club volunteermonitoring in IL and MO—help spur on the creation of the Sierra Club’s Water Sentinels program a decadeago. And the rest is history—that continues to be written every day.

From Hank’s op­ed:

‘In early 1997, members of the Sierra Club, the Kentucky Waterways Alliance and the Kentucky WaterWatch program were discussing ways to improve Kentucky's water. We wanted to teach ordinary citizenshow to gather useful water quality data. We knew this activity would help inform participants, and we hopedthat government agencies would pay attention to the findings. But we did not know how to get anybody toshow up.

We also knew that [Andy] Mead had written stories about Kentucky's environment and about the KentuckyRiver. Fortunately, he found our plan newsworthy.

Mead's story was headlined, "Volunteers needed to monitor water quality in the Kentucky River." The storydescribed a program to teach volunteers field chemistry, habitat assessments and macro­invertebrateassessments and how to get our samples to the lab on time. We held our breath — would anybody showup? They did. Thirty strangers spent that Saturday in a Sunday school building and in a tributary of the

Kentucky River.

From that first article by Mead and that first training event, the Kentucky River Watershed Watch was born.

On Jan. 22, we will hold our 14th Annual Watershed Protection Conference at Midway College.

This year we will review the water quality data from last year, as we have done at the prior 13 conferences.Each year, our 100 to 150 volunteers sample from 100 to 200 sites within the Kentucky River watershed andwe add between 3,000 and 4,000 new pieces of water quality data to the statewide data repository.

In 1998, we expanded the Watershed Watch program into the Salt River and Licking River watersheds andover the next three years we were able to extend the Watershed Watch program statewide. Visit thestatewide Web site maintained by the Kentucky Division of Water at,http://water.ky.gov/wsw/Pages/default.aspx .

In 2000, Sierra Club members affiliated with the Watershed Watch program in Kentucky urged the SierraClub to develop a citizen water monitoring program: the Sierra Sentinel program. Tim Guilfoile, deputydirector, will be the keynote speaker at the Kentucky River Watershed Protection conference. Visit thenational Sierra Club Water Sentinels web page atwww.sierraclub.org/watersentinels/

Watershed Watch in Kentucky offers Kentuckians an opportunity to look around and see where we are —what we have lost, what remains, and what we must do.’______________________________:

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/01/19/1603334/thank­you­andy­mead.html#more

Kentucky voices: Thank you, Andy Mead

By Hank Graddy

Jan 20, 2011

LEXINGTON HERALD­LEADER

Hands­On & Knee­Deep (video)

Posted by Tom V,Monday, March 14, 2011

Check out this short video of Water Sentinels Director Scott Dye getting "hands­on and knee­deep" in theCurrent River, one of the scenic rivers the Water Sentinels have helped protect in the Missouri Ozarks.

Want to learn more about the Water Sentinels? Join Dye and Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile in a conferencecall on Monday, March 21, at 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern, as they discuss theprogram and answer your questions. 1­866­501­6174 ­­ 1892­005

Monitoring in Pennsylvania

Posted by Brian Oram

Thursday, March 3, 2011

One unique program in Pennsylvania is the C­SAW Program ­ this program provides free technicalassistance to watershed groups. We are a partner in this program.

C­SAW Program

Wilkes University­ Water Research Center

This includes helping to select equipment and sites, QC/QA, and training.

Thanks

Brian

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/01/04/1585946/water­quality­coal­jobs­at­issue.html

Water quality, coal jobs at issue in mountains

By Dori Hjalmarson at 12:00am on Jan 4, 2011 — dhjalmarson@herald­leader.com

Terra Madre

Posted by Scott Dye

Friday, Febuary 4, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinel Aloma Dew for representing the Sierra Club at the international Terra Madre(Mother Earth) summit on sustainable food production and agricultural biodiversity in Torino, Italy. The“encounter” drew 7,000 delegates from 169 nations.

Among all of the significant conservation work and victories that Aloma has spirited, her work onsustainability in agriculture and food production has achieved both national and international recognition. Adecade of her annual Healthy Foods, Local Farms Conference has drawn some of the world’s mostrecognized speakers on slow food, sustainability, and food justice. She has also helped achieve landmarklegal victories that have influenced the management of factory farms nationally.

It was fitting that Aloma was the face of the Sierra Club at Terra Madre. She talks the talk, walks the walk,and eats her food…slow.

Aloma’s report follows…

http://kentucky.sierraclub.org/newsroom/newsletter/pdf/2010/news1210.pdf (PDF, pp 1 & 8)

Terra Madre—Mother Earth

By Aloma Dew

The goal of Slow Food USA is to bring people together and that was what Terra Madre was all about. Without a doubt, attending Terra Madre in Torino, Italy in October was a defining moment in my life. I was one of ten Kentucky Delegates to the Conference and as far as I know, the only Sierra Club staffer who was there. For more than a decade, I have worked for sustainable agriculture, clean water, food justice, and local food economies. With 7,000 other delegates from 169 countries, about 750 from 50 states in the U.S., I felt solidarity and a renewed sense of purpose. Food should mean pleasure, but it is much more than that—it is about regional identity, biodiversity, dignity, caring for the planet, independence, and saving ethnic communities, and public health.

Food is an elemental need, it is something we all share and the growing of it is creation. As I looked at the great variety of ethnic clothing and wares, heard the myriad languages much like the Tower of Babel, saw faces of every shade and color, I realized we are all more alike than we are different and that the carbon foot print of bringing us all to Italy was worth it, because we could talk, touch, communicate, share and go back to our homes inspired and rejuvenated. Some of the opening speeches were in indigenous languages because Carlos Petrini, founder of Slow Food, stated that we are losing languages, diverse cultures and foods and that industry does not want the diversity, but everyone should have a voice, their own voice. Nine

languages were being translated through our headsets, but more than that were represented and spoken at this event.

One of the displays on biodiversity was a table with hundreds of kinds of apples—at my local orchard, I can only find four at any given time and two of those are the tasteless, mealy Delicious variety which was created to travel and keep well. Not delicious at all.

Carlos Petrini, recognized Wendell Berry several times as the voice that has been calling for biodiversity and food justice eloquently for so long. He said that Wendell Berry understood earlier than the rest of us that “eating is an agricultural act.” He called him “The Great Master” It was a proud Kentucky moment!

It was also a proud moment to know that two Kentuckians were on programs at this landmark “encounter”—Karyn Moskowitz and Bob Perry. Both of them were on this year’s Healthy Foods, Local Farms Conference program. Bob and fellow delegates Jim Embry and Mark Williams are on the HFLF Conference Planning Committee.

Alice Waters, who has spoken at our Healthy Foods, Local Farms Conference was there; Vandana Shiva the Indian activist who is fighting for seed diversity spoke. One goal expressed at the conference was to have more public school gardens than there are McDonalds. Josh Viertel, head of Slow Food USA who spoke at the HFLF Conference in 2009 said that power without love is tyranny and that it took us 60 years to get the food program broken, now we must heal it. We must work for food that is good, clean and fair. This is the same goal that the Sierra Club has pursued in our work against CAFOs and industrial controlled monocultures. Another speaker who has been at our HFLF Conference was Sam Levin, the New England teenager who works with Project Sprout. He promised that his generation would reconnect mankind with the earth. No small promise! He reminded us that the snail, the symbol of Slow Food, works slowly with patience and hard work. We Sierra Club members need to be reminded that our work may take a long time, there are set backs as well as victories, but if we continue with persistence and keep our goal in sight, we will prevail.

When I told people I worked for the Sierra Club, the response was always positive. People thanked me for the work we do. I spent a lot of time telling people what we are doing in Kentucky.

Much of the emphasis was on “who owns seeds?” The European Union has declared 2010 as the Year of Biodiversity. The “We’re All in This Together” campaign is to educate people about biodiversity. Seeds open agriculture of everyone. Owning seeds is what makes the farmer free. Adversely, when companies like Monsanto own the seeds, farmers become victims to the industrial system. One speaker said the main way to change agriculture is to tell farmers what we want to eat and give them the seeds. Our health and the health of the planet depends upon it. . Having a few types of seed and product are much easier and more easily controlled. He demanded that economic structures must change, we must have cultural diversity. Another speaker called us to re­invent the Commons—air, water. We must consume seasonally, locally, and have a healthy relationship with nature—both plants and animals.

Raj Patel commented that indigenous people have preserved the commons and that “food sovereignty” is about a democratic food system and that “democracy is slow”—it is “slow politics” and about building relationships. That is part of the beauty of slow food—relationships, communion, and community. He also said that 1 in 6 people are undernourished. We produce more than enough, waste more than enough—access is the problem and it called this a “subtle form of violence” and a “right to life issue”.

Something we have said time and again is that “laws are a start, at best”—education is the key. The link between food and energy was made clear with the statement that energy must be good, clean, and fair—just like food; that we must be more compatible with nature—there is no pleasure in pollution. It was stated that energy is not fair and has created an unequal society and that energy monopolies see only greed, not the spiritual side of life. “Energy is not a commodity, it is a human right”. What we have now is

energy colonization and we need more local energy, just as we need more local food, we need both “food and energy in a decentralized way”. We can not work for sustainable energy without working for sustainable food—they are connected.

There were lots of young people at Terra Madre—they were loud and enthusiastic and seem dedicated to changing the future. But there were lots of boomers and elders, too. Vandana Shiva asked that we “celebrate this Terra Madre as the beginning of the end of Monsanto”. Amen. In 2012, Terra Madre will convene in Washington, D.C. I hope to be there and honor progress in our food system. We can all begin that work by acquainting ourselves with the 2012 Farm Bill and working to bring justice and a good, clean, and fair food system to everyone.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Troubled Waters­­Hissy Fit on the Hinkson

Posted by Scott Dye

Friday, Febuary 4, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinel Ken Midkiff for stirring up quite a kerfuffle over bad governance in Columbia thatimpacts Hinkson Creek, the city’s major waterway. A dubious stormwater variance, and a mayor whoforgets there is a city council.

From the first article:

‘Most stormwater variance requests take two weeks to review. The request for the IBM site, above at 2810LeMone Industrial Blvd., was submitted to the city on June 18. Staff recommended approval of the varianceon June 21. A Public Works official said City Manager Bill Watkins asked him to “do what we could to helpthem.”

A water­quality variance request that was granted for a new IBM facility in June was not the result ofcorporate arm­twisting and did not cut corners on public safety, some city and economic developmentofficials said this week. But that view in a fresh debate over the variance issue is hardly unanimous.

“I think clearly this is setting a very bad example to the development community,” said First Ward CityCouncilman Paul Sturtz.

Sierra Club spokesman Ken Midkiff was even more adamant, saying the variance “absolutely” set aprecedent for future variance requests relating to the city’s three­year­old ordinance that regulates theamount and quality of stormwater runoff. The area where IBM is located is in the Hinkson Creek watershed.

Midkiff also has complained about the variance to state regulators, asking the Department of NaturalResources in an e­mail whether Public Works Director John Glascock’s granting of the variance mightactually constitute a violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

DNR environmental specialist John Hoke replied this week to Midkiff, telling him in an e­mail, “Yourquestion is valid and I have to admit that we presently don’t have an answer.” Hoke said he forwarded thequestion to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 office in Kansas City for that staff’s review. Healso sent Midkiff’s question to DNR stormwater permit regulators.

For Sturtz, the stormwater quality variance brought back the uncomfortable feeling he had over the speedyagreement with IBM that did not come to the city council’s attention until after the fact.

“It goes back to the fairly well­documented controversial treatment of the council in leading up to awelcoming ceremony one week before the council was going to review the contract that was part of theagreement,” he said.’

From the second article:

‘A Sunshine Law request to the city of Columbia by Ken Midkiff uncovered an unusual document — a letterfrom Mayor Bob McDavid to the EPA claiming that the city opposes rules to control stormwater runoff intoHinkson Creek.

In the Nov. 29 letter, on city stationery from the “Office of Mayor and Council,” McDavid said the rules were“impossible to implement and based on outdated data that does not reflect improvements in the watershedfrom the implementation of control equipment, best management practices, and elimination of discharges inthe Hinkson watershed.” He also challenged the legal basis for listing Hinkson Creek as an impairedwaterway.

But First Ward Councilman Paul Sturtz, when alerted to the letter by Midkiff, conservation chairman of theOsage Group of the Sierra Club and a Tribune columnist, said the council had not discussed whether tosend such a letter and that McDavid should not have portrayed his stance as the official city position. “I amdefinitely interested in finding out how a major initiative like this didn’t come to the council,” Sturtz said.

The mayor is just one member of the council, not the city’s chief executive like in some cities, Sturtz noted.

Reached yesterday afternoon, McDavid said his stance “was not discussed at the city council, but I wasspeaking for myself.” Asked whether he should have stated it as an official city position, McDavid replied:“Your point is valid.”’

_______________________________________

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/dec/18/ibm121810/

Troubled waters

By Jodie Jackson Jr.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/dec/11/mayor­called­out­on­letter­critical­of­epa/

Mayor called out on letter critical of EPA

Sturtz: View not official position.

By Rudi Keller

Saturday, December 11, 2010

On the Land Means In the Water

Posted by Scott Dye

Friday, Febuary 4, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinel Tom Kruzen for sounding the alarm about a proposed organic dairy that wantsto site in the Ozark’s porous karst topography (think Swiss cheese), in the recharge areas of massivesprings that feed the two of America’s cleanest scenic rivers.

From Tom’s LTE:

‘Jordan Rubin's "Beyond Health and Wellness" certified organic dairy wants to come to Missouri. Anywherefrom 1,000 to 3,000 "organic" cows will eat, breathe, give milk and poop in the recharge areas of Big Springand Greer Spring that feed the Current and Eleven Point rivers, two of America's cleanest rivers.

The karst topography that made lead mining dangerous remains. Whether it's lead concentrate orconcentrated animal waste, if it's on the land, it will find its way into our wells, springs and rivers.

This facility is a serious threat to water quality, quality of life and our existing touristeconomy.’______________________________

http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_9f62330f­cec0­586a­9232­227b298cfd5f.html

St. Louis Post­Dispatch

Letters to the editor, January 3, 2011

On the land, in the water

Sandy Bahr Among 10 Inspirational Women of Arizona

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, Febuary 4, 2011

ALL HAIL Arizona Chapter Director Sandy Bahr who was named one of 10 Inspiring Women of Arizona byThe Arizona Republic newspaper of Phoenix. Her cheerful demeanor, tireless work ethic, never quitattitude, spirit and passion for her work is especially remarkable while trying to protect the beauty andprecious resources in a state not known for its progressive politics.

If you’ve met Sandy, you’ve been inspired. She has that effect on people. If you haven’t had the pleasure,please let me introduce you.

_____________________________

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL Fountain Creek Sentinels Ross Vincent & Michele Bobyn and Rocky Mountain Chapterspokesperson Joann Seeman for joining a crowd of over 500 opponents to stop a proposed nuclear powerplant in Pueblo County. No new nukes!!

From the article:

‘They came to stop it Wednesday night — at least 500 people filling the Sangre de Cristo Arts andConference Center ballroom to protest local attorney Don Banner's plan to zone 24,000 acres in PuebloCounty for a nuclear power plant.

So many came, in fact, that the Pueblo County commissioners listened to more than four hours oftestimony before recessing the public hearing until tonight, when the final speakers will get their turn.Banner will also be given time to offer rebuttal of the criticism. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Wednesday brought the backlash with opponents filling the large ballroom and several dozen speaking.

Ross Vincent, of the Sangre de Cristo Group of the Sierra Club, said Banner's application — to rezone landin hopes of attracting a future nuclear power developer — was too empty to justify the serious decision thecommissioners were facing.

“The concerns about the health and environmental impacts of this project are real," Vincent said. "This isjust an application, not a plan, being backed by a dubious sales pitch."

Joann Seeman, of the Rocky Mountain Sierra Club, dismissed Banner's argument Tuesday night that allpower sources have "risk" — which was his acknowledgement of the Japanese crisis. Banner alsodiscussed the two most famous nuclear accidents prior to Japan — the Chernobyl, Ukraine, explosion in

1986, and Three Mile Island, Pa., in 1979. He attributed the Chernobyl explosion — which killed 50 peopleat the plant — on shoddy design and construction and the Three Mile Island reactor meltdown as proofsafety controls worked. No one died at that reactor shut­down.

I thought he was saying last night, ‘Don't worry about Chernobyl,’ and ‘Don't worry about Three Mile Island,’and I thought he was saying you can ignore Japan, too," Seeman told the commissioners.

She said Banner glossed over the dangers of spent radioactive fuel rods at nuclear plants. Recycling spentfuel is not legal in the U.S., she argued.

Michele Bobyn, a forensic biologist, said some of the testimony Tuesday was inaccurate about radioactiveleakage from power plants. She said biologists have done long­term studies of the animals around theSavannah River plant in Georgia and those animals have radioactive elements in them from the power plant.

"There will be leakage," she advised the commissioners. "Maybe we should be doing baseline studies nowon our exposure if we are going to be exposed to this for the long­term."’

__________________________________________________

http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/crowd­protests­nuclear­power­plan/article_c900cec8­5058­11e0­9432­001cc4c002e0.html

Crowd protests nuclear power plan

So many came to speak, the hearing was continued to 5 p.m. tonight

Posted: Thursday, March 17, 2011 12:00 am

Cleanup Columbia Nets Over 1,500 Volunteers

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL my town, Columbia Missouri, for once again turning out in hordes to sweep our fair city free oftrash at Cleanup Columbia. Over 1,500 volunteers (1 out of every 67 Columbians) participated in the annualspring cleaning. Cleanup Columbia is the largest single­day citywide litter cleanup in the state. This was thetenth year Sierra Club has been a cosponsor with the city.

From the article:

‘Traveling through Columbia around noon yesterday, one might have seen mounds of orange trash bags onthe side of the road at various points throughout the city.

These trash bags were the benchmarks of accomplishment for more than 1,500 volunteers who fanned outacross the city yesterday morning for the annual Cleanup Columbia event, in which residents are given thechance to devote their days off to the beautification of the city’s public spaces.

Wearing a cast on her left leg, Megan Orr, a Boone County resident who is a member of the Baha’i faith, didnot let torn ligaments stop her from helping out with the cleanup effort. After climbing out of the streamunassisted, she said the event shows her that residents are “paying attention” to their local environment — ifanything, she said, to make it a clean place for children to play.

“Do they want them to play in a clean environment, or do they want them to wade in trash?” Orr said.’

__________________________________

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/apr/10/volunteers­bag­citys­litter/?news

Volunteers bag city’s litter

Annual event includes 1,500.

By Andrew DenneyColumbia Daily Tribune

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Legal Hero: Sentinels Dep. Director Tim Guilfoile

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile for being honored as a Legal Hero by the Sierra Club’sEnvironmental Law Program (ELP). It’s rarified air, as the ELP has so honored just 18 such heroes in thelast decade.

Tim has been instrumental in advancing ELP’s litigation campaign against devastating mountaintop­removalcoal mining corporados. He has personally collected dozens of polluted water samples to support Club ELPlitigation against these planetary rapists who profit by leveling mountains, then dumping the debris into over2,000 miles of America’s waterways—which now are dead, and gone. Tim has also trained dozens of citizenmonitors throughout Appalachia, deploying an army of organized, trained, and equipped activists who intendto defend their local communities and waterways.

Other Sierra Club ELP Legal Heroes that long time Sentinels Newfeed fans will recognize – Aloma Dew inKentucky; and Anne Woiwode in Michigan.

When diplomacy and negotiations fail, it's time for court.

http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/heroes/guilfoile.aspx

http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/heroes/

________________________________________

Legal Heroes:

Tim Guilfoile

Tim joined the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program in 2005 and has served as the program's DeputyDirector since 2009. The Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program is a volunteer based program that works toinform and empower citizens to monitor, protect, and improve their local waterways. With over 51 programsin 20 different states, Water Sentinels provides over 12,000 volunteers with the opportunity to enjoy the greatoutdoors, while tackling complex environmental issues. The program organizes river and stream cleanups,trains citizens to test their local waterways for harmful substances, provides environmental education andoutdoor activities for children, and more. Tim works with volunteers and communities across the nation toaddress a wide range of environmental issues associated with water contamination, from agricultural runoffto sewer overflows to coal mining and more.

Over the years, Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program has provided invaluable support for the Club'sEnvironmental Law Program. Tim has worked closely with the law program's attorneys to bring greaterattention to the devastating impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on waterways and communities inAppalachia. In 2008, Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit against Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company forillegally burying streams with mining waste from its mountaintop removal coal mine near the Fish Trap Lakereservoir in eastern Kentucky. Sierra Club and its coalfield allies reached an agreement with ClintwoodElkhorn in 2009, which required the company to pay approximately $250,000 to fund restoration work in the

Levisa Fork watershed, a tributary of Fish Trap Lake most affected by the illegal mining. Tim played a keyrole in finalizing the agreement, working with local residents and state agency officials to identify restorationprojects that were important to the local community.

Through the Water Sentinels Program, Tim continues to support the law program's work to stop coal miningcompanies from polluting waterways in Appalachia. Tim coordinates water quality testing and monitoring tostrengthen the Club's legal work to hold coal mining companies accountable for discharging toxic pollutioninto America's streams and rivers, and to compel government regulators to strengthen their oversight of coalmining.

The Water Sentinels also partners with Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers and the NationalMilitary Fish & Wildlife Association to provide fly fishing opportunities to tens of thousands of youth annuallyacross the nation. In 2010, the Water Sentinels were successful in getting 185,000 kids outdoors. SierraClub's Water Sentinels Program also partners with a number of other organizations, including, but notlimited to, Clean Water Network, Water Protection Network, Gulf Restoration Network, SustainableAgriculture Coalition, and River Network.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Dr. Cliff Cockerham Gets Grilled

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee Sentinel Dr. Cliff Cockerham for getting GRILLED by SIERRA Magazine. At the end ofthe article, click on a 1­minute video see Dr. C in action at his indoor and outdoor classrooms at WhitesCreek High School in Nashville.

Bonus question for extra points: What was our magazine called before SIERRA?

Answer: Sierra Club Bulletin

_____________________________

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201105/bulletin.aspx

BULLETIN | News for Members

GRILLED

Invading the Privacy of the People Who Make the Club Tick

NAME: Cliff Cockerham

LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee

CONTRIBUTION: Science teacher, Tennessee Chapter education chair, Environmental Justice Committeechair, Sierra Student Coalition liaison, Water Sentinels activist

How do you get students excited about science and the environment?

One way is the cry for environmental justice­­to right the wrongs. That appeals to many of my students.We're 85 percent below the poverty level, and very few kids have both parents. Employment is anothermotivator. We're the first school in the state with a green­jobs internship placement. The students learn howto do home energy audits and efficiency­improvement projects and gasoline­to­electric­car conversions.

You're originally from New York. Tennessee must be quite a change.

Oh yeah. As much as I like it here, I haven't totally gotten with the program. I think sometimes I'm still a bullin a china shop. But then, in many ways, everyone in the Sierra Club is kind of rocking the boat. Activism is

not always comfortable for local culture.

How'd you get interested in science?

When I was in high school, we got this kit from the National Science Foundation for studying different kindsof pollution. I started doing research projects with it.

So you were hooked on pollution?

Studying it, yeah.

Do you do any independent research now?

At this point, everything I'm doing is with my students. We have a lot of different research projects going.We're working on fuel efficiency, preparing biodiesel from vegetable oil, producing cellulosic ethanol as afuel, and growing switchgrass. A couple of kids are looking at algae as a feedstock for biofuels.

If one of your students invents some sort of new biofuel, would you want them to name it after you?

I'd rather have 1 percent of the revenues. But I guess I'd settle for a naming.

Do you have time for a social life?

Ah, well there's the Sierra Club. [Laughs] We have two group retreats that are kind of nice getaways. Mydaughter, who is 17, actually invited me to go WWOOFing [worldwide opportunities on organic farms] withher. We're going to volunteer on an organic farm in southern Ireland this summer.

That sounds like work. I said to her, you know, I'd much rather lecture about this, maybe do some studies,generate graphs, do talks. Instead, we're going to get our hands dirty and our feet wet.

That's impressive that she asked you to go, that you made the cut.

Yeah, I actually was pretty touched by that. We'll be in Ireland for two weeks, then we're going to head overto England and check out the lives of the Beatles. Follow in their footsteps. Find Abbey Road.

Reenact the album cover?

Exactly.

—interview by Della Watson

ON THE WEB Watch a video of Cliff Cockerham and his students athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbhll1h_rLs

­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Dam Near Gone

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Georgia Sentinel Sam Booher for talking common sense about the proposed removal of a dam onthe Savannah River.

‘The dam no longer serves the purpose it was built for, 74 years ago. It blocks migrating fish. Repairs andfish passages would run well north of $20 million, three or four times more than taking it out.

“It would definitely be better for the river, from an environmental standpoint, but today everyone is talkingeconomics. Let's talk economics on that dam, it makes no sense to throw good money after bad,” saysSam Booher, Co­Chair of the Sierra Club, Savannah River Group.’

______________________________________

http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2011/mar/22/augusta­loses­loss­dam­ar­1612260/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Augusta Loses With Loss Of Dam

Michigan Appellate Court Upholds Regs on Factory Farms

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Chapter Director Anne Woiwode for her shout out to the state’s Appellate Court forupholding the state regulatory agency’s authority to require permits of factory farms. It’s an important win forrural residents forced to live near these animal factories’ filth and pollution, and for Michigan waters.

From the article:

[The judges wrote:] ‘“We conclude that the DEQ was fully authorized to require CAFOs to either (1) seekand obtain an NPDES permit (irrespective of whether they actually discharge pollutants), or (2) satisfactorilydemonstrate that they have no potential to discharge,” the judges wrote in a 23­page opinion.

An environmental advocate praised the ruling.

"This is an extremely important affirmation of what the state has been doing to prevent pollution fromlarge­scale livestock operations," said Anne Woiwode, director of the Sierra Club's Michigan chapter.

"Because Michigan has water everywhere, there is virtually no place where surface water would not beaffected by CAFOs," Woiwode said.’

___________________________

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/03/appeals_court_upholds_decision.html

Appeals court upholds decision barring factory farms from water pollution in Michigan

Published: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 11:48 AM Updated: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 1:36 PM

By John S. Hausman | The Muskegon Chronicle

Recycling With Jenny

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Colorado’s Fountain Creek Sentinel and Pueblo City­County Health Department EnvironmentalCoordinator, Jenny Kedward, for preaching the gospel of recycling with conviction to area businesses.

From the article:

‘While a growing number of households altruistically look for ways to recycle, it’s not a choice forbusinesses and the Pueblo City­County Health Department has been working with local firms to help themdeal with laws and find local resources for recycling.

A grant has funded monthly business recycling sessions and will pay for two more, in April and May.

At a session Tuesday, the department’s environmental coordinator, Jenny Kedward, went over the rules andresources, but also stressed that there are benefits to more than just the environment.

In many cases, Kedward said, businesses can save money by recycling and reusing as well as reducingwhat they use.

“It produces more efficient operations,” she told the group attending the health department's March program,

along with enhancing a company’s public image.

Some of the other things a business may do is to reuse items as much as possible.

“Identify an area to store reusable items,” Kedward said, pointing out that plastic binders are a goodexample. When they come in, they’re stored and “we haven’t bought binders in years,” she said.

Kedward said recycling is more than just depositing things in appropriate bins, but also means supportingthe whole concept by buying recycled goods.

She said that there are transportation and labor costs in moving things to areas where they are sorted andthen remanufactured. “If we’re not buying recycled products, we’re not driving the loop,” she said.

Supporting the entire cycle can reduce the cost of recycling, she said.’

__________________________________

http://www.chieftain.com/business/local/businesses­get­recycling­lowdown/article_7f3cc652­55c6­11e0­89e6­001cc4c002e0.html

Businesses get recycling lowdown

Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 12:00 am

By JOHN NORTON | The Pueblo Chieftain

Arizona: US State or Sovereignty?

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Arizona’s Chapter Director and Sentinel Sandy Bahr for doggedly soldiering on against a statelegislature that is antagonistic to protecting the environment, and apparently resents complying with federalpublic health and safety laws that protect its residents.

What’s next? Secession from the Union?

From the article:

‘Conservative lawmakers' efforts to assert Arizona's sovereignty extend to who's ultimately responsible forregulating the quality of the state's air and water.

The Senate has approved and forwarded to the House two pieces of legislation under which Arizona wouldignore federal guidelines set by the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, which impose uniform standardsover the amount of pollutants that can be discharged into the air and water.

Sen. Sylvia Allen, R­Snowflake, chairwoman of the Border Security, Federalism and States SovereigntyCommittee, said actions by the federal Environmental Protection Agency on greenhouse gas emissions andother matters will be costly to Arizona taxpayers.

Sandy Bahr, director of Sierra's Club Grand Canyon Chapter, said these types of legislation are not aimed atcreating state regulations for pollution, but simply aimed at getting rid of them.

"The bottom line is they object to these protections and they are cloaking it in this state rights agenda,"Bahr said in an interview.

If the legislation were upheld there would be nothing in place to protect our water and air from pollutingindustries. The continual efforts of conservative lawmakers resisting environmental protections are not inline with the citizens who care about clean water and air, she said.

Rep. Chad Campbell, D­Phoenix and minority leader of the House, said both measures would only lead thestate into expensive and unsuccessful court battles.

"They are going to end up in court, and they are going to cost the state money," Campbell said in a newsconference.’

______________________________

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/030911_air_water

Lawmakers seek to remove federal oversight of Az air and water

Posted Mar 9, 2011, 9:03 am

Tara Alatorre, Cronkite News Service

Columbus Discovered... Sewage!

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinel Matt Trokan and the Central Ohio Clean Water Campaign for taking to task the City ofColumbus for decades of unregulated sewage discharges that put public health at risk.

From the article:

‘In 1990, Franklin County officials used the term “pockets of pollution” to describe 23 neighborhoods wherefailed septic tanks were poisoning streams with sewage.

But after years of working to meet a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water­pollution mandate, thecounty’s list of troublesome subdivisions has grown by 169.

This new list doesn’t include the original pockets of pollution, seven of which still have sewage problems thathaven’t been fixed. County sanitarians who struggled for years to find $31.3 million needed to run sewers tothe pocket communities say they don’t know yet where they’ll get the millions more to fix the new problems.

Environmental groups say that officials should have worked harder to identify and fix these problems, andthat homeowners should have been notified long ago of the potential health risks.

“The public needs to be informed that these storm­water outflows are hazardous, and they need to knowwhat they can do, if anything, about it,” said Matt Trokan, the Sierra Club’s Central Ohio Clean WaterCampaign coordinator.

In the Mon­E­Bak subdivision in Franklin Township, where residents waited years for the county to find$4.1 million needed to connect 240 homes to sewers, work is to begin next year.

Even though that money will cover most of the construction costs, Renner said homeowners still must paythousands in connection fees. The city of Columbus typically charges homeowners about $3,300, he said.

Trokan said the county should have done more to notify residents in the latest batch of 169 subdivisions thatthey probably will face similar issues and costs.’

________________________________

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/28/problem­locations­for­sewage­increase.html?sid=101

Problem locations for sewage increase

Sunday, November 28, 2010, By Spencer Hunt

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Meet Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud, 2009 national River Network River Hero, featured in this greatprofile in suburban Chicago’s Northwest Herald. Thank you, Cindy, for ALL that you do.

From the article:

‘You might not know Cindy Skrukrud, but if you’ve ever canoed the Nippersink Creek or fished in the FoxRiver, you have benefited from work she’s done.

“McHenry County is blessed with very high­quality water features, high­quality wetlands and unique fens. Allthose things have drawn me to focus on water,” she said.

“I think people get engaged when they volunteer. We get fun out of doing it, and we see the need,” Skrukrudsaid of fellow volunteers and herself.

“You see the results of the time you’re putting in and you work with such great people that you just keepdoing it,” she said.

Skrukrud believes that the state of McHenry County’s water is a measure of how its residents live on theland.

“The only way we’re going to have good water quality is if we live lightly,” she said. “And I’ve really seen morecommunities embracing that idea.

“Twenty years ago, I don’t think people really realized and appreciated the quality of the streams in McHenryCounty, but I think the Defenders’ efforts and the Friends of the Fox and others’ efforts have gotten peopleto realize the quality of their water.”’

________________________________

http://www.nwherald.com/2011/01/27/skrukrud­fired­up­to­protect­areas­water/a445qj2/

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Skrukrud fired up to protect area’s water

By KATIE ANDERSON

Pueblo CO Fights Proposed Nuclear Power Plant

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL Fountain Creek Sentinels Ross Vincent & Michele Bobyn and Rocky Mountain Chapterspokesperson Joann Seeman for joining a crowd of over 500 opponents to stop a proposed nuclear powerplant in Pueblo County. No new nukes!!

From the article:

‘They came to stop it Wednesday night — at least 500 people filling the Sangre de Cristo Arts andConference Center ballroom to protest local attorney Don Banner's plan to zone 24,000 acres in PuebloCounty for a nuclear power plant.

So many came, in fact, that the Pueblo County commissioners listened to more than four hours oftestimony before recessing the public hearing until tonight, when the final speakers will get their turn.

Banner will also be given time to offer rebuttal of the criticism. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Wednesday brought the backlash with opponents filling the large ballroom and several dozen speaking.

Ross Vincent, of the Sangre de Cristo Group of the Sierra Club, said Banner's application — to rezone landin hopes of attracting a future nuclear power developer — was too empty to justify the serious decision thecommissioners were facing.

“The concerns about the health and environmental impacts of this project are real," Vincent said. "This isjust an application, not a plan, being backed by a dubious sales pitch."

Joann Seeman, of the Rocky Mountain Sierra Club, dismissed Banner's argument Tuesday night that allpower sources have "risk" — which was his acknowledgement of the Japanese crisis. Banner alsodiscussed the two most famous nuclear accidents prior to Japan — the Chernobyl, Ukraine, explosion in1986, and Three Mile Island, Pa., in 1979. He attributed the Chernobyl explosion — which killed 50 peopleat the plant — on shoddy design and construction and the Three Mile Island reactor meltdown as proofsafety controls worked. No one died at that reactor shut­down.

I thought he was saying last night, ‘Don't worry about Chernobyl,’ and ‘Don't worry about Three Mile Island,’and I thought he was saying you can ignore Japan, too," Seeman told the commissioners.

She said Banner glossed over the dangers of spent radioactive fuel rods at nuclear plants. Recycling spentfuel is not legal in the U.S., she argued.

Michele Bobyn, a forensic biologist, said some of the testimony Tuesday was inaccurate about radioactiveleakage from power plants. She said biologists have done long­term studies of the animals around theSavannah River plant in Georgia and those animals have radioactive elements in them from the power plant.

"There will be leakage," she advised the commissioners. "Maybe we should be doing baseline studies nowon our exposure if we are going to be exposed to this for the long­term."’

__________________________________________________

http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/crowd­protests­nuclear­power­plan/article_c900cec8­5058­11e0­9432­001cc4c002e0.html

Crowd protests nuclear power plan

So many came to speak, the hearing was continued to 5 p.m. tonight

Posted: Thursday, March 17, 2011 12:00 am

Cleanup Columbia Nets Over 1,500 Volunteers

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL my town, Columbia Missouri, for once again turning out in hordes to sweep our fair city free oftrash at Cleanup Columbia. Over 1,500 volunteers (1 out of every 67 Columbians) participated in the annualspring cleaning. Cleanup Columbia is the largest single­day citywide litter cleanup in the state. This was thetenth year Sierra Club has been a cosponsor with the city.

From the article:

‘Traveling through Columbia around noon yesterday, one might have seen mounds of orange trash bags onthe side of the road at various points throughout the city.

These trash bags were the benchmarks of accomplishment for more than 1,500 volunteers who fanned outacross the city yesterday morning for the annual Cleanup Columbia event, in which residents are given the

chance to devote their days off to the beautification of the city’s public spaces.

Wearing a cast on her left leg, Megan Orr, a Boone County resident who is a member of the Baha’i faith, didnot let torn ligaments stop her from helping out with the cleanup effort. After climbing out of the streamunassisted, she said the event shows her that residents are “paying attention” to their local environment — ifanything, she said, to make it a clean place for children to play.

“Do they want them to play in a clean environment, or do they want them to wade in trash?” Orr said.’

__________________________________

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/apr/10/volunteers­bag­citys­litter/?news

Volunteers bag city’s litter

Annual event includes 1,500.

By Andrew DenneyColumbia Daily Tribune, Sunday, April 10, 2011

Legal Hero: Sentinels Dep. Director Tim Guilfoile

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile for being honored as a Legal Hero by the Sierra Club’sEnvironmental Law Program (ELP). It’s rarified air, as the ELP has so honored just 18 such heroes in thelast decade.

Tim has been instrumental in advancing ELP’s litigation campaign against devastating mountaintop­removalcoal mining corporados. He has personally collected dozens of polluted water samples to support Club ELPlitigation against these planetary rapists who profit by leveling mountains, then dumping the debris into over2,000 miles of America’s waterways—which now are dead, and gone. Tim has also trained dozens of citizenmonitors throughout Appalachia, deploying an army of organized, trained, and equipped activists who intendto defend their local communities and waterways.

Other Sierra Club ELP Legal Heroes that long time Sentinels Newfeed fans will recognize – Aloma Dew inKentucky; and Anne Woiwode in Michigan.

When diplomacy and negotiations fail, it's time for court.

http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/heroes/guilfoile.aspx

http://www.sierraclub.org/environmentallaw/heroes/

________________________________________

Legal Heroes:

Tim Guilfoile

Tim joined the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program in 2005 and has served as the program's DeputyDirector since 2009. The Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program is a volunteer based program that works toinform and empower citizens to monitor, protect, and improve their local waterways. With over 51 programsin 20 different states, Water Sentinels provides over 12,000 volunteers with the opportunity to enjoy the greatoutdoors, while tackling complex environmental issues. The program organizes river and stream cleanups,trains citizens to test their local waterways for harmful substances, provides environmental education andoutdoor activities for children, and more. Tim works with volunteers and communities across the nation to

address a wide range of environmental issues associated with water contamination, from agricultural runoffto sewer overflows to coal mining and more.

Over the years, Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program has provided invaluable support for the Club'sEnvironmental Law Program. Tim has worked closely with the law program's attorneys to bring greaterattention to the devastating impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on waterways and communities inAppalachia. In 2008, Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit against Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company forillegally burying streams with mining waste from its mountaintop removal coal mine near the Fish Trap Lakereservoir in eastern Kentucky. Sierra Club and its coalfield allies reached an agreement with ClintwoodElkhorn in 2009, which required the company to pay approximately $250,000 to fund restoration work in theLevisa Fork watershed, a tributary of Fish Trap Lake most affected by the illegal mining. Tim played a keyrole in finalizing the agreement, working with local residents and state agency officials to identify restorationprojects that were important to the local community.

Through the Water Sentinels Program, Tim continues to support the law program's work to stop coal miningcompanies from polluting waterways in Appalachia. Tim coordinates water quality testing and monitoring tostrengthen the Club's legal work to hold coal mining companies accountable for discharging toxic pollutioninto America's streams and rivers, and to compel government regulators to strengthen their oversight of coalmining.

The Water Sentinels also partners with Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers and the NationalMilitary Fish & Wildlife Association to provide fly fishing opportunities to tens of thousands of youth annuallyacross the nation. In 2010, the Water Sentinels were successful in getting 185,000 kids outdoors. SierraClub's Water Sentinels Program also partners with a number of other organizations, including, but notlimited to, Clean Water Network, Water Protection Network, Gulf Restoration Network, SustainableAgriculture Coalition, and River Network.

­Dr. Cliff Cockerham Gets Grilled

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee Sentinel Dr. Cliff Cockerham for getting GRILLED by SIERRA Magazine. At the end ofthe article, click on a 1­minute video see Dr. C in action at his indoor and outdoor classrooms at WhitesCreek High School in Nashville.

Bonus question for extra points: What was our magazine called before SIERRA?

Answer: Sierra Club Bulletin

_____________________________

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201105/bulletin.aspx

BULLETIN | News for Members

GRILLED

Invading the Privacy of the People Who Make the Club Tick

NAME: Cliff Cockerham

LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee

CONTRIBUTION: Science teacher, Tennessee Chapter education chair, Environmental Justice Committeechair, Sierra Student Coalition liaison, Water Sentinels activist

How do you get students excited about science and the environment?

One way is the cry for environmental justice­­to right the wrongs. That appeals to many of my students.We're 85 percent below the poverty level, and very few kids have both parents. Employment is anothermotivator. We're the first school in the state with a green­jobs internship placement. The students learn howto do home energy audits and efficiency­improvement projects and gasoline­to­electric­car conversions.

You're originally from New York. Tennessee must be quite a change.

Oh yeah. As much as I like it here, I haven't totally gotten with the program. I think sometimes I'm still a bullin a china shop. But then, in many ways, everyone in the Sierra Club is kind of rocking the boat. Activism isnot always comfortable for local culture.

How'd you get interested in science?

When I was in high school, we got this kit from the National Science Foundation for studying different kindsof pollution. I started doing research projects with it.

So you were hooked on pollution?

Studying it, yeah.

Do you do any independent research now?

At this point, everything I'm doing is with my students. We have a lot of different research projects going.We're working on fuel efficiency, preparing biodiesel from vegetable oil, producing cellulosic ethanol as afuel, and growing switchgrass. A couple of kids are looking at algae as a feedstock for biofuels.

If one of your students invents some sort of new biofuel, would you want them to name it after you?

I'd rather have 1 percent of the revenues. But I guess I'd settle for a naming.

Do you have time for a social life?

Ah, well there's the Sierra Club. [Laughs] We have two group retreats that are kind of nice getaways. Mydaughter, who is 17, actually invited me to go WWOOFing [worldwide opportunities on organic farms] withher. We're going to volunteer on an organic farm in southern Ireland this summer.

That sounds like work. I said to her, you know, I'd much rather lecture about this, maybe do some studies,generate graphs, do talks. Instead, we're going to get our hands dirty and our feet wet.

That's impressive that she asked you to go, that you made the cut.

Yeah, I actually was pretty touched by that. We'll be in Ireland for two weeks, then we're going to head overto England and check out the lives of the Beatles. Follow in their footsteps. Find Abbey Road.

Reenact the album cover?

Exactly.

—interview by Della Watson

ON THE WEB Watch a video of Cliff Cockerham and his students at http://www.youtube.com/w

Dam Near Gone

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Georgia Sentinel Sam Booher for talking common sense about the proposed removal of a dam onthe Savannah River.

‘The dam no longer serves the purpose it was built for, 74 years ago. It blocks migrating fish. Repairs andfish passages would run well north of $20 million, three or four times more than taking it out.

“It would definitely be better for the river, from an environmental standpoint, but today everyone is talkingeconomics. Let's talk economics on that dam, it makes no sense to throw good money after bad,” saysSam Booher, Co­Chair of the Sierra Club, Savannah River Group.’

______________________________________

http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2011/mar/22/augusta­loses­loss­dam­ar­1612260/

Thursday, March 24, 2011, Augusta Loses With Loss Of Dam

Michigan Appellate Court Upholds Regs on Factory Farms

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Chapter Director Anne Woiwode for her shout out to the state’s Appellate Court forupholding the state regulatory agency’s authority to require permits of factory farms. It’s an important win forrural residents forced to live near these animal factories’ filth and pollution, and for Michigan waters.

From the article:

[The judges wrote:] ‘“We conclude that the DEQ was fully authorized to require CAFOs to either (1) seekand obtain an NPDES permit (irrespective of whether they actually discharge pollutants), or (2) satisfactorilydemonstrate that they have no potential to discharge,” the judges wrote in a 23­page opinion.

An environmental advocate praised the ruling.

"This is an extremely important affirmation of what the state has been doing to prevent pollution fromlarge­scale livestock operations," said Anne Woiwode, director of the Sierra Club's Michigan chapter.

"Because Michigan has water everywhere, there is virtually no place where surface water would not beaffected by CAFOs," Woiwode said.’

___________________________

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/03/appeals_court_upholds_decision.html

Appeals court upholds decision barring factory farms from water pollution in Michigan

Published: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 11:48 AM Updated: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 1:36 PM

By John S. Hausman | The Muskegon Chronicle

Recycling With Jenny

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Colorado’s Fountain Creek Sentinel and Pueblo City­County Health Department EnvironmentalCoordinator, Jenny Kedward, for preaching the gospel of recycling with conviction to area businesses.

From the article:

‘While a growing number of households altruistically look for ways to recycle, it’s not a choice forbusinesses and the Pueblo City­County Health Department has been working with local firms to help themdeal with laws and find local resources for recycling.

A grant has funded monthly business recycling sessions and will pay for two more, in April and May.

At a session Tuesday, the department’s environmental coordinator, Jenny Kedward, went over the rules andresources, but also stressed that there are benefits to more than just the environment.

In many cases, Kedward said, businesses can save money by recycling and reusing as well as reducing

what they use.

“It produces more efficient operations,” she told the group attending the health department's March program,along with enhancing a company’s public image.

Some of the other things a business may do is to reuse items as much as possible.

“Identify an area to store reusable items,” Kedward said, pointing out that plastic binders are a goodexample. When they come in, they’re stored and “we haven’t bought binders in years,” she said.

Kedward said recycling is more than just depositing things in appropriate bins, but also means supportingthe whole concept by buying recycled goods.

She said that there are transportation and labor costs in moving things to areas where they are sorted andthen remanufactured. “If we’re not buying recycled products, we’re not driving the loop,” she said.

Supporting the entire cycle can reduce the cost of recycling, she said.’

__________________________________

http://www.chieftain.com/business/local/businesses­get­recycling­lowdown/article_7f3cc652­55c6­11e0­89e6­001cc4c002e0.html

Businesses get recycling lowdown

Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011 12:00 am

By JOHN NORTON | The Pueblo Chieftain

Arizona: US State or Sovereignty?

Posted by Scott Dye,Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Arizona’s Chapter Director and Sentinel Sandy Bahr for doggedly soldiering on against a statelegislature that is antagonistic to protecting the environment, and apparently resents complying with federalpublic health and safety laws that protect its residents.

What’s next? Secession from the Union?

From the article:

‘Conservative lawmakers' efforts to assert Arizona's sovereignty extend to who's ultimately responsible forregulating the quality of the state's air and water.

The Senate has approved and forwarded to the House two pieces of legislation under which Arizona wouldignore federal guidelines set by the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, which impose uniform standardsover the amount of pollutants that can be discharged into the air and water.

Sen. Sylvia Allen, R­Snowflake, chairwoman of the Border Security, Federalism and States SovereigntyCommittee, said actions by the federal Environmental Protection Agency on greenhouse gas emissions andother matters will be costly to Arizona taxpayers.

Sandy Bahr, director of Sierra's Club Grand Canyon Chapter, said these types of legislation are not aimed atcreating state regulations for pollution, but simply aimed at getting rid of them.

"The bottom line is they object to these protections and they are cloaking it in this state rights agenda,"Bahr said in an interview.

If the legislation were upheld there would be nothing in place to protect our water and air from pollutingindustries. The continual efforts of conservative lawmakers resisting environmental protections are not inline with the citizens who care about clean water and air, she said.

Rep. Chad Campbell, D­Phoenix and minority leader of the House, said both measures would only lead thestate into expensive and unsuccessful court battles.

"They are going to end up in court, and they are going to cost the state money," Campbell said in a newsconference.’

____________________________

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/030911_air_water

Lawmakers seek to remove federal oversight of Az air and water

Posted Mar 9, 2011, 9:03 am

Tara Alatorre, Cronkite News Service

Columbus Discovered... Sewage!

Posted by Scott Dye

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Comments (0) |Edit

ALL HAIL Sentinel Matt Trokan and the Central Ohio Clean Water Campaign for taking to task the City ofColumbus for decades of unregulated sewage discharges that put public health at risk.

From the article:

‘In 1990, Franklin County officials used the term “pockets of pollution” to describe 23 neighborhoods wherefailed septic tanks were poisoning streams with sewage.

But after years of working to meet a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water­pollution mandate, thecounty’s list of troublesome subdivisions has grown by 169.

This new list doesn’t include the original pockets of pollution, seven of which still have sewage problems thathaven’t been fixed. County sanitarians who struggled for years to find $31.3 million needed to run sewers tothe pocket communities say they don’t know yet where they’ll get the millions more to fix the new problems.

Environmental groups say that officials should have worked harder to identify and fix these problems, andthat homeowners should have been notified long ago of the potential health risks.

“The public needs to be informed that these storm­water outflows are hazardous, and they need to knowwhat they can do, if anything, about it,” said Matt Trokan, the Sierra Club’s Central Ohio Clean WaterCampaign coordinator.

In the Mon­E­Bak subdivision in Franklin Township, where residents waited years for the county to find$4.1 million needed to connect 240 homes to sewers, work is to begin next year.

Even though that money will cover most of the construction costs, Renner said homeowners still must paythousands in connection fees. The city of Columbus typically charges homeowners about $3,300, he said.

Trokan said the county should have done more to notify residents in the latest batch of 169 subdivisions thatthey probably will face similar issues and costs.’

________________________________

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/28/problem­locations­for­sewage­increase.html?sid=101

Problem locations for sewage increase

Sunday, November 28, 2010

By Spencer Hunt

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Meet Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud

Posted by Scott Dye

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud, 2009 national River Network River Hero, featured in this greatprofile in suburban Chicago’s Northwest Herald. Thank you, Cindy, for ALL that you do.

From the article:

‘You might not know Cindy Skrukrud, but if you’ve ever canoed the Nippersink Creek or fished in the FoxRiver, you have benefited from work she’s done.

“McHenry County is blessed with very high­quality water features, high­quality wetlands and unique fens. Allthose things have drawn me to focus on water,” she said.

“I think people get engaged when they volunteer. We get fun out of doing it, and we see the need,” Skrukrudsaid of fellow volunteers and herself.

“You see the results of the time you’re putting in and you work with such great people that you just keepdoing it,” she said.

Skrukrud believes that the state of McHenry County’s water is a measure of how its residents live on theland.

“The only way we’re going to have good water quality is if we live lightly,” she said. “And I’ve really seen morecommunities embracing that idea.

“Twenty years ago, I don’t think people really realized and appreciated the quality of the streams in McHenryCounty, but I think the Defenders’ efforts and the Friends of the Fox and others’ efforts have gotten peopleto realize the quality of their water.”’

________________________________

http://www.nwherald.com/2011/01/27/skrukrud­fired­up­to­protect­areas­water/a445qj2/

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Skrukrud fired up to protect area’s water

By KATIE ANDERSON

Lynn Henning Named Eco­Heroine by Whole Living Awards

Posted by Scott Dye, Monday, March 21, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Water Sentinel Lynn Henning, 2010 Goldman Prize winner and 2010 O Magazine PowerList, for racking up yet another honor—she was just chosen as one of 10 Eco­Heroines in the inauguralPlanet Keeper Whole Living Awards by Martha Stewart’s Whole Livingmagazine, on newsstands now.

Lynn’s relentless and successful campaign against factory farms knows no boundaries, and her work andawards are a source of pride for all Sierra Club members. Congratulations, Lynn!!

From the article:

‘But the beauty of this rural landscape belies an ugly truth: Noxious chemicals are slowly tainting the

region’s air and water. The pollution can be traced to the proliferation of concentrated animal feedingoperations (CAFOs)­feedlots that confine thousands of cattle or pigs in windowless, hangar­size barns.CAFOs make up only about 5 percent of all U.S. animal operations, but they contain half of the animalsproducing the nation’s meat and dairy products.

Crammed indoors on concrete floors, CAFO animals spend their days eating and, inevitably, eliminating. Alarge CAFO produces as much waste daily as a city of 411,000 does. And while municipalities are requiredto treat their waste before it’s discharged, CAFOs are allowed to store liquefied manure in open pits (calledlagoons) until operators are ready to spray it on leased farm fields as fertilizer.

“We’ve got 12 of these operations within 10 miles of our house,” says Lynn Henning, who monitors CAFOdischarges for Michigan’s Sierra Club, as I tag along on a surveillance mission in her hometown of Clayton.“When they’re spraying waste, the smell is so bad you can’t open your windows or sit outside.”

A grandmother with long white hair, Henning isn’t being prissy. She’s a farmer herself – she and herhusband, Dean, grow corn and soybeans on a 300­acre plot that’s been in his family for four generations.But the more than 60 lagoons near the Henning’s home hold 400 million gallons of liquefied manure eachyear. This toxic farrago contains cleaning solutions, pesticides, blood, hormones, antibiotics, and othersubstances common to industrial agriculture. As this mixture decomposes, it generated methane,ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide, gases that can cause burning sinuses and respiratory illness. Diagnosedwith hydrogen sulfide poisoning, Henning’s mother­and father­in­law, who have lived within 1,000 feet of aCAFO operation since 1999, routinely experience short­term memory loss, balance problems, and delayedreactions.

Across the nation, rainfall has sluiced CAFO waste, transporting such pathogens as Cryptosporidium, E.coli, and Listeria from fields into waterways. Storms have ruptured lagoons and sent raw manure into creekinto creeks, killing huge numbers of fish. It gets worse: CAFO’s overuse of antibiotics to promote growthand prevent disease contributes to the rise of superbugs.

Slowing to a crawl, Henning raises her camera and shoots a series of photographs. One is of a plume ofliquid waster spraying 100 feet in the air to fertilize a CAFO field, directing a brown mist of ammonia andhydrogen sulfide in our direction. Hemming closes her window against the stench and dust – “I’ll have aheadache before the day is out,” she says – and steps on the gas.

In addition to documenting violations, Henning makes frequent speeches about the need for tightermonitoring and enforcement of CAFO regulations. Stricter controls paid for by CAFO owners will surelyraise the cost of meat, but Henning cuts consumers little slack. “There’s no such thing as cheap meat,”she barks. “People need to be responsible.”

“At the grocery store, ask where your food is coming from,” Henning says, sprawled on her pond’s dock.“We need small family farms and need to teach our children to grow food.” She squints into the lateafternoon sun. As predicted, her head aches after the day’s manure tour. But she shakes it off and stifflyrises. “Come on,” she says with a generous smile. “I want to show you my garden.”’

_________________________________

Whole Living Awards: Planet Keepers

April, 2011 Whole Living Magazine

(At newsstands now.)

We salute these 10 eco­heroines who pour their passion into turning our blue marble green. Be inspired bytheir stories and take notes on what’s trending in our first Whole Living Awards.

The Watch­Dog: Lynn Henning

Eco Achievement – Exposing the polluting practices of livestock factory farms

By Elizabeth Royte

WIN: Biomass Plant Stopped in Missouri

Posted by Scott Dye, Monday, March 21, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinels Tom and Angel Kruzen for conducting a textbook organizing campaign todefeat a proposed biomass power plant in the Ozarks. Their fight brought together strangebedfellows—enviros, a rural pro­development city council, foresters, the oak barrel industry, the palletindustry and the charcoal industry. All agreed on one thing, that woody­biomass incineration to produceenergy—the burning of woody “waste” debris and pulp from forestry—is not a sustainable option for theShow Me State.

First, there were no adequate protective regulations in place. And, before human settlement and theclear­cutting of the Ozarks, the mountains were dominated by fast growing pine species that were replacedwith oak­hickory hardwood forests that take decades longer to mature.

Tom’s further insider analysis:

‘Was it my ill­fated trip to Salem (got lost in the fog) and the certified packets I sent to the mayor andaldermen? Was it Pioneer Forest's opposition? Was it Royal Oak Charcoal's CEO coming all the way fromGeorgia to say that if biomass is voted in, Royal Oak will go elsewhere, taking its jobs with them? Was itProEnergy's own stupidity telling everyone they'd burn used creosote­soaked railroad ties if they couldn't getenough "waste wood," and then dump their operations’ wastewater and ash into a "dry creek" (a losingstream in Karst terrain directly connected to the aquifer where people get their drinking water)? Was it quitea few negative letters to the editor? Well, perhaps it was all of these. 125 people did attend last week'smeeting and 2/3 of them had serious questions.’

From the article:

‘After nearly a year of negotiations Salem aldermen voted unanimously Dec. 6 to cease negotiations anddecline all proposals from ProEnergy Services to locate a biomass plant in Salem.

Those attending the meeting stood and applauded the board's decision. The board's decision comes aftermonths of meetings, studies and a non­binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city andProEnergy.

Mayor Gary Brown read a lengthy statement regarding the biomass issue before the aldermanic vote.

The mayor said city leaders have had many economic and environmental concerns with the biomassproject.’

_____________________

www.thesalemnews.com

The Salem News (online article by subscription only)

Aldermen say no to biomass plant here

By Brenda Jessen, Staff Writer

Camp Woolly Bugger

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 26, 2011

ALL HAIL our national partnership with Trout Unlimited that took about 30,000 youth fly fishing across theU.S. in 2010 and is engaging tens of thousands more in 2011. It’s a joint effort of TU, Temple Fork Outfitters(who crafted custom co­branded rods and reels) and the Water Sentinels program that donates the TFOequipment to 17 TU Youth Conservation Summer Camps and 28 TU Councils. The partnership is helping tocreate the next generation of river conservationists.

SIERRA Magazine ran an excellent article describing this partnership in action at a River Conservation andFly­Fishing Youth Camp in Woody Creek, Colorado. It captures the ‘teenaged stoke’ of the participants, andthe very real impact of the opportunity to connect them with nature.

The last paragraph sums it up succinctly: ‘Across the stream, under a cottonwood sapling and Mark Lance'stutelage, one very intent young gentleman keeps missing strikes and soon begins to smolder withfrustration. Then, with a yelp of unfettered joy, he hooks the fish. More important, the fish have hooked him.’

Click on the link below for the whole article including a great slideshow of photos.

See the expanding scope of the partnership on the new Water Sentinels websiteathttp://www.sierraclub.org/watersentinels/trout­unlimited/default.aspx

_____________________________________

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201009/camp.aspx

Camp Woolly Bugger

Fly­fishing and salvation

By Jeff Galbraith

Deep in the hubris of middle school peach fuzz and social class struggle, I was sent to a kids' fishing campin the Puget Sound area during the cool early weeks of April. At the church camp's lakeside compound, theprogram was pretty straightforward: Jesus and worms. We would arise to a full military­style barking andreport for breakfast at 0500 hours. By 0600, the dockside fish slaying would commence.

Given my still­pungent recollections of dank cabins and long rants on sin and salvation, I have reservationsabout my invitation to Trout Unlimited's 2010 River Conservation and Fly­Fishing Youth Camp in WoodyCreek, Colorado. But an unusually lashing spring in the Pacific Northwest does give Colorado a certainappeal. And I arrive in Aspen to find that my version of trout camp 2010 involves a condo, down comforters,and an iPhone awakening set to a marimba tone. Hold the musty reveille and Blackwater antics, thank you.

The next morning, photographer Tim Romano and I roll down­valley in radiant Rocky Mountain sunlight, pastthe classic cabins and faux­rustic homes of the toxic­asset manager class, and head up a side­canyonroad, eventually coming to rest before the estate gates of Beaver Run Ranch. An affable gentleman (moremaintenance manager than toxic­asset manager) swings wide the doors, revealing an odd blend of AmericanWest worship—manicured lawns, fountains, and a diorama consisting of a chuck wagon and a plaque withthe "Pioneer Creed": "The weak died along the way and the cowards never started." The private grounds arequiet, but farther out we hear the unmistakable soft bleatings of teenage stoke. A dozen­odd tents dot thecampgrounds adjacent to the creek, while two­foot­long rainbows cruise a large trout pond like Tridentsubmarines. This is already way better than Jesus­and­worm camp.

Sharon Lance, a Trout Unlimited volunteer and camp "mentor," greets us warmly before leading us to meetthe campers, 15 boys and 2 girls ages 14 to 18. For the past five years, Colorado's TU chapters havesponsored kids from their areas, so there's no out­of­pocket costs for the parents. Each camper receives a

week of instruction in stream ecology and stewardship, casting, fly­tying, and the etiquette of fly­fishing. Inconjunction with TU and Temple Fork Outfitters, the Sierra Club has donated rods and reels to this and 16other TU youth conservation camps. In a world where fewer and fewer teens can tell the difference between abull trout and a bullhead, it's a small step in the right direction.

We slap together lunches and hit the road—although not to fish, as raging spring runoff has created anunfishable and somewhat hazardous situation on the creek. Instead, we're off to a U.S. Forest Service trailcleanup above the Frying Pan River's Ruedi Reservoir. Given this decidedly nonfishing activity, puberty­brainshort­circuitry, and the actual labor involved in trudging uphill and pruning deadwood snags, I fully expectthis core sample of Facebook Nation to begin breaking down within a few hundred yards. But a funny thinghappens on the trail to dysfunction. No one whines or complains in the least; no one bitches about notfishing, the heat, or anything. In fact, the kids break into teams and take a discernible pride in cleaning theirtrail sections to the fullest.

The banter, however, remains classic teenage wasteland with flashes of insane narrative genius. One youngman pauses for a moment with his shears, staring intently at the protruding shrubs, and quips, "I wish thesetrees were emo, so they would just cut themselves." Later, another fellow announces, "Yeah, I brewmoonshine." Although it seems inappropriate to ask if he is currently packing, the fact that he is scratchinghis eyebrow with the business end of his pruning shears recalls the whole brain short­circuitry thing. I askhim politely what he uses for mash. "Um, you know, whiskey stuff." Indeed. We go back to pruning.

Teen posturing mixed with equal parts summer alpine air and sweat equity on public land seems like anentirely healthy way to spend the day, but I repeatedly have to explain to the apologetic TU folk that the lackof fishing is fine. If anything, it seems like a good lesson in stream dynamics: Spring runoff is like a bowl ofbran for streams, scouring out the detritus of winter. And just getting this small tribe of kids outdoors andaway from their monitors/mobiles/gaming consoles for more than a couple of hours seems like a victoryworth celebrating.

We return to the trout ranch, past aspen hollows and the torrent of Woody Creek, to catch a streamsidepresentation by TU lawyer Mely Whiting on Colorado water rights and their attendant effects on fishpopulations. She stretches a length of rope along the stream and hands out laminated cards: water drops ingreen, blue, and brown, and fish in green and red. Then she assigns roles: You are the water commissioner;you are the farmers; you are the Colorado Water Conservation Board; you people are the town; you are afish with in­stream water rights; you are a fish with no rights. After a brief explanation of water­shareassignments in Colorado (basically, it's first come, first served, but with agricultural interests usuallytrumping townships, and fish the most "junior" of all), the game begins.

It starts with the requisite teen smart­assedness—in response to the suggested concept of shared rights,one kid pipes up, "Sharing is for communists and kindergartners." But in short order all are deliberatingwater­share trades and reservoir releases in an earnest effort to equitably distribute water and maintain fishpopulations. This takes place in a matter of minutes and in a manner that would be a model of civility andefficiency for any water­district meeting.

Following the streamside session and back in the maintenance shop/classroom/fly­tying lab, things take aturn toward communism and kindergarten when one camper assesses the exercise, saying, "It seems likeyou shouldn't buy and sell something that is a common resource." Regarding the water challenges facinghis state's growing municipalities, Gus Forrest, a 16­year­old from Nederland, notes, "If something wentterribly wrong, the cities could be in big trouble." In less than a half hour, these kids have grasped thebasics of the Mulholland­izing of the American West.

After dinner some of the mentors lead the campers in a fly­tying lesson, whipping up San Juan worms andwoolly buggers for the following day, which threatens to include actual fishing.

Given the runoff conditions on Woody Creek, the Roaring Fork Club (a quasi­country club with prime accessto its namesake river) has graciously welcomed the kids onto its exclusive grounds for the day. ("I've beenwaiting to fish this property since I was 15," confides one mentor in her forties.) Envisioning shaded, crystalclear pools with wary native trout, we instead find ourselves confronted with a muddy golf course waterhazard. Yet considering the flat­out torrent of mud and hell that is the Roaring Fork, the pond seems epic.

Having forgone the group breakfast, I'd also managed to miss the briefing on the club's rules for the day:Kids only, no grown­ups poaching the ponds—which explains the stink­eyes as I gear my three­weight andcast to the occasional rolling boil.

After a few hot hours, several campers successfully land trout, surviving heatstroke in theirnot­really­necessary neoprene chest waders. Actually, they are so stoked that they could be wrapped up inwool blankets and stuck in a sauna and it wouldn't matter. Says Brett Ferraro, 14, of Avon, who catches hissecond fish of the trip at the golf course pond, "I learned to fly­fish, how to tie—the whole thing. I am goingto get gear when I get home, for sure." He talks quickly, keeping an eye on the water. His buddy ties intoone, and Brett dispatches with the small talk: "Yeah, cool—oh, he's got one. Gotta go!"

Eventually, all huddle in the available shade and eat lunch, before making a break way up the Frying Pan atthe inflow end of Ruedi Reservoir. The wind is howling, and campers gamely try to double­haul cast into thebluster. Finally, someone mentions that the bridge above the inflow stream might be fishable. A few of themore accomplished kids head up there, returning a short while later with a victorious report. Soon many ofthe campers are casting to the edges of a swift current, dropping bead­headed nymphs into the eddyingwaters. As the indicators (the fly­fishing version of bobbers) jerk under and each camper takes turns reelingin a dozen or so fish, instruction and inspiration fuse, and it is difficult to tell who is more fired up—thementors or the mentored.

Across the stream, under a cottonwood sapling and Mark Lance's tutelage, one very intent young gentlemankeeps missing strikes and soon begins to smolder with frustration. Then, with a yelp of unfettered joy, hehooks the fish. More important, the fish have hooked him.

JEFF GALBRAITH is the publisher of the Flyfish Journal, the Ski Journal, and frequency: TheSnowboarder's Journal. He rides, skis, hunts, and fishes in Whatcom County, Washington. This story wasfunded by the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels program. For information on Trout Unlimited's camps for 2011,go to tu.org

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

It's a River, Not a Sewer

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 26, 2011

ALL HAIL our Illinois Chapter and allies Natural Resources Defense Council and Prairie Rivers Network forsuing Chicago water regulators to stop decades of raw sewage discharges into the Chicago River. Just lastweek, the river was named to the 10 Most Endangered list compiled by American Rivers.

Decades ago the Chicago River was engineered to reverse course away from Lake Michigan, carrying thecity’s wastewater southward towards the Mississippi River in what was essentially an open sewer.Frustrated by the plodding pace of progress, the groups are turning to the courts for relief and hoping toinject green infrastructure solutions (see resources below the article) and thousands of clean green jobs intothe fix.

From the article:

‘A coalition of conservation groups have sued to stop the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)from dumping raw sewage mixed with stormwater, as well as algae­fueling pollution, into the Chicago Riversystem. Effluent from MWRD’s sewage treatment plants and combined sewer overflow pipes regularlyviolate Clean Water Act standards in the River, impacting downstream waters from Chicago all the way tothe Gulf of Mexico according to the suit.

MWRD manages water infrastructure in the nearly 900 square mile region in Cook County. This includes thearea’s sewer lines and sewage treatment plants, most notably the three plants that are the subject of thelawsuit – Calumet, North Side, and Stickney. These plants, the largest in Illinois, are authorized to releaseover a billion gallons of wastewater every day to Chicago waters, and that wastewater contains largeamounts of phosphorus. Excess phosphorus acts as an unnatural fertilizer triggering growth of algae,aquatic plants and bacteria that block sunlight needed by other aquatic life, sucks the oxygen out of thewater, and can potentially be toxic.

Phosphorus is also a major cause of the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, a huge area in the Gulf wherefish and other forms of life cannot survive. Chicago waters, which consist primarily of effluent from theMWRD plants, have been shown to be the largest single contributor of phosphorus to the Dead Zone. Astreatment plants around the region address phosphorus, MWRD has fallen behind results achieved by watersystems in many Midwestern cities and towns, including Detroit, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.

"We shouldn’t have raw sewage in the Chicago River every time we get a big rainstorm," said Jack Darin,Director of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club. "Upgrading Chicago’s sewers to modern standards will notonly give us a healthy river, it will create good jobs when Chicagoans need them the most."

In a recent settlement with the USEPA and US Department of Justice, one of the central solutions tosimilar issues in Cleveland­area waterways is a significant embrace of large­scale green infrastructureprojects that use natural systems and materials to hold and clean water in heavy storm events. This greeninfrastructure can be part of a comprehensive and cost­effective way for cities to address combined seweroverflow problems and improve water quality. Other cities throughout the Midwest, including Milwaukee,Wisconsin; Aurora, Illinois; and Lenexa, Kansas, are using green infrastructure to reduce the frequency andseverity of combined sewer overflows, while improving neighborhoods and reducing infrastructure costs.Additionally, the work in Cleveland has been estimated to produce 30,000 jobs in northeast Ohio.’

______________________________________________

http://www.enewspf.com/latest­news/science­a­environmental/23992­groups­sue­to­stop­chicago­water­regulators­from­polluting­the­chicago­river.html

Groups Sue to Stop Chicago Water Regulators from Polluting the Chicago River

Don't Frack Up Michigan

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 26, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Rita Chapman, the Michigan Chapter and ally Clean Water Action for urgingthat common sense safety regulations be put in place before hydraulic fracturing—also called fracking—fornatural gas can resume.

From the article:

‘The state Department of Natural Resources says that when in Michigan, you’re never more than six miles

from a lake or river. In fact, Michigan is home to more than 11,000 inland lakes and about 36,000 miles ofrivers and has the second largest amount of coastline in any state, behind Alaska.

However, a controversial new method of drilling for natural gas has caused concern among environmentaland special interest groups about the future safety of Michigan’s water resources.

On Wednesday, representatives from Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club called a press conference atthe Capitol to address the controversy surrounding this new method of drilling for natural gas.

Multi­stage horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” involves drilling deeper into the earth than waspossible with previous methods. It uses roughly 100 times more water than older drilling methods andrequires the use of about 750 different chemicals. At least 29 of those are known or suspectedcarcinogens, or are restricted due to causing other human health risks.

“Because of the number of changes that need to occur, it will take a while to fix this process,” said RitaChapman of the Sierra Club. “We need to look at other states’ legislation and make sure that Michigandoesn’t fall into serious problems.”

These groups want updated laws that require public disclosure of which chemicals are used in the frackingprocess. Additionally, they propose eliminating certain exemptions from water usage laws that the naturalgas companies have, as a response to their increased water usage. Environmental groups also want to seemore research done on the potential effects of chemicals used in the process and the potential effects onnatural water systems as a result of drastically increasing water withdrawals. Public participation andassessment in the permit process for drilling new wells and increased reviews of potential drilling sites arealso being demanded.’

_____________________________________________

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article­5878­safety­first­on­fracking.html

Wednesday, May 18,2011

Safety first on fracking

Environmental groups urge caution as new natural gas drilling method emerges

by Tracy Key

Clogging the Bass­o­matic?

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 26, 2011

ALL HAIL Wisconsin Sentinel Eric Uram, Great Lakes Program’s Emily Green and others for questioningthe effectiveness of new EPA regulations to limit fish killed by cooling water intakes at power plants.

The problem: Power plants and other heavy industries pull in massive amounts of water—about 200 billionsgallons per day according to USGS—to cool their operations, pinning billions of fish against the intakescreens and sucking smaller fish directly into the turbines. But rather than applying federal standards, theEPA is delegating action to state agencies that are historically under­funded, under­manned and usually alltoo willing to take the politically­expedient lowest common denominator for enforcement.

From the article:

‘The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new steps to reduce the number of fish killed by powerplant cooling systems, but critics say the plan, which relies on state­level enforcement, will be ineffective.

Every year billions of fish are killed by coal­fired and nuclear power plants across the Midwest. As theseplants suck in water from lakes and rivers, adult fish perish pressed against the intake screens, whilejuvenile fish, larva and eggs are sucked right into the system.

Many of these systems also expel water at up to 30 degrees warmer than it was taken in, which contributesto blooms of toxic and oxygen­depleting algae that can kill fish and foul water.

Critics say the proposed rule does little to change the status quo, since it largely delegates authority toresource­strapped state agencies to come up with specific requirements for individual plants and to enforcethose requirements.

Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Thom Cmar called the rule "a big punt by the EPA to thestates," opening the door for a loose patchwork of approaches rather than stricter, streamlinedrequirements.

"The big problem is they’re leaving it to a case­by­case determination," said Sierra Club Great LakesProgram director Emily Green. "The states do not have the capacity. To think we’re going to do areasonable job of looking at every power plant and making a case­by­case determination, we don’t believethat’s going to work."

Eric Uram, a Wisconsin angler and environmental consultant, said delegating environmentaldecision­making to state agencies leads to "the lowest common denominator."

"If you have one state doing one thing, it lowers the bar," he said. "Most of the time what you end up gettingis, 'We’re not going to do any more than what anyone else is going to do.'"

___________________________________________

http://www.onearth.org/article/power­plant­cooling­rules­aim­to­reduce­fish­kills

Power Plant Cooling Rules Aim to Reduce Fish Kills

By Kari Lydersen

May 3, 2011

This article originally appeared at Midwest Energy News.

Lee Dew's Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinel Lee Dew for being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the state’sEnvironmental Quality Commission at its annual awards ceremony. The award was presented by EPARegion 4 Director Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming.

Active in the environmental movement since the 1960s, Lee was one of the Water Sentinels program’soriginal staff hires in 2001. Lee “retired” at the end of 2008 at the age of 77, but he remains as active as ever.His wife Aloma now heads up our Kentucky Sentinels program, and Lee is still Semper Fi on all of our workin the Commonwealth.

Congratulations, Lee, and thank you for a lifetime of service towards building a better tomorrow for allAmericans.

___________________

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/05/water­sentinel­lee­dew­winds­lifetime­achievement­award.html

May 06, 2011

Water Sentinel Lee Dew Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

'At its annual Earth Day awards event this year, the Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission presentedlongtime Sierra Club activist and Water Sentinel Lee Dew, above at center, with its 2011 LifetimeAchievement Award.

A retired history professor and local historian, Dew has been deeply involved with conservation issues sincethe 1960s. He helped spur recycling in Owensboro, where he lives, organized the Tradewater/Lower GreenRiver Watershed Watch program, and worked both as a volunteer and staffer for the Water Sentinels.

"Lee was an original Water Sentinel when the program started in 2001," says Water Sentinels nationaldirector Scott Dye. "He 'retired' in 2008 at age 77, but Lee will never really retire until God calls him home."

Below, Lee and his wife Aloma, also a Kentucky Water Sentinels activist, in front of a giant pile of illegallydumped chicken manure. For years the two have led "Tours de Stench" of factory farm country in westernKentucky to call attention to the pitfalls of industrial­scale agriculture.

"One of our revolutionary ancestors wrote, about the instigators of the revolution—the people who signed theDeclaration of Independence—that 'to this force we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor,'"Dew says. "I think environmentalists take a similar kind of oath. We pledge our time, our energies, and ourmoney to do what we can—not for us, but for our grandchildren and for the world of the late 21st century; aworld which we hope will be better than the world we have now.

"We have to have that faith. We have to have that energy. We have to have that commitment. Everybodywho can go out and do something active for the environment needs to be mobilized. Even for those who canonly write a check, they become heroes. And that check becomes a victory for the future—for ourgrandkids. That's why I do what I do."'

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PowerShift 2011

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee Sentinel Dr. Cliff Cockerham for serving as a faculty advisor to help assemble 14Nashville high school students, including his daughter Kaitlin, to attend PowerShift 2011 in Washington DC.PowerShift brings together about 10,000 students from across America to push Congress to move thecountry towards renewable clean energy solutions. It’s our environment’s future leaders speaking together ina powerful unified voice that we’ve got to find a better way forward.

From the Nashville Tennessean article:

‘The students from the public and private schools joined about 10,000 of their peers from across thecountry April 15­18 to take part in PowerShift, hoping to make the nation’s elected officials focus on theenvironment and accelerate any plans to move the country toward renewable energy.

“They are a very impressive group of students who are really making an impact,” said Cliff Cockerham,chairman of the local chapter of the Sierra Club’s environmental education committee.

Cockerham is also a science teacher at Whites Creek High School.

His daughter Kaitlin, a junior at St. Cecilia, was among the students who went to Washington.

“It was such a great thing to collaborate with people from all over, even Hawaii,” Kaitlin said. “It wasinspirational and empowering to meet so many people that think like we do about the environment.”

Kaitlin said the group went to conferences and different sessions focusing on leadership training andattended workshops teaching the participants about grassroots organizing.

“We went to rallies, one starting at a BP gas station,” she said. “We marched to the BP offices, chantingthings like, ‘This is what democracy looks like.’ ”

“All of us have an obligation to care about the environment and do something,” Kaitlin said. “Everybodyshould have the right to see the beauty of nature, so we all need to protect it.”’

____________________________________________________

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110505/DAVIDSON09/305050076/Students­rally­environment­D­C­?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CDavidson%7Cp

Nashville high­schoolers put focus on environment during D.C. visit

3:54 PM, May. 5, 2011

Written by, Lea Ann Overstreet | The Tennessean

The Meat of the Matter

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinel Aloma Dew for co­hosting two powerful public forums with Daniel Imhoff, anoted author and editor of the definitive book CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories, to talk tothe public about the dangers of industrial meat production and the burgeoning promise of locally grownsustainable food. Packed sessions in Louisville and at Murray State University included panel discussionswith students and farming experts.

From two of several articles:

‘Mr. Imhoff’s talk was titled “The Meat of the Matter”. His message promoted a food system that is healthy,ecologically sustainable and ethically strong. The purpose of Mr. Imhoff’s talk was to raise awareness ofwhere our meat comes from and to propose another type of agricultural system, a system which issustainable, an alternative to the factory farms.

Another concern of Mr. Imhoff is antibiotic use. In Iowa and North Carolina more antibiotics are used inCAFOS than in all human medical facilities in the United States. The wastes from CAFOS including toxinsare applied to farm land end up in our water, air and soil. The toxins include viruses, infectious bacteria,antibiotics, heavy metals, and oxygen­depleting nutrients. Mr. Imhoff concluded that protein is valuable toour diets and sustainable agriculture is the way of the future.

"To give some sense of the continuum we're talking about, the early jungle foul, from which thedomesticated chicken originated, laid just 20 eggs per year," Imhoff said. "The modern industrial hen laidnearly 300 eggs per year by the end of the 20th century – barely genetically­related to its ancestors. Thebones of these modern industrial birds are so brittle they commonly suffer leg fractures."

Diana Riddick, the chair of the Great Rivers Group of the Sierra Club, spoke after Imhoff's lecture. She saidthe waste left over after the removal of animals from their clogged quarters can be equally as cruel toresidents near farm factory facilities.

"Far western Kentucky is primarily where hog CAFOs are," she said. "Farmers go into rural areas wherethere aren't many people and put usually 5,000 hogs in about two barns. They have concrete under each

barn that collects all the manure and all the urine. Once a year, they pump that out and inject it onto thefields. From a factory farm prospective, you're making very efficient meat, but for all the people who live inthe nearby, you're taking their land."

Murray Mayor Bill Wells said he attended the lecture to hear what Imhoff had to say on sustainableagriculture.

"Murray has not one farmer's market, but two," Wells said. "They are very successful. Plus, we're addingmore and more recycling activities here."

He added he plans to continue efforts to encourage Calloway County farmers to invest in sustainablefarming techniques as opposed to the current industrial standard.’

_________________________________________

http://www.westkyjournal.com/news.php?viewStory=3867

West Kentucky Journal

Imhoff speaks on sustainable agriculture at MSU

By: Nancy Nettles, photos by Dianna Riddick and Gene Nettles

Posted: Thursday, February 10, 2011

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

http://www.thenews.org/news/panel­discusses­modern­farming­1.2465169

Murray State – The News

Panel discusses modern farming

By Austin Ramsey Assistant News Editor

Published: Thursday, February 10, 2011

State Failed, Give Feds a Chance

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, May 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinel Ken Midkiff for a scathing op­ed to the Kansas City Star, ripping the state’sgreasy politicians for defunding Missouri’s Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), and suggesting that thefederal EPA take over the state’s clean water enforcement duties.

Apparently viewing that option as ‘burdensome and onerous’, in a rare moment of clarity/sanity the statelegislature blinked, and on the last day of the recently completed legislative session restored the DNR’sability to collect permit fees to help it do its job.

From the op­ed:

‘Maybe Missouri State Sen. Brad Lager, a Savannah Republican, has it right for all the wrong reasons. Bycausing the Environmental Protection Agency to take back a water­quality protection program, maybe thefeds will do what our state has not.

Apparently under the influence of those who view our lakes, rivers and streams as little more than sewers,the Missouri General Assembly has passed laws and measures that are aimed at treating pollution of wateras a right.

With the restrictions set up by the General Assembly, industries are under the impression that they have a

right to pollute — an erroneous notion, and one that needs correction. What Lager is doing is pushing thewater protection program into the hands of a federal agency, with offenders tried in a federal court, with aU.S. Attorney as the prosecutor.

Perhaps it is time that the water protection program is placed back in federal hands. Federal agencies arenot persuaded by petty state politicians to “go light” on major industries that foul our waters.

The State of Missouri has failed. Let’s give the federal government a chance.’

______________________________

http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/give­feds­chance­clean­missouris­waters/

Give feds a chance to clean up Missouri's waters

Ken Midkiff

Special to the Kansas City Star

Party to Protect the Planet

Posted by Scott Dye,Thursday, May 19, 2011

ALL HAIL Connie and Michael Schmidt for their annual Party on the Farm fundraiser for the Illinois Chapter.They graciously open up their Twin Star Ranch and its menagerie of animals for a day of food, music and funfor all ages.

The article also highlights the great local work being done by the River Prairie Group of the Chapter.

From the article:

‘Within an easy drive of downtown Chicago, Connie and Michael Schmidt are living a rural lifestyle on TwinStar Ranch, their three acre urban homestead in Warrenville. Twin Star Ranch will be open to the public onSunday, May 22, from 2 – 7:00 pm as a fundraiser for the Illinois Sierra Club.

Party on the Farm originated several years ago when Adam St. James, a local guitar teacher and committedenvironmentalist was looking for a way to put his talent to use for the environment. His band, The AlmostBrothers Band, is a successful, west suburban band playing at clubs from Naperville to Plainfield andbeyond. They play festivals throughout the warmer months. The Sierra Club is honored that the AlmostBrothers band is donating their time to play for this event.

Sierra Club is the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States and hasbeen instrumental in protecting America’s wilderness areas and natural resources since 1892. Locally,Sierra Club members of the River Prairie Group (RPG) have been monitoring water quality of the EastBranch of the Dupage, West Branch of the DuPage and Salt Creek for ten years. The data has been usedby the Illinois EPA as part of an ongoing statewide assessment of Illinois waterways.

The RPG offers expertly guided outings which are open to the public, periodic educational programs,lobbies on behalf of environmental legislation, endorses candidates with proven commitments to protectingthe environment for public office and works with several DuPage municipalities on improving energyefficiency through the Cool Cities program. More information about the RPG and how to become involved isavailable athttp://illinois.sierraclub.org/rpg

People who have attended Party on the Farm have become enthusiastic supporters. “I never miss the Partyat the Farm,” says Linda Sullivan. “There’s great music, it’s a great cause and brings great people together!I love watching the children enjoying the farm animals and getting into the music played right up close. It’s awonderful party!”’

___________________________________________

http://triblocal.com/wheaton/community/stories/2011/05/party­to­protect­the­planet/

Family ›

From the community

Party to Protect the Planet

By Lonnie Morris Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 11:40 a.m.

Muckraker

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, May 18, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan CAFO Sentinel and 2010 Goldman Prize Winner Lynn Henning. She’s here, she’s there,she’s seemingly everywhere. After speaking engagements at the Schools of Law at the universities ofVermont and Oregon, here she lands in Audubon Magazine.

From the article:

‘The next time you enjoy a ham­and­cheese sandwich, consider Lynn Henning, a farmer, grandmother, andthorn in the side of industrial­scale livestock and dairy operations near her 300­acre soybean and corn farmin Michigan. She’s helped expose the egregious polluting practices of concentrated animal feedingoperations, or CAFOs, which can house thousands of poultry, swine, or cattle. Her investigations haveprompted state regulators to issue more than 1,000 citations for water­quality violations.

Working with the Sierra Club and using water sampling and aerial photography, Henning, 53, monitors thedozen CAFOs near her farm. “We have over 60 lagoons with over 400 million gallons of waste within a10­mile radius of our farm,” she says.

Nationally, the EPA is moving to regulate CAFO waste under the Clean Water Act. In Michigan, Henningcontinues pushing for stricter regulations, despite receiving threats. “I keep fighting because this is mychildren’s and my grandchild’s future, and they can’t survive without clean air, water, and land to producefood for them.” (For more eco­friendly meat, look for the “100% grass­fed” label, or visit localharvest.org.)’

_________________________________________________________________

http://www.audubonmagazine.org/features1103/harvest.html

Teaching Alabama's Future Generations

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, May 18, 2011

ALL HAIL ally McDowell Environmental Center in Alabama for partnering on a task force with the state’sDepartment of Education to create the first Environmental Literacy Plan for Alabama’s public school system.It’s a testament that you’ve been doing it right for a long time when a state comes to your organization andsays, ‘Help us build this on a statewide scale.’

Learn more about the great work of Camp McDowell and the McDowell Environmental Center in this short1:18 video at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalSierraClub#p/u/9/VMmuTDSOpV0

Want more? Check out these articles on Scrapbook:

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2010/11/on­the­road­with­the­water­sentinels­part­2.html

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2010/12/on­the­road­with­the­water­sentinels­part­3.html

McDowell Environmental Center

Smoke Signals

Making a Difference in Alabama

By Heather Montgomery

'Did you know that McDowell is working with the State Department of Education to help all AlabamaStudents learn more about the environment? We are on a Task Force, appointed by Dr. Joseph B. Morton,to create an Environmental Literacy Plan for the state. Once in effect, this plan will guide the formaleducation system in developing citizens who are both knowledgeable about and respectful of the naturalworld.

Our intent is to help teachers gain access to professional development, to better equip them with resources,and to promote teaching in the outdoors.

We are improving the future of education in Alabama. You can too! Interested? Visit www.eeaa.us to giveinput on the plan. To get involved, contact Heather Montgomery through email at sipsey21@hotmail.com.'

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Colorado Targeted by Frackers

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, May 18, 2011

ALL HAIL our Colorado Sierrans who are putting their guard up and getting the word out as oil and gasdevelopers are targeting large swaths of the eastern plains with hydrofracturing, or fracking, a processknown to use massive quantities of water and pollute groundwater with a toxic cocktail of drilling fluidchemicals.

From the article:

‘Colorado has a long history with the fossil fuels industry: the town of Florence has the second­oldest oilfield in the United States. Commercial production in Colorado started in 1862, according to the IndependentPetroleum Association of America.

Drilling has been sporadic in recent years, but that could change, as the old frontier becomes new again.Technology known as horizontal drilling, as opposed to traditional vertical drilling, has opened newpossibilities for striking the lucrative minerals.

Environmentalists, though, say residents should be careful about welcoming drilling.

“In our economic times, everyone needs jobs. But there are impacts to our water resources and to theinfrastructure and to a depletion of water, because it does take quite a lot,” said Gopa Ross, oil and gaschairwoman of the state Sierra Club chapter.

At issue is fracturing, or “fracking,” in which chemicals and water are used to blast through the shale andreach oil and natural gas. It’s how most oil and gas wells in Colorado are drilled.

It’s also highly controversial. An Academy Award­nominated documentary film “Gasland” and a recent frontpage New York Times story, have highlighted the dangers posed by the process, and environmentalists sayit threatens nearby water wells, that the chemicals can spread throughout an aquifer.

While the state has not identified a link between fracking and water well depletion or contamination, Ross

said anyone on a well should have a baseline test of their untreated water.

“I’ve just heard way too many reports of impacts and if people don’t have baseline testing, they can’t proveit,” Ross said. “It’s like an investment in your property, an investment for your future.”

There are other affects on rural life too, mostly during drilling, including noise, dust and construction of newroads. A well head stands on the land for 20 to 40 years.

Kirby Hughes, of Colorado Springs, is the conservation co­chairman for the state Sierra Club. He points tothe density of gas wells on the Western Slope, and believes the industry will come here full­bore if oil or gasis found.

He also believes it will not go over well, particularly with newcomers who have purchased land out east to getaway from the city.

“It’s going to be a huge influence on peoples’ lives in the 35­acre ranchettes that are out there,” he said.“There’s going to be a lot of screaming and crying and moaning. I just hope El Paso County has enoughforesight to be able to manage it well.”’

____________________________

http://www.gazette.com/articles/oil­113957­companies­paso.html

Bonanza on the plains? Oil, gas companies focusing on eastern El Paso County

County is racing to develop regs before a drilling boom

March 07, 2011 11:48 PM

DEBBIE KELLEY and R. SCOTT RAPPOLD

THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE

Chicago's Proposed Backyard Wildlife Refuge

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, May 18, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud for showing some love to the proposed Hackmatack NationalWildlife Refuge. The lands in the proposed refuge area would preserve habitat critical for 110 threatened orendangered plants and animals, and provide close outdoor recreation opportunities to one of America’slargest cities.

From the article:

‘Whoop! There it is.

Whooping cranes, silvery­blue butterflies and Blanding’s turtles are just a few of the species who couldpreserve their habitat in the proposed national wildlife refuge straddling five counties in Wisconsin andIllinois. The refuge area harbors native habitats necessary for the survival of nearly 110 threatened orendangered plant and animal species.

The area—dubbed Hackmatack—is the landing ground for the whooping crane, an endangered species anda major reason some people are calling for federal protection. Only about 400 exist in the wild today.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently surveying about 350,000 acres spread across McHenry andLake counties in Illinois and Walworth, Kenosha and Racine counties in Wisconsin.

About 23,000 of those acres encompass land already protected at regional, state and private levels. Therefuge is ultimately expected to encompass an additional 10,000 to 30,000 acres.

The entire survey area covers several towns, farmland and private property, an area known as Hackmatackbased on the Algonquin name for the indigenous Tamarack tree.

"The refuge system celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003,” said Friends of Hackmatack member CindySkrukrud, of McHenry County. “And at that time they said, ‘Oh, there’s a wildlife refuge within an hour’s driveof every major metropolitan area.’ Well, that’s probably true for Madison and Milwaukee but it’s not true forChicago.

“I mean the closest refuges now are Horicon up in [northern] Wisconsin and then the Savannah District ofthe Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Area. And both of those are 150 miles from Chicago. So we’dcertainly be the refuge in Chicago’s own backyard," she said.

In October 2010, the wildlife service held two open houses in Illinois and two in Wisconsin on the proposedrefuge that would be called the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. More than 500 people attended thesemeetings and about 80 percent of the attendees expressed overwhelming support for the conservationplans, according to Lenore Beyer­Clow, policy director for Openlands, a nonprofit land­conservation group inthe Chicago area.

Friends of Hackmatack, which includes the support Openlands, the Sierra Club and other conservationgroups, originally proposed the refuge.

Other supporters saw it as a draw for recreational use and tourism, Muehlenhardt said

"It would be great to have an additional partner in this area working on land conservation too,” Skrukrudsaid. “We’ve got that at the state level. We’ve got it at the county level. We have the park district level.

“Some of these parcels here are owned by people who just put conservation easements on their own privateland. But by having a national wildlife refuge in this area, then we would also be protecting the land at thefederal level."’

______________________________________________________

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=183210

Where the wild things are: Chicago's backyard national refuge

March 15, 2011

By Kristofor Husted and Michelle M. Schaefer / MEDILL

Of the 350,000 acres spread across five counties in Illinois and Wisconsin, about 23,000 are alreadyprotected at regional, state and private levels. Up to 30,000 acres may potentially be federally protectedshould the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s preferred course of action deem so.

Failing The Straight Face Test

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Sometimes, there’s just too much dirt to sweep under the rug. Longtime readers of this newsfeed havefollowed how, at the nuclear weapons plant at the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City, the feds keeplying while their workers keep dying. Second verse, same as the first, on the General ServicesAdministration (GSA) side of the complex.

Here’s the latest round of whitewash:

‘Detectable levels of at least one carcinogen have been found in the General Services Administration

building on Bannister Road, federal officials acknowledged today.

The announcement came on the same day that a federal health agency released a separate interim reportthat says it doesn’t believe GSA employees received significant exposures to dangerous toxins.

The GSA offices are part of the same building as the Kansas City nuclear bomb­parts plant.

Jason Klumb, GSA’s administrator, confirmed the presence of a carcinogen during questioning at a pressconference called to discuss the federal health report.

But he would not identify the carcinogen or the level that was found.

Klumb would only say that this testing had been for beryllium and uranium. He would not say whether bothtoxins had detectable levels.

But others were critical of the interim report, saying it was not thorough enough.

For example, Scott Dye, a Sierra Club member who has been concerned about pollution at the complex formore than a decade, said the beryllium sampling in the report was lacking.

The study relied on only 20 beryllium samples and were done in a smaller building, not the main office area,he said. Normally many more samples, possibly hundreds should have been taken, and some should havebeen taken in the ventilation system, Dye said.

“That doesn’t even pass the straight­face test,” Dye said. “The only positive I can take away from this is thatthis is an interim report.”

Klumb said that indeed, hundreds of samples now are being taken on a number of chemicals.

Page said she was waiting on the final results of EPA’s testing before she issues a final report.

Late last year, GSA’s inspector general criticized the agency for misleading its employees, the public andthe media in releasing information about contamination present at the complex

GSA and Honeywell have shared the large warehouse building on Bannister Road for decades. Many ofHoneywell’s workers have gotten cancers, beryllium disease and other illnesses because of the toxins.’

_____________________________________________

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/14/2800563/report­gsa­workers­not­exposed.html

Posted on Thu, Apr. 14, 2011 06:41 PM

Toxin detected in GSA offices, details unclear

By KAREN DILLON The Kansas City Star

Archive for May 2011

Walkers Needed! Mother Earth Water Walk!

Posted by Jennifer Weber, Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Walkers Needed! The walkers are north of Jackson, MO and headed towards St. Louis. Can you orsomeone you know join them as the walk to bring attention to the condition of the water? Call/Text763­464­2790 or j.weber.mn@gmail.com

My name is Jennifer Weber and I am helping to get the word out about the Mother Earth Water Walk 2011which is a group of Anishinabe women and men who are walking hundreds of thousands of miles for thewater. The walkers are currently on the north side of Jackson, MO and will be passing by the St. Louis, MOarea throughout the weekend. Please contact Joanne Robertson waterwalk2011@gmail.com , thecoordinator of the walk or Sharon Day j.weber.mn@gmail.com 763­464­2790 call/text, coordinator of the

southern portion of the walk for an interview or story. They have both been cc'd on this press release. Pleasejoin the Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_138714016189509&ap=1 page for thewalk and share their message with anyone you know who may be able to offer some assistance.

Attached is our poster to copy and distribute... and below is our Press Release so that you have somebackground information about the Water Walkers’ work. Please visit: www.motherearthwaterwalk.com forthe full history of the Water Walkers.

The water walk from the West began on April 10th in Olympia, Washington. A small group of Anishinaabewomen, a male staff carrier and a support driver set off and completed 23 miles their first day. Every daysince they have averaged 35 miles. The original three women walking: Grandmother Josephine Mandamin(Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig student), Shelley Essaunce (Saskatchewan), and University of Torontostudent Sylvia Plain. This trailer produced by Urbanrez Productions from British Columbia captures the spiritof the walk and was filmed that first week following the Western Send Off. ( http://vimeo.com/22464388) Allare far from home, and all are committed to doing it for the water, for all life, 7 generations into the future...but they need help. They walk equivalent to a marathon every day, and will continue to do so for 65 daysuntil they reach Bad River, Wisconsin on June 12, where the Pacific Ocean salt water they carry will mergewith the other salt water being carried from the other directions... the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean,and Hudson Bay (Arctic Ocean water).

The southern direction started April 20th from Gulfport, Mississippi on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Thesend off date was exactly one year since the oil spills. The eastern direction started from Machias, Maineon May 7th; the north from Churchill, Manitoba on May 21.

There is much to be done and many communities we have not yet reached. I ask you to please go to thewebsite www.emptyglassforwater.ca/map to see the communities on the different routes. They can alsoclick on the line "Click here to see where they are right now!" to get the current GPS location of the waterpail... tracking is updated every 10 minutes. Anyone who would like to be a support walker, staff carrier,driver or host community organizer can contact our coordinator Joanne Robertson atwaterwalk2011@gmail.com. All walkers are responsible for their own needs, but we do ask communitiesalong the route (via the map and word of mouth) if they can help out by providing food, accommodations, andgas for their vehicles.

If you could help us spread the word, letting people know that the Mother Earth Walkers are coming andthey need our help, we would be very grateful.

If you require more information, please write.

Miigwech, Thank you,

Jennifer Weber

j.weber.mn@gmail.com

_______________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Mother Earth Water Walk Returns and begins April 10, 2011

As the northern snows begin to melt and further south spring rains fall, our Mother Earth awakens and newlife begins. At this time of renewal Anishinaabe grandmothers, women and men, and youth from Canada andthe United States will continue walking for our waters.... The Mother Earth Water Walk began in 2003 in

answer to question—“What will you do?”

The 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Mother Earth Water Walks encircled Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, LakeHuron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie respectively. In 2008 the water walk revisited Lake Michigan. The 2009Mother Earth Water Walk stretched from Kingston, Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean along St. Lawrence River.

The 11,525 miles or 18, 549 kilometers were walked to call attention to the sacred gift of water, the sourceof our life, the source of all life. The past walks also raised awareness of the need to take care of the water,and to help our Mother Earth who is struggling to survive and to provide for all her children.

Each of the 24,113,700 steps taken was a prayer for the water, for Mother Earth, for the animals, the birds,the insects, the trees and for us, all two leggeds. Together the walks were one prayer for life.

This spring the Water Walk returns and the prayer continues. The 2011 Water Walk unites all the waters ofour Mother Earth. Water from the vast Pacific Ocean, from the Gulf of Mexico, from the Atlantic Ocean andfrom Hudson Bay will be gathered in copper pails and carried by hand to the shores of Lake Superior. Oceanwater from the four directions will travel the miles with Anishinaabe women and men walking side by side.

The western water walk begins Sunday, April 10 in Aberdeen, Washington and travels through the States ofWashington and Montana, the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitboa, and the States of North Dakotaand Minnesota before arriving in Wisconsin.

On Wednesday, April 20, the southern water walk will leave Gulfport, Mississippi traveling through theStates of Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa and into Wisconsin.

Walkers from the East will leave Machais, Maine on Saturday, May 7. Their walk will take them through theProvinces of Quebec, Ontario and into the States of Michigan and Wisconsin.

Churchill Manitoba is the beginning point for the Northern Water Walk. Water from Hudson Bay and thewater walkers will travel, on Saturday May 21 by train toward the south to Winnipeg. Their route will carrythe sacred water through Manitoba, Ontario and into Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The walkers, journeying over 10,400,000 steps and carrying the healing and sacred salt water from the fourdirections will converge June 12 in Bad River, Wisconsin. The water will then be united in Lake Superior,where the first Water Walk began.

The Anishinaabe, also known as the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi, are the caretakers of the easternwoodlands and Great Lakes, the largest freshwater system on Earth. Anishinaabe women, as givers­of­life,are responsible for speaking for, protecting and carrying our water.

All people are encouraged and welcome to participate in and to support the 2011 Water Walk as it passesthrough their Provinces, States and communities.

Miigwech.

Contacts:

Elder: Josephine Mandamin josephine.mandamin@gmail.com

Coordinator/Mailing List/Mapping: Joanne Robertson waterwalk2011@gmail.com

NORTH Direction:

Debby Danard dddanard@hotmail.com

Sue Chiblow sue@coo.org

EAST Direction:

Madeleine T. Huntjens madohuntjens@gmail.com

SOUTH Direction:

Sharon Day j.weber.mn@gmail.com

WEST Direction:

Dawnis Kennedy dkennedy@shingwauk.ca

Website www.motherearthwaterwalk.com

Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_138714016189509&ap=1rwalk.com

MAP: www.emptyglassforwater.ca/map

New Nuke Nixed in Colorado

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ALL HAIL the Rocky Mountain Chapter and its broad coalition of allies who said “No!” to a proposed nuclearpower plant near Pueblo. It was voted down unanimously by the county commission.

From the article:

‘In a major win for the Colorado Sierra Club and its coalition allies, on Monday, April 25, the Pueblo Countycommissioners voted to reject a land use designation that would have locked in county approval of aproposed nuclear power plant.

"This is a victory for our environment and the health of future generations," says Joan Seeman, a nuclearand toxics specialist with the Club's Rocky Mountain Chapter. "Pueblo has cheaper, cleaner energy sourcesavailable that can grow the local economy with good, green jobs and a broadened tax base."

"This decision should send a signal to nuclear speculators everywhere," says Club activist and Sange deCristo Group Chair Ross Vincent. "We're not interested. No more will Pueblo be the dumping ground forjunk technology that smart communities don't want. We will fight newly­proposed nuclear power plantsanywhere in Colorado."

Vincent, a longtime Sierra Club Water Sentinel, was among the more than 500 citizens who filled a localvenue in Pueblo on March 16 to oppose Banner's plan.

Vincent says the hearing, which spilled over into March 17, was the largest ever in Pueblo. "The Sierra Clubwas at the heart of this coalition effort, but it wasn't a traditional coalition by any means. This was a genuinecommunity uprising that crossed every conceivable boundary—Democrats and Republicans, farmers andcity dwellers, conservationists and business people. One of the key local leaders was a real estate agentwho lives near the proposed site. Now we want to capture this energy and push for a sustainable economicdevelopment plan for the Pueblo area."’

_____________________

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/04/proposed­nuclear­plant­nixed­in­colorado.html

April 26, 2011

Proposed Nuclear Plant Nixed in Colorado

In a major win for the Colorado Sierra Club and its coalition allies, on Monday, April 25, the Pueblo Countycommissioners voted to reject a land use designation that would have locked in county approval of aproposed nuclear power plant.

Above, Bob Kinsey of Colorado Physicians for Social Responsibility speaks at an April 1 "No Fools NoNukes" rally at the Pueblo County Courthouse. The Sierra Club helped organize the rally along with

Puebloans for Smart Energy, Better Pueblo, and Pueblo Citizens for Clean Air.

"This is a victory for our environment and the health of future generations," says Joan Seeman, a nuclearand toxics specialist with the Club's Rocky Mountain Chapter. "Pueblo has cheaper, cleaner energysources available that can grow the local economy with good, green jobs and a broadened tax base."

The commissioners' decision to reject the new nuclear plant received widespread media coverage, includingthis spot on KRDO13 ABC News. Below, the April 1 "No Fools No Nukes" rally.

Local lawyer Don Banner had submitted an application to rezone 24,000 acres of land in Pueblo County fora so­called "Clean Energy Park" development featuring a nuclear reactor. Concerned citizens, includinglocal Sierra Club members, vigorously opposed the rezoning plan over the past several months, andapplauded the commissioners' decision Monday.

"This decision should send a signal to nuclear speculators everywhere," says Club activist and Sange deCristo Group Chair Ross Vincent, at left below. "We're not interested. No more will Pueblo be the dumpingground for junk technology that smart communities don't want. We will fight newly­proposed nuclear powerplants anywhere in Colorado."

Vincent, a longtime Sierra Club Water Sentinel, was among the more than 500 citizens who filled a localvenue in Pueblo on March 16 to oppose Banner's plan. "The concerns about the health and environmentalimpacts of this project are real," he told the Pueblo County commissioners. "This is just an application, nota plan, being backed by a dubious sales pitch."

Fellow Fountain Creek Water Sentinel Michele Bobyn, a forensic biologist, said some of the testimony givenby proponents of the nuclear plant glossed over the danger posed by spent fuel rods. She cited long­termstudies of animals around the Savannah River plant in Georgia showing that they contain radioactiveelements from the power plant. "There will be leakage," she advised the commissioners. "Maybe we shouldbe doing baseline studies now on our exposure if we are going to be exposed to this for the long­term."’

Vincent says the hearing, which spilled over into March 17, was the largest ever in Pueblo. "The Sierra Clubwas at the heart of this coalition effort, but it wasn't a traditional coalition by any means. This was a genuinecommunity uprising that crossed every conceivable boundary—Democrats and Republicans, farmers andcity dwellers, conservationists and business people. One of the key local leaders was a real estate agentwho lives near the proposed site. Now we want to capture this energy and push for a sustainable economicdevelopment plan for the Pueblo area."

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Earth Day in Owensboro

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinel Aloma Dew and her Dew Crew for a great series of Earth Day events. FollowingAloma’s report are excerpts from a letter she got published in the Owensboro Messenger­Inquirer:

Aloma reports:

We did a couple of Earth Day things last weekend—had a walking tour, starting at our house, of theDogwood­Azalea Trail. We showed people our gardens and new rain garden and discussed the hows andwhys. This was followed by a Group Meeting where I talked about attending Terra Madre.

Sunday was our community Earth Day event at First Christian Church. We had 13 tables with informationand give­aways plus a demo on building a stove out of simple materials, and a presentation by John Muir(Dick Shore). There were kids’ activities and dedication of our new community garden as well. I was incharge of tables and John Muir. We had about 140­150 people for the event and 32 who came in for John

Muir’s presentation.

Next Sat. the local Group is having a peaceful, positive Earth Day demonstration. They will be making signstomorrow night; we will have Clean Water Woman there as well as some kids.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

It’s time to redirect our future

As nature bursts forth into springtime resurrection, we pause to commemorate the 41st Earth Day andcontemplate the state of our planet, our home, God’s creation. April 20 was the one­year anniversary of theBP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and we still don’t know how deep and how long the damage will persist.

But we do know that many lives — human, animal and plant, and our precious resource of water are foreverchanged and that our insatiable appetite for oil and for profit are largely to blame.

Now is the time for all people of faith, all patriots, all who want a good future for their children and theirchildren’s children to step up and say “now is the time to redirect and reimagine our future on this planet.”

Aloma Dew

Owensboro

Fox River Clean Sweep­­Trout Park

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud, State Representative Keith Farnham, and the 30 other volunteerswho joined in the annual Fox River Clean Sweep at Trout Park in Elgin.

From the great article:

‘“It’s a dirty job.”

These words, spoken by Sierra Club volunteer John Shattuck, described Saturday morning’s cleanup effortthat he and about 30 other volunteers undertook at the city’s Trout Park.

Shattuck’s description was not born of cynicism but of truth — about 300 pounds of it. That’s about howmuch garbage was picked up by volunteers during the three­hour event, called the Fox River Clean Sweepand Streambank Clean Up.

State Rep. Keith Farnham, D­Elgin, and the Sierra Club Valley of the Fox Group hosted the event from 9a.m. to noon.

Farnham had urged residents Thursday to come out and help with the cleanup. This is the second yearFarnham has been involved with cleanup activities at Trout Park, on Elgin’s northeast side.

“This is my neighborhood, and I want to keep it clean,” Farnham said. “It’s a really beautiful park, and wewant to keep it this way.”

Sierra Club clean­water advocate Cindy Skrukrud assisted volunteers with weighing the garbage, whichincluded sorting out recyclables.

As the day’s activities come to a close, Farnham said the cleanup effort benefited from good weather andthat all had done a good job.

Skrukrud agreed, saying Trout Park is important to Elgin because of its unique wildlife and needs to stayclean.

“It really is a beautiful place,” she said.’

_______________________________

http://couriernews.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/5121104­417/volunteers­at­trout­park­snag­plenty­of­trash.html

Volunteers at Trout Park snag plenty of trash

By Adam Tedder For the Courier­News

May 1, 2011 08:16PM

Fox River Clean Sweep­­Aurora

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Team Co­Lead Fran Caffee and the Valley of the Crew for another great article onanother great annual Fox River Clean Sweep, and to Fran and her friends for working at keeping it cleanevery Monday.

From the article:

‘Aurora resident Fran Caffee loves to use the Fox River bike trails.

Every Monday, when the weather is nice, she’s out with a group that walks a stretch of the path north of NewYork Street on the east side of the river.

The problem is, they don’t always walk real far, because they stop to pick up garbage. She wants to keepthe river area clean, because it’s a focal point of the community, and people love to use it.

“It’s our city,” she said. “It’s my town. I choose to live here.”

Caffee is a member of the Valley of the Fox Sierra Club. About 30 club members and other residents cameout to help clean the banks along the same stretch of the river on Saturday morning.

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner stopped by to show his support for the cleanup. The river and the riverfront are agreat community asset, he said.

“We haven’t always appreciated it,” he said.

With the River’s Edge Park and a new kayak and canoe rental shop coming to town, there needs to be astronger focus on keeping this area of town clean, he said.

“We need to preserve, respect and nurture the use of our riverfront,” Weisner said.

Saturday’s focus was on the banks of the river, but Caffee is a member of the Water Sentinels, a divisionof the Sierra Club focused on clean water. They have been testing samples of water from the Fox since the’90s, she said.

“It’s better than it was,” she said. “We’re making the public more aware of what they should and shouldn’t bedoing.”’

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http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/5069769­417/sierra­club­volunteers­clean­up­banks­of­fox­river.html

Sierra Club volunteers clean up banks of Fox River

By Matt Brennan, For The Beacon­News May 1, 2011 08:12PM

Granite Creek Cleanup­­Prescott

Posted by Scott Dye, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ALL HAIL our Yavapai Group Sentinels, partner Prescott Creeks, and the more than 500 other volunteerswho participated in the annual Earth Day Cleanup along Granite Creek in Prescott, AZ. They pulled outabout 10 tons of trash, of which 3 tons will be ‘upcycled’—recycled or turned into pieces of art.

The local real estate newspaper columnist devoting his column to the cleanup, and the obvious positivebenefit on the community.

From the column:

‘Yesterday ­ April 22 ­ was technically the official Earth Day, but here in Prescott, we're celebrating today bydoing some extra cleaning up. Hi, I'm Gary Edelbrock, and in today's Real Estate column, we're going toveer off the usual path a little and take a look at our community. It's a community that creatively caresabout our surroundings.

One of the most attractive features in Prescott is Granite Creek. It meanders throughout downtownPrescott, and with trails that allow folks to hike alongside the creek underneath beautiful trees. But,somehow a lot of junk gets dumped into the creek all along the way.

Well, today is the day that a group of people gather together to clean up the creek. According to theCreekside E­News, published by Prescott Creeks, this year has the most water in the creeks that has beenseen in a long time. But, that won't stop this fearless group of volunteers.

This year, the Prescott Creeks organization is doing something different. Benz explains, "This year PrescottCreeks is adding art to the Cleanup. We’re encouraging participants to separate out anything that could bemade into art projects and keep those items in designated bags. The art materials can then either bebrought back to the Park, where a celebration and art­material­separation will ensue, or can be piled at thepickup locations where volunteers will retrieve the materials.

"We are looking for people to take some of the materials with them and turn the trash into art. Later thisyear we will be hosting an art show and auction (details to follow) where we can all enjoy the artistic talentsof our community, and learn more about what was in our creeks. We are also planning an on­site interactiveart project for the day of the Cleanup where everyone who comes back after cleaning up can participate inmaking art.”

How does this relate to real estate? Well, community and cleanliness are appealing to anyone searching fora new place to call home. So, let's all pitch in and do our part to make Prescott an even more wonderfulplace to be.’

__________________________________________________

http://www.prescottenews.com/features/columnists/real­estate­news­a­info/item/18099­the­prescott­community­pitches­in­for­granite­creeks­cleanup­day

The Prescott Community Pitches in for Granite Creek Cleanup Day

Written by Gary Edelbrock

Pueblo CO Fights Proposed Nuclear Power Plant

Louisiana Accountability, Posted by Scott Dye

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

ALL HAIL the Delta Chapter’s Devin Martin and William Fontenot for blasting the “Dirty Water Act” passed

by House Republicans. HB2018 is intended to gut the Clean Water Act and EPA’s ability to protect theenvironment.

From the NPR interview:

‘WENDLAND: Can you give me a brief overview of what HR2018 is?

MARTIN: HR2018 is the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, which is also known as the "Dirty WaterAct" was passed by the house Republicans recently. What it does, basically, is give states, rather than theEPA, ultimate decision­making authority over our nation's clean water standards. So it would allowpollution­friendly states to lower or maybe eliminate some of their clean water standards that are enforcedby the EPA federally, in order to perhaps attract dirty industries into their state.

FONTENOT: It's basically bad law. It would be doing away with 40 years of laws by the US Congress likethe Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act and others that have basically made thecountry a much cleaner, healthier and safer place to live and work.’

_____________________________________

http://www.wrkf.org/batonrouge&newsID=1723

Baton Rouge Sierra Club Reacts to HB2018

Tegan Wendland, WRKF –NPR

July 22, 2011

Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, July 27, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Rita Chapman for spanking her congressional reps for passing the “Dirty WaterAct” in the US House. HB2018 is intended to gut the Clean Water Act and EPA’s ability to protect theenvironment.

At the link, you can read a bonus article on how clean energy is already cheaper than new coal plants inMichigan.

From Rita's letter:

'Last week, the U.S. House passed HR 2018, the Dirty Water Act, by a vote of 239­184. This bill takesaway U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's duty under the Clean Water Act to protect our water andpublic health, and its oversight to assure that state water quality standards protect us.

Michigan's U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, R­St. Joseph; Tim Walberg, R­Tipton; Mike Rogers, R­Brighton; andDave Camp, R­Midland, all voted a resounding "yea" for the Dirty Water Act, as did all of Michigan's otherRepublican representatives except Thaddeus McCotter, R­Livonia, who was present but didn't vote.

These representatives all need to be told their yes votes are just unacceptable.'

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http://www.freep.com/article/20110724/OPINION04/107240456/Letters­Michigan­wind­win­green­energy

Detroit Free Press, Sunday, July 24, 2011, Toxic legislation

By Rita Chapman

Missouri Accountability, Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, July 27, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinel Ken Midkiff for blasting his local House Rep for gleefully voting for HR 2018,the “Dirty Water Act,” intended to gut the Clean Water Act and EPA’s ability to protect the environment.Ken made his poke, among several, in his regular column in the Columbia Tribune.

From his column:

‘That’s politics in Jefferson City, and in Washington, D.C., things are even worse. U.S. Rep. BlaineLuetkemeyer and others of his ilk want to roll back water­quality protections and allow pollutants for“drinking water sources.” Tagged the “Dirty Water Bill,” Luetkemeyer voted to repeal the federal Clean WaterAct and allow each state to establish its own way of protecting, or not, water quality. Given the predilectionof most state legislatures and most state agencies to protect polluters, rather than water quality, once againwe’d have rivers on fire and gunk in the creek.’

_________________________________________

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/jul/22/politics­stink­in­jefferson­city/?news

Politics stink in Jefferson City

By Ken Midkiff

Friday, July 22, 2011

Solidarity in Colorado,

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, July 9, 2011

ALL HAIL Fountain Creek Sentinel Ross Vincent for standing in solidarity with the Rocky MountainEnvironmental Labor Coalition to ask the hard questions about the proposed Southern Delivery System(SDS) – a scheme to send water from Pueblo to Colorado Springs, which would only fuel more sprawl in theSprings and exacerbate their polluted stormwater runoff into Fountain Creek.

In the West, the rules change – crap still runs downstream, but water runs uphill towards money.

From the article:

‘Environmental commitments in the contract for Southern Delivery System falls short of protections that areneeded for Fountain Creek, a local environmental leader says.

“They appear to me to be very weak,” said Ross Vincent, president of the local Sierra Club chapter. “Myimpression is that they fall far short of the protection that is needed. The language is fuzzy and does notrequire much of anything.”

The Sierra Club and the Rocky Mountain Environmental Labor Coalition have continued to question theBureau of Reclamation’s environmental impact statement’s adequacy and to raise questions about theimpact SDS will have on Fountain Creek.

In March, the groups filed their latest reply in the state’s water quality certification under Section 401 of the

Clean Water Act for SDS. The certification is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permitprocess.

The problem, as Vincent sees it, is that water­quality conditions spelled out in Reclamation’s proposedcontract require a determination by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that SDS iscausing “significant adverse effects” before any action is taken. The requirements talk about “elevatedconcentrations” of selenium, E. coli and sulfates attributed to SDS.

“What triggers it?” Vincent said. “We all know there are elevated concentrations now, so any increase at allwould be a violation. My guess is the CDPHE would not reach a formal determination, so in effect there isno procedure.”

Vincent disagrees with Reclamation’s adaptive management plan as the way to handle unexpected changesin water quality or quantity due to SDS.

“The Bureau of Reclamation is passing the buck to other agencies for its responsibility to protect waterquality,” Vincent said.’

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http://www.chieftain.com/sierra­club­leader­says­sds­contract­fuzzy/article_dbad8372­6c6f­11df­97bf­001cc4c002e0.html?success=1

Sierra Club leader says SDS contract ‘fuzzy’

All other pacts are enforced, but groups say they’re not enough.

Posted: Monday, May 31, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 10:49 pm, Sun May 30, 2010.

Sierra Club leader says SDS contract ‘fuzzy’

By CHRIS WOODKA | cwoodka@chieftain.com The Pueblo Chieftain

Solidarity in Illinois

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, July 9, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Jen Hensley for standing in solidarity with our labor allies in support of locked outworkers at Emerald Performance Materials. The rally was also the platform to announce the formation ofEmerald Unions Council which brings together the various local unions that represent Emerald workersacross the U.S.

From the article:

‘Almost 12 weeks after 42 full­time workers at Emerald Performance Materials Inc. in Henry were locked outand replaced by management and temporary employees, workers and business leaders returned to the plantto rally outside the plant gates.

On Thursday, Greg Wheet, union recording secretary/business agent of Teamsters Local 627 of Peoria,which represents the Emerald workers, said the rally followed a meeting between the Teamsters, theChemical Workers and the Steelworkers. After the meeting, the formation of an Emerald Unions Council,which brings together the various local unions that represent Emerald workers across the United States,was announced.

Wheet said speakers included Frank Cyphers, president of the Chemical Workers Union; Jen Hensley ofthe Sierra Club­Illinois Chapter; Ron Moore of the Emerald Cincinnati, Ohio, International Chemical WorkersUnion Council­UFCW; and Terry Howard. chief grievance officer­Emerald, Akron, Ohio, Steelworkers Local.

According to a joint statement issued by the Emerald Unions Council, “What brought us together is anunprecedented attack on the livelihood of our members. Our brothers and sisters in Henry, Ill., have beenlocked out by the Company for more than 10 weeks, after they refused to accept a 30 percent cut in pay,the outsourcing of the quality control lab, and the elimination of the Environmental Health and SafetyOperator position, amongst other things ... We are also troubled to hear from each other’s shopfloorswidespread reports of inadequate attention to health and safety, aggravated by chronic understaffing andunderinvestment.”

Hensley said the Sierra Club and the locked out Emerald employees share a vision of a future that includesgood paying jobs, safe working conditions, clean air and clean water. She said labor and environmentalistsshare a common enemy in the corporate polluters and their political allies that seek to undermineenvironmental laws that keep working conditions safe and our air and water free from toxic pollution.’

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http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2011/06/10/r_2tuqgenqrsay71ahfvufna/index.xml

June 10, 2011 4:27 p.m. CDT

Workers rally at Henry plant, By Barb Kromphardt

Rally for the Rivers

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, July 9, 2011

ALL HAIL our Kentucky volunteers and organizers who held a successful Rally for Rivers at eleven locationsacross the Commonwealth, “from Pikesville to Paducah.” While each rally location had its local flavor(canoe floats, bluegrass, kids’ activities, etc), each had a common theme ­­ Kentuckians from across thestate sent a message to Gov. Beshear that he should be prioritizing clean water and healthy communitiesover the coal industry.

Thanks to Sentinels and Water Watch volunteers Aloma & Lee Dew, Scott Vander Ploeg and Gene Nettles,Beyond Coal campaign’s Lauren McGrath and Tom Pearce, a host of other volunteer leaders, and thehundreds who came out to deliver the message – protect people and clean water, not dirty coal.

Lots of good pre­rally and post­rally media. In this pre­rally piece, we put out a call for new volunteer waterquality monitors. And six new monitors were trained at the rally in Owensboro.

From the article:

‘Tradewater and lower Green Rivers Watershed Watch is looking for volunteers to test the water in HopkinsCounty streams and creeks. Training will be from 10 a.m.­noon June 25 at English Park in Owensboro.Lunch will be provided to volunteers and a rally for the river will take place from 1­3 p.m. Plowin’ Todd Cowanand the Sod Busters will perform at the rally.

Water testers will learn to take an uncontaminated water sample, to test pH and dissolved oxygen from thewaterways, said testing coordinator Lee Dew.

Testing for this data determines if anything can live in the water, said Lee Dew. If the water becomes tooacidic nothing, not even algae can live in it.

“You don’t have to be a scientist to do this,” said member Aloma Dew.

Volunteers just need to be able to read, count and identify colors.

“We teach them some basic water chemistry,” said Lee Dew.

All the equipment and written instructions are provided.

“It’s just like making cookies,” said member Susan Crosswaite.

The water is tested three times a year in May, July and September, said Lee Dew. It only takes about 15minutes.

Once volunteers test and collect a sample, the data and samples are collected by a runner in Madisonville,said Lee Dew.

“Our goal is to get people to have ownership of their stream,” said Aloma Dew.

Testers are encouraged to pick a waterway near their home to sample.

“All the waters we test end up as somebody’s drinking water,” said Lee Dew. “We all live downstream when itcomes to water.” ‘

________________________________________________________

The Messenger (Madisonville, KY) (www.the­messenger.com Pay Site)

June 15, 2011

Section: Local News

Volunteers are needed to help test water in Hopkins County

Lana Kunz Messenger Staff Writer Lkunz@themessenger.Com

What the Frack?

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, July 9, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Rita Chapman and the Chapter for calling for a common sense moratorium onhorizontal fracking for natural gas until the EPA can complete its investigations of the harmful impactscaused by the drilling, including polluting groundwater by dangerous chemicals.

From the article:

‘We've all seen the ads touting the benefits of natural gas as a cleaner­burning alternative to other fossilfuels. And it's true that, compared to coal or oil, natural gas is much less harmful in terms of its effect onglobal warming when used to generate electricity or power vehicles.

Don't, however, be fooled into thinking that just because methane produces a lesser amount of greenhousegases when it's burned means that it is necessarily a green­friendly fuel. Especially, as is increasingly thecase, when that natural gas is extracted from the earth by means of a process known as hydraulicfracturing, or fracking.

Fracking isn't new to Michigan. It has been going on here since the 1960s. According to the state'sDepartment of Environmental Quality, "more than 12,000 wells have been hydraulically fractured since then."The process involves pumping water mixed with fracking chemicals and sand into the ground at highpressure. The shale is split apart, or fractured, allowing the gas to be extracted.

What's changed is that new techniques now enable drillers to go much deeper, past the Antrim shaleformation that stretches across the northern part of the lower peninsula and into what's known as the Uticaand Collingwood shale formations. Instead of boring down 1,000 or 2,000 feet, as is the case in the Antrim

wells, the new type of drilling hits depths of as much as 10,000 feet. In addition, instead of just goingstraight down, these deeper wells curve and move horizontally once the shale formation is hit.

And its not just chemicals in the water that have to be disposed of that are a problem. A February 2011New York Times investigation found that three­quarters of the wells reviewed in Pennsylvania and WestVirginia produced wastewater with high levels of radiation.

But if you believe our state officials, there's no need to worry about any of this. For one thing, they say,beefed­up regulations were issued last month. As a result: "Michigan's laws and rules effectively protectwater and other natural resources as well as public health and safety from potential adverse effects ofhydraulic fracturing."

Which just makes many environmentalists laugh. And it's not a happy laugh.

Instead of just saying "no," they are calling for a "whoa." In May, the Michigan Sierra Club and Clean WaterAction issued a press release calling for a moratorium on fracking in the state.

As Rita Chapman of the Sierra Club tells us, the federal EPA is conducting an in­depth investigation of theissue, with a final report not due until 2014. Why not wait until all the evidence is in until we throw wide openthe doors to horizontal fracking?’

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http://metrotimes.com/news/what­the­frack­1.1161879

What the frack?

Controversy over fracking in Michigan prompts calls for ban, moratorium

Detroit Metro Times

By Curt Guyette

Published: June 15, 2011

Home Grown

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, July 9, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinel Aloma Dew for helping coordinate a locally grown/raised potluck dinner inpartnership with a local church, because eating is a moral act.

Aloma also helped organize "Local Foods Tuesdays" running from June 7 to Sept. 30. This event has grownout the past three years of “Farm to Table, Vine to Glass” local food tasting events with a group of partnersincluding the Owensboro Tourism commission.

From the article:

‘A dinner tonight will introduce residents to locally grown foods and let them learn more about buying fromthe farmer’s market and growing their own gardens.

A local food potluck dinner is from 6 to 8 tonight at First Presbyterian Church, 1328 Griffith Ave. Attendeesare asked to bring dishes that are prepared with ingredients that were locally grown or — in the case of meat— raised. Participants will also learn more about preparing meals using only local foods and creating asustainable, fresh, local and tasty food culture, according to the events calendar on the Owensboro­DaviessCounty Convention & Visitors Bureau’s website.

This is the third or fourth year the church has hosted the potluck. It usually hosts the meal on the first dayof summer. The date of the event was changed because of the “Farm to Table, Vine to Glass” promotion oflocally grown food and Kentucky wines, which has local restaurants serving dishes with locally growningredients on Tuesdays through Aug. 30.

Aloma Dew, a member of First Christian Church and an organizing representative for the Sierra Club, helpscoordinate the potluck. She works primarily with water and agriculture issues with the Sierra Club, and partof her mission is educating people about food and making wise choices about what they eat.

“I think it’s good to support a local farm economy, and by encouraging people to know about who growslocal food, to know more about the farmer’s market and places they can get local food as well asencouraging them to grow their own helps us be more self­reliant,” she said.

Several local farmers typically attend the potluck, Dew said. Most of the potluck dishes will be vegetarianbecause of the kinds of ingredients available locally, though there are some local farmers who sell meatsfrom pasture­raised animals.

The dinner is hosted at a church because organizers believe people of faith care about creation, Dew said.

“My personal feeling is if people of faith get involved with creation care, environmental issues, it will go a bigway to encouraging people,” she said. “I think most people are people of faith. It’s not where you go tochurch. It’s your attitude about creation and caring about it.”’

_________________________

www.messenger­inquirer.com (Pay Site)

Dinner will highlight locally grown foods

By Beth Wilberding, Messenger­Inquirer

Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 1:06 AM CDT

Archive for June 2011

Suing to Stop the Hazard

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, June 23, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Tim Guilfoile and Rick Clewett for crawling through the hollows of Appalachia for threeyears gathering damning data on selenium discharges from the ICG Hazard Thunder Ridgemountaintop­removal coal mine. ALL HAIL the Club’s Environmental Law Program for gathering up that dataand a mountain of additional damning evidence and hauling ICG Hazard before the bar of justice. And ALLHAIL Sierra Club Board member Lane Boldman for strong words supporting the lawsuit.

The goal of the suit is to force ICG Hazard to treat its discharges of selenium—an endocrine disruptingmetal harmful to people and aquatic life—as we have forced Patriot Coal to do in past suits.

From the Bloomberg/AP article:

‘An environmental group is suing coal company ICG Hazard, accusing it of violating federal waterregulations by dumping toxic amounts of the element selenium in waterways near a mine in southeasternKentucky.

The Sierra Club filed the suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in London, Ky. accusing ICG Hazard ofviolating the federal Clean Water Act and Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 at theThunder Ridge surface mine in Leslie County. The group is seeking an order requiring ICG Hazard to install

selenium treatment facilities at the mine and pay $37,500 in fines for each day the law was violated.

"While mountain top removal may make a quick buck for ICG, it results in permanent damage toKentucky's waterways," said Lane Boldman, of the Sierra Club's Cumberland Chapter in Lexington. "Thelong term risk to the environment, to wildlife and to human health is unacceptable and violates the lawsintended to protect our communities and our environment."

Coal mining that disturbs the layers of the earth containing high levels of selenium can cause runoff intonearby waterways or leaching into ground water, the Sierra Club said. Selenium is also concentrated in ashwhen coal is burned.

Selenium is a naturally occurring element that is harmless in small amounts but can be toxic in highconcentrations. In humans, high levels of selenium may cause hair and fingernail loss, with long termexposure damaging the kidneys, liver, nervous and circulatory systems. In aquatic life, selenium can causereproductive failure, birth defects and damage to gills and internal organs.

The Sierra Club, along with two other environmental groups, sued ICG Eastern in West Virginia in Marchover a surface mine they say has been discharging toxic selenium into streams for years.

St. Louis­based Patriot Coal in 2009 agreed to test a new method of removing selenium from mine runoffunder a settlement with a pair of environmental groups over selenium runoff. Patriot operates mines in WestVirginia and Kentucky.’

__________________________________

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9NEJN880.htm

Bloomberg Businessweek

The Associated Press May 25, 2011

Sierra Club sues coal company over Ky. water

By BRETT BARROUQUERE

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Suing to Stop the Sewage

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, June 23, 2011

ALL HAIL the Ohio Chapter and its Clean Water Campaign for suing Franklin County (City of Columbus andits environs) to stop decades of sewage discharges from faulty septic systems that threaten public healthand pollute area streams. The time for foot­dragging and excuses is over, enough of this $#!+.

From the article:

‘Ohio Sierra Club officials say they will sue Franklin County and 17 townships to force a cleanup of rawsewage leaking from faulty septic systems in 169 housing subdivisions and neighborhoods.

The environmental advocacy group filed a notice of intent to sue this morning in U.S. District Court inColumbus over what it called "ongoing violations of the Clean Water Act."

Officials say the sewage poses a health threat in some areas.

The lawsuit stems from years of survey work by Franklin County Public Health and the county Soil andWater Conservation District that found raw or partially treated sewage from septic systems leaking from

storm sewer outlets.

Though the county has identified where the pollution is coming from, Sierra Club members say officials aredragging their feet on the cleanup. The group also says the county should notify residents living near smallstreams and ditches that are fouled with sewage.

Since 1990, county engineers have spent more than $14 million to run sewer lines to homes in 13 "pocketcommunities" where septic tank issues were well known. It's expected to cost more than $17 million toconnect the remaining 10 neighborhoods still on the 1990 list.

How much it would cost to connect sewers to an additional 169 subdivisions isn't known.’

________________________________

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/06/08/Sierra_Club_to_sue_Franklin_County_over_septic_pollution_issues.html?sid=101

Sierra Club to sue Franklin County, townships to force septic cleanup

Environmental group says pollution is violation of Clean Water Act

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

By Spencer Hunt

The Columbus Dispatch

Disinfection for Chicago

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, June 23, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Chapter Director Jack Darin and our hardworking volunteers for a BIG WIN as Chicagoofficials have finally agreed to disinfect the partially treated sewage it has dumped into the Chicago River fordecades. It took a perfect storm of politics to “end an era.” It’s a great first step.

Now we let good faith negotiations and our lawsuit go to work on the fundamental problems—allowing a riverto have been reversed away from Lake Michigan and used as part of a great American city’s sewagesystem.

From Jack’s blog in the Huffington Post:

’Today's vote by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board of Commissioners to reverseits longstanding opposition to disinfecting the effluent it discharges into the Chicago River system marksthe end of an era. Today's vote means that soon Chicagoans can fully enjoy the Chicago River withoutworrying about getting sick. It also will lead to the creation of thousands of jobs in making clean waterupgrades at MWRD's wastewater plants.

This marks the end of an era when we looked at the Chicago River system as large piece of plumbingwhose primary purpose was getting our sewage out of town as fast as possible. For decades, state rulesand MWRD treated the river as a second­class waterway, foregoing modern pollution controls required onthe rest of Illinois' waters. Today the District is taking an historic step toward giving us a cleaner urbanwaterway by acknowledging that people across the region are enjoying the river, and that many more would ifthey were confident it were safe. Now, hopefully, we can all work together to plan and fund the work neededto accomplish that.

… Chicago's leaders have long championed our Great Lake. Now, however, the Chicago River, too, haspowerful friends in high places. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including Regional Administrator

Susan Hedman, increased the pressure on MWRD to act, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin lent his powerfulvoice at a critical time. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who happens to liveand recreate along the river, have long fought for disinfection. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel supportsdisinfection, as Richard Daley did before him. A powerful coalition of river users and clean water advocatesworked for over a decade for this victory, including hundreds of Sierra Club volunteers who collected watersamples to measure bacteria counts, attended dozens of public hearings, wrote comments to the IllinoisPollution Control Board, and went door to door in neighborhoods along the river seeking support.’

_________________________________________

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack­darin/mwrd­votes­to­disinfect­chicago­river_b_872811.html

Huffington Post

Jack Darin, Director, Sierra Club, Illinois

The End of An Era: MWRD Votes to Disinfect Chicago River

Posted: 06/ 7/11

No to the Tar Sands Pipeline

Posted by Scott Dye, Thursday, June 23, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Rita Chapman, Beyond Oil’s Kate Colarulli, and allies NRDC, NWF and thePipeline Safety Trust for sounding the alarm over the proposed Tar Sands Pipeline and it potential to foul theGreat Lakes. No, NO, NO!!

From the article:

‘Plans to increase the import of a raw form of oil piped from Canada through the Midwest are worryingenvironment groups that say the trend could pose health and environmental dangers in the Great LakesBasin.

A new report highlights what the groups say are escalating risks of major pipeline spills of the oil, which is apotentially unstable blend of bitumen and natural gas.

The crude oil contains up to 20 times more acid and is 70 times thicker than regular crude oil. It also hasmore abrasive, sandy particles that can damage the interior of pipelines, leading to major oil spills, thereport said.

Kate Colarulli, who runs the “dirty fuels” campaign at the Sierra Club in Washington, said that the dilutedbitumen is a toxic substance that poses elevated risks to the public.

According to the report, it contains heavy metals and gases that can cause spinal and respiratory problemsin humans and wildlife if high levels accumulate.

“If the government is going to allow the importation of this oil, it should come up with new guidelines thatmeet the unique transportation requirements of the bitumen oil,” Colarulli said.

Rita Chapman, director of Sierra Club’s clean water program in Michigan, said increased imports of the oilsis hazardous to the Great Lakes, a critical source of drinking water for more than 33 million people.

“We need to find other energy sources – renewable sources – rather than tapping into these corrosivesources that are putting our water sources at risk,” she said.

Chapman also said that the public could face something similar to the Gulf oil disaster if a pipeline bursts

near one of the Great Lakes.’

______________________________________

http://greatlakesecho.org/2011/02/23/corrosive­canadian­oil­raises­pipeline­concerns­in­great­lakes­region/

Corrosive Canadian oil raises pipeline concerns in Great Lakes region

Feb 23 2011

By EMMA OGUTU

Lynn Henning Featured on Wildlife Extra

Posted by Scott Dye

Thursday, June 23, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan CAFO Sentinel and 2010 Goldman Prize Winner Lynn Henning for notching yet anothernice feature story on her righteous crusade against factory farms, this time on the international UK­basedWildlife Extra site.

From the feature:

‘She joined forces with the Sierra Club's Michigan Chapter as a volunteer Water Sentinel in 2001, andbecame a staff member in 2005. With their support, Henning led efforts to develop water quality monitoringprograms to measure pollution levels from CAFOs and document their impact on local watersheds. Workingwith a volunteer pilot and a photographer, Henning used satellite imagery and GPS coordinates to documentspecific areas and waterways impacted by CAFO pollution.

Henning and ECCSCM developed a body of data on CAFO operations beyond that of Michigan's ownregulatory agencies, including the DEQ. She brought her data and tools to state regulators to encouragethem to take stronger enforcement action, sharing her monitoring techniques and aerial documentation, aswell as her findings on CAFO pollution. As a result, the DEQ levied hundreds of citations against MichiganCAFOs for environmental violations.

Challenging factory farming

For the first time, in 2008 the DEQ denied a permit to a proposed CAFO facility, based largely on Henning'sfindings and recommendations of the local citizens group fighting the proposal. While a new permit was latergranted, the community is crafting an appeal with Henning's support. Henning regularly travels to assistother communities across the country that are challenging CAFOs. Region 5 of the EPA, which servesseveral Midwestern states, has incorporated some of Henning's techniques into its own CAFOinvestigations.

Henning recently helped form a statewide committee made up of representatives of the state departments ofagriculture and health, the DEQ and Michigan citizens groups charged with conducting a first­everassessment of the environmental impacts of CAFOs on public health. Lisa Jackson, current head of thefederal EPA, recently stated that her department will take steps toward stricter enforcement of the CleanWater Act rules regulating CAFO waste.

As a result of her activism, Henning and her family have been subjected to harassment and intimidation.Her mailbox has been blown up, dead animals have been left on her front porch and she has been followedand run off the road while doing water quality monitoring.’

_________________________________

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/pages/Lynn­Henning.html#cr

Lynn Henning

Water Sentinels Shiny New Website

Posted by Scott Dye,Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Water Sentinels program is celebrating ten years of outstanding service to America’s waterways.

To help mark the occasion we’re unveiling our brand new website, loaded with tons of new issue content,eye­catching photos, snappy videos, interactive maps and much much more.

Check it out at www.sierraclub.org/watersentinels

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/23/3032751/gates­foundation­spurs­creation.html

Posted on Sat, Jul. 23, 2011 10:15 PM

Gates Foundation spurs creation of the ‘toilet of tomorrow’, By DONALD BRADLEY

The Kansas City Star

It's Time for the Cows and Chainsaws

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Arizona Chapter Director Sandy Bahr for maintaining her sanity in a state where such a valuablecommodity is often lacking. Here she tries some sanity in the discussion of fire suppression, but thepresident of the state’s Cattle Growers says, “It’s time for the cows and the chainsaws.”

From the article:

‘Andy Groseta said ranchers and others have spent years talking and negotiating with environmental groupsabout how best to manage the forests and grasslands.

But Groseta, a Cottonwood rancher and the incoming president of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association,said he believes the time for all that is done.

"They have had the past 10 years to collaborate," he said. "It's time for the cows and the chainsaws."

Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr said it's wrong to conclude that talks and negotiations lead nowhere.

"There is a lot of problem­solving going on and a lot of people working together, focusing on thinning,restoring natural processes like fire and looking to have healthy forests," she said.

Bahr cited the Four Forests restoration initiative, a cooperative effort involving industry, elected officials,forest scientists and environmental groups to increase the number of acres "treated" in northern Arizona'sfour national forests. She also pointed to a contract to thin 150,000 acres in the White Mountains over thenext decade.

Bahr said there's a lot of agreement on some areas, like protecting forest communities. And she said thereis a general consensus that smaller trees, those with a diameter of 12 inches or less, can be harvested.

Bahr said that environmental interests are being used as a convenient target when the issues are morecomplex, involving issues like the drought and the larger question of climate change.

The hostility is not entirely surprising. The ranchers have been embroiled in litigation with environmentalgroups for years. And, as often as not, the ranchers lose.’

__________________________________

http://www.azcentral.com/business/abg/articles/2011/07/14/20110714abg­ranchers0714.html

Time to stop talking, rancher says of forests

by Howard Fischer ­ Jul. 14, 2011 12:00 AM

Capitol Media Services

Sentinels Rios de Taos, Posted by Scott Dye

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

llow volunteers for getting their annual groove on once again – monitoring area rivers; holding partneredfishing derbies for youth; hauling trash out of area streams; and raising funds for breast cancer survivorswith ally Trout Unlimited (Eric is a founding board member of the local Enchanted Circle Chapter of TU). It’sbread and butter workaday Water Sentinels work, and Sentinels Rios de Taos have been doing it right andmaking a difference for five years and running, strong.

Eric’s succinct report sums it up:

WATER SAMPLING SEASON BEGINS

Water Sentinels­­Rios de Taos started its 2011 sampling season on May 24. At least three locations on theRio Pueblo and Rio Fernando have been found to be out of compliance with E. coli standards. Sentinels areanticipating extending sampling to the Red River this year to monitor expected progress in reclaiming theMoly Mine superfund site.

FISHING DERBIES FOR KIDS

Water Sentinels­­Rios de Taos co­sponsored a fishing derby for kids at Eagle Rock Lake near Questa onJune 4. Co­sponsors included New Mexico Game and Fish, BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and the EnchantedCircle Chapter of Trout Unlimited. About 70 youngsters showed up, along with parents and grandparents.The BLM had a fish cleaning station, while TU tied flies for participants and had an excellent exhibit of livingstream invertebrates. Water Sentinels donated Sierra Club T­shirts, Sierra Club backpacks, and fishingrods to young fishermen.

On the same day, at Lake Maloya in Sugarite Canyon State Park on the other side of the Sangre deCristos, the Water Sentinels­­Rios de Taos and the Enchanted Circle Chapter of Trout Unlimitedco­sponsored another fishing derby for kids. Co­sponsors included the Raton Rotary Club, BLM, andDepartment of Game and Fish. Under the supervision of Jim Morgan, member of both Sierra Club andboard of directors of ECTU, participating kids were able to win T­shirts, fishing rods, and junior TroutUnlimited memberships.

FOURTH ANNUAL TAOS RIVER CLEAN­UP DAY

On Saturday, June 11, Water Sentinels­­Rios de Taos, along with Amigos Bravos, Rocky Mountain YouthCorps, NFS, BLM, and Centinel Bank co­sponsored Taos' fourth annual river clean­up day. This year itbecame the "Annual Taos River and Land Community Service Day." One hundred seventeen communityvolunteers cleaned up parks, rivers and illegal arroyo dumping sites in Taos County. Two tons of trash and95 bags of recyclables were picked up, and ten trees were planted. Each participant received a Sierra ClubT­shirt. Over the last four years, citizen participation has increased and the amount of trash in our rivers hasdecreased. Let's hope these trends continue!

ENCHANTED CIRCLE CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED FUND RAISING BANQUET

On Friday, June 10, the Enchanted Circle Chapter of Trout Unlimited held it annual fund raising banquet atthe Red River Convention Center. The keynote speaker was John Nichols, veteran fly fisherman,environmentalist, community activist, and author of 'The Milagro Beanfield War." Although the membership

of Trout Unlimited is mostly fly fishermen, its primary function is cold water conservation.

Fishermen are often the first people to notice river and stream degradation and report it to organizationssuch as Sierra Club, Water Sentinels, or Amigos Bravos. The funds raised at last year's banquet were usedfor stream restoration, youth education, and helped sponsor New Mexico's first Casting for Recovery eventheld last fall.

Fourteen breast cancer survivors from our area were treated to a free weekend of luxury accommodations,fly fishing, and fly fishing lessons at the Philmont ranch. The responses of the participants were sooverwhelmingly positive that TU has decided to repeat the event this fall. If you are a breast cancer survivoror know a breast cancer survivor, you can get more information about this program athttp://castingforrecovery.org

­­­­­­­­­­­

Our Eye in the Sky, Posted by Scott Dye, Wednesday, July 27, 2011

ALL HAIL our friends at Lighthawk who volunteer their time and airplanes to help us get invaluable aerialphotos to support our on the ground monitoring work. Among the many places they have supported theSentinels’ work is mapping, monitoring and enforcement of the polluting mega­dairies of Michigan.

Michigan CAFO Sentinel Lynn Henning is quoted in the Environment Report radio story:

‘Environmental issues can be tough to convey to the public – and to policymakers – because they’relandscape­scale. Flying high above, say, a forest, a factory, or a wetlands complex can give betterperspective. But few environmental groups can afford to pay for private flights. For 30 years, thenot­for­profit group LightHawk has been bringing together volunteer pilots and environmental causes.

Kelley Tucker is the eastern region programs manager for LightHawk. The group runs a thousand missionsa year on behalf of green groups in 10 countries in North and Central America.

"We’ve seen people come down with enormous amounts of scientific data that makes a difference in aboard room, in a government office, in a legal decision."

In southwestern Michigan, for example, photos from LightHawk flights have compelled state inspectors tomonitor manure lagoons on cattle and hog farms more closely.

"We’ve seen lagoons at extreme capacity and actually have seen run­off of animal waste into the waterwaysfrom those."

Lynn Henning is with the Sierra Club and the Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan. The groupshave done more than 30 flights with LightHawk, sometimes bringing aboard inspectors from the MichiganDepartment of Environmental Quality. Henning says those flights make a difference.

"Being able to see what they can’t see from the ground. Areas around the facilities that have died or havebeen torn out or tree lines removed or lagoons added, and they’re very helpful."’

______________________________________________

http://www.environmentreport.org/show.php?showID=553

Giving Policymakers a Bird's Eye View

Host: Rebecca Williams

Show date: 07/19/2011

Partnership Gets Military Families Fishing

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/08/water­sentinels­partnership­donates­rods­reels­to­military­families.html

August 24, 2011

Water Sentinels Partnership Donates Rods & Reels to Military Families

Thousands of military youth and their families now have a better chance to go fishing and spend time in thegreat outdoors thanks to a partnership between the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program, theRecreational Boating and Fishing Foundation's (RBFF) Take Me Fishing campaign, the National MilitaryFish & Wildlife Association (NMFWA), and Zebco, the nation's largest manufacturer of fishing rods andreels.

See kids fishing at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina, and girls from theElmendorf­Richardson Air Force base fish near Anchorage, Alaska.

On August 22, the groups announced their collaboration on the 2nd Annual Rods & Reels Initiative todistribute thousands of rods and reels to military families across the country. The Water Sentinels andNMFWA began working together in 2009, but the initiative took off in 2010 when the RBFF provided its fullsupport and connected the Sentinels with Zebco's refurbished rod and reel program.

Since the program's launch, nearly 90,000 youth have benefitted from the program, with almost 1,900 rod &reel sets distributed to 60 military bases in 21 states. The most recent donation of 700 Zebco rods andreels will be shipped this month to the Water Sentinels, who will distribute the gear to members of theNMFWA for use by families on military installations.

"This national partnership is truly a labor of love," says Water Sentinels Director Scott Dye, above at rightwith refurbished Zebco rods & reels. "It's great to give back to our military families who have given so muchto us."

Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation studies show that fishing leads to a lifelong interest inconservation and environmental protection. "That's what our organization is all about," says Water SentinelsDeputy Director Tim Guilfoile, below. "Our goal with this program is to get kids outdoors by giving them thetools they need to go fishing. We're creating the next generation of Huck Finns."

"Fishing is recognized as one of the top 'gateway' activities to other outdoor interests," confirms RBFFPresident & CEO Frank Peterson. "We hope that by enabling these fishing experiences to happen, familieswill get out and enjoy one of America's favorite pastimes together."

Since 2005, RBFF's Take Me Fishing campaign has played a critical role in helping generate nearly $20million for state conservation efforts and introducing more than a million youth and newcomers to boatingand fishing.

Guilfoile says National Military Fish & Wildlife Association President Robert Fisher sent out a notice aboutthe rods & reels' availability to military bases that had not yet received equipment from the Water Sentinelsat noon on August 19, three days before the official announcement.

"Within five hours we had responses from 17 military installations across the country, requesting rods &reels for an estimated 6,800 youth," Guilfoile says.

"Our main goal," says Fisher, "is to expose the youth of America to the great outdoors, especially youngpeople on military bases whose parents fight to defend out nation and protect our natural resources. The

phenomenal success of the program just goes to show how much pent­up demand there is for fishingamong young people and their families."

In 2009 Zebco began supplying the Water Sentinels with rods and reels that had been previously purchasedbut were returned, then refurbished and re­packaged so they were essentially as good as new.

"Supporting this program was a natural for us," says Zebco President Jeff Pontius. "By providing therefurbished rods and reels to military families, we not only show support for our troops, but also engage newyoung anglers in the sport of fishing and contribute to conservation."

Learn more about the Water Sentinels Program and how you can get involved.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Tennessee Wants Some Fracking Rules

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee Water Quality Chair Axel Ringe and our allies who are calling for “some fracking rules”to protect the state’s residents and its waters from the controversial drilling practice.

From Knoxville’s WBIR TV­10 report:

‘Tennessee's Oil and Gas Board approved some new rules Thursday concerning abandoned wells, bondingfor new drilling sites, and closed a few other loopholes that state officials say will make enforcement ofenvironmental standards easier.

However, a large group of environmentalists filled the board room at TDEC's Field Office in Knoxville to askfor some "fracking" rules.

"Fracking" is a common term for hydraulic­fracturing, also known as hydrofracking. It is a process used indrilling for oil and natural gas where companies drill deep below the surface and then horizontally throughareas of shale.

The controversial practice is blamed for environmental damage in parts of Pennsylvania and New York. OnThursday, the state of New Jersey fell just short of a full ban, but placed a moratorium on all frack drillinguntil more research can be conducted on its effects.

One of the primary concerns among environmentalists is potential pollution to ground water. The drillingprocess penetrates the water table en route to the shale deep below.

Burr estimated the process for proposing and approving new rules could take another six to eight months.That is a relatively expedited timeline considering many state environmental rules and regulations require ayear or two before they are complete.

"But in the meantime, there is a lack of regulation and oversight for hydrofracking," said Axel Ringe with theSierra Club of Tennessee. "Once we do get regulations in place, we are concerned the state will still fallshort in terms of overseeing drilling companies. There will only be three employees overseeing every drillingoperation in the state."

Ringe and others at the meeting said rules are especially needed as companies eye potential drilling sites totap into the large underground resource known as the Chattanooga Shale Field. Chattanooga Shale liesbeneath a large majority of East Tennessee and the field extends from Kentucky to Alabama.’

___________________________________

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/181549/2/Environmentalists­want­some­TN­gas­drilling­rules

Fracking Up Michigan's Future

Posted by Scott Dye

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Comments (0) |Edit

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Rita Chapman and our allies who are calling for some fracking rules to protectthe state’s residents and its waters from the controversial drilling practice.

From the article in Lansing’s City Pulse:

‘Environmental groups nationwide point to potentially devastating consequences — some proven, somefeared — of moving toward natural gas because of the way we get it: hydraulic fracturing. Or, in popularterms, fracking.

The concern is this: Because modern fracking involves using millions of gallons of water and hundreds oftypes of chemicals (many of which are trade secrets) to free up natural gas in underground rock formations,there is the potential for this mixture to leak into drinking water supplies. Some want assurance that thosemillions of gallons of water are coming from sources that can stand to lose it and won’t decimate fragileecosystems. And then there’s the lingering question of what to do with that water and chemical mixture thatcan never be reused.

The practice has garnered headlines in Pennsylvania and New York, though natural gas extraction isprevalent in Gulf states and western states like Colorado and Wyoming. When residents made the nightlynews in Pennsylvania and Colorado because they could light their kitchen sink faucets on fire after gas hadmigrated into drinking water, fracking became documentary­worthy.

Fracking is not new. In Michigan, oil and gas companies have been fracturing rock thousands of feet belowground to get to natural gas for more than 60 years.

However, the technique has been retooled to go deeper and to use more water and chemicals, particularly inthe last five years. Terms like “large volume water withdrawal” and “high volume hydraulic fracturing wellcompletion” are defined in state regulations that target these new methods. And deeper, horizontal­styledrilling makes risks to drinking water even greater.

For the past few months, some environmental groups — including the Sierra Club of Michigan, Clean WaterAction and Food & Water Watch — have called on the state for a moratorium on new permits for horizontalwells. In New York state, a de facto moratorium on such permits has been in place since last year. Thatstate’s environmental regulatory agency issued a set of recommendations two weeks ago that would ban thepractice in certain areas to protect watersheds.

Rita Chapman, Clean Water Program director for the state chapter of the Sierra Club, said while Michiganhas better regulations than other states when it comes to well construction, the water usage reportingrequirements could be strengthened. Moreover, the public has a right to know the chemicals used in theprocess, she said.

“The public knows nothing. Some groups in the state are advocating full disclosure of all the chemicals upfront — we’re one of those groups. We think it would be important for a homeowner surrounded by frackingoperations to know that,” she said.

A few of the known chemicals include hydrochloric acid (commonly used to clean pools), ammoniumpersulfate (a bleaching agent), benzene (which is found in diesel fuel) and ethylene glycol (used inautomotive antifreeze).

Chapman said: “I want the whole recipe that’s used in wells on my back 40.”’

_______________________________________________

http://npaper­wehaa.com/citypulse/2011/07/13/s4/#?article=1324639

CityPulse, 07­13­2011

Fracking the Future

By Andy Balaskovitz

Natural gas becomes a popular energy source in Lansing amid concerns about the unnatural methods forextracting it

Spanish Peaks Get Fracked

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL FLAIL Huerfano County CO officials and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, who lastmonth denied a citizen request for a public hearing of a Shell Oil & Gas fracking proposal, because therequest didn’t come from a local government entry. Lame politics. And so, the beautiful Spanish Peaksregion ‘got fracked.’

It didn’t sit well with Rocky Mountain Chapter Oil & Gas Chair Gopa Ross, who has already been negativelyimpacted by the drilling process.

From the article:

‘Shell Oil & Gas has been cleared to drill deep into a unique geological formation near the Spanish Peaks,in southern Colorado, to explore new natural gas resources.

Huerfano County planning and elected officials gave the exploratory fracking project a conditional green lightlast week, to the dismay of many local residents who are clamoring for more upfront research and bettersafeguards against environmental impacts.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission last month denied a citizen request for a publichearing because the request didn’t come from a local government entry.

The approval process was fraught with controversy, as the planning and zoning commission refused to letmembers of the public speak at preliminary meetings on the approval. Scott King, chair of the commission,threatened to forcibly remove citizens from meetings, according to Ceal Smith, of the San Luis Valley

Renewable Communities Alliance.

When audience members protested this action, King responded with, “So sue us,” according to Smith.

“The goal of the Sierra Club RMC, is to ensure that Colorado water and air resources are clean, publichealth, environment, and wildlife is protected, and that these are not endangered or impacted byirresponsible oil and gas drilling practices,” said Gopa Ross, chair of the Sierra Club’s Rocky MountainChapter oil and gas committee.

Ross has first­hand experience with oil and gas exploration. A water well on her horse ranch in Las AnimasCounty was contaminated with methane gas, arsenic and fluoride by gas drilling in 2006 and impacted againin 2009 during drilling operations. The water well never recovered.’

_________________________________________________

http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/07/04/colorado­shell­gets­ok­for­fracking­in­spanish­peaks/

Colorado: Shell gets OK for fracking in Spanish Peaks

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

State approves 14,000­foot­deep fracking operation without public hearing

Big Coal Targets Illinois

Posted by Scott Dye,Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL our Illinois Water Sentinels who are training and assisting state residents that are facing abarrage of new or expanded coal mining operations. Big Coal companies from Appalachia are targeting thestate for major expansion, and we’re fighting back.

Below is from Conservation Director Sarah Hodgdon on Treehugger:

____________________________

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/the­fight­is­on­to­stop­coals­expansion­into­illinois.php

The Fight is on to Stop Coal's Expansion Into Illinois

by Sarah Hodgdon, Sierra Club on 08.26.11

'Big Coal companies from Appalachia are eyeing President Obama's backyard with intentions oftransforming the Illinois Basin into their own playground ­­ with no rules.

The state faces at least 11 permit applications for new or expanded coal mining ­­ a crucial fork in the roadfor the state's energy future.

"We're at this critical time in Illinois," says Cindy Skrukrud from the Sierra Club's Illinois Chapter. "We'veappealed permits for two mines ­­ a long­wall mine and a strip mine. We're dealing with new mines, otherstrying to expand, and others that aren't keeping with their permit restrictions."

Last month, seven local activists traveled to Pittsburgh for a Citizens Coal Council training on the SurfaceMining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, a federal mining standards law that is routinely ignored byIllinois coal companies.

"It's a struggle to get the mines to follow regulations. But even more so, we have to battle our own stateagencies," says the Chapter's Conservation Committee Chair Joyce Blumenshine, who attended thetraining.

"There are many ways the law isn't being followed."

The Club's Illinois Chapter has partnered with Prairie Rivers Network, Citizens Against Longwall Mining, andHeartland Coalfield Alliance, and has had immense help from the Sierra Club Water Sentinels program.

"Thanks to the help of the Water Sentinels, we have data that our state mining office doesn't even collect.We can show how vital these headwater streams and tiny tributaries are because they are full of life," saysJoyce. "That's huge."

Several coal companies in Illinois have ignored rules with no fear of repercussions. One site in particular ­­Industry Mine, a surface­coal strip mine, in McDonough County near the La Moine River ­­ has racked up300 water­related permit violations over a five­year period. The state Attorney General's office acted onlyafter the Sierra Club and other groups sent a 60­day legal notice.

Residents living near other coal sites, like the 400­acre Exxon site in Clinton County, have reported healthproblems, with "iron, sulfides, and chlorides" leaking into the aquifer adjacent to the Kaskaskia River.Because of weak state oversight, though, the plot has not been designated a hazardous waste area.

Many fear that Big Coal will turn Illinois into a dirty­energy exporter, sending boatloads of coal to the Gulf ofMexico or the coasts with a one­way ticket to a foreign country. Whether regulatory agencies accommodatecompanies like Peabody Coal or listen to their increasingly angry citizens is what will determine the state'sdirection.

"Illinois still thinks of itself as a coal state because we have a long history with it," says Cindy Skrukrud."We have to keep fighting that idea and highlight what we've been achieving for clean energy. This state hascreated 10,000 jobs in the wind­energy field. We have to work to keep clean energy a priority."

If you're in Illinois or elsewhere, we encourage you to join those who want to move beyond coal to cleanenergy'.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Green Infrastructure for Sewage

posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile for praising the use of green infrastructure in solvingsewer overflow problems, saving ratepayers’ money on court­ordered sewage infrastructure overhauls.

That’s the kind of ‘green’ that’s always a win­win, for citizens and the environment.

From the article:

‘Workers this week were building a "bio­swale," a drainage course with four large planter areas, that will addbeauty along the south edge of the new boulevard. But beauty isn't the reason for the 400­foot­long swaleand the plants: Their real purpose is to absorb rain­water that would pour from the new street and spew,mixed with raw sewage, into the Ohio River near the Brent Spence Bridge.

"It is a bio­swale with a bio­retention basin at the end of it," said Samantha Brown, an environmentalengineer in Sanitation District No. 1's Water Resources Department. "There will be four planter boxes tobasically catch roadway runoff."

"That's the big thing we're trying to do with green infrastructure in the combined­sewer system," Brown said."Green infrastructure is more cost­effective than traditional gray infrastructure like tanks in the ground orlarge conveyance systems (leading to sewage­treatment plants)."

If a traditional "gray" method were used, that would cost about 50 cents per gallon removed ­ almost threetimes as much ­ SD1 estimates.

Edgewood resident Tim Guilfoile, who also is deputy director of the national Sierra Club's Water Sentinels

program, offers hearty applause for the bio­swale and similar projects. His only complaint about them is hewishes SD1 and other sewer utilities would use them much more.

"This kind of solution is what we ought to be doing across the United States," Guilfoile said. "People aretip­toeing around this because we're just learning about it."

Guilfoile said he has extensively studied environmentally friendly remedies and said they typically costbetween 50 percent and 80 percent less than traditional "gray infrastructure." Plus, he noted, the plants actlike wetlands, which naturally cleanse harmful chemicals, including fertilizers and road salt, from water.

And green solutions "can handle 80 percent of the first inch of rain (that falls)," he said. "That'sphenomenal."

Guilfoile argues the only down­side to such projects is to engineering and construction companies, whichwon't make as much money. But they can save taxpayers and ratepayers lots of money, he said. In fact, heargues if SD1 were somehow to use only green projects to reduce pollution, the agreement SD1 made withstate and federal regulators to spend $1.2 billion by 2025 on pollution reduction measures "would be 50­80percent less expensive."’

__________________________________________________

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110715/NEWS0103/107160323/Project­transform­street­reduce­pollution

Project to transform street, reduce pollution

9:09 PM, Jul. 15, 2011

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Seattle Sentinel Rebecca Phelps for praising the use of green infrastructure in solving pollutedstormwater problems, specifically using rain gardens to clean runoff before it enters Puget Sound. Thatshe’s educating the city’s school district and its kids in the process makes it even better.

From the article in FRANCES, the magazine for 17,000 U.S. Dept of Labor employees:

‘Rebecca Phelps, former practicing environmental attorney and now a whistle­blower investigation with theOccupational Safety and Health Administration’s Regional Office in Seattle, lives what she believes.

An active member of the Sierra Club’s Cascade Chapter in the Puget Sound area, Phelps revived thechapter’s Water and Salmon Committee where she learned about the club’s “Water Sentinels Program”.

She created a local Water Sentinels affiliate, and secured a $5,000 grant to build and develop a rain gardenat a Seattle public school. Her goal was to educate schoolchildren to understand how important it is tosend back to Puget Sound clean storm water to protect the habitats of orcas and salmon.

The Rain Garden Project at Seattle’s Montlake Elementary School, which Phelps spearheaded, is apartnership of the Washington Water Sentinels, the Seattle Public School District and the Community DaySchool Association.

The vegetation at Montlake Rain Garden was planted by the schoolchildren in a few hours using Phelps’clever cycle of 15­minute planting sessions, with supervision by parent volunteers. It gave more than 100 ofthe school’s children a chance to participate. The Community Day School Association coordinates an

after­school program to have the children maintain the rain garden. Its interpretative display features plantsnative to the Pacific Northwest, with their deeper roots, watered solely by rain water. Local nurseriesprovided reduced­priced native plants for the project.

“Many hundreds of children and their families have now learned about storm water pollution and the value ofrain gardens,” Phelps said. “I hope to pass the same educational lesson on to the nearly 46,000 Seattlepublic school students, and the 32,000 Puget Sound area Sierra Club members.”

The Montlake Rain Garden has set off a domino effect, as Phelps receives numerous requests to helpestablish more of them. Local elected officials took notice of the project after being invited by theMontlake Elementary students to visit the rain garden and learn more about storm water runoff.

“The children enjoy their rain garden and lovingly maintain it as it grows,” said Phelps. “We hope this will bethe start of many rain gardens around the country. This is a project that teaches children that anyone canmake a difference to help our environment.”’

______________________________________

FRANCES MAG July, 2011 (not available online)

ProFile

Making an Environmental Difference, by Jeannine Blue Lupton, Office of Public Affairs, Seattle Region

How Clean is the Fox?

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Illinois Sentinel Cindy Skrukrud for getting some good ink and attention directed towards theproblems and the progress along the Fox River.

From the article:

‘The Fox River is safe enough to swim in, and the fish caught there are generally OK to eat.

But don’t let its ability to support recreational activities and a variety of wildlife – such as dragonflies,crayfish, freshwater mussels, minnows, catfish, smallmouth bass, muskies, ducks, geese, great blueherons, great white egrets, beavers, muskrats and mink – lead you into believing its waters are clean.

This diverse ecosystem also includes mercury, phosphorus, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), sedimentand fecal bacteria – pollutants that can threaten aquatic life and impair the river’s other uses.

For example, mercury and PCBs affect fish consumption, and fecal bacteria makes swimming conditionsfair for most of the stretch between Elgin and Aurora.

“The whole question of how clean is the Fox River can be kind of complicated,” said Cindy Skrukrud,chairwoman of the Fox River Study Group, an organization that assesses water quality in the river’swatershed.

“These are problems that many rivers in Illinois and throughout the country have,” Skrukrud said.

Time is the only way to rid the Fox River of PCBs, chemicals caused by past bad practices that take a verylong time to break down, Skrukrud said.

Mercury, a widespread pollutant released as coal burns in power plants, can be reduced by adopting cleanerenergy sources or by modernizing power plants to capture mercury before it is released in the air, she said.

But perhaps most importantly, officials stressed, everyone – regardless of whether they have riverfrontproperty – can do their part to make a difference to whatever body of water their watershed drains to.

“What I always want people to think about is it is really what we do on the land that feeds the Fox River.That’s what determines the quality of the Fox River,” Skrukrud said, “and every little bit helps.”

“If we can reduce the amount of phosphorus going into the Fox River, that will help eliminate excessivegrowth of aquatic plants and algae,” she said.

Too much of a natural substance can even become a problem. According to the county, sediment cansmother fish habitats and clog drinking water intakes.

“That’s a problem that we’re really trying to get a handle on,” Skrukrud said, noting construction sitesstripped of vegetation are big sources of this pollution.

Preventative measures include street sweeping, not tilling farmland after the harvest and the installation ofequipment that keeps soil on site, such as filter fences, she said.

Skrukrud said the important part is improving the current water quality. Expect to see improvements overtime as society does a better job managing erosion from construction sites, reduces the amount of fertilizerrunoff from their property and as sewage treatment plants remove phosphorus from effluent, she said.

“It’s not something that can happen overnight,” she said, “but I think that we now recognize much betterwhat is causing problems in the Fox River.”’

http://www.kcchronicle.com/2011/07/26/how­clean­is­the­fox­river/a9a3okh/

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 5:30 a.m. CDT

How clean is the Fox River?

It's safe for swimming, boating and fishing, but river has its issues

By ASHLEY RHODEBECK

The Toilet of Tomorrow

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, September 3, 2011

ALL HAIL Bill Gates for spurring the creation of ‘the toilet of tomorrow.” Think what you may about Mr.Gates, but his foundation has given away nearly $30B to make this a better planet. Here, it’s a plan toaddress unsanitary conditions worldwide that kills 1.5 million children annually in developing countries.

The plan makes sense to Missouri Sentinel Ken Midkiff.

From the KC Star article:

‘Bill Gates, the man who brought us version after version of Windows, now thinks the world needs a newtoilet.

And he’s paying out millions to make it happen.

Not because the old one doesn’t work. It does. Just not enough people get to sit on it.

The World Health Organization estimates that 2.6 billion people live in areas unserved by flush­toiletrequisites of a piped water supply and sewer system. That’s 40 percent of the world’s population.

The results are horrid sanitation conditions — caused mainly by open defecation near drinking sources —that each year kill 1.5 million children in developing countries.

So last week, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded eight universities millions of dollars to comeup with a toilet that requires no piped­in water, sewer connection or electricity — and costs no more than 5

cents a day to operate.

So here comes Gates, arguably the great innovator of our time, who wants not a new design of the same oldthing, but a total revolution to the point that what goes into a toilet would be converted to energy, fertilizerand drinking water.

Michael Hoffman, an environmental scientist and engineer heading up the research team at the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, has long wondered why the lack of urgency.

“We’ve known for a long time that the quality of drinking water greatly affects a country’s life expectancy,”Hoffmann said. “People live longer in places with clean water and highly developed treatment facilities.

“It doesn’t matter what we do with biomedicine if we don’t take care of sanitation.”

He believes it could also serve rural areas, anywhere where homes are on septic systems.

Ken Midkiff, chair of the Missouri Clean Water Campaign, is even more optimistic. He thinks projectscoming from the Gates research could eventually serve small towns of 5,000 or so.

“Sewage treatment plants are tremendous energy hogs,” Midkiff said Friday from his home in Columbia, Mo.’

_____________________________________________

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/01/3115597/bannister­complex­will­stay­off.html

Posted on Thu, Sep. 01, 2011 09:46 PM

Bannister plant avoids Superfund list

By KAREN DILLON

The Kansas City Star

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/epa­moves­to­reuse­bannister­federal­complex­and­avoid­special­superfund­status­

EPA considers reuse of Bannister Federal Complex and avoiding special Superfund status

Gov’t announces deal concerning Bannister

By Russ Ptacek

Apple River Saved From Sewage Lagoon

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL the Illinois Chapter, local residents and our allies for stopping a really bad plan to dam up aheadwater tributary of the Apple River for use as a sewage lagoon for a proposed factory farm expansion.

Illinois Chapter Director Jack Darin blogged about the win on the Huffington Post.

From Jack’s blog:

‘Local residents, Sierra Club, and our allies working to protect a headwater stream in the beautiful AppleRiver watershed from being converted to a manure storage lagoon have won a major victory with IllinoisEPA's denial of an essential permit for the project.

A California company had proposed destroying approximately 300 feet of a tributary to the South Fork ofApple Creek to replace it with a waste storage and detention ponds for a proposed 5,500 cow dairyoperation, which would be the largest in Illinois. The stream is upstream of the Apple River, including theexcellent fishery at Apple River Canyon State Park.

Neighbors have long been concerned about air and water pollution from the industrial dairy. Last October,concerned citizens living close to the megadairy noticed that the previously clear tributary to the Apple Riverwas suddenly dark purple. Representatives of both the Illinois EPA and the US EPA, as well as the JoDaviess Sheriff's department and the Jo Daviess Hazmat team were called to the site to evaluate thecontaminants flooding into the stream.

After the discovery of the pollution, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan brought suit against the companyfor violations of Illinois water quality standards. The US Environmental Protection Agency has alsoscrutinized the facility, and Governor Pat Quinn has toured the region and expressed his concern about themegadairy.’

___________________________________

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack­darin/illinois­epa­moves­to­pro_b_954542.html

Illinois EPA Moves to Protect Apple River From Massive Sewage Lagoon

Posted: 9/12/11 08:33 PM ET

A Military "Thank You," with No Strings Attached. Just Fishing Line.

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL our allies with the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing Campaign forthis nice blog post on our joint partnership with the National Military Fish & Wildlife Assn and Zebco fishingrods. In 2011, the partnership has helped get more than 84,000 youth and families of our military servicepersonnel fishing this year.

______________________________

http://www.takemefishing.org/community/blog/a­military­%e2%80%9cthank­you%e2%80%9d­with­no­strings­attached­just­fishing­line/

A Military “Thank You,” with No Strings Attached. Just Fishing Line.

'Americans are immensely proud and grateful for our military and their sacrifices to help keep our countrysafe. We try to show our appreciation through a variety of ways. Maybe we send care packages overseas.Or just a handshake and a sincere “Thank you” when we see someone in fatigues at the airport. There areprograms like “Trees for Troops” which help provide Christmas trees. The Recreational Boating and FishingFoundation’s Take Me Fishing Campaign, Zebco, the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association, andthe Sierra Club Water Sentinels are also working together to thank military families.

Zebco refurbishes rods and reels, mostly Zebco 33 spin cast reels, and spools them with line, ready to go.The Sierra Club Water Sentinels then distribute them to thousands of military families who are members ofthe National Military Fish and Wildlife Association. This results in fun fishing trips, fishing derbies, andcountless grins.

Twenty poles recently were provided to Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington. The three sons (ages 3,5,and 7) of Technical Sgt. William and Jennifer Brown (US Air Force) put them to good use and caught someof their first fish: brook trout. (See photos.) I’ll bet these anglers cannot wait to go fishing again.

“The equipment was a great gift to our folks and everyone was very eager to put it to use,” wrote Gerald T.Johnson, Chief, Asset Management Flight, Fairchild AFB. “The generosity of the Sierra Club and theirsponsors is very much appreciated. The demand far outstripped the supply, so if more becomes available

keep us in mind.”

Fishing encourages personal independence and increases awareness of ecology, fragile water resources,and conservation practices. There is a plaque on the wall of a fishing cabin in Minnesota that I’ve visitedthat states: “Fishing is the quest for what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions forhope.”

A donated fishing rod and reel can make a powerful difference in a child’s life, opening a greater outdoorworld for exploration and discovery. It is also a small token of appreciation for our military families, a tool forfun, opportunity, and hope.

Want to help? Have some new rod and reel combos that are just gathering dust in your garage? ContactTim Guilfoile, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club Water Sentinels.'

Andy Whitcomb is a columnist, outdoor humorist, and stressed­out Dad living in Oklahoma. Visit himatwww.justkeepreeling.com.

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Big Coal Targets Bryce Canyon NP

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL the new Utah Water Sentinels who are monitoring waterways to battle existing coal mines andpotential expanded operations near Bryce Canyon NP.

From Scrapbook:

‘Numbers don't lie. That's why activists armed with digital water quality detectors are gathering along thestreams of Utah, where Big Coal's top priority is right next door to majestic Bryce Canyon National Park.

With an assist from the Sierra Club's Resilient Habitats program and the Water Sentinels, dozens of newvolunteers have been trained to monitor nearby waterways, collect samples, and use the data to expose thecoal industry. Data that come in from a Salt Lake City lab will comprise a clickable online map using GISsoftware.

There's been a recent upswing of Big Coal activity in the state, with the current battle taking place on landowned by the Bureau of Land Management near Bryce Canyon and the Grand Staircase­Escalante NationalMonument. Collected data will give activists a leg up on coal companies.

Water Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile was on hand to train and equip Utah volunteers in waterquality testing. "It was an amazing weekend," says Utah Chapter Chair Marion Klaus. "The group wasdynamic, motivated and interested, and we had excellent participation from folks in the small town ofKanab, Moab, and Salt Lake City. It was an amazing shot in the arm to the local folks to have Tim and theSierra Club come help them battle Alton Coal."

"The Utah volunteers were among the most motivated and committed I've seen and they came fromthroughout the state," Guilfoile says. "The intrusion of the coal industry into valleys below Bryce CanyonNational Park and the Grand Staircase Escalante­National Monument represents a deep disregard for theAmerican people and our national treasures. This fight is a Beyond Coal issue, a Resilient Habitats issue, aWater Sentinels issue and a threat to the health and economic well being of the communities in the region.The collaboration of these three Climate Recovery Campaigns with the people of Utah is a model for futureactivism."’

__________________________________

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/08/utah­coal­bryce­canyon.html

August 30, 2011

Activists Mobilize as Big Coal Targets Bryce Canyon National Park

Aurora Gets the Lead Out

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL Aurora, Illinois, for getting the lead out – of the tire weights on their city fleet. It’s just the latestamong several green awards for the Chicago collar community.

So, why does this blue collar community have such a green mayor and green ethic? It starts with the localleadership of Water Sentinels volunteer Co­Lead Fran Caffee and the excellent Valley of the Fox Group.

The US EPA’s short statement from the awards ceremony follows:

City of Aurora – Gets the Lead Out of Wheel Weights, Awarded by the US EPA

'The City of Aurora is a recognized environmental lead in the Fox River Valley area and throughout Illinois.

The City has received many honors such as Clean Air Counts Platinum Award, the Illinois EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s Green Fleet designation, the Arbor Day Foundation’s Green Fleet designation, andArbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA designation as well as being one of Illinois’ first Green PowerCommunities.

These awards demonstrate the City’s progress and initiative in environmental sustainability.

The City continues its leadership with a new award today under the National Partnership for EnvironmentalPriorities (NPEP) program. NPEP is a voluntary reduction program focused on promoting source reduction,working to identify environmentally preferable alternatives, fostering technology transfer, and cultivatingcollaborative relationships between EPA and public and private organizations.

NPEP partners reduced over 30 million lbs of priority and other potentially hazardous chemicals since theprogram began in 2004.

Under the NPEP program, the City of Aurora launched a successful campaign to reduce the amount of leadwheel weights used in the balancing of automotive weights through the implementation of a lead weightreplacement program.'

At the leadership of Joe Hopp, the Superintendent of Maintenance Services for the City of Aurora, and thetwo project team captains, Derrick Winston and Jose Perez, there was a commitment to collect and replacelead wheel weights. There are approximately 360 vehicles or equipment in the City of Aurora Fleet that havewheels that are balanced with lead weights. Each vehicle could carry up to a pound of lead weights butthrough scheduled maintenance services and tire repairs, the lead was converted to eco­friendlyalternatives.

The City committed to recycling 100 lbs of lead. Due to the outstanding efforts of the team of employees atthe City of Aurora, over 138 lbs of lead was recycled.

The City of Aurora has demonstrated that chemical management can improve an organization’senvironmental and economic performance and was successful in recycling and replacing lead wheel weightswith steel wheel weights.

Janet L. Haff

Waste Minimization Coordinator

U.S. EPA – Region 5

Hitting the Links, Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinel Ken Midkiff for busting the chops of a Columbia developer that EPA 7hammered with a $430,000 fine for stormwater violations.

From the article:

‘A $430,000 civil penalty will be paid to settle a series of stormwater violations that occurred during theconstruction of The Links of Columbia.

Ken Midkiff, conservation chair of the Sierra Club Osage group and a clean water advocate, said he wasn'tsure of the extent of what the state's natural resources department did.

"I don't know that they've done anything," he said. "I think the Missouri Department of Natural Resourcesshould have done more to handle this situation than they did."

The violations at the northeast Columbia apartment complex and nine­hole golf course stem from thediscovery of what Midkiff referred to as a "pretty dire impact to Hominy Branch," a tributary to HinksonCreek.

“Usually the penalties are about equal to the cost of the original work so I applaud the decision,” Midkiffsaid. “That’s a pretty hefty penalty.”’

_______________________________________

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/08/31/hefty­stormwater­fine/

Developer of The Links fined for Clean Water Act violation

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 | 8:03 p.m. CDT

BY Steven Rich

Posted by Scott Dye

Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL Kentucky Sentinel Aloma Dew and her “Can Dew Crew” for an outstanding 12th Annual HealthyFoods, Local Farms Conference. Over 200 attendees were again treated to a world class conference onlocal and sustainable food, and were sated by said foods provided by local farmers at the exquisite lunch.

Aloma has for years led the Sierra Club by example on how to assemble a powerhouse gathering of nationalfood and farm leaders, and doing it right with a minimal corporate footprint. And, sending those faithfulhome inspired to again further enlarge the growing circle.

Aloma’s report follows. This excerpt sums it up nicely:

‘The message of caring about how our food is grown, where it comes from, how the animals are treated, and

the search for a just system seems to be spreading. When we began this conference in 1999, we wereclearly at the front of the parade, but now it is a growing gathering in support of local food. In Louisvillealone there are many restaurants serving local food and listing the farmers; and Harvest Restaurant wasfounded by a farmer with the intention of serving at least 80% locally­grown, sustainably­grown food. If thisconference seems to be talking to the choir, it is reinvigorating and recharging them, but this year thereseemed to be some new singers, and all left singing more loudly and enthusiastically!’

_______________________________

http://www.healthyfoodslocalfarmsconference.org/index.html

Report on 12th Annual Healthy Foods, Local Farms Conference Oct. 15, 2011

'Volunteer leader Lee Dew (former Water Sentinels staff) summed up the Conference in a haiku:

Earthcare

Nutrition

Fun and Friends

Inspiration

Action

And indeed, it was all that and more!

Thanks to the best planning committee ever—Betsy Bennett, Melissa Bernstrom, Susan Lambert, TeddiePhillipson Mower, Joan Lindop, Judy Lyons, John Delautre, Bonnie Cecil, John Grant, Bob Perry, HankGraddy, Jim Whaley, Lauren McGrath, Joy Henry, Steve Henry, Tim Mayer, Alice Howell, and Brad Lyman;plus Shelly Campbell and Clara Verst, and Sherry Hurley—for a very successful HFLF Conference. Thanksalso for all the volunteers who helped out in so many ways on the day of the Conference.

This was the first year we have been at a K­12 school in the suburbs, but the hospitality and enthusiasmwere tremendous and we are delighted to hold the 2012 Conference at Kentucky Country Day School. Oneproblem with this location is that it is not accessible by public transport—this is a real issue in all Kentuckycities.

With 200 plus attendees, this year’s event garnered lots of positive feed back and some good constructivecriticism as well. Keeping to the schedule better was a frequent comment. Better signage and fewersessions were also among the comments. One person, in response to “what did you like most about theconference?, said “Speakers! Food! Fellowship!” As I go through the evaluations, I will share thatinformation. But a quick glance seemed to indicate a successful conference. We had more than 40scholarship recipients, most of whom were students or young farmers.

The speakers were excellent—Colin Beavan, David Andrews, Wendell Berry, Kyle Kramer, Scott Dye andJulie Shaffer were plenary speakers in addition to a Student Panel facilitated by Mark Williams, Director ofOrganic Farming Unit at the University of Kentucky. The students ­­Ali Greenwell (Bellarmine U.); ShannonBaker(U.K.); Preston Ames (Fern Creek High School);Angie Campbell (U. of Louisville), Ginger Coleman(Fern Creek High School); and Healey Loeffler (Kentucky Country Day School) –were articulate andpassionate and started the day with a surge of hope and optimism.

Both Colin Beavan and Kyle Kramer emphasized the need for community, but also emphasized the need tobelieve that one person can make a difference. They reminded us that we need to keep a sense of humorin our work, something we sometimes forget in our frustration to change the world right away. Over andover, from all the speakers, we heard the advice to believe, act, share, get involved, be informed and don’t

give up.

One evaluation stated: “perfect combination of things we need to be concerned with and to educateourselves about. Best thing is access to young farmers/college students….” Someone else applauded the“solutions­based learning stations and break­outs.” Another commented on the “positive overall attitudewhen dealing with very serious and many times frustrating and disheartening issues.”

Although there was a glitch with power point for one speaker, and we went over schedule, and the after partygot moved indoors, most of the day went well. Each time is a new learning experience and we will meet soonto go over the event and see how next year can be even better. The date and site are set for2012—October 13 at Kentucky Country Day School again.

Lunch was prepared by Sherry Hurley with Farm to Fork catering service. It was prepared with salad greensfrom Field Day Family Farm, radishes, beets and carrots from Pavel Ovechkin, JD Country buttermilk andSugarbush maple syrup; beef from Foxhollow Farm and Berea College; ingredients for Ratatouille fromFoxhollow and Berea College Farm; Weisenburger grits and Kenny’s Farmhouse cheese; Bread from BlueDog Bakery and cornbread from Berea. And local apples in the apple crisp desert. On each table was acopy of the menu with the source of each food item. Heine Brothers supplied the coffee and tea. Theobject of food at this conference is to show that you can eat locally­grown, sustainably­grown, and seasonaland have great food.

Breakout sessions included: CAFOs for Better or Worse; Young Farmers—Hope for the Future; OrganicFarmers—To Be or Not To Be; Healthier Food for Healthier Kids; Harvesting Health—The Critical Role ofFood; Farm to Plate—Making It Happen. Sessions were well­attended and were repeated after the break.Concurrently, there were six Learning Stations where people could do hands on activities and talk with theexperts: Permaculture Principles; Beekeeping; Raising Chickens; Vermiculture; Foraging for Food andMedicine; and Rain Gardens Using Native Plants.

A casual after conference party gave people time to continue conversations and networking, but many saidmore time for this was needed.

Our sponsors were many and varied this year ranging from Brown­Forman to the Kentucky Council ofChurches to a local foods restaurant and a couple of local farms and many others; from $5,000 to $50.This conference represents the best of grass­roots work and local support and work of volunteer teamleaders.

The message of caring about how our food is grown, where it comes from, how the animals are treated, andthe search for a just system seems to be spreading. When we began this conference in 1999, we wereclearly at the front of the parade, but now it is a growing gathering in support of local food. In Louisvillealone there are many restaurants serving local food and listing the farmers; and Harvest Restaurant wasfounded by a farmer with the intention of serving at least 80% locally­grown, sustainably­grown food. If thisconference seems to be talking to the choir, it is reinvigorating and recharging them, but this year thereseemed to be some new singers, and all left singing more loudly and enthusiastically! '

Stopping Litter at the Source

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee Sentinel James Baker for his great guest­opinion­editorial promoting a ‘bottle bill’ –container deposit legislation to curb litter in the Volunteer State. Over 80% of polled Tennessee citizensagree.

As James says so well, “Picking up litter without a bottle bill in place is like mopping the kitchen floor withthe spigot still running.”

From the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

‘Since mid­July, more than 200 volunteers, many of them local college students, and with tremendous helpfrom Memphis City Beautiful, the Port Commission and others, have spent part of three Saturdays pickingup about four tons of recyclable materials from the shoreline of McKellar Lake.

The vast majority of that has been beverage containers of all kinds: four tons of plastic, glass andaluminum beverage containers, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's much more than that atMcKellar Lake and elsewhere in Memphis and Shelby County.

These improperly disposed beverage containers are an economic issue that negatively affects ourcommunity by forcing Memphis and surrounding communities to spend ever shrinking tax dollars for pickupand disposal.

Beverage container litter on the streets and in our waterways affects our economy by driving awaybusinesses that are looking to relocate here, and in this time of economic uncertainty, Memphis andsurrounding communities need to rebuild their job base and we citizens have a vested interest in thatprocess.

We in Tennessee just keep chasing our tails regarding littered beverage containers, which form the vastmajority of that "garbage patch" in McKellar Lake. Volunteers keep doing cleanups, but the floatingcontainers are there again after the next rain. It's a vicious circle that can't seem to be broken.

However, in 10 states, the circle has been broken. In these states, redemption centers creating thousandsof jobs have opened. Low­income or out­of­work folks are earning extra money picking up containers andredeeming them. Small­business owners are turning bottles and cans into a career. Schools are raisingthousands of dollars through bottle and can drives.

In addition to the obvious economic benefits, there are environmental benefits. In those 10 states, streamsand roadsides are cleaner and industries that utilize recycled materials have reduced energy usage andpollution. How has that circle been broken? With container deposit legislation, more commonly called a"bottle bill."

Citizens across Tennessee support container deposit. Two polls have been conducted, one in March 2008and another in 2009, at the depth of the recession. In the first poll, 80 percent of those answering the pollsupported container deposits, and that rose to 83 percent in the second poll. Support was consistentregardless of age, race, education level, income, party affiliation or gender. Both the Shelby CountyCommission and Memphis City Council have voted to support such a bill.

In early 2012, there is hope that a container deposit bill will again be introduced in the General Assembly.

Please get involved with the process and say "yes" to more jobs and a stronger economy, better funding forschools and a cleaner environment by encouraging your representatives to pass this legislation.

It's long overdue in Tennessee.’

_____________________________________

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/21/guest­column­bottle­bill­means­cleaner­stronger/

Guest column: 'Bottle bill' means cleaner, stronger state

Legislation would help Memphis stop having to spend taxpayer money to remove and dispose of beveragecontainer litter.

By James H. Baker, Special to Viewpoint

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Posted October 21, 2011 at midnight

Modern Muirs, Posted by Scott Dye

Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL four “Modern Muirs” – Water Sentinels Lynn Henning and Sam Booher, Beyond Coal’s VerenaOwens, and the Gulf Coast’s Becky Gillette – four modern day heroes of the environmental community, alloutstanding disciples of Sierra Club founder John Muir.

And ALL HAIL Executive Director Mike Brune for shouting out ‘props’ to them in the current issue ofSIERRA magazine.

_________________________________________

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201111/create.aspx

SIERRA MAGAZINE NOV­DEC 2011

Possibilities, MODERN MUIRS

Newly minted Sierra Club heroes, By Michael Brune

'It's great that you can find Sierra Club founder John Muir's image on a quarter, but he's hardly the onlyheroic figure from our past. Club legends like Ansel Adams, David Brower, and Edgar Wayburn all mademonumental contributions to conservation. Without any one of them, the American landscape we love wouldlook very different.

The good news is that the age of Sierra Club heroes is still going strong. While it would be hard for anyoneto open as many people's eyes to the beauty of wilderness as Ansel Adams did, or to convince Congress toprotect as many millions of acres of wildlands as Edgar Wayburn did, Sierra Club people still doextraordinary things every day. Here are just a few examples:

Verena Owen has been the lead volunteer on the Club's Beyond Coal campaign since the beginning, in2003, back when it seemed like new coal­fired plants would be unstoppable in her home state of Illinois.What actually proved to be unstoppable were Verena and the rest of the Beyond Coal team. Nearly adecade later, they've helped block more than 150 proposed plants nationwide. This year, BloombergPhilanthropies recognized that remarkable achievement by investing $50 million in the campaign thatVerena helped start.

When Lynn Henning was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for North America last year,we were proud—but not surprised. Lynn and her husband, Dean, farm 300 acres of corn and soybeans inLenawee County, Michigan, within 10 miles of a dozen of the polluting factory farms known as concentratedanimal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Lynn gathered as much information as possible about animal­wastespills—including water samples—and began organizing in her community. She ultimately gained theattention of the federal EPA and prompted state regulators to issue hundreds of citations against MichiganCAFOs for water­quality violations. She's now a leader in the Club's Water Sentinels program.

The CEO of DuPont made a big mistake when he cut off Sam Booher's microphone after only 45 secondsduring a shareholders' meeting. A retired Army lieutenant colonel who has held dozens of Sierra Clubleadership positions over the years, Sam was voicing his concerns about a titanium strip mine that DuPontwanted to put next door to Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Turns out DuPont could silence

Sam at the meeting, but it couldn't stop him: He went on to help lead a grassroots campaign that ultimatelyblocked that mine—and also led DuPont to take stakeholder concerns about new mines more seriously.

In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)distributed thousands of aluminum trailers to homeless Gulf Coast residents. When Becky Gillette, then avolunteer with the Club's Mississippi Chapter, started hearing about people in the FEMA trailers waking upwith nosebleeds, hacking coughs, and headaches, she suspected that formaldehyde was responsible.Becky ordered test kits and was shocked to discover that 30 of the 32 trailers she checked had unsafeformaldehyde levels. Thus began a long campaign that not only forced FEMA to acknowledge that thetrailers were making people sick but also brought national attention to the danger of formaldehyde­treatedwood. Last year, President Barack Obama signed a bill that limits the amount of formaldehyde in hardwoodplywood, particleboard, and medium­density fiberboard.

These folks represent just a tiny sampling of the Sierra Club heroes who step up every day to protect theircommunities and the environment. Whenever I visit a local Club group or chapter, I meet people likeVerena, Lynn, Sam, and Becky, who remind me just how much difference one determined person canmake. You don't need to be on a quarter to be a hero.'

MICHAEL BRUNE is the executive director of the Sierra Club. You can e­mail him atmichael.brune@sierraclub.org and follow him on Twitter and Facebook

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Building a Scrapbook

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL HAIL Scrapbook, the excellent online blog of Sierra Club’s Communications Department, for itslongtime job of telling the stories and the victories of the Club’s grassroots volunteers at the campaign,program, chapter, group and individual volunteer levels.

And ALL HAIL Grassroots Senior Editor Tom Valtin for telling those many stories so well. While he coverseverything­everybody­everywhere with his keen insight and his finger on the Club’s pulse, we’ve beenthankful that a generous dollop of those stories have been told about the adventures and exploits of theWater Sentinels over the years. In fact, the very first feature story Tom wrote for The Planet, Scrapbook’spaper predecessor, was penned in 2002 about the fledgling Water Sentinels program. Tom became the defacto historian of the Sentinels over the last decade. When this abbreviated Sentinels Newsfeed had anextra special story, or simply an overload of good news and pics, it landed and expanded on Scrapbook.

So, we’ve connected these info pipelines. You can now find all Sentinels’ stories from the last few years onScrapbook at http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/water­sentinels/ and by clicking on Water Sentinelsin the right­side navigation bar under Categories. Likewise, you can find this bibliography on the newSentinels website under ‘Meet the Sentinels’ at http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/water­sentinels/

So, let’s go make some more grassroots victories. Bookmark Scrapbook and check it frequentlyhttp://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/

Go, fight, win Sentinels Nation!!

Feds Nuke KC Workers & Environment

Posted by Scott Dye, Saturday, October 29, 2011

ALL FLAIL the US EPA for caving in to political pressure and failing to list the Bannister Federal Complex inKansas City on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The decades­old nuclear weapons plant has along history of toxic and radioactive spills and killing and sickening its workers. With 17 known Superfundsites at the 300­acre complex, failing to include it on the NPL just doesn’t pass the straight­face test.

Adding insult to injury, within days of the EPA’s decision, the National Nuclear Security Administration(NNSA – aka the nuke spooks) hung a ‘For Sale or Lease’ sign on the polluted property.

From the KC Star:

‘The Bannister Federal Complex, where nuclear bomb parts are manufactured, will not be placed on aspecial Superfund cleanup list, regulators told The Star today.

A new agreement that lets the owner of the nuclear bomb parts plant and the General ServicesAdministration avoid Superfund designation for the time being has been hammered out with the governmentregulators.

The agreement will be announced Friday. Regulators described it as a big step forward, butenvironmentalists expressed doubt that a cleanup will ever be done.

The Bannister complex has been building bomb parts to make nuclear weapons since the 1940s. It isoperated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, and its workers over the years have spilled amassive amount of chemicals.

Hundreds of people have been sickened, and the federal government has paid about $30 million to formerworkers.’

Environmentalists expressed their disappointment.

Scott Dye, a Sierra Club member who has been fighting for a cleanup for more than 10 years, said NNSAand GSA had rebuffed a cleanup for decades and he believed only a Superfund designation would force it tohappen. “It is a sad day in Kansas City,” Dye said. “They are going to be left with a festering pit of pollution.”

From NBC Action News 41:

‘The Environmental Protection Agency has released plans that could allow reuse of the Bannister FederalComplex and avoid special Superfund status at the site where NBC Action News has identified hundreds ofsick or dead workers.

"We are extremely disappointed in this decision," said Sierra Club spokesman Scott Dye. "In our opinionredevelopment of this site has taken precedent over justice."

Dye said the move would prevent crucial cleanup funding needed to make the Bannister Federal Complexsafe.

The NBC Action News investigation has identified more than 900 known toxins used at the site includingplutonium, uranium, and beryllium.

Our investigation also identified 155 deaths of workers family members suspect are linked to toxins at thecomplex.

NBC Action News learned of the EPA statement announcing the proposal to avoid National Priorities ListSuperfund status from the Sierra Club.’

_______________________________________

Arming Ohio Residents Against Frackers

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Ohio's Clean Water Campaign and Sentinel Matt Trokan for arming Ohio's residents withequipment to defend their waters against an invasion of natural gas frackers.

A great TV clip is at:http://www.wfmj.com/global/category.asp?c=179433&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6493454

From the campaign's website:

http://ohiosierraclub.org/2011/11/water­sentinel­program­works­to­expose­fracking/

Ohio’s Water Sentinel program works to expose fracking

November 30th, 2011

Check out Clean Water in the NEWS!!!

In Youngstown Ohio, on Saturday Nov. 26, the Ohio Clean Water Campaign trained local citizens tobecome water sentinels. Water sentinels work together to share data, information, and protect our water atthe source. Check out the excellent story about how citizen scientist are raising fracking awareness.

At the training individuals concerned about fracking learned how to use water monitoring equipment to detectchanges in their water quality. Participants received free water monitoring kits ($100 value) that measuresalinity, total dissolved solids, and conductivity.

If you are interested in fracking and water monitoring, please join us at a water sentinel training in your area!If you don’t see your area listed, please contact us at cleanwatersierraclub@gmail.com to schedule atraining near you.

Cincinnati area: Dec. 3rd 9am­12pm, Imago Nature Preserve, 700 Enright ave, Price Hill, 45205

Athens area: Dec. 10th 1pm­3pm, 701 E State St, Athens, OH.

Chapter Retreat: Jan. 21st 9am­5pm, Deer Creek Lodge and Conference Center

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Memphis Buys Into Green Movement

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee's Don Richardson for saying what he's thankful for this holiday season.

From the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/22/thankful­for­progress/

Sustainability leaders see community buying into green movement

By Lesley Young

Posted November 22, 2011 at 12:05 a.m.

'In the past year, city officials and community members have made major strides in permanently paintingthe color green into the Memphis landscape.

Here's what some key players in the Memphis green scene are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Don Richardson, a sustainability coach and a major participant in the original Greening Greater Memphis,Sustainable Shelby, Greater Memphis Greenline, West Tennessee Regional Sustainability Forum, WestTennessee Urban Forestry Council, Tennessee Sustainability Summit and the Tennessee Sierra Club, says

he appreciates the people of Memphis and their enterprising spirit.

"I'm thankful for the many accomplishments of neighborhoods, community organizations and localgovernment that are producing measurable impacts, but I'm most thankful for the many individuals who arestepping up with workable initiatives that demonstrate a can­do attitude. That fills me with great hope andmuch thanksgiving," he said.'

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Spokane Pooh

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL the Washington State Chapter for suing to stop a new sewage plant from further degrading theSpokane River, one of the state's most polluted waterways.

Dr. John Osborn of the Club's Upper Columbia Group is quoted in the local media airwaves ­ TV and radio:

''Spokane County dedicated its waste water treatment facility Thursday, the largest public works project incounty history. The Sierra Club, however, is already suing to stop the plant from operating.

On Thursday the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit and asked the Office of the Inspector General and theWashington State Auditor's Office investigate the state Department of Ecology and the EPA for illegal useof public funds to construct this sewage treatment plant.

John Osborn, the chair of the local Sierra Club Upper Columbia Group, says the Spokane River is the mostpolluted river in our state and the county knew that, but still moved forward with the plant.

"EPA and the Department of Ecology knew that and they knew that it's illegal to add a pipe that woulddischarge pollution to a polluted river and nonetheless they went ahead and allowed this vast amount ofpublic money to be spent," Osborn said.'

_______________________________________

http://www.kxly.com/news/29902845/detail.html

Sierra Club blasts Spokane County's new wastewater treatment plant

Sierra Club says Spokane River is the most polluted waterway in the state

Colleen O'Brien | Reporter / Internet Content Editor, KXLY.com

Posted: 5:31 pm PST December 1, 2011

Mizzou Pooh

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinel Ken Midkiff for keeping the pressure on the City of Columbia to address iitslongstanding sewer problems, including hundreds of overflows and sewage backups into residents homes.

Yuck!! The city has now entered into an agreement with the state DNR to finally fix the problems within"only" 15 years.

From the article:

'The city wastewater collection system was found to be in violation of the Missouri Clean Water Law forfailing to maintain facilities and allowing water contaminants to pollute state water, according to theagreement.

An investigation last summer by the EPA found that Columbia experienced 409 sanitary sewer overflows

over the past 10 years; 168 of those were backups into buildings and private properties.

The city will have to spend an estimated $56.9 million to repair its sewers and stop these overflows, basedon the agreement with the natural resources department.

Ken Midkiff, conservation chair of the Osage Group of the Sierra Club, brought the problem to the state'sattention in February when he said he saw raw sewage along the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail. The issue,he said, arises when older cities ignore the need to update sewer equipment.

"It would have been much cheaper if this had been done a long time ago," Midkiff said before the worksession.

Midkiff hopes the agreement and potential consequences set down by the natural resources department willcause the city to act.

"Nobody wants raw sewage running in places where it shouldn't go," he said.'

___________________________________

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/11/21/columbia­must­fix­sewer­systems­over­next­fifteen­years/

Columbia must fix sewer systems over next 15 years

Monday, November 21, 2011 | 8:31 p.m. CST; updated 8:53 p.m. CST, Monday, November 21, 2011

BY ELIZABETH PEARL

Protect the Columbine­Hondo Wilderness Study Area

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Eric Patterson of our Sentinels Rios de Taos for a great Op­Ed calling for permanent protection forNew Mexico's Columbine­Hondo Wilderness Study Area.

The Taos News Editorial Board agrees.

From Eric's op­ed:

'After all these decades, numerous public hearings, and public comment periods, it is heartwarming to knowthat a broad­based local coalition is working with our legislators to finalize permanent protective designationof this pristine place as a Wilderness Area.

I currently live in Valdez and get my acequia water from the Río Hondo watershed, much of which is locatedin the Columbine­Hondo Wilderness Study area. Permanent wilderness designation will protect both thesource and purity of my irrigation water that is used to grow organic fruit and vegetables.

As a resident of Taos County, I want the hunting, fishing and hiking possibilities of this wilderness area tobring vacationers here to enjoy the wonders of Northern New Mexico and to help drive our largest industry —outdoor recreation.

As a fisherman, I want the waters of the Río Hondo to be clean and pure enough to support a healthy troutpopulation. As a parent and grandparent, I want my children and grandchildren to be able to spend time inthat pristine place that I first enjoyed almost four decades ago.

I understand the effort to make the Columbine­Hondo WSA into permanent Wilderness has very widespreadsupport, including more than 300 local businesses, acequia associations, village councils, grazingpermittees, land grant associations, and Taos Pueblo.

Once a wilderness is lost, it is lost forever. Let’s all support the effort to preserve this wonderful area so that

we and our children may enjoy its benefits for years to come.'

From The Taos News Editorial:

'It’s becoming rare to find places in this nation that haven’t been touched by people and their schemes.

That’s why we need to protect them.

So what does a wilderness designation mean? Mining, roads, clear­cutting of the forests and otherdevelopment would be prohibited.

But traditional forest uses such as fishing, herb gathering, hunting, horseback riding, and hiking would stillbe permitted.

Forever.

Bingaman is expected to introduce legislation to protect Columbine­Hondo next year, in his last year inoffice before he retires. Its passage would be a fitting way to mark the end his long service to Northern NewMexico.

We are also heartened that the R'o Grande del Norte Conservation Area Establishment Act is makingprogress at the federal level. That project has so much going for it, including the creation of two morewilderness areas near Taos. That effort has similar local support, which is necessary for these types ofinitiatives to move through Congress.

The Taos News has printed numerous letters and op­ed pieces supporting the preservation of theColumbine­Hondo and R'o Grande del Norte areas.

We, too, support the preservation of both.

These are clean, wild places to visit and enjoy. Let’s keep them that way. '

___________________________________________

http://www.taosnews.com/opinion/my_turn/article_ab52442c­21ce­11e1­89d4­001871e3ce6c.html

My Turn: ‘Once a wilderness is lost, it is lost forever’

Posted: Thursday, December 8, 2011 11:57 am

Eric E. Patterson

http://taosnews.nm.newsmemory.com/

EDITORIAL

Keeping our wilderness areas wild and scenic

'Gooeyduck' Aquaculture Degrades Washington's Coasts

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL the Washington State Chapter for its opposition to geoduck aquaculture ­ underwater factoryfarming feeding Asian markets. The food gets shipped, but the environmental damage stays here.

What is a geoduck (pronounced gooeyduck)? One big honkin' edible clam. See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoduck

Sentinel Curt Puddicome comments in the San Juan Islander newspaper:

'The Sierra Club Washington State Chapter officially supports these legal challenges that are necessary toprotect Puget Sound aquatic life and the right for all citizens to responsibly enjoy the natural shorelines ofour state. Since 2008, the Sierra Club has been pointing out to state agencies that recovery of Puget Sound

is threatened by these industrial geoduck operations.

"Citizens have presented to the state, photos, peer reviewed science and testimony from scientists. We willseek resolution thru the courts to protect our fisheries resources," said Curt Puddicombe of The Case InletShoreline Association.''

______________________________________

http://www.sanjuanislander.com/island­newshome/environment/2438­citizens­petition­ecology­to­change­geoduck­aquaculture­rulemaking

Citizens Petition Ecology To Change Geoduck Aquaculture Rulemaking

FRIDAY, 09 DECEMBER 2011

Greening Christmas in Memphis

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Tennessee's Don Richardson for talking about greener alternatives to artificial or cut trees in theMemphisCommercial Appeal.

From the article:

'According to several sustainability websites, including the Sierra Club's site (sierraclub.org) andearth911.com, artificial trees can leave a significant carbon footprint.

Many reusable trees are made from metal and petroleum­derived PVC plastic, meaning they arenonbiodegradable.

Up to 85 percent are imported from China.

Sustainability coach Don Richardson doesn't even have a Christmas tree.

"I gave up Christmas trees well over a dozen years ago," said Richardson, an active participant in manylocal and national environmental organizations.

"There are so many health issues with artificial trees. I don't want to be a Grinch, but it really concerns me.You can read the label, and you can also just smell it," he said.

"I started decorating other things."

He uses a high­backed chair, sometimes a bookcase, or a little table as a substitute tree.

"Some people never notice, or you can see them go, 'Oh, that isn't a tree,' as they're driving by looking atthe houses," he said.

He always picks something that will hold his gifts, and usually brings out the chili pepper lights he boughtmany years ago in Mexico.

He incorporates old family memorabilia and childhood Christmas gifts and toys into his arrangements.

"I have this old ray gun that shoots caps, or mementos of my mom and dad, that remind me of Christmaswhen I was a little kid, and what we do when we celebrate Christmas," he said. "If we can remember whatChristmas was like when we were kids and that original sentiment and focus that on trying to create worldpeace and prosperity, then we will have really done something."'

___________________________________

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/dec/06/green­christmas/

Green Christmas: Buying locally, recycling among ways to promote a sustainable holiday season, ByLesley Young

Posted December 6, 2011

O Mag Readers Respond

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Lynn Henning for generating a bevy of letters to the editor of Oprah Magazine inresponse to their feature article on her work fighting factory farms in the Nov 2011 issue [http://www.oprah.com/world/Health­Risks­That­Large­Factory­Farming­Leaves­Behind ]. These letters arecurrently on newsstands now in the January issue.

The February issue of O will include a 'letterbox' of great ways to get involved in the factory farms issue, inMichigan and nationally.

Lynn is a gift that just keeps on giving. An Energizer Bunny with a lifetime supply of batteries included.

_________________________________

Fighting the Good Fight

Kathy Dobie's piece about factory farming ("This Is Not Farming") immediately grabbed me. I hope it alsocatches the attention of people who don't know about "concentrated animal feeding operations" (CAFOs),which cruelly pack thousands of animals into very small spaces and pollute the surrounding land withmanure. Kudos to activist Lynn Henning, who, as Dobie points out, has demanded that these poorlyregulated facilities be held accountable for their actions.

Suzi Robinson

Jacksonville Beach, Florida

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

I admire Lynn Henning for standing up to factory farmers, and I'm grateful to O for bringing this issue tolight. We need to know where our food comes from, and at what cost to the planet.

Laura Fratangelo, Saltsburg, Pennsylvania

­­­­­­­­­­­­­

While Dobie's pice talks about controlling the pollution of factory farms with better regulation, there's alsoanother solution: Eliminate the demand for their products. As long as people buy CAFO beef, milk,chicken, eggs, and pork, these facilities will continue to exist.

Emily Lybrand

Pelzer, South Carolina

Save the Hellbenders!!

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Missouri Sentinels Ken Midkiff, Angel & Tom Kruzen, and a host of allies for calling for 'criticalhabitat designation' to protect the remaining endangered Ozark Hellbenders ­ a giant salamander unique to ahandful of clear spring­fed rivers in the Ozark Mountains. They're not exactly attractive critters, fondlyreferred to by locals as 'snot otters' ­ meaning they need all the friends they can get.

In a bit of good news, the first successful captive breeding of this species just occurred, after a decade oftrying:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/zoo­breeds­endangered­hellbender/article_358eb4c5­ce89­5900­b47e­3647c4d7ce4a.html

From the other page­1 article (w/ two photos and two graphics):

'The Ozark hellbender, with fossil records dating back 150 million years, is one of four subspecies of thegiant salamander. The eastern hellbenders are the only other subspecies to occur in America. They looksimilar to the Ozarks but are generally slightly larger — Ozark hellbenders can grow to be 2 feet long —and have different spotting. The other two subspecies occur in Japan and China.

By 2007, researchers estimated 590 Ozark hellbenders remained in the wild, a drastic decrease from theestimated 8,000 hellbenders in the 1970s.

About 90 people, including representatives from agencies and interest groups, filed comments with theFish and Wildlife Service about its intention to put the Ozark hellbender on the endangered speciesregistry. The listing drew unanimous support during a comment period, which was open from Sept. 8 to Nov.8, 2010. The Fish and Wildlife Service ruled the species will join 421 other animals on the U.S. endangeredspecies list on Oct. 7.

The endangered status, however, was not accompanied by a "critical habitat" designation that would affordgreater oversight of the land­use activities cited as threats. This non­designation drew considerablecriticism, particularly from environmental groups.

Ken Midkiff, a member of the Ozark chapter of the Sierra Club, filed one of the 20 comments thatdisagreed with the federal decision to not include a critical habitat designation.

"Ozark hellbenders require clear, cool, unpolluted water," Midkiff said. "That's why critical habitat is soimportant."

He cited the Topeka shiner, a minnow that lived in Boone County and was listed as endangered without acritical habitat designation, as an example of what happens when the designation does not occur. TheTopeka shiner has since vanished from local streams, and Midkiff said the species continues to declineelsewhere.

Midkiff believes that protecting the hellbender requires monitoring upstream activities in the watershedswhere they live. “You can’t just look at what’s happening right along the banks,” he said.'

____

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/10/26/troubled­waters­ozark­hellbenders/

Endangered Ozark hellbender salamander faces tough odds

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 | 12:01 a.m. CDT; updated 10:18 a.m. CDT, Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Grand Canyon Protected from Mining

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune and Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr fortheir comments in support of the Interior Department's decision to halt new mining on 1­million acres aroundGrand Canyon National Park for the next 20 years.

From the article:

'The Bureau of Land Management released a final environmental impact statement Wednesday which willwithdraw 1,006,545 acres of land near Grand Canyon National Park from mining and exploration for 20

years.

The Sierra Club applauded the decision calling the Grand Canyon "a crown jewel of our national parksystem, and an important piece of American history, culture and economy." Sierra Club Executive DirectorMichael Bruce said, "These public lands are no place for destructive energy and mineral development."

The nearly 4.4 million visitors annually at the park contribute more than $680 million to the Northern Arizonaeconomy.

Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter said, "Today's decision protects drinkingwater for millions of people in southern California, Arizona, and Nevada who rely on the Colorado River,"Bahr added, "Radioactive mining should not happen near our water or next to Grand Canyon National Park."'

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http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72068?oid=138343&sn=Detail&pid=102055

U.S. Interior Secretary expected to back 20­year mining ban near Grand Canyon

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has recommended the withdrawal from mineral development of morethan 1 million acres for 20 years near the Grand Canyon National Park.

Author: Dorothy Kosich

Posted: Thursday , 27 Oct 2011

Lawsuit to Reduce Spokane River PCBs

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Washington State's Dr. John Osborn, and allies including the Center for Environmental Law andPolicy, et al, for going to the Bar to stop longstanding PCB discharges into the Spokane River, a tributary ofthe Columbia.

From the article:

'Environmentalists say the EPA has failed to enforce clean water rules on the Spokane River to reducelevels of PCBs. Two groups filed a lawsuit Monday against the federal government over the cancer­causingcompounds.

The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River.

The Sierra Club says the Spokane River is the most PCB­polluted river in Washington. And the groupargues the Clean Water Act requires regulators to create a clean­up plan for the river that sets limits on thetoxic chemicals.

The Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Law and Policy have filed suit in federal court in Seattle toestablish that threshold.

Fish consumption advisories are in effect for several segments of the river. The commercial manufacturingof PCBs was banned in 1979. But the chemicals are slow to break down and continue to enter the riverthrough storm water and industrial discharges.'

http://news.opb.org/article/lawsuit_demands_epa_reduce_pcbs_in_spokane_river/

Lawsuit Demands EPA Reduce PCBs In Spokane River

Jessica Robinson | October 24, 2011

ILL Coal

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL the Illinois Sentinels, ally CACEI and others, for a great job of local organizing, and then crossingtheir arms at a recent public hearing, and saying "No, I don't think so" to a proposed coal mine near CantonLake, the residents' primary drinking water source and an important recreational amenity.

From the article:

'A large crowd gathered Tuesday at the Donaldson Center in Wallace Park to attend hearings of the IllinoisEnvironmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to determine the request of Capital Resources DevelopmentCompany, LLC, for a 401 Water Quality Certification and a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) permit for the proposed North Canton Mine, which would be located about three miles northeast ofCanton.

The NPDES permit would be for storm related discharges of wastewater from a 1,084.5 acre mine site. Sixoperational outfalls from sedimentation ponds are proposed, two of which will discharge directly to the MiddleBranch of Copperas Creek and contain all disturbed area (exposed consolidated materials) runoff. The otherfour outfalls will discharge to the West Branch Copperas Creek.

Prior to the hearings, a press conference/rally was held by members of the Canton Area Citizens forEnvironmental Issues who are opposed to the permits being issued. They were joined by representatives ofthe Prairie Rivers Network and the Sierra Club. They also read a notice from the Orion Township Board ofTrustees opposing the activities of the North Canton Mine.

Canton Mayor Kevin Meade addressed the gathering, stating that Canton Lake would remain the primarysource of drinking water for Canton and the surrounding areas, with the water line to the river as a secondarysource. “What happens to Canton Lake is of prime importance,” he noted.'

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http://www.cantondailyledger.com/features/x1712045026/Public­hearings­on­proposed­mine­draws­a­large­crowd

Public hearings on proposed mine draws a large crowd

By LARRY ESKRIDGE

Daily Ledger, Posted Dec 07, 2011

Connecting Youth to the Outdoors

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Sentinels Deputy Director Tim Guilfoile for another great column as the Conservation Editor of TheContemporary Sportsman magazine.

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http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/10/connecting­youth­to­the­outdoors.html

October 25, 2011, Connecting Youth to the Outdoors

Longtime sportsman and clean water activist Tim Guilfoile was recently named Conservation Editor of TheContemporary Sportsman, where he authors a regular column, Wilderness Journal, in his official capacity asDeputy Director of the Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program.

The following article, Connecting Youth to the Outdoors, is part of Guilfoile's ongoing work to introduce theWater Sentinels to the hunter/angler community. It appeared in the magazine's Fall 2011 issue.

The Sierra Club Water Sentinels work to protect, improve, and restore the waters of the United States byfostering alliances to promote water quality monitoring, public education, and citizen action. Formed in2001, the program has trained, equipped, and deployed nearly 13,000 volunteer water­quality monitors at 56locations in 23 states.

The Water Sentinels are aware that participation by youth in outdoor recreation is on the decline. Werecognize that this trend threatens the health and well­being of our youth and future generations, but it alsorepresents a decline in the engagement of our citizens in protecting our environment. We are committed toreverse this trend and have developed a robust program to involve our youth in outdoor activities. Waterrecreation is, more than any other outdoor activity, the gateway to future, sustained involvement in outdoorrecreation and the development of environmental leaders.

Studies have clearly demonstrated that involving children in outdoor recreation improves school performance,including higher test scores in science and mathematics, reduces stress, enhances self­esteem, improvesinterpersonal relationships, and has a positive impact on overall health.

The Water Sentinels' youth programs are extensive and include teacher training, fishing, floating, naturehikes, water­quality monitoring, outdoor education fairs, interpretive field trips, community litter cleanups,tree planting along stream corridors, nature photography, and a variety of other activities. These activitiesextend to all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Perhaps the most significant of all of our youth related commitments is our fishing program. The data isclear, that with modest financial investment and support mechanisms the low rate of youth participation infishing increases to a greater degree than any other outdoor activity. These studies have also documentedthat African American, Hispanic, and children who are socioeconomically underserved have lowerparticipation rates in outdoor activities than the general population. However, parents and guardians areextremely supportive of involving these youth in outdoor activities. The principal barrier to participation is lackof equipment and expert resources. With modest investments in these resources, the data clearlydemonstrate that participation rates in fishing increase significantly.

Fishing, more than any other water related activity, has the most lasting effect on future outdoor and healthylifestyle activities. Seventy­eight percent of people who fish participate in another outdoor activity. Childrenwho begin fishing between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age engage in crossover activities as adultsaccording to the following percentages: Fitness Walking/Running 46%, Camping 32%, Weight/Aerobics30%, Hiking 22%, Wildlife Viewing 20%, Team Sports 16%, Bicycling 15%. This is a significantly higherrate than for the overall population.

Finally, children who fish as adults are 25% more likely to (1) participate in preserving undeveloped land foroutdoor recreation, (2) support the development of parks/biking/walking trails in their neighborhoods, and (3)volunteer/donate to support environmental/conservation efforts.

The key to the success of our youth fishing program is the development of partnerships that have the adultsto support youth fishing programs but lack the fishing equipment and the expertise to organize theseendeavors.

Our first partnership was with the Federation of Fly Fishers in 2008. In the first year of the program, theWater Sentinels distributed over 860 rods and reels to 150 Federation clubs and we documented gettingnearly 50,000 youth out fishing. Our next partnership was with Trout Unlimited and we distributed 600 rodsand reels to 17 conservation camps and 24 state councils. We have also provided equipment andconsultation to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, community fishing clubs, annual

fishing derbies, churches, schools, after­school programs, and Sierra Club Inner City Outings Programs.

Our most recent partnership is with the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association, the RecreationalBoating & Fishing Foundation, and Zebco. These military fish & wildlife professionals are responsible forproviding recreational opportunities to children who reside with their families on military installationsthroughout the United States. Before our partnership, there were insufficient resources to develop youthfishing programs. Thus far, we have distributed nearly 1,200 rods and reels to 41 military bases and havedocumented over 50, 000 youth engaged in fishing.

In 2010, among all of our partnerships, we documented 185,000 youth who were introduced to fishingthrough our programs and partnerships.

The Water Sentinels would like to continue to expand its fishing program in all quarters of the country andare continuously in search of additional partners. The benefits of the further expansion of this program aresubstantial:

Youth fishing has a lasting effect on future outdoor activities.

The rates of participation of African Americans, Hispanics, and children who are socioeconomicallyunderserved will increase and will translate into broader participation in outdoor activities.

Youth fishing will provide the immediate benefits seen with outdoor recreation, including improved schoolperformance, reduced stress, enhanced self­esteem, improved interpersonal relationships, and a positiveimpact on overall health.

Fishing will provide a documented window to the crossover outdoor and healthy lifestyle activitiesmentioned previously.

Today our program has not fully penetrated the Upper Midwest, a region that has a higher percentage ofsurface water (not including the Great Lakes) than any other region in the United States. The impact thatyouth fishing has on their conservation attitudes as adults will provide a substantial benefit to the future ofthe region's water resources.

Fishing is a powerful economic driver. Connecting more youth to this sport will ensure the long­termviability of this multi­billion dollar industry.

The Sierra Club Water Sentinels have the organizing and technical expertise to translate resources intodemonstrable increases in youth fishing. As the evidence clearly demonstrates, this will result in theexpansion of the scope of youth participation in a broader array of lifelong outdoor activities.

You know the old saying, "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortageof fishing poles."

Protect the Ozark Natl Scenic Riverways

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL the Missouri Chapter, Missouri Sentinels Angel Kruzen and Ken Midkiff, and allies EnvironmentMissouri, and the Missouri Parks Assn for press conferences across the state, including Columbia, callingfor a strong new management plan for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Armed with over 5,000petitions they presented to Missouri's US senators, they blazed an impressive media trail across print, TVand radio.

From two of the Columbia articles:

'A coalition of environmental groups is calling on the National Park Service to step up enforcement at the

Ozark National Scenic Riverways in south Missouri, which a national not­for­profit organization considers tobe among the most endangered waterways in the United States.

Ken Midkiff, a member of the Osage Group of the Sierra Club, said the health of the waterways — whichinclude the Jacks Fork and Current rivers and is located more than 200 miles south of Columbia — shouldbe of interest to Columbia residents because of their popularity as recreational destinations.

The groups met this morning in Columbia for a news conference and to deliver petitions to the offices ofU.S. Sens. Roy Blunt, R­Mo., and Claire McCaskill, D­Mo., to pass along to the National Park Service.According to a news release from Environment Missouri, one of the groups in the coalition, the groups willsubmit petitions containing at least 5,000 signatures to the senators.

The news release said the poor condition of the rivers and their inclusion on the not­for­profit groupAmerican Rivers’ “America’s Most Endangered Rivers” list are the result of a “legacy of mismanagement,illegal and unauthorized vehicle access, deteriorating water quality, and torn­up trails.”

Midkiff said the park service could increase enforcement by limiting access points on the river and limitinghorse trails. A stronger step the agency could take, he said, would be to limit how many boats can berented out to take on the rivers.

“We think there are a lot of things that can be done prior to reaching that drastic step,” Midkiff said.

According to the American Rivers website, the rivers attract more than 1.3 million visitors a year and contain200 species that are found nowhere else in the world, including four federally listed endangered species.

However, some people oppose the efforts of the environmental groups. Angel Kruzen, of the Sierra Club,owns a farm on the river. She said she knows of locals who've removed barriers set up to keep people off ofthe illegal and environmentally harmful roadways.

In 2007, there were 136 of these illegal and multiplying roadways. Flader said she believes there are manymore that have gone unreported.

Kruzen has also noticed that the rivers suffer from heavy pollution from horse manure. Her organization dida study which found more than 800 miles of horse trails around the rivers. '

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http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/dec/14/ozark­scenic­riverways­health­spurs­petition/

Ozark scenic riverways' health spurs petition

By Andrew Denney, Wednesday, December 14, 2011

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/12/14/environmental­groups­present­petition­national­park­service­river­clean­/

Environmental groups present petition to National Park Service for river clean­up

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 | 5:09 p.m. CST, BY ELIZABETH PEARL

O Mag Features Lynn Henning's Fight Against Factory Farms

Posted by Scott Dye, Friday, December 30, 2011

ALL HAIL Michigan Sentinel Lynn Henning for this huge feature spread in O Magazine on her family's fightagainst animal factories.

One Woman Takes a Brave Stand Against Factory Farming

When her Michigan community was overrun by factory farms, Lynn Henning took a stand and got her handsheroically dirty.

Read more:http://www.oprah.com/world/Health­Risks­That­Large­Factory­Farming­Leaves­Behind#ixzz1ct9QYjU6

Healthy Foods, Local Farms v. 12.0

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