Trail of Tears Group Newsletter

September 2006

Ozark Chapter - Sierra Club

Cape Girardeau
http://missouri.sierraclub.org/trailoftears/

The Sierra Club is an organization for committed “tree huggers “. The organization is characterized as a bunch of liberal kooks. I take offense being accused of being outside the mainstream of thinking people. How many people that you meet on the street want dirty air and water and polluting materials released into our environment?

This is a ‘good news - bad news’ look at the current status of some of our nation’s wild things and areas.

· The current Governor of Alaska Frank Murkowski, who has promoted shooting and killing wolves from airplanes (even though the Alaska voters opposed this action), came in third in the recent Republican primary. The potential future Alaskan governors are committed to “following a science-based policy” concerning wolves.

· In Idaho, the Governor has declared war on the newly established wild wolves in the state and wants to eliminate all wolves as soon as possible.

· George Bush has created a new National Monument designating the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as an area of 140,000 square miles that will protect some 7,000 marine species.

· On the other hand, Bush has not given up on drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. He uses the bogus argument that we can become less dependent on imported oil. (The first oil would not be available for 10 years.)

We could go on and on, but it seems to me that the Sierra Club is the first line of defense against those whose environmental values are different.

I welcome all Sierra Club members in the Trail of Tears region to attend our meetings and outings. We would like to see new faces at our activities. See below and our web site (above on the masthead) for details.

Members who sometimes get the feeling they are alone in Southeast Missouri may be surprised to learn that the Trail of Tears Group – though not the largest numerically in the state – boasts a healthy membership. We currently have 266 members comprising 242 memberships (this includes joint/family memberships). So, even if you sometimes feel alone as a Progressive environmentalist in Southeast Missouri – rest assured that you are not.

Currently the group has $1642.47 on hand – prior to printing and mailing this newsletter (our major expense). The annual fundraising activity involving the sale of Sierra Club calendars is upon us. This is pretty much our only source of income – so we encourage all our members to place their calendar orders early by contacting Brian Alworth - 2444 Glenridge St, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701: 334-7978 or bstorm@clas.net

Readers of this newsletter will, I hope, have seen my articles in the last few issues of The Ozark Sierran dealing with the ethanol dilemma and various issues related to environmental decision-making. As the election season approaches, I would particularly like to direct your attention to the review of Chris Mooney’s 2005 book: ‘The Republican War on Science’ (Basic Books) which offers frightening insights and analyses of how the party in control of Congress and the White House misuses, ignores, or suppresses science when studies are not consistent with their political philosophy. If you missed these articles, you can still find them linked on the Ozark Chapter web site – which you can reach from our web site (address on masthead).

During recent weeks I have been working on a couple of ventures to which I would like to direct your attention:

The first is a public Town Hall style meeting organized through the ‘Concerned Citizens of Southeast Missouri’ and features a presentation by former CIA analysts (of 27 years) Ray McGovern entitled “The Middle East: how we got where we are and where we go from here”. This if free and open to the public and will occur on September 30^th starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Osage Center on North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. Regrettably, seating is limited to the first 300 who arrive. For more information visit: http://www.raymcgovernincape.org/

The second is a visit to the campus of Southeast Missouri State University by Walter Crawford, Director of the World Bird Sanctuary in Eureka, MO. Walter will give a presentation on conservation and birds of prey – and will be bringing several of his star raptors to entertain the audience – including flyovers. This will occur on Wednesday September 27^th at 7:00p.m in the University Center Ballroom on the campus. This is also free and open to the public. So, bring the family and have fun.

When these activities have taken place, there is interest locally in attempting to persuade the Mayor and Council in Cape Girardeau to sign on to the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities campaign. This campaign, which started in Seattle, has mayors signing on to plans that would reduce their city’s production of greenhouse gases. Members of the Southeast Missouri Coalition for Peace and Justice and the Cape Girardeau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship are interested in collaborating in this venture. I am hoping to get Ozark Chapter energy expert Jill Miller to come down from St. Louis to a joint meeting of interested persons and organizations to discuss strategies and tactics. See the schedule of events on the web site for late-breaking news. If we have success in Cape Girardeau, maybe we can expand the push to other communities in Southeast Missouri. If you are interested in helping in this campaign, please contact me (details below).

Although, as of Press Time no statewide or local candidates have been endorsed by the Sierra Club – on either state or federal levels, the perspectives of Chris Mooney’s book (mentioned above) are worth considering. On both levels, control by the Republican Party has seen attempts to roll back the bi-partisan health and environmental protections that had been hard fought and won over the last three and a half decades. While we know there are many Republicans (http://www.repamerica.org/, for example) who share our concern about these issues, we need to break the stranglehold that the current right wing extremists who control that party have on our state and nation.

The Plastics Problem
(Adapted from ‘Greener Paths in Plastics’ in Co-op America’s Real Money: January-February 2006)

When plastics are recycled, we avert a host of environmental problems – but many plastics still end up in the landfill. The Problem Plastics are:

# 3 – Polyvinyl chloride widely used in construction and consumer goods poses health threats in every stage of its life cycle: carcinogenic chemicals pollute areas where it is manufactured, plasticizers and phthalates may leach out of the product in use and cause developmental and reproductive damage, finally landfill disposal can result it toxins being leached into groundwater while incineration releases carcinogenic dioxin into the air.

# 6 – Polystyrene used in food trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers etc. poses a health problem because the styrene can leach out into the food and beverages and cause short terms nervous system effects (nausea, concentration loss, weakness), while long-term exposure may cause liver and nerve damage and cancer.

# 7 – Polycarbonates and Others is a catch-all designation for unassigned plastics such as those used in plastic baby bottles, metal food can liners, sports water bottles, etc. Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor used in polycarbonate manufacture, has been implicated in many studies as a cause of alterations to brain chemistry and structure, behavior, immune system effectiveness, and reproductive system development in laboratory animals.

While it is occasionally necessary – as in medical uses – to discard plastics after use, generally we can reduce and reuse. Suggestions include: carrying a refillable bottle or mug for beverages ‘on-the-go’, taking reusable cloth bags to the grocery store and market and avoiding disposable plastic eating utensils. Cut down on purchases – if you must buy plastic containers – by purchasing larger rather than smaller containers.

Be a wise plastics buyer and user: Firstly, buy only #s 1, 2, 4, & 5 and avoid buying #s 3, 6, & 7. Secondly:

- avoid using plastics in the microwave (many chemicals are volatile and may enter food at high temperature),

- avoid plastic bottled water if possible, and especially don’t use the bottles for warm / hot liquids while being sure to recycle old and scratched bottles.

- While plastics can be washed daily to reduce bacterial contamination avoid harsh detergents that may break down the plastic and increase chemical leaching.

Children and fetuses are particularly susceptible to many of these chemicals since their nervous and reproductive systems are still developing.

Not all plastics are equally recyclable and some may not be accepted at your location. Even if you drop them off some may still end up sorted out for landfill disposal.

The Cape recycling Center accepts all numbered plastics except egg cartons and styrofoam.

Saturday September 23^rd / Sunday September 24^th
Ozark Chapter Conservation Committee (23^rd) and Executive Committee (24^th) meetings at the Missouri Department of Conservation Regional HQ (the ‘old’ building, Cape Country Park North) on North Kingshighway (near I - 55) in Cape Girardeau. Saturday meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. and runs until about 5:00 p.m. Sunday Meeting probably starts about 9:00 a.m. and runs until noon or 1:00 p.m.). The annual pot-luck social will be held at the home of Bill Mallonee and Shiela Pardee 336, Lemming Lane, Jackson, 243-2594 starting about 6:00 p.m. on Saturday 23^rd. We strongly encourage all Trail of Tears members to attend either or both the meetings and/or especially the social. Please contact Bill & Shiela if you plan to attend the social. There are no ‘assigned plates’ but please bring enough in the dish for yourselves and an equal number of our cross-state guests – bearing in mind that you will not be the only ones bringing the food (we hope!)

Wednesday September 27^th
The World Bird Sanctuary Comes to Cape. WBS Director Walter Crawford will present a conservation program focusing on birds of prey. The program will feature live residents from WBS, some of which will entertain the audience with flyovers. University Center Ballroom, 7:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Saturday September 30^th
“The Middle East: How we got here and what to do now” Former CIA analysts Ray McGovern is the featured speaker. Congresswoman JoAnn Emerson, and Senators Bond and Talent (or their representatives) have also been invited to present their views. A question/answer Town Hall style discussion will follow. Osage Center, N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, doors open 6: 00 p.m. This is a Concerned Citizens of Southeast Missouri event.

Sunday October 8^th
Join us for a day of hiking through Hawn State Park. We will meet Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. in the Cape public library parking lot and carpool from there. We are hoping to get a glimpse of some early fall color and enjoy nature on this scenic hike. Please bring a light lunch and your beverage of choice for the post-hike gathering at the picnic grounds. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at openmindedadam@yahoo.com

Saturday December 16^th
Seasonal Pot-luck Social, 6:00 p.m. home of Judy Cureton; See Executive Committee addresses below

As usual, the year draws to a close, and members of our group Executive Committee find their terms expiring. After several years of yeoman service – for which we are grateful, Tom Draper has decided not to run for re-election. Also rotating off this time is equally yeoman server Jan Gieselmann who has played many roles for us, most notably in organizing and leading aquatic and camping outings – but most recently as Treasurer. Bob Zeller, Alan Journet and Judy Cureton continue on the Ex-Comm for the one year remainder of their terms.

Carol Draper:
Jackson resident---Retired---Life long love for nature and the outdoors---Holds membership in Sierra Club and Audubon Society for a number of years and has concern for the environment and overpopulation.

Adam Gohn:
I wish to be elected to the ExCom because I will bring fresh ideas to our group. I will take the initiative to bring in new members and promote the Sierra Club's presence in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area.

If you received this through the mail, but could and would accept your newsletter electronically, you can save us the paper, printing, and postage. Please let us know by contacting Kathy Conway (kconway@semo.edu)

Please vote for two candidates. If you hold a joint membership each member should vote.

             By November 15^th please send to:
            Sierra Club Election Committee
            2444 Glenridge St.
            Cape Girardeau, MO 63701