Greetings from the Sierra Club White River Group!
The White River Group includes 21 counties in southwest Missouri.

March, 2008 Newsletter

Our area, because of our unique topography, burgeoning growth and the presence of some industries with a high potential for polluting air and water, is particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation and loss of green space. With active membership participation, our group can provide the strong and clear voice needed for environmental protection in our area, where political and economical concerns often outweigh such concerns.

We encourage all members to take an active part in the group. Volunteers are needed to help with meetings, newsletters, and the web site, for leading outings and for working on conservation issues. Please join us as we explore, enjoy and protect our planet.

Outings
For more information about the following events, please contact Jennifer Ailor at jailor65721@yahoo.com or at 417-581-4018. 

Ozark Underground Lab. WRG visited this internationally famous site on March 29th, but we would like to schedule a second visit for those who missed the first trip. The Lab is in Tumbling Creek Cave, home to rare and endangered species. Specially arranged tours, which include a two-mile above ground hike and several hours in the cave are lead by Tom Aley, the hydrologist who has operated the lab since 1973. The cost is $16. Call Cynthia at 581-8318. For more info, go to www.ozarkundergroundlab.com.

April 26: Volunteer Day at the Nature Center. In appreciation for the meeting rooms that are made available to us each month, we’d like to thank the Nature Center by helping the staff and Center volunteers remove invasive species from glades and woods. We’ll be joining them at the Center on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and working until noon.

June 14: Rain Garden Workday, Hike and Picnic. Our rain garden at the Valley Water Mill Park in north Springfield will need some tender love and care by the beginning of summer. We are planning a workday beginning at 9 a.m., followed by a hike around the lake and lunch at the Lakeside Pavilion. Master Gardeners seeking volunteer hours are welcome to join us.

Officers and ExCom
Cynthia Andre, Chair
Dan Crane, Vice-chair
Deb Dalton, Secretary
Mary Lorenz, Treasurer

Cynthia Andre, chapter delegate

Committee chairs:
Cynthia Andre, Conservation chair
Jennifer Ailor, Publicity
Kent Graves, Membership Chair
Libby Rains, Calendars
Dan Crane and Mary Lorenz, Lemonade sales
Carla Klein, Kid's guide to the outdoors
Deb Dalton, Raingarden
Brian Hamburg, Global warming

Join the White River Listserv

 


 

Meetings Unless otherwise indicated, White River Group meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center at 3600 Chrisman. Come at 6:30 for refreshments and a chance to talk with other members and visitors; the program begins at 7:00. 


April 15 Sustainable Communities. Our group will hold a joint meeting with the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society on the third Tuesday of the month at the Nature Center at 7:00. Our speaker will be Dan Chiles, member of the Springfield City Council and longtime Springfield resident, businessman and civic leader. His experience on the building commission and CU board, his familiarity with the area--its problems and potential—together with his long time interest in conservation and energy efficiency give Dan a unique perspective on how Springfield can become a greener, more sustainable community. 

May 13 The Case for More Wilderness. Recent efforts by Missouri forest activists to secure wilderness designation for more of the Mark Twain National Forest have met with considerable resistance, including the editorial staff of the Springfield News-Leader. Join us for a second look at this very important proposal, presented by Jim Scheff, head of the Missouri Forest Alliance and organizer of the 2007 Heartwood Forest Council, one of the largest annual gathering of forest activists from across the Eastern, Central and Southern US.

June 10 Missouri Master Naturalist. Join us in June to learn more about the new Missouri Master Naturalist program. The president of the first class of Springfield Plateau volunteers, Bob Ranney will describe the program, its mission and how its volunteers make a difference in our area. Bob, who holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and an undergraduate degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Iowa State University, is a long time resident of the Ozarks where he enjoys fishing and floating and historical crafts, such as building cedar canoes. 


For more information, call 581-8318.

Kids Guide to the Outdoors. Richard Louv‘s recent book Last Child in the Woods has been a wakeup call for everyone concerned about conservation and the preservation of natural areas. Many of us can trace the roots of our strong support for the environment to experiences we had as children camping, canoeing or hiking with our friends and families. Louv documents the significant lack of such experiences in the lives of many of our younger generation, raising serious concern about the future of environmentalism in the US.

In response to this, WRG leadership is considering an exciting new project designed to encourage our young people and their families to spend more time outdoors visiting local public lands and parks, but we will need your help to make this work. If you’d like to share information about your favorite park or conservation area, if you have publishing or writing skills, or just a couple of hours to volunteer for one of the many other tasks involved in this project, we could use your help.

Members interested in working on this project are cordially invited to attend the Kid's Guide kick-off meeting at 5:30 May 13 at the Nature Center before the regular monthly WRG program at 7 p.m. Can’t attend the meeting but would like to help? Contact Carla at carlatklein@sbcglobal.net or 417-866-1554