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

Experience the closest wilderness to Springfield: Swan Creek – June 22, 2008 
Swan Creek is a 9,366-acre section of Mark Twain National Forest in Christian County that has been proposed for wilderness designation. It’s a gem, and as a club, we may want to consider “adopting” it and advocating for its protection. This is your chance to experience it up close in a day trip June 22 that includes playing in the creek and hiking. We’ll meet at the northwest corner of the Ozark Wal-Mart Supercenter...


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

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. 

 


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