Upcoming Outings:
 

Plan to attend the John Muir Chapter’s 2009 Autumn Assembly hosted by the Chippewa Valley and St. Croix Valley Interstate Groups on October 9 – 11 at Beaver Creek Reserve near Eau Claire.

The Autumn Assembly is an educational and enjoyable weekend gathering featuring workshops, speakers and hands-on nature activities for kids of all ages! The diverse activities will inform and inspire you as you enjoy the company of Sierra Club members and friends from across Wisconsin.

For more details or answers to your questions, please contact Barb Thomas, Chippewa Valley Group Chair (715-235-9771 or thomash@uwstout.edu) or Carol Hardin, St. Croix Valley Group Chair (cchardin8@gmail.com). You can download a registration form and read more at: http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/Events/aa.asp
More Assembly Info:   http://www.wisconsin.sierraclub.org

Our Annual Holiday Party, filled with good food, conversation and holiday cheer, will be held again at Don & Barb Frank's home on Tuesday, December 15 at 6 p.m. More details & directions to come in next month’s newsletter.

Please RSVP
While we don't require an RSVP for many outings (for some they are required), we recommend that you let the outing leader know that you'd like to join in on the activity ahead of time. Our volunteer leaders enjoy the opportunity to share outings with fellow Sierra Club members and the community at large. Giving the outing leader a heads-up that you would like to join in lets them plan a little better and make your experience more enjoyable. It also offers them the opportunity to contact you if plans change.
 

Autumn Highway Cleanup

Tuesday, October 6, 6:00 PM
The Coulee Region Group’s adopted highway is River Valley Drive in the La Crosse River marsh. The third cleanup of the year will be Tuesday, October 6 at 6 p.m. Meet at the city water well building near the intersection of County Highway Band River Valley Drive on the north side of La Crosse. Wear old clothes and bring work gloves. Orange vests and garbage bags are provided. We’ll work for about an hour. There’s an optional stop at Rudy’s Drive-in after the cleanup. For more information, contact Pat or Bobbie Wilson at 788-8831.

Fall Colors on the Kickapoo River

Saturday, October 3 • Leave at 9:00 AM
Canoe the scenic Kickapoo River from Ontario, WI. Let's hope for fall colors. This is an easy canoe trip suitable for inexperienced paddlers. We plan to leave La Crosse at 9 a.m.; meet in Ontario at 10 a.m., Please contact the leaders in advance so they know how many are coming. Leaders: Pat and Bobbie Wilson, 608-788-8831, pbwilson@centurytel.net.

Bike Ride in Trempealeau

Monday, September 28 • 6:00 PM
This will be a leisurely 1-1/2 hour evening bike ride along the Great River State Bike Trail inside Trempeleau State Park, with a possible snack afterward. We'll meet in the Trempeleau Hotel parking lot at 6 p.m. Please contact Sharon Stoll at (906) 362-1003 or Stoll.Sharon@mayo.edu beforehand.

Summer Canoe Trips:

Contact the leaders listed or Pat or Bobbie Wilson for more information about these canoe trips offered through the Sierra Club's Wisconsin River Touring Section. 

July 11 - 12  Wolf and Red Rivers (Northeast Wisconsin)
Class II; Car Camp. Practice whitewater skills on these Northern Wisconsin rivers.  Paddle the popular Wolf River and the Red River, a favorite of many paddlers. For details, contact: Pat or Bobbie Wilson 608-788-8831 pbwilson@centurytel.net.

July 25 - 26   Upper Iowa River (Northeast Iowa)
Class I; Car camp.  The spring-fed river is one of the most scenic rivers in the Midwest—beautiful limestone cliffs break up this stretch of greenbelt. Learn about this unique geology and ecology of the driftless (unglaciated) region. For details, contact: Doug Robinson, 608-334-8026, dougknu@charter.net.

August 1 - 2   Black River (La Crosse Area)
Class I; Canoe Camp (on sandbar). Life’s a beach on this section of the Black River! We’ll canoe camp on a sandbar in this beautiful quietwater section of the river downstream from Black River Falls. Children are welcome on this family-oriented trip. Learn to canoe camp with children.  For details, contact: Kasy Culbertson, 608-222-0746, kasy99@gmail.com.

MOVING WATER CANOE CLINIC
June 13  Kickapoo River
Class I.  Clinic Fee: $25 per person.
Confident and competent on lakes, but not ready for rivers? Then this canoe clinic is for you. We’ll review the basic strokes—draws, prys, sweeps, forward, back and J. We’ll discuss safety, reading water, and maneuvers—ferries, side slips, and eddy turns. Then we’ll practice these skills as we canoe the Kickapoo. To register or get more details, contact: Meg Nelson, 608-242-8633,  prairiesmoke2@gmail.com.

Please RSVP
While we don't require an RSVP for many outings (for some they are required), we recommend that you let the outing leader know that you'd like to join in on the activity ahead of time. Our volunteer leaders enjoy the opportunity to share outings with fellow Sierra Club members and the community at large. Giving the outing leader a heads-up that you would like to join in lets them plan a little better and make your experience more enjoyable. It also offers them the opportunity to contact you if plans change.

 

Outings: Liability Waiver & Carpooling…
In order to participate on one of the Sierra Club's outings, you will need to sign a liability waiver. If you would like to read a copy of the waiver prior to the outing, please see the John Muir Chapter's web site.
In the interests of facilitating the logistics of some outings, it is customary that participants make carpooling arrangements. The Sierra Club does not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assumes no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

PAST OUTINGS
Trempealeau Bike Ride
May 20, 6:00 p.m.
Park & ride from the Trempealeau Hotel
We’ll cruise out and back on the Great River State Trail towards the marsh and Wildlife Refuge. Plan to ride for 1½ hours, at a relaxed pace for all comers. Join us for a bite to eat at the historic Trempealeau Hotel after. If you’re unable to make the ride, feel free to meet for dinner (at ~7:30-8:00 PM). Contact Sharon at Stoll.Sharon@mayo.edu or (906) 362-1003 with questions and to RSVP.

May Morning Bird Walks
Tuesdays: May 12 and 19
(La Crosse River Marsh, meet at the RABBIT trail, near new Myrick Hixon EcoCenter parking lot)
Thursdays: May 14 and 21
(Hixon Forest, meet at the Hixon Forest trail parking lot, off Milson Court)
~Join Pat & Bobbie Wilson and Dan Jackson for weekday morning bird walks from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. to enjoy spring migration and to see our regular residents return. Feel free to leave early or stay later.

Tuesday, May 12, 5:30 pm
Meet at the city water well building near the intersection of County Highway B and River Valley Drive on the north side of La Crosse and help clean up our adopted River Valley Drive. Wear old clothes and bring work gloves. Orange vests and garbage bags are provided. We’ll work for about an hour. There’s an optional stop at Rudy’s Drive-in after the cleanup. For more information, contact Pat or Bobbie Wilson 788-8831.

Hixon Forest Hike
Wednesday, April 15 at 6:15 p.m.
Meet at the Upper Hixon Forest, main trail parking lot.  We will hike up the Hixon trails to the top to watch the sunset.  It should be a wonderful night and break from an otherwise IRS day.  Bring a drink, a coat, and a funny IRS joke if you have one.  For more information contact Sharon Stoll at Stoll.Sharon@mayo.edu.

You can also visit the John Muir Chapter Outings page for events throughout Wisconsin.

CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.