Programs Calendar
The Coulee Region Group offers a free monthly educational program
after a brief member & guest meeting. They are held at the Ho Chunk Three Rivers building, 8th and Main St.
in La Crosse,
on the last Tuesday of the non summer months at 7:00pm. Our meetings consist of a brief update on current conservation issues both local and national, then a program
featuring a speaker or a
club member presentation. Non-members
and the public are always encouraged to attend
our educational offerings.
Any questions, please contact
sierra1601@charter.net
Next
meeting:
Tuesday, Sept 30th, 7:00 PM
Adventure on the Nahanni
Speaker: Pat Wilson
R. M. Patterson wrote the book "Dangerous River: Adventure on the
Nahanni" about his experiences in 1927-1928 on the Northwest
Territories' South Nahanni River. The South Nahanni was also
Canadian paddler Bill Mason's favorite northern river. Mason took
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on a canoe trip there in the early 1970's
to advocate its preservation as a National Park. Nahanni National Park
was created two years later. In 1978, Nahanni National Park was in the
first group of sites identified by UNESCO under the new World Heritage
List program. UNESCO said, "This park contains deep canyons and huge
waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. The park is also
home to animals of the boreal forest, such as wolves, grizzly bears and
caribou. Dall's sheep and mountain goats are found in the park's alpine
environment." Pat Wilson and eight other Wisconsin Sierra Club
members had their own adventure on the Nahanni in July. They spent three
weeks paddling the entire length of the Nahanni River - one of about six
groups a year to do so. Pat will present a program on the experience.
During the trip, he talked to the Dehcho First Nations people, and found
a surprising link to the trip Pat and Bobbie did on Utah's San Juan
River in April.
============== History below
==============
Speaker:
Monique Jamet
Hooker
Internationally known chef, teacher & author
Coulee Group member Monique Hooker is a well-known chef, and
the author of "Cooking with the Seasons, A Year in My Kitchen". She
hosted a TV show called "The Seasonal Kitchen". Her enthusiasm for food
and travel came through in the program she gave with her husband Philip in
March on their trip to
Peru - complete with
samples of Peruvian food.
In this program, Monique will identify wild edible plants of
the Coulee Region, and tell us how they can be prepared. Monique chose
June for this program because that's when many of the region's wild edible
plants are available. You'll have a chance to sample at the program, since
Monique plans to have some dishes prepared. This is the ultimate version
of eating locally, and you can try this at home. Please note that this program starts an hour earlier than normal, at 6:00
p.m.
May 27th, 7:00 PM
Speaker: Shahla
Werner, Ph.D., Chapter Director,
Sierra Club John Muir Chapter
We’ve heard a lot recently about introduced, invasive forest insects
such as the emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, gypsy moth, Asian
Longhorned beetle, and Sirex woodwasp. Most of these insects are not
found in Wisconsin yet, but may be here one day. Shahla Werner will tell
us about the threats posed by these insects and issues surrounding
efforts to manage them in our forests and urban areas. Shahla will also
cover the need for conservation of native Wisconsin insects.
Shahla has a Ph.D. in entomology from UW-Madison. She
recently returned to Madison from the Pennsylvania Department of
Conservation & Natural Resources to become the Director of the Sierra
Club’s John Muir Chapter. She can also tell us what’s going on in the
Sierra Club in Wisconsin and the status of Sierra Club legislative
priorities.
Mar 25th, 7:00 PM
PERU: A land
filled with surprise & spirituality
Speakers: Philip & Monique
Hooker
A land of very contrasting geography and vast archeological heritage
contribute to Peru's well earned reputation as a mystical universe in
itself. The evening will focus on the various regions - from Lima to
Caral (the oldest civilization in the Americas, located in the desert);
the Amazonian basin (one of those very few unexplored places on Earth);
Cuzco (capital of the Incas); Sacred Valley of the Incas (where one can
still feel the energy and strength of the Andes); Machu Picchu
(discovered in 1911 - holds the admiration of people around the world);
and not to forget Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the
world). Along the way we will introduce the Peruvian cuisine and
handcrafts.
The Cultural
Significance of Wilderness: A Lost Voice?
Speaker: Rick Kyte
Director of the D.B. Reinhart
Institute for Ethics in Leadership and associate professor of philosophy
at Viterbo University.
Environmentalist authors from the mid-nineteenth through the
mid-twentieth centuries shared a conviction that the experience of
wilderness was crucial to the health of American society. That
conviction has all but disappeared from contemporary social commentary.
This presentation will look at the writings of authors such as Ralph
Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo
Leopold, and Sigurd Olson in an attempt to reclaim an important voice in
American social and political life.
* Note: Jan mtg.
& presentation was postponed to Feb, due to bad weather.
Ho Chunk La Crosse.
HOLIDAY PARTY
It’s that time of year!
Barb and Don Frank are again hosting the
annual holiday gathering for Coulee Region Sierra Club members and
friends.
When: Tuesday, December
18, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Address: N1965 Valley Road, La Crosse
Please bring a hearty appetizer to share. Hosts will furnish beverages.
Come celebrate the season!
Next meeting:
No General Mtg. in Dec, come to the Holiday Party Tuesday, Dec. 18th
above.
Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007 7 PM
Speaker: Bill Katra
Although a
long-time Wisconsin resident, Bill Katra grew up in Seattle (in the
shadow of Mt. Rainier), studied four university years in California (3 ½
hours from Yosemite!), and almost every year since has escaped from the
Midwest to pursue his passion of climbing – whether high altitude
mountaineering or technical rock climbing. He will show slides from: a
ski mountaineering trip in California’s Sierra Nevada; a super technical
multi-day climb up the vertical face of El Capitan in Yosemite; a
difficult ice route up Peru’s Huascaran Sur; and a bold first ascent in
the Alaska Range that was prefaced by unbelievable views of glaciers
from a 2 passenger plane.
Meeting is at: Ho Chunk Three Rivers building, 8th and Main St.
La Crosse
Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 7 PM
NOTE: LOCATION CHANGE!!
at Room 140 Cowley Hall, UW-La Crosse Campus
One World Expedition to the North Pole
Speaker:
Eric Larsen
On July 1, 2006 Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen made history by becoming the
first ever expedition to reach the North Pole in summer. Adventure with
modern day explorers Eric Larsen as he retells the One World Expedition.
On this journey, the team pulled and paddled specially modified canoes
over 600 miles of shifting sea ice and open leads of the Arctic Ocean.
This presentation spans the entire journey; from the expedition’s first
training trips to the 2005 attempt in Russia to the successful 2006
journey. Experience unique insights into team work, problem solving,
setting goals and overcoming fear and failure. A special emphasis is paced
on the expedition’s efforts to bring attention to Global Warming and the
plight of the polar bear. There is a dramatic story to tell of the Arctic
Ocean, encounters with polar bears and much more. Included in the
presentation are stunning images and video of the conditions they faced on
the Arctic Ocean. This is a joint meeting with the Coulee Region
Audubon Society.
Next meeting:
Tuesday, Sept 27, 2007 7 PM
Speaker: Clayton Daughenbaugh
Utah’s spectacular redrock canyonlands include the largest remaining
network of unprotected wild lands in the lower 48 states. An exhaustive
citizens’ inventory has identified 9.5 million acres. If you’ve ever
visited one of Utah’s five national parks, climbed to the top of the
slickrock, and looked across the one hundred mile view, it’s these lands
that you are seeing. The land contains redrock temples, profound gorges,
ponderosa-studded plateaus, and miles of naturally sculpted redrock. The
campaign to protect this wilderness remains a national public ands
priority of the Sierra Club. There’s hope of reintroducing the
"America’s Redrock Wilderness Act” in this congress and Wisconsin is an
important part of the overall strategy. Our guest presenter will
be Clayton Daughenbaugh, Midwest Field Organizer for the Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). Clayton is also a member of the Sierra
Club’s National Wildlands Committee and the author of “Common Sense
Democracy”, a book based on twenty years as a neighborhood organizer in
Chicago.
- - - Worked and enjoyed Summer 2007 outdoors - - -
Summer is upon us again, and
Coulee Group membership meetings are over until September.
I hope you all get outdoors to enjoy the summer. I hope you can make it
to the June picnic, the July hike, or the August canoe trip. I also hope
you stay active in the efforts to reduce global warming and to protect
our local natural areas. The Clean Energy Coalition will be active
during the summer, as will the Natural Step Learning Circles that are
aimed at helping La Crosse meet its sustainability goals. This
newsletter lists a couple actions you can take to get the summer off to
a good start to meet sustainability goals and reduce CO2 emissions in
this area. Have a great summer! Pat Wilson
It's a pot-luck picnic on Tuesday,
June 26 ,
6 pm
Come join us, relax and enjoy summer! Bring a dish to pass and your own
plates and utensils. In addition to the picnic, there are two options
available for added fun: (1) there will be an opportunity to hike the
Holland Sand Prairie located next to the park or (2) tour an off-grid
straw bale home located ¼ mile from the park
Tuesday, May 29, 7:00 PM
(Last general meeting before the summer break)
Pathways to the Mississippi
Speaker: John Sullivan
John Sullivan has made solo canoe trips from Lake Superior to La Crosse,
Green Bay to Prairie du Chien, and descents of the Rock, Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Ohio Rivers from their source to the Mississippi. John is
a paddling/poling enthusiast who enjoys extended solo trips on streams,
rivers and waterways. The May program will be about his excursions,
which started several years ago and were centered primarily in
Wisconsin. See the May newsletter for additional paragraphs
of information.
Meeting at normal location:
Ho Chunk Three Rivers building on 8th & Main.
Tuesday,
April 24, 7:00 PM
Little Strawbale House on the Prairie
Speaker: Marilyn Pedretti
After spending two years building strawbale houses in the Southwest,
Marilyn has returned to the Coulee region to build a home (off-grid) on
her family farm. Strawbale homes have multiple benefits such as an
excellent insulation value(R-45 to R-60), use natural materials, use
less lumber and have a great sound proof envelope. Her goal has been to
use renewable products whenever possible to lessen the ecological
footprint. Marilyn will give a slide show presentation detailing the
process and progress on her home. The presentation will be followed by
an outing to see the house on May 20th.
*NOTE
this month only:
CHANGE
IN MEETING PLACE!
North Side Community Center,
713 St. James Street (1/2 block east of
Caledonia)
Tuesday, March 27th, 7:00 PM
Speaker: Chuck Lee
It’s been over
eight years since the 1998 referendum on a north-south highway in the La
Crosse River Marsh. Chuck Lee of the Marsh Coalition will update us on
the new five-year transportation plan being developed by the La Crosse
Area Planning Committee. The plan includes some construction (extending
River Valley Drive to the north) and a new north-south transportation
plan. Chuck will also talk about the April 21st Earth Day
marsh clean-up being sponsored by the Marsh Coalition, Livable
Neighborhoods and the Sierra Club.
Tuesday,
February 27th, 7:00 PM
Speaker: John Papenfuss
John
Papenfuss took one of the Sierra Club trips in August 2006 on a fly-in
trip in Alaska above the Arctic Circle. He will be sharing his slide
show showing the adventures of 12 full days on the tundra in the western
Brooks Range backpacking, camping, hiking, fishing, and wildlife
viewing. Come enjoy the sights and stories!
Tuesday, January 30th, 7:00 PM
Speaker: Robert
“Ernie” Boszhardt,
Associate Director/ Contracts Director and Regional Archaeologist at
the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center (MVAC)
Ernie Boszhardt has authored three books: Twelve Millennia:
Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River Valley (U Iowa Press);
A Projectile Point Guide for the Upper Mississippi River Valley (U
Iowa Press); and Deep Cave Rock Art in the Upper Mississippi
Valley (Prairie Smoke Press). He has also produced three
documentary-educational videos: Battle at Bad Axe Mounds of the Upper
Mississippi River Valley and Archaeology at Perrot State Park. He is
past Chair of the La Crosse County Historic Sites Commission and
President of the Wisconsin Archaeological Survey, and currently serves
on the Wisconsin Burial Sites Board (former chair) and as a board member
of the Wisconsin Archaeological Society.
All are welcome to come to our attend our free meetings.
No Meeting in December -- But a
great party!
You're all invited!
Holiday party at Barb and Don Frank's
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 6-9 p.m.
Come in a holiday mood with a hearty appetizer to share.
Hosts will provide beverages.
Nov 28, 2006, 7:00 PM
Speaker: Bruce Nilles, Sierra's Midwest
Office Madison
Bruce Nilles will make a
presentation on the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy campaign.
Come to learn and discuss this critical issue which is the primary
conservation campaign for the National Sierra Club and for our John Muir
Chapter as well. A recent article on Google and in the La Crosse
Tribune about a big new Global Warming Report from England gives added
urgency to the issue. We'll talk about what we can do here locally and
regionally. PLEASE JOIN US!
October 31, 2006,
7:00 PM
Speaker: Karrie Jackelen,
staff member for Ron Kind
Congressman
Ron Kind's staff member Karrie Jackelen will update us on Ron's
congressional activities. That includes the Congressional Wildlife
Caucus dedicated to advancing the mission of the National Wildlife
Refuge System, and addressing the funding crisis facing the
100-million-acre land system. This caucus is led by Representatives Ron
Kind (D-WI), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Michael Castle (R-DE) and Mike Thompson
(D-CA). Karrie can also report on the Farm Bill that Ron supports. She
will also answer any questions you have on Ron's positions on the
issues. Ron Kind was recently endorsed for reelection to congress by
the Sierra Club John Muir Chapter, as announced in the last issue of the
Muir View.
First
Fall meeting is Sept 26, 2006, 7:00 PM
Speaker: Brenda Haug, director of
Hixon Forest Nature Center
A new Eco-Park project is planned in Myrick Park.
The zoo master plan calls for a new zoo design featuring regional
animals in their natural surroundings. The plan includes a new Hixon
Forest Nature Center building. Hixon Forest Nature Center would serve
as the interpretive center for this new complex, linking the La Crosse
River Marsh, Hixon Forest, and the zoo. This will create an new
educational and recreational focus on our local natural areas. Brenda
Haug, director of Hixon Forest Nature Center, and possibly another
surprise speaker, will explain this exciting project.
As a special added attraction for the evening,
Carla Klein, the new Chapter Director for the Sierra Club John Muir
Chapter, will be visiting us from Madison. This is a good chance to hear
what the Sierra Club is doing at the state level.
- - - Work and enjoy Summer 2006 outdoors - - -
Our Last Meeting is Outdoors for Summer Break:
Pot-luck Picnic Tuesday, June 27th
starting at 6:00 pm
Bring a dish to pass and your own
plates and utensils. The shelter house is next to the Holland Sand
Prairie recently protected by Mississippi Valley Conservancy, the DNR &
the Town of Holland. There will be opportunities to hike the property.
Come join us, relax and enjoy summer!
Directions: Take
Highway 53 (either from the north or south). Exit MH or McHugh Road turn
left (west) at the end of the ramp. The Town Hall is approximately 1
mile from the exit on the left. Shelter #1 is behind the Town
Hall building.
Tuesday, May 30th, 2006 7:00pm
with
Speaker: Guy
Wolf, Clean Wisconsin Board Member
The John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club is focusing on energy
conservation and clean power in 2006. At the April meeting, Guy Wolf
will give a presentation on current developments in nuclear and coal
fired power generation in the Coulee Region. Issues include dismantling
of the Dairyland Power nuclear plant at Genoa; construction of new coal fired plants in the Dakotas
and new power lines to serve them; and the good news that existing
coal-fired power plants in the area are being retrofit with equipment to
decrease air pollution from the stacks. Guy is a local environmentalist
and a member of the Board of Directors of Clean Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin's Environmental Decade). Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club recently teamed up to take an eastern Wisconsin
power company to court for stack emissions exceeding legal limits. This
helps encourage all power plants in the state to re-evaluate their
emissions and install updated technology to reduce harmful emissions.
April 25th, 2006 7:00pm
Kurt Brownell, Sierra
Club long term member
Local Coulee Group member Kurt Brownell recently made vacation trips to
China and Panama, where he investigated the natural as
well as social world. Kurt hired a guide to search for pandas in their
native habitat in China, he traveled through the Three Gorges of the
Yangtze River as it was filling behind the world’s largest hydroelectric
dam, and visited with the people of China. Kurt has slides to illustrate
the range of natural life and living conditions over these two slices of
the world.
March 28th, 2006 7:00pm
Energy & Earth Friendly Home Construction
with
Alan
Stankevitz
Following the words to Elton John's song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Alan
Stankevitz finally decided his future lies beyond the yellow-brick road
and quit his job in the year 2000 to build an energy-efficient,
solar-powered home here in the Coulee Region. His sixteen-sided,
double-wall cordwood house uses solar energy to power and heat the home.
Alan's home incorporates many earth-friendly attributes: Rubble-Trench
Foundation, Cordwood Construction, PEM - Paper Enhanced Mortar,
Rainwater Storage System, Solar Heating: Passive and Active and a Grid-Intertie
Solar Electric System. Alan will discuss all of these attributes in
detail during his presentation.
You can also read all about his house and cordwood construction by going
to Alan's website:
www.daycreek.com. At
his website you can also monitor the house in near real-time. Statistics
are updated every 10 minutes.
Read his comical progress in the
Journals - the storytelling and photos are the best.
Tech
Download:
4 page color Home Power magazine's "Solar Vision"
- - - - 2005
May 31, 2005 7:00pm
Making Renewable Energy Part of Your Energy Landscape
with Chamomile Nusz
Chamomile Nusz of the
Citizens Energy Cooperative of Wisconsin (CEC) will
discuss how CEC can bring renewable energy options to your community
and your home. She will discuss the
different kinds of renewable energy,
and their application. We'll find out how CEC intends to give citizens
of Wisconsin the tools to make
Renewable Energy available. The goal is to reduce the
use of fossil fuels, keep energy dollars in the state, and increase jobs
in Wisconsin. CEC was formed
to allow citizens to take our energy use into our own
hands, and stop depending on the current energy infrastructure to do the
right thing.
CEC is a member financed co-operative. Members put patronage towards
these community-based renewable energy systems. When the systems are
profitable the members receive dividends based on their patronage.
April 26, 2005 7:00pm+
Topic: Tippin' with Tom
Beginner to Advanced Canoe Tips with Tom Pahs.
Tom will review paddling basics and add great
tips, including Canada experiences
and a 26 min Helpful Video on the Boundary Waters (BWCA). Lots of
fun and info.
Earth Day: Saturday, April 23rd, 11am-6pm
We are leading the Green Bike Parade and having booths at Riverside Park. Contact Pat Wilson for
biking information and Rick Komperud for booth info. Come
out and support the La Crosse Earth Day Coalition!
Their Website is: www.uwlax.edu/envcouncil
Leader e-mail is: www.lacrosseearthdaycoalition@yahoo.com
March 29, 2005
7:00pm
Topic: Breeding Birds and Habitat Relationships on the
Upper Mississippi River by Eileen Kirsch, PhD, from U.S.G.S.
Environmental Sciences Center
Birding Season is up on us, Eileen will share how our recent climate
and
habitat changes may be affecting Mississippi River Basin birds.
Feb 22, 2005 7:00pm
Topic: Hybrid Cars Up to 70 MPG by Chris Schneider, Honda
Motorwerks
Chris is always entertaining,
we'll have 2 hybrid cars onsite and discuss hybrid
motor development, future products, NG vehicles, fuels cells, oil/fuel
pricing and MPG.
January 25, 2005 7:00pm
Topic: Invasive Species in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
by Cindy Kolar, U.S.G.S. and Community Ecologist
Asian carp, purple loosestrife and new
invaders... what we are know and what we can
do to help control these
threats to the upper Mississippi Basin.
- - - - 2004
November 30, 2004, 7:00pm
October 28th, 7:00pm
Topic: High Altitude and it's effects on the body...
Ted Wilson trek to the Indian Himalayas this summer with students.
Slideshow and equipment.
September 28, 2004 7:00pm
TOPIC: BUSH Administration vs. PUBLIC LANDS Slide Show Tour
with Clayton Daughenbaugh from National
Sierra Club
This land is our land from Utah's spectacular red
rock canyons to the forested plateaus of Colorado and the grassland
desert of New Mexico¹s Otero Mesa. Or is it? According to Bush
administration policy it might just as well belong to the oil and gas
industry.
Come view the evidence and learn what you can do to
stand by the land at the Western Public Lands vs the Bush Administration
Slide Show Tour sponsored by the Sierra Club's National Wildlands
Campaign Committee.
The land is beautiful, the damage is real, and
individual Americans are coming forward to protect our Creator's natural
heritage. Will the health of the earth and all who live on it be
maintained for our families benefit or will the land be used for
highways, oil wells, and the refuse of development? This slide show will
tell the story. Come see and it and do your part!
July-August: No Formal Meetings. We tend to be outdoors
for summer and therefore no indoor general meetings. Have a great summer! :)
June 22, 2004 6:00pm Summer Picnic,
Goose Island-Shelter #1.
We will be having a potluck social gathering as our final
meeting before summer. Please bring a dish to pass, drinks, eating
utensils and something fun to talk about. We usually play some fun
lawn games and share/invite others on summer outdoor plans.
May 25th - Invasive Species Discussion and
Plant Display
April 27th - Results of the Navigation Studies on our Rivers
by Gretchen Benjamin - Wisconsin DNR
Navigation Studies for the Upper Mississippi and Illinois
Rivers near the finish line:
What it could mean for ecosystem restoration on these two Midwest rivers.
After 17 years
of study, the Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study is
concluding. Plans for the river have been controversial. Come and
learn for free.
March 30 - Backpacking Off the Trail in Greenland
with Taff Roberts of Winona
Taff backpacked across the coastal tundra of
western Greenland. He is a birder with intense
interest in Snow Bunting and will share his great slide show
including the Inuit village, various
animals and birds during the brief summer.
February 24 - CAFOs and Mad Cow Disease Insights
with Rich Malinowski, local Organic Beef
Farmer. Agricultural issues in our area.
January 27, 2004 - Environmental Politics Update
with Ron Kind's Office. Hear about the
new bill/laws and
how they greatly affect you, your taxes, and your
environment.
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