In this April - May 2001 issue:
Sierra Club Awards EPEC Grant for SE Wisconsin
Calendar
John Muir Chapter 2001 Annual Awards Dinner
Appalachian Trail Hike Featured in April
SEGG Dinner, Speaker Featured at May Meeting
KR Land Trust Dedication Honors Group Founder
From the Chair
SEGG Officers & Committee Chairs
From Your Legislative Watchdog
DNR & Conservation Congress Annual Public Meeting
Conservation Committee Report
Protect the Great Lakes From Water Exports & Diversions

Sierra Club Awards EPEC Grant for Southeast Wisconsin
By John Berge

The John Muir Chapter and the three Sierra Club groups in Southeast Wisconsin (Southeast Gateway, Great Waters and Algonquin Shores) are the recipients of an Environmental Public Education Campaign (EPEC) grant of $18,000–$20,000 plus a full-time, grant-funded, limited-duration conservation organizer. By the time this issue of the Southeast Sierran comes out, that organizer will have been hired. The grant application was approved by the John Muir Chapter Executive Committee last December. The campaign started in February and will run until mid-November, 2001.

The major focus is permanent protection of a continuous six mile-wide, 115 mile-long forest and open space corridor through the Kettle Moraine in five southeastern counties which are contained in the three Groups. The EPEC project joins three national SC Campaigns: 1) Wild Lands & Clean Water, 2) Forest Protection & Restoration and 3) Challenge to Sprawl.

The EPEC project will advocate the Southeast Wisconsin Critical Habitat Agenda consisting of open space purchase, forest restoration, smart growth solutions and transportation alternatives to protect the wild forest and open space corridor. The education campaign will reveal that the loss of forests and open space are costly to taxpayers, result in loss of quality of life and increase flood risk. Most of the land necessary to accomplish the major focus lie in Waukesha and Washington Counties (Great Waters Group territory), but there are possible additions in Walworth County and in the Northern Kettle Moraine, also.

The Conservation Goals listed in the grant application are:

1) Permanent protection of the 70-year dream of preservation of a continuous six mile-wide, 115 mile-long wild forest and open space corridor through the Kettle Moraine along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail from Whitewater Lake in Walworth County to Old Wade House State Park in Sheboygan County. Completion of the Mid Kettle Moraine through land acquisition by public agencies and private land trusts will link together the several units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, several state, county and local parks and privately held preserves in a corridor that provides watershed protection, wildlife habitat and appropriate recreation opportunities.

2) “Smart Growth” land use plans (in accordance with Wisconsin’s new Smart Growth Land Use Statute) which designate the Kettle Moraine forest and open space corridor as off-limits for growth by local units of government in the affected counties.

3) Adopt zoning ordinances that: (a) Favor compact development using “new urbanism” principles and (b) Prevent flooding by protecting floodplains, wetlands and forests and by managing stormwater.

4) Adopt local tax strategies to protect permanently large areas with prime soils for agriculture and to encourage sustainable agriculture and reforestation that includes ecosystem/habitat restoration and stewardship of water resources.

The campaign is also expected to increase Sierra Club membership in the affected areas, increase the number of trained leaders, direct the members to meaningful campaign activities, increase Sierra Club visibility and credibility as a source for land use strategies, and strengthen alliances with other environmental and conservation organizations. In such a short but intense campaign, deadlines and the every other month schedule will often preclude using this newsletter to
notify the membership of upcoming events related to the EPEC but large numbers of volunteer are needed. So, if you want to be involved in this campaign as an active Sierra Club Volunteer, please notify either Nita Larson, Group Chair at (262) 638-8632, or John Berge, Group Conservation Chair at (262) 633-8455. Also check the Group’s hotline, (262) 552-6800, regularly for our latest information.

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Group Calendar


April 12: SEGG Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Avenue and Pritchard Drive in Racine.

April 19: SEGG General Meeting at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Avenue and Pritchard Drive in Racine, starting at 7:00 p.m. Katrina and Peter Wardrip will show pictures and relics of their hike from Maine to Georgia on the Appalachian Trail.

April 28: Highway 38 Clean-up. Meet at Bob and Betty Gericke’s house, 3927 North Lane, just off Highway 38 north of Highway K, at 9:00 a.m. for issuance of equipment and assignment of territory. A pot-luck lunch will follow. We need many hands to get the job done in a reasonable time. Call Bob and Betty (262-886-9057) with any questions you might have.

May 1: Deadline for the next issue of the Southeast Sierran.

May 10: SEGG Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Avenue and Pritchard Drive in Racine.

May 17: SEGG General Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at the Italian American Club, 2217 52nd Street in Kenosha, with O. Fred Nelson, General Manager of the Kenosha Water Department speaking on the problems of delivering clean water to its customers. This will be preceded by a meat lasagna or vegetarian mostaccioli dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. so Reservations are required by May 14! Contact Donna Peterson at (262) 63141 in Racine or Roz McHugh at (262) 694-3351 in Kenosha.

May 19: John Muir Chapter Executive Committee meeting in Baraboo.

May 19: John Muir Chapter Awards Dinner. Announcment below. See the May-June issue of The Muir View for full information.

June 2: Dedication of the Mary Ellen Johnson Memorial site on Spring Street in Racine to be followed by a pot-luck lunch.

June 14: SEGG Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Avenue and Pritchard Drive in Racine.

July 21: John Muir Chapter Executive Committee meeting in Baraboo.

July 28: Second Highway 38 Clean-up Day. See the next issue of the Southeast Sierran for final details.

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John Muir Chapter 2001 Annual Awards Dinner
by Chris Nehrbass, Chapter Awards Chairman

Mark Saturday, May 19 on your social calendar to attend this year’s John Muir Chapter Awards Dinner at the Blankenhaus Restaurant in Portage. The
buffet-style dinner is set for 6:00 p.m. with cash bar at 5:00 p.m. The Blankenhaus is one mile southeast of Portage on U.S. Highway 51 at 1223 E. Wisconsin, (608) 742-7555.

We are arranging to have another wonderful speaker for this year’s event and will announce him/her in the next issue of The Muir View. The cost of the dinner will be $14.00. The buffet will include pork roast, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, vegetarian lasagna, tossed salad, rolls and dessert.

The Awards Dinner is our opportunity to recognize persons of special merit. Chris Nehrbass is the chairperson of the awards committee. The committee receives nominations from our members and makes the selections of the honorees. Nominees may be Sierra Club members or members of the public who demonstrate leadership in protecting our environment.

If you plan on attending this year’s event, please contact or send a check to Chris Nehrbass at 903 Fulton St., Wausau, WI 54403. You can also reach him at (715) 848-0971 or cnehr973@uwsp.edu.

Deadline for the reservations is May 4. I hope you can attend to honor those who truly have made a difference.

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Appalachian Trail Hike Featured in April

Have you ever read about someone taking three months off to do something really special—like hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (AT)—and said to yourself, “I’d like to do that someday”? Do you want to meet a young couple who did just that? Then come to our April meeting.

Peter and Katrina (Samuelson) Wardrip will share their adventure with us at the Southeast Gateway Group meeting on April 19, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Racine, at the corner of Durand Avenue and Pritchard Drive. They met while students at J. I. Case High School. Both were novice backpackers when they decided to hike from Maine to Georgia, 2,167 miles on the AT, taking the more difficult direction (north to south) because of their work schedules. Along the way they discovered “Trail Magic” and met a number of interesting characters. They returned with new goals and appreciations. They are now awaiting a Peace Corps assignment.

Come and enjoy their pictures and learn how this hike has changed their lives. Perhaps someone will even be inspired to follow in their footsteps. The meeting is open to the public and begins at 7:00 p.m.

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SEGG Dinner, Speaker Featured at May Meeting

On May 17, our monthly general meeting will be at the Italian American Club, 2217 52nd Street in Kenosha. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. with the program following at about 7:00 p.m. Reservations are necessary. Please call in your reservation and your choice of meat lasagna or vegetarian mostaccioli by May 14 to Donna Peterson (262) 637-3141 in Racine, or Roz McHugh (262) 694-3351 in Kenosha. The cost is $11.00 per person.

Our speaker will be O. Fred Nelson, General Manager of the Kenosha Water Department. He will discuss the challenges facing departments such as his to make clean water available in the face of rapid expansion, new treatment technologies and pollution. He will also answer questions from those of you who depend on private wells.

As always, the Southeast Gateway Group’s general meetings are open to the public, but advanced reservations for the dinner are required. Invite a friend and potential new Sierra Club member. Space for those coming only for the program will probably be quite limited.

There are no general meetings scheduled during the summer months. However, there are outings scheduled and there will be a gathering on June 2nd to dedicate the Mary Ellen Johnson Memorial site. See the article in the right-hand column on this page for details.

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Kenosha-Racine Land Trust Land Dedication Honors Group Founder

The Kenosha Racine Land Trust (KRLT) cordially invites Southeast Gateway members to attend it’s formal dedication of the Mary Ellen Helgren Johnson Preserve on Saturday, June 2, 2001 at 2:00 p.m. The preserve donated last year to the City of Racine after a successful fund raising effort by KRLT adds four acres of protected Root River frontage south of Lincoln Park to the adjacent parklands. The brief dedication ceremony will be held on the property formerly known as the Wisconsin Racquet Club on the north side of Spring Street between Belmont and Mertens Avenues. A sign will be posted on Spring Street pointing to the dedication site. Park on adjacent city streets and bring a folding chair if you want a place to sit. The event will be held rain or shine so bring an umbrella if necessary.

This first land acquisition of the Kenosha Racine Land Trust was made possible by a generous gift from Mary Ellen’s son, Preston Johnson, and his wife, Vicki Martin. Preston and Vicki will be joined by other family members for this dedication and would welcome meeting and visiting with the many friends and fellow Sierrans who have known and loved Mary Ellen and who together helped the KRLT create this preserve in her memory.

Following the dedication ceremony all are invited to an hors d’oeuvre reception at the Greenridge Condominium party center located at 1412 Windsor Way. To get there from the dedication site go west on Spring Street about two miles to the Greenridge Condominiums just past the Piggly Wiggly and Greenridge Shopping Center at Newman Road. Turn right onto Windsor Way and the clubhouse is immediately on your left. Look for the sign beside the driveway.

Anyone planning to attend may call Jean McGraw for a map and written directions at (262) 886-0610.

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From the Chair
by Nita Larson

Soaring Population Threatens Security

Changes in population, scarcity of water and the spread of disease worldwide will have increasing impact on the national security of the United States, the U.S. intelligence community has concluded.

The assessment is contained in an intensive yearlong study prepared by the National Intelligence Council, an influential analytical think tank made up of senior intelligence officials that work alongside the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Entitled “Global Trends 2015,” the 70-page report estimates that 3 billion people, nearly half of the world’s population, will live in “water-stressed” regions from southern California to northern China, and that even more genetically modified crops or desalination projects will not substantially alleviate the problem.

By 2015, world population will grow from the current 6.1 billion to 7.2 billion, the report estimates, with 95 percent of the increase expected in the developing world and nearly all of it in rapidly expanding urban areas.

Population pressures are expected to ensure that the Middle East will be a regional trouble spot over the next 15 years as population burgeons anywhere from 26 percent in Algeria and 39 percent in Libya to 96 percent in Saudi Arabia.

People of the region will be poorer, heavily concentrated in cities unable to cope and more disillusioned with their governments. The report warns that as inequities continue to mount, Islamic fundamentalist movements may come to power.

Water shortages are expected to constitute the key resource problem of the next decade and a half, and could cause regional instability. Turkey’s construction of new irrigation projects on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers would reduce water flowing into Syria and Iraq. Similarly, ambitious projects in Ethiopia and Sudan could divert water from the Nile and reduce the flow into Egypt.

John Gannon, chairman of the National Intelligence Council, said the purpose of the report is to encourage policy makers to focus on long-term global trends and to think beyond the ordinary concerns of the intelligence community.

(Excerpted from POPLINE, World Population News Service, Vol. 23, Jan-Feb, 2001.)

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Southeast Gateway Group Officers & Committee Chairs

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From Your Legislative Watchdog
Jean McGraw

Aloha from Hawaii! Only the big hotels have air conditioning and central heating to mollify tourists. Most people neither need or want them. The air is clean, great for asthma and sinus sufferers. One can see the starry sky at night.

In Washington there was barely a lull in the ongoing battle against the environment, as Bush’s priority is to get some sort of tax cut passed. However, environmentalists, keep alert! 

Generally, damaging legislation is attached as riders to must-pass bills like budget bills or bills to allocate money to some area hard hit by an earthquake, a flood, or a hurricane. Sponsors hope the rider won’t be noticed or will be passed anyway because the main bill is urgent. This will no doubt be the technique congressional proponents of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will use; as this measure, unpopular with the general public, probably would be doomed to certain defeat in an independent bill. 
 
However, huge donations from Big Oil and utilities are intended to encourage congressmen to open the Refuge to drilling, even though no oil from the ANWR would be available for several years, and a small increase in CAFE standards, well within the capabilities of auto manufacturers, would save an equal amount or more oil. Big Oil prefers to sell us all the oil the market will bear, the sole goal being to maximize profits.

I hope a champion like David Brower will appear on behalf of the Refuge. When the dam-crazy Corps of Engineers wanted to dam the Grand Canyon and the Dinosaur National Monument, he took out full-page ads in the New York Times and other influential newspapers to inform the public; and he succeeded in these campaigns and most of the others he sponsored. In the process he brought to light the secret shenanigans of greedy special interests. Brower increased the membership of the Sierra Club by thousands, creating a national environmental organization.

Bush admits that global warming appears to be a fact but says he wants to wait to take action until it is a sure thing. Of course by then scientists say it will be too late to avert the consequences. Again, Big Oil’s donations to political campaigns seem to be the deciding factor, even though we use twice as much oil as other developed nations and hog far more than our share of the world’s resources.

We need to generate public pressure in Washington before they squeeze through legislation to despoil the ANWR. We need to make the public aware that global warming and its devastating effects on a large number of ecosystems and populations are considered a 67% to 97% certainty by U.N. scientists. A major defensive battle is called for.

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DNR & Conservation Congress Annual Public Meeting
April 9 - 7:00 PM - Union Grove High School

The following Conservation Congress questions are of interest to the Southeast Gateway Group:

#67. The Farmland Use Value Assessment Law lowered the tax on woodlands and wetlands if farmers used them for grazing. Do you support protecting them by taxing them lower when not used for grazing?

#68. Should Stewardship funds be used to build a fishing pier on filled-in lake bed area at Milwaukee’s Summerfest?

#69. Should DNR and DOT plant and maintain native grasses and forbs in highway medians and right of ways?

#75. There are 7,000 acres of prairie at Badger Ammunition Plant (BAP). Should Wisconsin acquire it in trust for the people or let developers buy it? (For more about BAP call (608) 634-3124).

#76. Should the use of cyanide be prohibited in metallic mining in Wisconsin?

#77. Nicolet Mineral proposes perpetual pumping as a solution to contamination that will occur to groundwater when they stop mining. Do you think this is a bad public policy?
These questions follow the DNR comment period on hunting, fishing and trapping management rules. The Conservation Congress does not accept written comments on the above advisory questions. We live in Region 11, represented by David Poff of New Berlin and Scott Lancour of Burlington.

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Conservation Committee Report

John Berge called the first Conservation Committee meeting of 2001 on March 1 in order to review the 1997 SEWRPC (Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission) recommendations for natural areas and critical species habitats before attending the DNR’s Land Legacy Study Meeting on March 12. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has requested more public comments on land preservation and the possible methods that could be used. It was also to prepare us for participation in the John Muir Chapter’s Environmental Public Education Campaign and the WIN (Pike and Root River Watershed) project. If you are interested in working with the committee on these and other conservation issues, please call John Berge at (262) 633-8455.

These are our recommendations for the DNR to consider:

1. Protection should be secured along Root, Pike and Fox River corridors for all remaining woods, fens, bogs, swamps, sedge meadows, remnant prairies and remnant tamarack wetlands. Buildings in floodplains should be removed whenever possible, not repaired.

2. Small lakes (under 1,000 acres) are very important for recreation and wildlife. Walworth County’s 32, Racine County’s 16 and Kenosha County’s
24 are heavily used and abused. Stewardship money should be used to purchase all wetlands and primary natural areas (NA1) around these lakes to improve water quality and discourage harmful development.

3. Chiwaukee Prairie additions and maintenance of existing prairie should be undertaken by DNR.

4. Racine County should spend their LAWCON money on woodland and critical habitat purchases along the Root and Fox Rivers, not on the Walker industrial site.

5. The North and South Kettle Moraine should be connected and enlarged using Stewardship funds. More money should be devoted to maintenance and
oversight. Over 50% of the state population lives in Southeast Wisconsin and uses this area year around, as well as recreation seekers from Illinois.

6. State wildlife areas should be expanded and connected wherever possible to counteract increasing urban growth and development.

7. Wisconsin should coordinate protection of the Des Plaines watershed with the state of Illinois.

8. We support development of more hiking/skiing trails in Southeast Wisconsin and are willing to pay small fees for their use.

 

Protect the Great Lakes From Water Exports & Diversions

Dear Friends,

I thought you might be interested in this Wisconsin InterNetwork (WIN) e-activism campaign. If you go to the URL below you can check out what is at stake and send your own message directly to the relevant decision-makers.

Take action on this alert from Wisconsin InterNetwork (WIN) at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/protect_Great_Lakes_waters

Protect the Great Lakes from Water Exports and Diversions

Across the globe, companies are lining up to bottle, ship and divert fresh water from the Great Lakes to meet the demands of expanding population. The Great Lakes governors have proposed a good plan to conserve our water. We need your help to make the plan great.

Jay Warner
4444 North Green Bay Road
Racine, WI 53404-1216
Ph: (262) 634-9100
FAX: (262) 681-1133
email: quality@a2q.com
web: http://www.a2q.com

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