Russell H. Welch

The Southeast Gateway Group of the Sierra Club is saddened by the untimely death of Russell H. Welch. He fought a gallant battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for several years, passing away on May 3, 2006 at age 57. He is survived by his wife Ruth Ann and sons Matthew and Scott.

Russ was the Conservation Chair of our group from 1984 through 1987, and was Group Chair in 1989 and 1990. Russ took part in most of the group’s outings and John Muir Chapter events during those decades. He was a fine photographer, enjoyed cross-country skiing, biking and hiking. Many of us remember sharing the camping, canoeing and rafting trips with Russ, on the Salmon River in 1988, Sylvania Wilderness in 1990 and Snake River in 1991.

After Earth Day 2000, the Racine Journal Times quoted Russ, “We’ve always been concerned with the environment. We want to do our part to make it better. It’s a good feeling to help the environment and the community.” Involving his sons in environment issues at an early age was important to him.

Russ was a Vietnam Veteran, Lutheran High and UW-Parkside graduate, and had been employed at J. I. Case. Besides volunteering with SEGG, he was active with Big-Brothers.
...contributed by Lila Berge

On Earth Day 2000, Russ Welch and his four year old son
helped us plant native shrubs and plants
at the Root River boat launch near Horlick Dam.

2006 John Muir Chapter Autumn Assembly: October 6–8

Southeast Gateway Group, Host

Volunteer to help -- contact any SEGG ExCom member -- see back page of the printed newsletter.

If you can’t volunteer, be sure to attend all or part of this exciting and stimulating event.


Calendar:
June 1: Conservation Committee Meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, directions or other information.

June 8: Executive Committee Meeting at the Northside Kenosha Public Library, 1500 27th Ave., Kenosha at 7:00 p.m.

June 15, 5:00 p.m.: Annual Group Picnic. Meet at the EcoJustice Center, 7133 Michna Rd., Racine. Meet Sister Janet Weyker, tour the EcoJustice Center, and learn what these dynamic ladies are doing. There is a shelter there, as well as picnic tables, so it will be held regardless of the weather. Please bring a dish to pass and your own dishes and utensils. The EcoJustice Center is on Michna Rd. between 6 Mile and 7 Mile Roads, east of Highway 32.

June 17: Chicago Botanical Garden, 26 gardens -- learn about biodiversity. Walking tours, tram tours. We will take the Metra train from Kenosha to Braeside. Meet at 8:45 a.m. Kenosha Metro and return early evening. Bring lunch. For more info contact Mary Ann Ortmayer, (262) 554-5058.

June 17: There will be no third Saturday hike this month.

June 24: Work day at Colonial Park from 8:30 a.m. to noon. We will continue our removal of alien, invasive species. Learn how to identify and remove Dames Rocket. Meet at the north entrance to the Root River Pathway (foot of West High St.).

June 24-25: Women’s Campout-Bong Recreation Area. Do you ever feel you take care of others but forget to have fun yourself? When was the last time you took time to get away? Richard Bong State Recreational Area, Noon Saturday, June 24, 2006 to 3:00 p.m. to Sunday, June 25. A group campsite has been reserved for a tent-camping and hiking experience. Open to women between the ages of 25-100. Have fun, refresh ourselves in body and mind through camping and hiking, and create a community of women in Kenosha who love these activities. This could be the first of similar events. Who knows! If you are interested, please e-mail Catherine Vervisch, at cvervisch AT carthage DOT edu or call evenings at (262) 654-0063. This is not a Sierra Club sponsored or endorsed event. Read the outings disclaimer.

July 1: Southeast Sierran Deadline. Send articles, etc., electronically by using the information on the back page, or send by mail to: Gary Zumach, 2548 Pinehurst Ave., Racine, WI 53403.

July 6: Conservation Committee Meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, directions or other information.

July 12-16: Canoe trip down the Wisconsin River from Sauk City to Wyalusing State Park or parts thereof to learn more about the Lower Wisconsin River State Wildlife Area. See the article on page four for more information and how to sign up.

July 13: Executive Committee Meeting at the Northside Kenosha Public Library, 1500 27th Ave., Kenosha at 7:00 p.m.

July 15: There will be no third Saturday hike this month.

July 22: Work day at Colonial Park from 8:30 a.m. to noon. We will continue our removal of alien, invasive species. Meet at the north entrance to the Root River Pathway (foot of West High St.).

July 29: Highway 38 Cleanup. Meet at Bob and Betty Gericke’s house, 3927 North Lane, Franksville, for equipment and assignments at 8:30 a.m. Learn how some people can’t tell the difference between a car window and a wastebasket. There will be a potluck lunch after the cleanup. Call Bob or Betty at (262) 886-9057 for directions or additional information. Our third cleanup for 2006, our 16th year(!), is September 30; please mark your calendar.

August 3: Conservation Committee Meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Drive, Racine, at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, directions or other information.

October 6-8: Autumn Assembly -- Trefoil Oaks Program Center. Watch for the registration form in the fall issue of The Muir View.

From the Chair…
by Nancy Hennessy

I love Wisconsin winters but when they end and the snows have melted away and everything looks brown, we must endure the month of March. I know that life is stirring in the cold ground and that in April when breezes are warming and buds are popping the promise of spring will be kept. But for me, March is a good time to escape Wisconsin.

This year my March escape took me to northern Florida. I spent a week on a Sierra Club Outing kayaking on the Suwannee, the Withlacooche, the Wacissa and the Itchitucknee Rivers. It was a great experience: beautiful rivers, balmy weather and an interesting group of Sierra Clubbers from California, New York and a few states in between. Over the course of the week, as we got to know one another, I discovered, to my surprise that my fellow kayakers, although well informed and concerned about environmental issues, were not active in their local Sierra Club Groups. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, though, because I know that description also fits many of our members. Although our membership is large our activities are carried out by a small hardworking group of “regulars”.

When my fellow kayakers asked what our Group did, they were impressed when I described the range of our activities. Actually, so was I. From down and dirty digging to advocating on environmental issues we do a lot! We have adopted Colonial Park in Racine where we have been cutting invasive species and planting native plants and Pringle Nature Center in Kenosha where we have begun a prairie planting. We regularly pick up trash along a portion of Highway 38. We support a special environmental education program in Racine and Kenosha Unified schools -- this year the subject was bats. We have outings that range from hikes and cross country skiing to educational field trips. We have a monthly series of programs that is open to the public. We have an active Conservation Committee that has had success in establishing a Household Hazardous Waste Collection program in Racine and is working on getting effective recycling programs for public events in Racine and Kenosha. We endorse and work for candidates who are strong on environmental issues. We publish a newsletter to keep our members informed on issues. And this year we will be hosting the Autumn Assembly, the statewide gathering of the Sierra Club.

One activity that has not received much of our time and energy is fundraising. If you are one of those members (like I was for many years) who is not actively involved but who pays their dues and likes knowing that Sierra Club is doing good work, I urge you to make an extra contribution. Write a check to Southeast Gateway Group-Sierra Club and send it to 3508 Washington Ave., Racine WI 53405. It will help to support our efforts and will be much appreciated.

Protect That Compost
by John Berge

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulations state that no yard waste should be placed in Wisconsin landfills in order to lengthen their useful life. Composting of yard waste is strongly encouraged, either at home or through a municipal program. But what about invasive alien species?

According to a press release from the DNR this spring, invasive alien species such as garlic mustard, dames rocket, thistles, burdock, etc. should not be composted but buried in the landfill. Most home compost piles and many municipal ones do not get hot enough to kill the seeds of these invaders. Putting them in a compost pile after pulling or chopping them may spread these horrible weeds into your garden or lawn, wherever you were trying to mulch or improve the soil.

Therefore, the DNR has issued a waiver for invasive alien species. They should be bagged up and labeled so the trash collectors will not put them into the municipal compost pile, but into the landfill. The SEGG Conservation Committee has printed up labels for use in the alien species removal projects in Colonial Park and Pringle Nature Center which read: “INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES, DO NOT COMPOST, PLACE IN LANDFILL, AUTHORIZED BY THE WIS. DNR”. If you are pulling invasive, alien species on your property, you might wish to print up and use similar labels.

Racine Mayor Signs Climate Protection Agreement
by John Berge

After numerous meetings and telephone conversations with the Chair of the Southeast Gateway Group’s Conservation Committee, Racine’s Mayor, Gary Becker, signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in late March, too late to get into the previous issue of the Southeast Sierran. The signing of the Agreement was formally announced in the Mayor’s State of the City address to the City Council on April 18.

The Mayors Agreement was first proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, WA on February 16, 2005, the date that the Kyoto Treaty went into effect in 141 nations around the world, but not in the United States. The Bush Administration has refused to sign this Treaty or submit it to a Republican Congress for ratification. The Mayors Agreement would do city-by-city what the Kyoto Treaty asks of its signatory countries, namely, to reduce by 2012 their greenhouse gases (GHG) by 7% below that generated in 1990. Most of these GHG are in the form of carbon dioxide, CO2.

Racine was the 224th city to sign the Agreement. Other cities in Wisconsin that have signed are: Ashland, Greenfield, La Crosse, Madison, Washburn, Wauwatosa and West Allis. Signatories include cities as large as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia and as small as Keene, NH and Cotaati, CA.

The City Attorney told the Mayor that signing the Agreement is not sufficient; the Common Council will have to ratify the Agreement, too. Then the city government will have to conduct an inventory of current and 1990 generation of GHG to determine baselines and where the greatest opportunities for reductions are. Since Racine does not generate its own electricity (at this time) and about 80% of the purchased electrical energy is generated by coal, a major dirty source of CO2, the city must first quantify its electricity usage now and in 1990. The other major source is from the fleet of cars, trucks and other vehicles operated by the city and its citizens.

The next steps will be the formation of a plan for the reduction and implementation of that plan. The Conservation Committee submitted a list of suggestions to the Mayor ranging from turning down thermostats and shutting off computers at night to more capital intensive ideas with much greater savings such as wind turbines and/or solar panels on top of City Hall or at the ends of the breakwaters and cogeneration of electricity and process heat from the methane produced by the sewage treatment process. A “greener” fleet with more fuel efficient engines can be a big part of the solution. It is expected that city staff members and others will have more suggestions. Therefore, Sierrans living in Racine should contact their aldermen to let them know what they think of this Climate Protection Agreement and to give them their suggestions. If you don’t know who your alderman is and how to contact him or her, call the City Clerk at 636-9171.

In Kenosha, SEGG officers have contacted Mayor John Antaramian a couple of times encouraging him to sign this Agreement, also. He has stated that Kenosha is already working on reducing GHG and will strongly consider signing the Agreement. Calls to the Mayor and Aldermen in Kenosha would be helpful. Are there any Sierrans in Walworth County that would like to contact their mayors? If so please contact John Berge at (262) 633-8455 or bergejw@wi.net for additional information.

Lower Wisconsin River Outing
by Lila Berge

In September 1986, a group of about one dozen canoes set out from Sauk City on a four-day outing down the Wisconsin River. Calling themselves Friends of the Lower Wisconsin (FLOW), their aim was to highlight the need to preserve the natural beauty of the 100 miles of undammed river. Led by State Representative Spencer Black, a former Chair of the John Muir Chapter, the legislature responded favorably by creating the Lower Wisconsin River State Wildlife Area.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of that event, we are planning a four-day canoe outing along the same route on July 12 to 16. John and Lila Berge, members of the 1986 FLOW group, invite canoers to join them at any or all of the overnight stops for one or more days on the river. Contact Mary Ann Ortmayer at (262) 554-5058 or the Berges at (262) 633-8455 or bergejw AT wi DOT net for details and to sign up.

Earth Day Plantings & Projects
by John Berge

The Southeast Gateway Group was fortunate to be awarded three grants for projects that centered upon Earth Day 2006. Sustainable Neighborhood Partnerships gave us a grant of $750 and Root-Pike WIN gave us a grant of $945 for the purchase of shrubs and forbs native to Southeast Wisconsin for planting in Colonial Park and a global positioning device for the mapping of alien, invasive plant species. In addition, the Group received a $200 grant from the John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club for the purchase of prairie seeds for the expansion of prairie at the Pringle Nature Center. “The Group is thankful to all these organizations for their financial support of our efforts to restore native communities in these parks. They have our deepest appreciation,” said John Berge, Chair of the Group’s Conservation Committee.

“The relatively small grant for Pringle Nature Center is, in part, a reflection of the small number of volunteers that have shown up there for work days on this prairie project” said Barry Thomas who is coordinating the work there. “If more are willing to help, please give me a call at (262) 859-2960 or e-mail me at bthomas AT wi.rr DOT com”.

But on this Earth Day, fifteen people showed up at the Pringle Nature Center to pull garlic mustard. This included three Sierra Club members and ten home-schooled middle and high school students. It was both a work project and a learning experience for the students. Even though the students turned it into a contest, we determined that they were all winners for turning out to help the environment.

On Earth Day in Colonial Park, thirteen shrubs were planted near the bridge into Lincoln Park. A Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), which likes wet feet, was planted right on the bank of the Root River. Four Dwarf Bush honeysuckles (Diervilla lonicera) and eight Gro-lo Sumacs (Rhus aromatica) were planted in the sharp curve near the bridge. These were selected because of their low growing style which will not restrict sight lines for the bicyclists and pedestrians. A variety of native forbs are on order and should be planted on May 27, our regular fourth Saturday work day at Colonial Park. Volunteers for planting and invasive removal are always needed. Training at the site will be provided starting at 8:30 a.m.

“It seemed strange to be planting honeysuckles at the same time that other volunteers were cutting and pulling out honeysuckle on the other side of the path,” said Berge, “but these are native species of the Diervilla family and the others are alien invasives of the Lonicera family. So that we don’t confuse the public, we are not putting labels on these plants as we did near the north entrance to the Root River Pathway.”

The global positioning device has already been put to work by Melissa Warner and some of the other volunteers, marking the precise position of invading clumps of garlic mustard (Allaria petiolata). While the bike path area is pretty well cleared of garlic mustard, she was able to identify more clumps elsewhere in the woods than we had volunteers to pull them. It is apparent that as we remove the buckthorn and honeysuckle, seeds which have lain dormant in the ground for years will sprout. Some are native species that we will welcome and enjoy; some are invasive, alien species that will have to be removed. There is much work to be done and the SEGG Conservation and Executive Committees have committed us to the long term project.

Thanks go not only to the granting agencies, but to the volunteers that did so much good work on Earth Day. Even some neighbors who heard the chain saw, came to investigate and stayed to work. City crews came the following Monday to remove the many bags of alien species and the cut down honeysuckle and buckthorn. Nature cooperated by giving the area a good soaking rain in the following week.

Earth Day: John Berge, left, and Nancy Hennessy, right, planted shrubs
at the Root River bridge in Colonial Park.
They were two of many Southeast Sierrans celebrating Earth Day
by making a personal work contribution.