Jean McGraw Memorial Nature Preserve
by John Berge

The Jean McGraw Memorial Nature Preserve, a 14.75-acre parcel along the east bank of the Des Plaines River in the town of Bristol, Kenosha County, will be officially dedicated on Sunday, June 15 starting at 1:00 p.m. Because of the lack of parking and cover (in case of inclement weather) at the site, the dedication ceremony will take place at the Pringle Nature Center in Bristol Woods County Park in Kenosha County.

The Kenosha/Racine Land Trust (K/RLT) was able to purchase this property thanks to grants from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and generous donations from Jean’s son, Dennis McGraw, and other supporters of K/RLT.

“This property, bordered by the the Des Plaines River, is a natural area of local significance,” wrote Katrina Wartrip, Des Plaines Project Coordinator. “The entire property is part of a large primary environmental corridor and contains five acres of oak and cherry hardwoods and a ten-acre wetland.” K/RTL’s plans for the Preserve include “the creation of a hiking trail, a canoe launch to provide access to the Des Plaines River, a board walk and viewing platforms into the wetland.” There will also be plenty of opportunities for volunteer work in the carrying out of these plans and the removal or control of invasive species.

Jean McGraw served three terms on the Board of Directors of K/RLT, was a charter member of the Southeast Gateway Group of the Sierra Club, and served six years on the Executive Committee back in the 1980’s. But she was probably best known as our Political Chair, writer of "Your Legislative Watchdog", a regular feature in this newsletter for many years, and of countless letters concerning the protection of the environment to editors and elected officials at all levels of government.

Dennis McGraw is planning to be at the dedication ceremony on June 15. All friends of Jean McGraw, and friends of wetlands, are invited. Bristol Woods County Park and Pringle Nature Center are located on Kenosha County Highway MB, about a quarter mile south of Kenosha County Highway C. There is plenty of parking available by the Nature Center. There is a possibility that a bus from Pringle Nature Center will be available to take those interested over to view the Preserve.

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Calendar:

June 5: Conservation Committee meeting at Berges’ house, 1529 Crabapple Dr., Racine, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 with any questions, items for the agenda, etc.

June 7: National Trails Day. The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation is planning to celebrate their 50th Anniversary by having hikers, members and nonmembers, participate in a one-day Mammoth Walk of the entire Ice Age Trail. Those who want to participate should contact IAPTF at info@iceagetrail or (800) 227-0046 and indicate how far you want to hike and in which region.

June 12: ExCom meeting. The meeting will be at the Olympia Brown Church Annex, 419 6th St., Racine at 7:00 p.m.

June 14: Digital Camera Outing -- Petrifying Springs. Get out your digital camera, freshly charged batteries and the instruction manual for the camera. We’ll explore several parts of the park, learning about what’s blooming and more about our digital cameras as well. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the south parking lot, across from the softball diamond. Arrive earlier if interested in a picnic lunch -- bring your own. Questions? E-mail Gary Zumach at gzumach AT wi.net .

June 15: Dedication of Jean McGraw Memorial Nature Preserve at Pringle Nature Center, starting at 1:00 p.m. See article above.

June 19: Our Annual Pot Luck Picnic will be at the Eco Justice Center on 7133 Michna Road in Racine at 5:00 p.m. Join us for our Annual Group Picnic at the Eco Justice Center. Their web site says "The Eco Justice Center -- Rooted in Hope -- is dedicated to environmental education and care of Earth in the context of community, contemplation, creativity and cultivation". In 2006 when we picnicked there, Sister Janet gave us a tour and told us of their plans. Come and see the amazing things that have been accomplished in the last two years. Bring a dish to pass and your own dishes and utensils. The Eco Justice Center is east of Hwy 32 on Michna Road just north of 6 Mile Road.

June 20-22: Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer, Wisconsin. Whether your goal is to be off the grid or just find sensible ways to reduce your energy use, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association's Energy Fair is for you. The 19th annual Energy Fair will be held June 20-22, 2008, at the ReNew the Earth Institute located at 7558 Deer Road in Custer, WI. Offering over 170 workshops providing practical information on renewable energy, energy efficiency and all facets of sustainable living, the Fair will feature over 260 exhibitors, nationally known keynote speakers and an eclectic mix of entertainment. Saturday's keynote speaker is nationally known radio commentator, writer and author, Jim Hightower.

This year the Fair boasts a new Green Home Pavilion. Also new this year is the Sustainable Tables area that will feature a Farmers Market, sustainable food workshops and daily chef demonstrations.

Ticket prices are Adults (18-64): $10/day or $25/weekend; Senior (65+): $8/day or $15/weekend; Youth (13-17): $8/day or $15/weekend; children under 12 and MREA members are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate. Hours are Friday and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Opportunities are available to volunteer at the Sierra Club booth for a few hours, as well.

We have reserved 3 campsites at Collins Park for Friday and Saturday nights. Check the website for more information and click on the Energy Fair link: http://www.the-mrea.org . Contact Dana Huck at (262) 639-0465 or dhuck1@wi.rr.com. to join the SEGG at the Fair.

June 28: Workday at Colonial Park from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Meet at the bridge on the south end (Lincoln Park) to continue our attack on invasive, alien plant species.

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 2 & 3: Assembling our 4th of July float at Berge’s house, 1529 Crabapple Dr., Racine, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Contact John at (262) 633-8455 for details. A ConsCom meeting may follow in the evening of July 3 at 7:00 p.m.

July 4: The Southeast Gateway Group will again have a unit in the Racine Fourth of July Parade. If you would like to participate in the preparation, walking or riding, contact John Berge (262) 633-8455 or jberge35@wi.rr.com .

July 10: There will be no ExCom meeting this month.

July 19: Highway 38 cleanup starting at 8:30 at Bob and Betty Gericke’s house, 3927 North Lane, Franksville, for assignment of areas and pickup of equipment. There will be a potluck lunch afterwards. Please come since it takes a dozen people to do the job easily and well.

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From the Chair...My March Escape, or How Green Was My Getaway?
by Nancy Hennessy

For the last few years I have been doing a road trip in the month of March. I leave soon after the SEGG Door County ski weekend and head south in search of spring. This year my trip included kayaking in South Carolina, visiting friends in Florida and spending a week in Georgia at the Savannah Music Festival. I was going to do the “fly and rent a car” thing but at the last minute I added a Sierra Club service trip in the Ocala National Forrest to my southern itinerary. That meant I needed to bring a tent, sleeping bag, hiking boots and other camping accoutrements, so I decided to that it would be easier to just pack it all in the car and hit the road.

It was a great vacation: warm days for kayaking in South Carolina, beach strolling with friends in Florida, blossoming trees and wonderful music in Savannah and an interesting service project in the Ocala National Forest.

On most Sierra Club service trips the work is trail improvement and/or invasive species removal. The Park or Forest Service managers know they can count on Sierra Club volunteers to work hard on these trips -- and we did. We planted 450 trees in an erosion control project. We helped to build and install about 20 kestrel boxes in clear-cut areas of the forest. And we combed 3,000 acres of long leaf pine forest searching for nesting sites of the endangered red cockaded woodpecker. We found three possible sites. The locations were recorded, using GPS, by the Forest Service ranger who supervised the work. She was delighted to have had our help. It would have taken her weeks to accomplish by herself what we were able to do as a group in a few days.

Back home and still savoring my trip, I happened on an article in the April 29 Sierra Club "Insider" (it’s an e-mail newsletter) titled "How Green Is My Getaway?" It suggested that you might want to think twice before planning a classic road trip. The article explored questions such as "How do commercial airplanes, trains, and cars rank from most to least efficient per passenger mile?" The answer is trains are most efficient, followed by cars, and then planes. However, if personal trucks and SUV's are included with cars then cars are least efficient. And did you know that while jet fuel and vehicle gasoline both generate about the same amount of CO2 per gallon burned, the mile for mile effect of jets is more than twice that of autos and trucks? It has to do with those jet trails six to eight miles up in the air. They coalesce into clouds, which trap the earth's heat, even though they also reduce the sun's incoming warmth. Known as radiative forcing, the end result is that a single ton of high-altitude aircraft CO2 does as much damage as 2.7 tons of ground level vehicle CO2. When I was making my plans for this trip I only considered flying or driving -- and those options were based totally on convenience. Trains were not even on my list of possibilities. Well, I traveled 3,534 miles and got 37.5 mpg in my Honda Civic. That’s not bad but I was the only one in the car. Do my "green" activities offset the CO2 emissions that resulted from my road trip? Am I ready to forsake a bit convenience? I guess next year I'll have to spend some serious time figuring how to make my trip as green as possible.

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Call for Candidates…
Stop! Look! Consider! Don't skip over this because you think this doesn't apply to you. We need you. You are the person we are looking for. You absolutely can contribute significantly to SEGG even if you have never been involved with any prior committee. There are a number of current and former Executive Committee members whose first experience was as a member of the ExCom. There is a very real sense of satisfaction when you become more intimately involved in the efforts of SEGG to preserve and conserve our environment.

Four of the seven ExCom terms expire this election year. The ExCom is ideally composed of members from Kenosha, Racine and Walworth Counties. To achieve a balanced representation there is a particular need for candidates from Walworth County.

If you are interested in being a candidate, please submit your name, address and phone number to me, Barbara Meyocks, at bmeyocks@wi.rr.com or call me at (262) 654-2208 by June 23, 2008.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

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Beverly Iverson

Beverly Iverson, Publicity Chair of the Southeast Gateway Group (she was the one to notify the newspapers and radio stations of our meetings), resigned from that position because she has recently married Monte Bedford and has moved to Central, South Carolina. Donna Peterson has taken over these duties. Bev served on the Executive Committee in the early 90’s and has been a longtime member of the SEGG Conservation Committee. She has asked to remain as an "excused absence" member of that Committee so that she can keep abreast of what the group is doing on conservation issues.

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Water: Bottled or Tap?
by Laura Feider

Advertising firms have done a great job of convincing the public that bottled water is better than tap. Research by scientists suggests otherwise. The Conservation Committee decided to take on this issue in Racine and Kenosha and start a bottled water education campaign. We decided that we would come up with an appealing presentation in order to educate the public on pros and cons of bottled water. Our first venue was Sugaring Off at Riverbend Nature Center. Our most recent table setups were at the Eco-Fair and the REC Open House on May 3.

We conducted blind water taste tests using bottled water, tap water and filtered tap water. We recorded the results of peoples' favorite and least favorite water. It was surprising, or not so surprising, how many people could not tell the difference between the samples. We had more people choose tap or filtered tap water than bottled.

There were even times where entire families took the taste test. When that happened, most of the members usually picked tap or filtered tap. One of the moms said, "Well, I guess we should get rid of those bottles." It was really neat to see that we were able to make a difference.

Along with our presentation and the taste test, we are selling reusable bottles along with cozies. Lila Berge came up with the idea for cozies at one of the Conservation Committee meetings. She showed us one she had bought on her travels and volunteered to make cozies for our table. Dana Huck made some as well, and we thank both of them so much! The cozies are holders, made of fabric, which can go on a belt or over a shoulder. Some people only wanted to buy the cozies. We sold out our first batch of bottles, so Dana has recently purchased a new supply of Nalgene® bottles. We chose number 2 plastic bottles so they will not leech chemicals into the water and are recyclable themselves.

We will also be at Market On The Square, held on the second Saturday of the month, June through September, in downtown Racine. We are waiting to hear on some other locations in Kenosha and Racine so that we can reach as many people as possible. So far we have had a warm and enthusiastic reception by people and enthusiasm from people coming to our table, but it will be neat to table in a setting that gives us more exposure to the general public. So far we have been in locations with mostly like-minded individuals.

Please be sure to stop by and take the water taste test yourself if you see us at an event.

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R.I.P. Safe Climate Act
by Rebecca Eisel

To put it bluntly, the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act is dead. How did Wisconsin's attempt to join the 11 other states that have passed meaningful climate change legislation fail?

Adrienne Roach of the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters stated, "The Safe Climate Act asked for a reduction of carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. However, there were not a lot of specific details as to how this would be done. It would mostly be left up to DNR rule-making, which some people who don't support the DNR had problems with."

The 18-page Climate Act does leave the Department of Natural Resources with a lot of options on how to accomplish the goal. Emissions limits, permit trading, imposing fees, sequestering carbon, and investing in new cost-effective technologies are all allowed, but the bill does not state how any of it will be funded. Collected fees do not have to cover the cost of the new rules. This makes it easy for Representatives opposed to the Safe Climate Act to claim the bill will result in higher taxes and scare businesses away from Wisconsin -- an effective way to erode public support for any bill.

The Safe Climate Act was introduced in the Wisconsin Assembly but was defeated 52 - 46. It was not even brought to a vote in the Senate. The Safe Climate Act died when the Legislative session ended in March.

Strangely enough, the Great Lakes Compact may have helped kill the Safe Climate Act. "I think there is another reason why we had trouble with the Climate Act," Roach said.

"[Environmentalists] were also asking for the Compact and with a 'do-nothing' legislature, the Compact was probably the only environmental legislations we were going to get this session".

The Great Lakes Compact was not passed during the regular session either, but it was resurrected with a special session of the legislature that began in April. The Wisconsin Safe Climate Act is not on the agenda.

Currently the senate version of the bill is sitting with the Joint Committee on Finance awaiting action. It is going nowhere fast.

When the new legislative session starts there is no guarantee that climate change legislation will be introduced. Please contact your State Senators and Representatives now and remind them that 84% of Wisconsin’s voters support climate change legislation

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This Land Is Our Land…if we care enough to care for it
by Lila Berge

Between 1901 and 1909, Sierra Club founder John Muir and President Teddy Roosevelt became close friends as they camped and explored the Sierra Mountains together. While in office, Roosevelt established five national parks, fifty wildlife preserves, 100 million acres of protected forests and sixteen national monuments. To care for the parks, the National Park Service was established in 1916. The Forest Service had been established in 1905. By 1999 there were 378 units under the National Park Service jurisdiction.

A lot of changes have taken place as the number of visitors continues to increase every year. Unfortunately, the number and kinds of problems are increasing, too. For decades the federal budget for the national parks has not kept up with the situation. Park rangers have to deal with illegal drug traffic and border crossings, poaching of protected plants and the creation of illegal trails by snowmobiles and ATV's. Animals, like wolves and bison that are protected inside the parks, roam outside and cause conflicts with ranchers. Old buildings deteriorate and hiking trails and roads need upkeep. Development outside the parks causes air pollution and power lines detract from once pristine vistas. There are 10,000 private inholdings inside our parks worth $1.9 billion that need to be purchased, but a million dollars of the funds set aside to do this are held up in Congress. Studies of flora, fauna, and artifacts in the parks are in limbo lacking funds and trained staff.

The National Parks within the Great Lakes ecosystem have serious environmental problems. Some are related to global warming and climate changes. Last fall John and I visited Isle Royale National Park and learned we would not be able to visit one island with the 20 passenger boat because the low water level had exposed rocks at the landing. Water levels are important for the large cargo ships, too, of course.

There are 18 national park units around the Great Lakes, visited by two million people. Some sewer systems are old and inadequate, overflowing during heavy rains. Fishing and swimming has been affected. At least 170 invasive aquatic species live in the basin, and the number is growing. Congress needs to pass legislation to prevent introduction of exotic stowaways in bilge water. Toxics like PCB's and mercury remain in the watersheds decades after industrial sites were cleaned up. The Great Lakes supply drinking water to 35 million US and Canadian citizens. Hundreds of industries depend on this water. Tourism and recreation generate $15 billion annually.

Pressure is growing from water-short states and foreign countries to export Great Lakes water. Passage of the Great Lakes Compact is vital to have uniform regulations agreed on by the eight states and Canadian provinces that border these lakes. Wisconsin's governor called a special session to get legislators' agreement on the Compact. Once the remaining state legislatures have signed the Great Lakes Compact, our Congress must also sign on without making any changes. How important is the November election? WOW!

While we were at Isle Royale we learned how Global Warming may be affecting the wolf/moose populations. We met Rolf Peterson one evening at a lecture in the old wooden 1930 auditorium. From May through October, he and his wife Cindy live in the log cabin that we visited the next day. They carry on the wolf/moose study begun in 1958 by Professor Durward Allen. It is believed the first moose swam the 20 miles from Canada to Isle Royale around 1900. Within several years there were several thousand moose and they were over-browsing the forest, with no wolf predators. During a hard winter in 1949 a pair of wolves was able to cross over on an ice bridge. In a few years their offspring formed three wolf packs. The balance between the two populations goes up and down...more moose when weather favors good browse, more wolves when there are more moose. One year a fisherman brought along two sick dogs illegally. The wolves caught the parvovirus, killing all but a dozen of them. But by 2005 there were 30 healthy wolves and about 1,000 moose. However, five of the last six years were unusually hot and dry. By 2006 there was a lack of browse for the moose. Mild winters caused a surge in bloodsucking ticks on the moose, adding to the imbalance again. In 2006 there were only 385 tick-weakened moose, mostly old and not reproducing normally. The 21 wolves appeared to be very lean.

Will climate change bring an end to the 50 year study? How will this recent more "normal" winter tip the balance in favor of the moose? What other species are being affected? There are over 100 birds, 800 plants and 35 mammal species in the Great Lakes national park units. Some are found nowhere else. How is climate change affecting these species?

Places under National Park Service protection are places where we, our children and grandchildren can go to celebrate the wonders of nature and the history of our country. These are our lands and our responsibility. Many of the problems can be solved by wiser park budgets, and by electing wiser leaders to implement wiser policies and priorities ... now.

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Melissa Warner Honored
by Connie Molbeck


(Photo Caption: Front Row: Connie Molbeck, Melissa Warner; Middle Row: Bob Gericke, John Berge, Lila Berge, Donna Peterson, Carmen Raciu, Nancy Hennessy; Back Row: Betty Gericke, Rev. Tony Larsen, Jay Warner, Drew Ballantyne.)

Melissa Warner was honored with the Volunteer Center of Racine County's Education Award at a luncheon held at the Marriott Hotel in April. Melissa, among a long list of other activities, is a part-time teacher at St. Catherine's High School, advisor to their Environmental Club and Vice-chair of the Southeast Gateway Group.

At St. Cat's she has taught a variety of classes including biology, zoology, environmental and earth classes. She also teaches the importance of our environment and how to protect it with her program called WeedOut! Racine and with her participation on committees with the Root Pike Watershed Initiative Network (WIN), with the Conservation Committee of SEGG and various other organizations.

Melissa traces her interest in the environment to "fond memories of swimming in creeks, playing in open fields and going to Girl Scout Camps." She was further quoted in the presentation of the award as saying, "My family has always had a tradition of doing things that make the community better and stronger, and my talents and interests are education and environmental. These are the areas that I enjoy and where I am most useful. Volunteering is a gift from my heart."

She was joined at the luncheon by her husband Jay, her Pastor Tony Larson, her nominator Celeste Henken fellow teacher Carmen Raciu, and Sierrans, Nancy Hennessy, Donna Peterson, John and Lila Berge, Drew Ballantyne (a former student of hers), Bob and Betty Gericke and Connie Molbeck. Donna Peterson and John Berge were previous recipients of the Volunteer Center's Environmental Award.

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Logging The Amazon
by Lila Berge

The other evening we watched a Cousteau program on saving the Amazon. It is good to learn about Brazil's efforts to address illegal logging and the Cousteau family has the prestige and name recognition to bring world attention to the importance of the vast Amazon forests for global climate stability.

The demand for high quality logs comes from developing countries like the US, Japan and Europe. Brazil's export of these logs is important for their economy. However, enforcement of sustainable logging laws over such a huge tract of remaining jungle is an almost impossible task.

Brazil's economy also depends on the export of soybeans, grown on huge fields of clear-cut forest. Getting those soybeans to market requires roads. Wherever roads are cut through the jungle, for 30 miles on either side poor would-be farmers move in to clear more cropland. The logs they cut illegally are sold to illegal truckers or burned in ovens to make charcoal that is also sold to truckers. Some ovens are built illegally, others get a government permit and subsidy. Since February 25 the Brazilian government regulators have levied $2 million in fines, confiscated 8,000 cubic meters of illegal logs, and destroyed 800 unlicensed ovens, according to the "Washington Post". The 2,700 square miles cutover in August through December of 2007 represent a 60% increase since the same months in 2006. Currently the government targets only clear cutting, not the poaching of high value logs like mahogany, which are cut selectively. Such logs are sold for thousands of dollars by criminal gangs who have murdered environmentalists and native people trying to stop them.

The Cousteaus visited one reforestation project that is planting eucalyptus trees on clear-cut land. These fast growing monocultures can be harvested in six years and are shipped to paper mills. Perhaps these monocultures may help stabilize the climate better than soybeans, but what good are they to the forest creatures? The poverty of the rural people in countries like Brazil is not being improved by their governments, either. The people are not to blame for trying to provide for their families from the forest.

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Student Coalition at UW-Parkside
by Amy Furreness

I am currently the Sierra Club Student Coalition representative for the UW-Parkside Environmental Club. Recently our club, along with volunteers from Hunger Cleanup, dug three rain gardens on campus and planted them in May, as soon as the weather was favorable.

The Parkside Environmental Club was just started in November of 2007, and we are off to a great start. Currently we are trying to raise money as part of Parkside’s "Solar Challenge", a collaborative effort by the Chancellor's Task Force on Environmental Stewardship, the Parkside Environmental Club and the UWP Foundation, to get enough money to have solar panels installed on campus. Support from an anonymous donor, WE Energies and Focus on Energy means we can turn $1 into $4 of solar panels. To donate online go to www.uwp.edu Keyword: PVC. We are trying to raise $10,000 and last tally showed us at roughly $3000.

On May 2, UWP's rugby club is sponsored a homecoming dance at the Student Activity Center. All proceeds went towards the solar panels.

Next year we are looking to continue maintenance of our rain gardens, removal of invasive species on campus and possibly starting composting on campus.


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This is the fourth question in a series of seven from the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institution:

4. What is the difference between "threatened" and "endangered" wolf status?

Endangered means that the species is in danger of extinction, threatened means that the species is in danger of becoming endangered within the foreseeable future. For wolves, under the threatened status, government control trappers can legally euthanize wolves if those animals are confirmed to have killed livestock. Under "endangered" status, those wolves confirmed to have killed livestock are required to be relocated to a different area or controlled through non-lethal measures.


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Sierra Is Not For Sale
by Melissa Warner, JMC delegate

Have you seen the new line of "Greenworks" products put out by Clorox? Our very own Sierra Club has endorsed them because of their high performance and environmentally friendly composition. As excellent as they may be, John Muir and other chapter delegates are put off by the fact that Clorox paid for the Sierra endorsement.

The New Jersey Chapter has passed a resolution stating that Sierra endorsements should be above suspicion. The John Muir Chapter has joined New Jersey in supporting the "Sierra is Not For Sale" campaign. The resolution is as follows:

Resolution Regarding Paid Endorsements by the Sierra Club:

Whereas, serious concerns have been raised over the propriety of the Sierra Club accepting payment for endorsements of commercial products or companies; and

Whereas, any policy involving quid pro quo exchanges of any Sierra Club commercial product or company endorsement for financial remuneration has the potential to damage the reputation and compromise the integrity of the Sierra Club;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter formally opposes any policy by the National Sierra Club involving financial compensation for commercial products or company endorsements, and requests that any money given by Clorox to the Sierra Club be returned to the Company.

Keep up with National Sierra Club news at http://www.sierraclub.org/

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