Our Southeast Gateway Group and the Great Waters Group will be cosponsoring the 1999 John Muir Chapter Annual Meeting to be held October 15-17 in the northern Kettle Moraine State Forest unit at Camp Matawa near Dundee. There are many jobs that are in need of volunteers. This is a good way to meet other Sierra Club members from around the state.

Please help make this a great success. If you would like to help, please contact any of these '99 Annual Meeting Committee members: Donna Peterson at (414) 637-3141; Nita Larson at (414) 638-8632; Eric Howe at (414) 633-0086 or Stan Rosenstiel at (414) 694-2206.

Pictures of Camp Matawa may be found on our website at:

http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/wi/segg/99jmc.htm

June 10, Thursday: Executive Committee meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Ave. (Hwy 11) and Prichard Ave. All members are welcome.

June 12, Saturday: Canoeing Vernon Marsh and Tichigan Lake. Contact Eric Howe (633-0086, seggoutings@usa.net) if interested.

June 17: Picnic Supper at Pringle Nature Center, Bristol Woods Park, 9800 160th Ave. Bristol. Join us at 6:00 p.m. Bring an item to grill, plates and utensils and a dish to pass. Grills and charcoal will be available. Following supper we will hike some of the park's trails. Mosquito repellent is highly recommended. To reach Bristol Woods take highway 50 west from Kenosha and take a left (south) on County H. Follow H until it joins County C (Wilmot Road). Stay on C until you reach County MB. Take a left on MB. The entrance to Bristol Woods will be on the right hand side of MB.

June 19, Saturday: Chiwaukee Prairie Work Day. Contact Donna Peterson at 637-3141.

June 27, Sunday: Lulu Lake Tour/Workday and canoeing. Help out with the work party from 9:00 a.m. to noon or take the tour from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Bring a lunch for noon and then join us at 12:30 p.m. as we canoe around on Lulu Lake and up "Crooked Creek". There are a limited number of canoes on site available but if you have your own you may want to bring it. Questions? Contact Eric Howe 633-0086. If severe weather does not permit, our rain-date will be July 25th.

Directions: From I-94, take Hwy 20 west. Continue past East Troy until you reach Cty Hwy N going north. Keep heading north on N through Troy Center, across Hwy J, and continue to go north on Nature Road for about 1.5 miles. The terrain is hilly this last stretch, so drive carefully. Turn east at the driveway marker N9564, and follow the signs. Please visit Lulu Lake only on workdays (2nd and 4th Sundays) or for the guided tours (4th Sundays).

July 8, Thursday: Deadline for the August-September issue of the "Southeast Sierran". Contact info is on the back page of this newsletter.

July 8, Thursday: Executive Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, corner of Durand Ave. (Hwy 11) and Prichard Ave. All members are welcome.

July 17 Saturday: Highway 38 Clean-up. Meet at Bob and Betty Gericke's home, 3927 North Lane, Franksville. Call them at 886-9057 for information.

July 24, Saturday: Chiwaukee Prairie Work Day. Contact Donna Peterson at 637-3141.

This year the Sierra Club was again active on Earth Day. The theme for this year was "SPARE America's Wildlands." SPARE calls for Smart growth, Preservation, Acquisition, Restoration and an End to commercial logging on our national forests. The Southeast Gateway Group was at the Lakeview Community Center from 9:00 a.m. until noon on April 24th during the beach cleanup asking participants to fill out postcards addressed to President Clinton and Secretary Babbitt. The cards read:

"We are rapidly losing our spectacular national landscapes and neighborhood green and open spaces to logging, oil and gas drilling, over development and other threats. And the pace of destruction is accelerating.

"That's why we're asking you to "SPARE America's Wildlands"--to rescue the wildlands that remain by implementing an aggressive plan that includes Smart growth, Preservation, Acquisition, Restoration and an End to commercial logging on our national forest.

Our children and grandchildren will thank you.

Sincerely,"

A new report will be issued titled "SPARE America's Wildlands: The Sierra Club plan to Protect Our National and Neighborhood Wild Places and Open Spaces". Chapter activists have identified six nationally significant treasures and 52 special wild places closer to home. All of them are beautiful, all of them are threatened, and all of them can be saved.

The six national examples are: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska; the Maine Woods; the Everglades; the Northern Rockies; the Utah Redrocks Wilderness; and the Sierra Nevada. In each of these cases the Club is engaged in a major campaign to preserve and restore these endangered wilderness landscapes.

The 52 local campaigns are places like Humbug Marsh near Detroit, Austin's MoKan Prairie, Oxon Cove and Eagle Cove on the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in Washington State and the Eddyville Dunes in Iowa.

The Southeast Gateway Group will continue to have postcards signed and will attend county fairs, fishing contests, etc., throughout the summer with this goal in mind.

The Southeast Gateway Group (SEGG) has had a decline in calendar sales over the past several years and the fundraising project planned for last year (a run/walk at Parkside) was simply too ambitious to get off the ground. As a result, for the past year or two we have been spending more than we are taking in. This has been possible only because we had successful campaigns in the past. Needless to say, this depletion of funds cannot go on much longer. For this year, we are planning to sell wreaths and Christmas trees at Christmas time.

On Page Seven of this newsletter, bottom right, there is a form available for donations to our local Sierra Club Group. For those members who would rather donate money versus time, this is an opportunity to support the local club.

During the past year, SEGG has been active in several areas. Last summer, we were very active in the political campaigns. In November, we brought Werner Fornos President of the Population Institute in Washington, D. C., to speak at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

This year, we are continuing to be very active in:

1. Commuter Rail and other transportation and highway issues

2. Urban Sprawl and Land Use - chair, Bruce Sedloff, is collecting much data regarding brownfields and what to do in replacement thereof.

3. Ending commercial logging on Federal lands

4. Water Quality: Chair Melissa Werner is active in the Friends of the Root River and KOBO (Keep Our Beaches Open). Factory farms are becoming an increasing concern and we have participation on the Chapter level to work with this problem.

5. Wild lands Protection and Restoration

This is in addition to our continuing concern about population growth, our highway 38 cleanup, etc.

Again, if you can see your way clear to donating to the Southeast Gateway Group, the form is in our newsletter. Thank you in advance for any contribution.

The Gypsy Moth has four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.

Egg Mass: The female gypsy moth lays between 500 to 1,000 eggs in August. They are laid all at once in a mass that is covered with velvety, buff-colored hair from the female moth's body. The larva starts developing during the remaining warm days of summer. As winter approaches, the tiny larva goes into diapause--it shuts down and passes the winter in suspended animation until spring. The eggs hatch in mid-May, just in time to start chewing on new leaves.

Larva: (Also known as caterpillar) is the worm-like form of an insect. The larva is covered in long, stiff hairs. When it is very young, it is black. As the larva grows, pairs of colored warts appear running down the center of its back. The warts are red on the rear half and blue near the head.

Before the larvae settle down to feed, they will disperse through the forest by "ballooning." The larvae will climb to the top of the tree, spin threads and dangle from them. When a breeze catches the larvae, away they go, usually landing within 150 yards of where they started. On occasion, the larvae are blown long distances. This is one way the gypsy moths travels to new areas.

In order to grow, the larva must shed it's skin. Gypsy moth caterpillars will shed their skin four or five times, about once a week. It is the larval stage that causes all of the damage to trees as the caterpillars feed on the leaves. By July, the larvae have reached maturity.

Pupa: This is the metamorphic stage. Within the pupal shell, the caterpillar's body is rearranging itself into an adult moth. The outer skin is reddish-brown and may be attached by several silk threads to a tree trunk, rock or board, hiding itself from predators and parasites.

Moth: Adult stage of the insect. The male gypsy moth is about one inch long and has brown wings with black, wavy markings. The antennae are large and shaped like a feather. The female is larger, about one-and-one-half inches long. Her wings are white with black markings. Her body is covered in brownish-yellow "fur" and her antennae are thin. She has wings, but can't fly! From late July to early August, the gypsy moth will mate and the female will lay eggs. The adults die after mating and egg-laying.

When the gypsy moth population explodes, the feeding larvae can strip trees of leaves. The is called defoliation. Defoliation is very stressful for trees and can leave them so weak they can be killed by other pests which would not normally bother them. The hungry larvae feed on many types of trees, but they do have their favorites. These are the ones defoliated most frequently.

There are some trees that larvae avoid, even if they're starving. These are: green, white and black ash; red cedar; scotch pine and dogwood.

Trail maintenance work may include grubbing to remove stumps, trimming back growth, painting blazes, installing erosion control bars, clearing new trail, litter control, etc. Bring water, lunch, work gloves and (if you have them) work tools such as loppers or bow saws. Preferable clothing: long pants, long sleeve shirt to protect from poison ivy and prickly bushes, suitable footwear and a hat. Depending upon the location and conditions, insect repellent, sunscreen or rain gear may be useful.

Please call the activity coordinator to let him/her know if you plan to participate (particularly if a carpool is planned), have questions or are concerned about the activity due to inclement weather.

Monthly meetings are held at the Firstar Bank, 101 E. Walworth St., Elkhorn.

The Highway 12 parking lot is approximately five miles east of Whitewater or two and a half miles west of LaGrange.

Additional information may be found on the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation web site: www.iceagetrail.org

Jun. 5, Sat., 9:00 a.m.: National Trails Day. Small work projects and short hikes. June Wheeler, 889-4240 or Barb Converse, 473-7304.

Jun. 12 & 13, Sat. & Sun.: Hike & Camp. Hike the Ice Age Trail in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. Backpacking or day trip options; about 15 miles of moderate hiking per day. Gary Klatt, 473-4973.

Jun 15, Tue., 6:00 p.m.: Meetings. Speaker to be announced. Firstar Bank. Gerry Emmerich, 642-5641 or Nancy Lazzaroni, 248-8247.

Jun 19, Sat., 9:00 a.m.: Trail Maintenance. Meet at Hwy. 12. Dolly McNulty, 728-8351 or Ingrid Larson, 728-6661.

Jun 20, Sun., 9:00 a.m.: New Trail Work. Call for details or meet at Hwy. 12. Kangaroo, (608) 883-2825.

Jul. 4 & 5, Sun. & Mon.: Hike & Camp. Camp in Converse's back yard. Hike on the Ice Age Trail in the Whitewater Lakes area. Swim & enjoy. Barb Converse, 473-7304.

Jul. 20, Tue., 6:00 p.m.: Meetings. Speaker: Tom Warth: video and discussion of full Ice Age Trail hike. Firstar Bank. Gerry Emmerich, 642-5641 or Nancy Lazzaroni, 248-8247.

Jul. 24, Sat., 9:00 a.m.: Trail Maintenance. Meet at Hwy. 12. Vince Lazzaroni, 248-8247.

Jul. 25, Sun., 9:00 a.m.: New Trail Work. Call for details or meet at Hwy. 12. Kangaroo, (608) 883-2825.

Aug. 7, Sat., 10:00 a.m.: Family Hike-Natureland County Park. Territorial Road; east of Hwy. 89 and west of Cty. P. From 1-5 easy to moderately difficult miles. Sally Ward, 496-8362.

If you shop at Sentry Foods, ask for the "Funds for Friends" stickers to be placed on your register receipts each time you check-out (They'll only do this if you ask for one). The Ice Age Trail will get 1% back on these purchases after they receive your validated receipts. We can collect your receipts at one of our meetings or if you've accumulated enough receipts you can send them directly to: Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation, 207 East Buffalo Street, Suite 515, Milwaukee, WI 53202-5712

The DNR's proposed rule to reduce NOx emissions from Wisconsin industries has been posted on the DNR website. You can reach it in two ways:

* Go to the Air Rules Calendar & Update:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/air/reg/calendar.htm When you reach that page, look at the chart and click on "5"--that enables you to download the rule from the FTP server.

* You can also reach it through special links on the Air program's Hot Topics webpages. Go to:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/air/HOT/index.htm and you will see the following at the top of the page:

(new) DNR's proposed rule to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from Wisconsin industries (in response to EPA's NOx SIP call)

* Key DNR contacts (LINK) (this page includes links to various documents in Word Perfect or Microsoft Word format)

* Schedule of public hearings (LINK) (essentially repeats the text of a flyer sent to over 1,000 people recently, listing dates and locations of the five public hearings on the proposed NOx rule.)

Anne Urbanski

Communications Specialist

Wisconsin DNR Bureau of Air Management

PO Box 7921 - AM/7

Madison, WI 53707-7921

phone 608-267-0573, fax 608-267-0560

E-mail: urbana@dnr.state.wi.us

Air program web site:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/air/index.htm

Hi everyone, I've news for all.

First, I want to thank once more all your efforts on behalf of the commuter rail study. I put in my two bits at the budget hearing in Racine, signing a card in favor of. There were some big guns speaking on the subject when I arrived, and when I left.

But the big news is that you came and signed for it. I met four people at the door, and the young man staffing the table with the forms mentioned that a number of other people had signed for the Lake Shore Commuter Rail. So I know you came, and thank you. I also know that some of you sent letters to the Governor or legislators, as well. All of these helped.

Sustainable Racine sent a strongly worded letter, signed by some 8-12 company CEO's and the like. I'm told some are large contributors to the Republican party. One elected official wouldn't tell me what they said--it wasn't very printable!

Clearly, the momentum for the train is very strong now. I'd say it was out of our hands, but there is no telling what will come up when the study is done, in two years. The truth is that you provided the green in the grass roots, and filled the meeting rooms when that was the only way to get attention to the project. I am deeply grateful to you all.

News! Now for the new news. I spoke with a minion in the Governor's office recently. I assume this is non-published public info, as I am not on a confidential basis with the Governor. He told me that the Governor had instructed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to see if they could find the money. "Find the money," was the phrase I recall. They located some Federal Rail Administration funds, quietly sitting there waiting to be tapped! This brings them up to within $150,000 of the needed amount, which they were instructed to finish finding. They have to make official application, but the funds are now assured.

The Governor intends, I am told, to make a visit to Racine to make the announcement. When he comes, please put on your best smiles and look properly surprised and pleased. And whoever claims the credit, remember that you were the ones who did the slogging for it.

Spring is here and for some it means seasonal planting and maybe a little gardening. Soon, many will be tilling and testing their soil and buying the latest variety of plant food. Scientists, however, will be planting a new crop of their own. The plant food for this new crop is not the rich compost used in many organic gardens, this food may contain hazardous and even toxic substances.

Feeding plants hazardous waste may sound strange but scientists don't think so. Researchers are testing various everyday plants like sunflowers, poplar trees, and India mustard which may be used to actually eat metal. These plants won't feast on your empty pop and soup cans, but they may absorb toxic metals that are contained in the soil of toxic sites. With these seeds, scientists may have found a revolutionary new step in the cleanup of hazardous waste.

The characteristics that enable a plant to clean up toxic waste may have come through natural selection over millions of years. Plants may have developed the ability to retain high concentrations of metals in their tissues to ward off insects and other species that would have preyed upon them. These plants absorb the heavy metals in the ground and retain them in their shoots. This characteristic may allow scientists to then "harvest" the toxic debris for proper disposal. At times, some plants may even break down the toxic waste and make it safe for the environment.

The discovery of some of these plants has come through simple deduction. In finding plants that can live on and absorb contaminants, scientists have watched and tested contaminated sites to simply see what plants return or grow in the area. They then test these plants to find out if they have the ability to be used to "clean up" these areas.

The trick for scientists will be to find the most efficient plant. Not every plant that grows at a waste site can be used. The best plants would be very large and able to absorb vast amounts of the metals. The plants also need to absorb the metals in their shoots so they can be easily harvested--not in their roots which are very difficult to remove from the ground.

Current solutions to clean up hazardous waste are not so simple. Today's state of the art technology used to clean up toxic materials involves the excavation of contaminated soil and then burying the soil in a hazardous waste site. This type of cleanup is both time consuming and expensive. Costs can range up to up to $3 million per acre.

Unfortunately there is a great demand for the use of these new plants. More and more cities are trying to deal with abandoned industrial sites and pollution from mining and toxic disasters. These plants, however, may offer a chance for communities to reclaim their valuable land by harvesting a toxic crop and leaving behind a safer environment.

Not that many years ago, the city of Kenosha was one of the top bustling manufacturing centers in Wisconsin. Our legacy includes: wire rope, copper and brass, air craft engines during World War II, mattresses and, of course, automobiles. However, heavy industry has been diminishing slowly but surely over the last couple decades. In spite of that fact, the city has not responded to the concomitant loss of jobs by crying in its proverbial beer. It has gone and sought out other opportunities to keep prosperity in Kenosha. And we have succeeded in getting other companies to view Kenosha as a good place to set up shop and work. But prosperity comes at a price.

The price we are paying is rampant growth. Now don't get me wrong. I will maintain as strongly as the next guy that growth is necessary in order to provide more economic opportunity for the city and for John and Jane who work in the city. If the growth is carefully planned so that we know what is going where, growth can be good and it can be sustained at a steady pace over an extended period of time with minimal impact on other landowners who may be adjacent to a development. However, if growth is not planned for, and if there is no guiding vision by the city fathers, then I can pretty much assure you that you will have a problem with uncontrollable growth. That is what we call Urban Sprawl.

Aside from simply saying that urban sprawl is uncontrolled growth, however, I would like to offer a little more precise definition of what urban sprawl is, and more importantly, why we should all care about it.

One of the defining characteristics of urban sprawl is that it is growth that is not planned for. It begins on the outer fringes of a city and quickly spreads outward into "unoccupied" land, that is, land that is not developed to its "highest and best use". To illustrate this point, consider a farm field that borders a housing subdivision. Now put on your assessor's hat and describe what is the "highest and best use" of that farm field in southeastern Wisconsin? If you guessed corn, I'm afraid you won't be drawing your pay as an assessor for very long, No sir! You assess the land as if residential was the best use. That means farmers pay more in taxes in order to stay on their own land.

But sprawl costs everybody, not just farmers. Let's return to housing subdivisions for our example. A developer will try to convince a community that his or her development will bring more money into the community by raising the tax base. Seems to make sense, since there will ostensibly be more new homeowners, each of them paying taxes. But there have been a number of studies nationwide that indicate that these projects actually end up costing all taxpayers in a community more money for each new dollar of tax revenue. A Central Valley (California) study found that if the Central Valley chooses compact growth, it will save $29 billion in the cost of taxpayer-financed services over 50 years. But if growth happens in a sprawl pattern, it was shown that each of the 8 million new residents will cost $123 a year more in services than he or she contributes in taxes.

In Bowdoinham, Connecticut, a hypothetical 150-unit subdivision would have cost the taxpayers $3.3 million ($2,00 per unit) if it had been put in.

A 1990 Hudson Valley (New York) study found that development of new sprawling subdivisions required up to $1.23 in services for each dollar contributed in revenue. And in the town of Gilbert, Arizona, it was found that new residential development costs $1.16 to service for every dollar earned in fees or taxes, whereas agricultural land use costs only 45 cents for each dollar or revenue.

There are alternatives to urban sprawl. Our cities do not have to (and should not) elect to promote developments that continue to raise all of our tax bills, as well as diminishing the amount of open space we have left. One of the things cities can do is to promote "infill" development. This is the cheapest kind to support because all of the services (streets, sewers, water, power, police, libraries and schools) are already there. We've paid for them. Vacant lots and abandoned buildings or plant sites are good candidates for this type of development. If well done with pleasing eye-catching aesthetics, they can add value and an improved public perception to the surrounding neighborhood.

Another way to slow urban sprawl is to only allow high-density housing to be built. (That is, you do not allow low-density development.) The developer is either made to pay an impact fee on each unit (anywhere between, say, $2,00 to $5,000 per unit) or he is required to pay for all services. In either case, taxpayers won't get stuck for the bill. If you think this sounds like extreme tactics, look in your own back yard. The City of Kenosha now requires developers to provide and pay for all services in their projects, a practice that began with the Whitecaps development.

So wisen up, Kenosha. From now on you should look with a more critical eye whenever you see new housing or strip malls being built on the edge of town. Ask questions before it's too late. And one of these questions should be: "I wonder what this is going to cost me?"

Only 22% of the world's old-growth forest has so far escaped corporate and political greed--and, closer to home, only 1% of the world's temperate rainforest still is intact; and plans are afoot to sacrifice all the rest, and the animals, fish, plants, and indigenous people who require this type forest for survival, all on the altar of economic growth.

Now that we have seen our lovely blue and green earth from space and know that as far as we can penetrate the great unknown there is nothing but barren rock and cold that will not sustain life, is it not our moral duty to protect this earth, and not only our "tribe" but every unique and precious species on our marvelous planet; or shall we exploit them all for our personal short-term comfort and economic gain? That, I believe, is the central decision to be made by our generation--ethics or economics? The decision is urgent--and so far economics has the upper hand.

Well, charity begins at home, so let us begin with the problems of our National Forests. The Sierra Club wants all timber-cutting to be banned in our forests which only represent 7% of our forested land. Is it too much to ask that this small percentage by off limits to the timber barons?

A huge obstacle is in the way of protection of our National Forests. The Forest Service profits directly from its timber sales. In 1997 it kept $368 million from these sales for its own use and did not account for this money to the U.S. Treasury. In theory the money is spent for reforestation, but actually at least a third goes for salaries, offices, and perks. A new way must be found to finance the Forest Service. They must be allocated adequate funds for their needs (At present their budget is truly inadequate.) The Service must not be allowed to keep profits from roadbuilding and timber sales. All such funds should go directly to the Treasury.

Write your senators and representative to ask that they support legislation to change the way the Forest Service is financed; and express your hope that all our National Forests will soon be off-limits to the timber barons.

Last year the Forest Service, under the direction of Mike Dombeck, declared a moratorium on construction of logging roads in roadless areas of 5,000 acres or more--a good first step. Unfortunately, the Tongass National Forest in Alaska and the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest and northern California are not included. Moreover, the moratorium is only temporary and leaves tens of millions of acres of our scenic wilderness wide open to logging, roadbuilding, and mining.

This is one area where we can work to save what is left. Much more needs our help and concern. I will try to inform you in future articles concerning the major threats to the pristine forests in British Columbia, our northern neighbor and also to tropical forests worldwide which are slated for destruction.

In the meantime, don't buy anything from Home Depot, This commercial chain is the world's largest retailer selling products from old-growth trees. Consumer pressure needs to persuade this company to desist from its destructive practices. One can now buy wood certified to have been sustainably harvested. Look for the label.

Write your legislators, the President, and Vice-President Gore about these problems. Your letter or postcard will help to slow the devastation. Write a letter or postcard a week.

President Bill Clinton
The White House
l600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Vice President Al Gore
Office of the Vice President
Old Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 2050l

Honorable Russell Feingold
7l6 Hart Senate Office Building 4904
Washington, D.C. 205l0

Honorable Herbert Kohl
330 Hart Senate Office Building 4903
Washington, D.C. 205l0

Honorable Paul Ryan
1217 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Meet new friends and learn how you can help the Racine Community!
Call Wendy Sorenson, 633-1994, ext. 251, at the Racine Family YMCA for more information.