COVID-19 Update: Read about the most recent Sierra Club guidelines here.
Tennessee News
Secretary Haaland highlights president's Investing in America Agenda, conservation efforts in Tennessee visit. "Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, wrapped up a multi-day visit to Tennessee as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America tour, where she highlighted how historic investments are helping to protect, conserve and expand our nation’s public lands." Haaland visited several sites in Tennessee including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District in Chattanooga, and the new Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge in Franklin County. Read the full press release from October 16th
here.
Tennessee group takes up nuclear weapons prohibition at UN meeting. "A Knoxville group of concerned citizens will head next month to an international meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York. Their focus is the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
was passed in 2021. It makes all facets of nuclear weaponry illegal under international law, from development and testing, to stockpiling weapons. Tanvi Kardile, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, said 69 countries have ratified the treaty. An additional 28 countries have signed, but not ratified it. 'The U.S. has not signed on to this treaty,' Kardile pointed out." Read more by Danielle Smith - Public News Service - Oct. 4, 2023.
Action Alert: TVA Listening Session, Rally, and Board Meeting in Tupelo, MS. We’ve got great momentum getting our clean energy message to TVA! Here is how you can keep it going:
Sign up to speak for 3 minutes, or submit commits online, at the Listening Session on November 8. This TVA link will be updated by Nov. 2 or 3 to include a sign-up form, comment submission form, and meeting schedule. So check back soon!
The TVA Board Meeting is on November 9, and it will be live-streamed and recorded.
There will also be a pre-Listening SessionRally on Nov. 8. The Tennessee Chapter has an RSVP link on Campfire with details about all associated events, and also includes info on carpooling to Tupelo.
Pogue Canyon Creek, photographed on October 14, 2023 at the Sierra Club Fall Retreat. Photo credit: Ron Shrieves.
Retreat at Pickett State Park
By Antoinette Oleson
Perfect weather graced the Sierra Fall Retreat in early October at Pickett State Park, hosted by the Middle Tennessee Group. Over 50 people enjoyed the autumn colors on hikes led by state Naturalist Randy Hedgepath and were treated to the most amazing organic gourmet food presentation prepared by professional chefs Jim and Jennifer Threadgill. Landscape Ecologist Virginia Dale led an experiential hike through the hardwood forest.
Kate West, Sierra Club Deputy Regional Field Director, was there to introduce herself and to meet and spend time with the Tennessee Chapter members. She discussed her new position in an informal talk to the attendees. Nancy Bell gave readings from her new book Clinch Mountain Girls. A record-breaking silent auction kicked off Saturday evening followed by live music and a magnificent bonfire, providing the perfect setting for s’mores and camaraderie.
Group of hikers at the retreat, ready to explore Pogue Creek Canyon. The leader of the group is Tennessee State Naturalist Randy Hedgepath, kneeling at lower right. Photo credit: Ron Shrieves.
Environmental Updates
Anderson County nuclear site gains $13.5 million from state, feds for cleanup. "An East Tennessee site that has been contaminated for about 50 years with radioactive waste is set to be cleaned up with about $13.5 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation told Anderson County on October 9." The property was abandoned in 1972 when the company closed, and the state took initial steps to clean it up, but the remediation was not completed. Read more by Anila Yoganathan - Tennessee Lookout - Oct. 23, 2023.
The Cumberland Gap is a natural trail across the Appalachians. One little piece just got protected. "The Nature Conservancy acquired about 700 acres of private land this week near a waterway called Fern Lake, which sits inside the boundary of the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. The Nature Conservancy acquires varying amounts of land in Tennessee each year...The plan is to give this latest land acquisition to the National Park Service." Read more by Caroline Eggers - WPLN - Oct. 6, 2023.
Fish and Wildlife Service delists 21 species from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction.
"Based on rigorous reviews of the best available science for each of these species, the Service determined these species are extinct and should be removed from the list of species protected under the ESA...'Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,' said Service Director Martha Williams." Among the extinct species are six freshwater mussels that formerly occurred in Tennessee: southern acornshell, upland combshell, green-blossom pearlymussel, tubercled-blossom pearlymussel, turgid-blossom pearlymussel, and yellow-blossom pearlymussel. Read full press release from October 16th
here.
Endangered Species Mural in Knoxville, Tennessee depicting endangered freshwater mussels. Completed in 2016 by Roger Peet in collaboration with artists Merilee Challiss, Tricia Tripp and volunteers, the project was supported by the Center for Biological Diversity. The mural covered 2,500 square feet of wall. Roger Peet explained, "Mussels are the bellwethers of river health- their decline tells us a lot about how we treat our rivers, and how we have to change." Read more about the project
here. Photo credit: Roger Peet.
Health & Justice
The Dirty Truth behind Utility Greenwashing. Most utilities that pledge “net zero by 2050” are doing little to achieve that goal. The Sierra Club just released a shocking new report revealing how utilities lie to their customers to cover up their polluting practices. Read our Dirty Truth Reportto find out how utility companies are holding us back and how we can demand better. You can use the search bar to type in your utility company and see if they are part of the problem.
Environmental Protection Agency sued over Oak Ridge landfill for radioactive waste. "The Environmental Protection Agency is illegally withholding records that could shed light on why it approved plans to build a radioactive waste landfill in Oak Ridge over the objections of senior government officials, an environmental group claims. The landfill serves as a receptacle for remnants of decades-old low-level radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb." Read more by Anita Wadhwani - Tennessee Lookout - Oct. 27, 2023.
The ferocity of Hurricane Otis stunned hurricane experts and defied forecast models. Here's why. "Scientists agree a warming planet is to blame, because warmer water temperatures create stronger storms. 'Think of the ocean as the gas tank for the hurricane that is the engine,' said [Richard Knabb, the former director of the National Hurricane Center]. 'The more high-octane fuel you give it, the more it is able to accelerate in terms of its maximum speed, and the fuel they use is the warm waters of the ocean. The hurricane converts the energy in the ocean into low pressure that generates all the wind.'" Read more
by Tom Hanson, Laura Geller, Michael Botsford, Alexis Guerrero, and Josh Peña - CBS News - Oct. 28, 2023.
HBG presentation on the science of climate change.
On October 10th, HBG hosted a presentation by Dr. Peter Thornton, Distinguished Scientist and Director of the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL). In his presentation, Dr. Thornton explained observations underlying Earth system changes, how we know the causes, and what computer models can or cannot tell us about future climate change. Dr. Thornton made it clear that we are headed for many changes in weather extremes, freshwater availability, river flow and temperature, insect and disease distributions, wildfire, agricultural productivity, natural vegetation cover, biodiversity, ocean chemistry, and regional climate patterns. To mitigate these serious changes we must immediately reduce or eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Peter Thornton explaining the extreme realities of climate change.
November Events
Statewide environmental events listed chronologically.
Do you have an event you'd like publicized?
Send it to Enews.sierratn@gmail.com.
Thurs. Nov. 9 at 7:00 PM ET - Third Act Tennessee Working Group Launch. On this call, we will draw in new members from across the state, mobilize first time activists, create connections with existing groups and begin to transform ourselves from “Worriers” to “Warriors.” Third Act was founded by Bill McKibben, and this free virtual event will feature speakers Bill McKibben, and Tennessee activists Representative Justin J. Pearson, Marquita Bradshaw (Executive Director of Sowing Justice), and Emily Sherwood (Sierra Club Community Organizer). RSVP here for the Zoom meeting.
Tues. Nov. 14 at 7:00 PM ET - Harvey Broome Group Program. Safe Passage: A Way to Get Animals Across I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge.
Join HBG for a presentation by Tracy Davids, Senior Representative, Southeast, from Defenders of Wildlife. "Since 2017, more than 20 regional organizations have been collaborating to make Interstate 40 between Asheville and Knoxville safer for people and wildlife. This partnership ultimately led to the creation of Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project. This presentation will explore what this coalition is doing to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions in this vital wildlife corridor. You’ll learn what the project is, why it's important, what’s a stake, who’s involved, what activities are currently underway to provide safe passage for wildlife across this major highway that bisects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
and Pisgah National Forest, and how you can help. Event held at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Sat. Nov. 18 from 4:00-8:00 PM - Middle Tennessee Group (MTG) Holiday Party. The MTG Sierra Club holiday party is back! We’re celebrating before the holiday rush this year. Join old friends and meet new members at a celebration of gratitude for all the club’s work in 2023. The party is a potluck, to be held at the Center for Sustainable Stewardship Lodge located in the beautiful Big East Fork Valley west of Franklin. A covered dish is requested (meats furnished): last names A-L bring a vegetable; M-Z a dessert. It’s BYOB, with water, tea and coffee provided. Directions will be provided when you register at
Middle TN Group Holiday Party.
Third Act Tennessee activists urge the Bank of America Oak Ridge branch to stop funding fossil fuels as part of a nationwide day of action on March 21, 2023.
Sierra Club Defenders Need You!
Fundraising Corner with Susan Johnston
Many thanks to the Defenders who have sent in their donations to help fund the Tennessee legislature’s only full-time lobbyist for the environment, Scott Banbury. To add your own contribution to this very important cause, simply make a secure online donation here,or mail your check to:
TN Chapter Sierra Club, Attn: Defenders
PO Box 113
Powell, TN 37849
The Defenders is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization and donations are not income-tax deductible.
Species Spotlight
This month's featured species is: Juniper (juniperus virginiana)
The juniper tree has aromatic wood that is used for "fenceposts, cedar chests, cabinetwork, and carvings. Cedar oil for medicine and perfumes is obtained from the wood and leaves" (wildflower.org). Photo credit: David J. Stang / Wikimedia Commons.
Also known as the Eastern Red Cedar, this tree was designated the Official State Evergreen Tree of Tennessee in 2012.
This small to mid-size coniferous tree is widespread throughout the eastern US and Canada. It's an aggressively growing plant even in its native range; it is known as a "pioneer species," since it's one of the first to grow in areas that have been destroyed by fire, or in eroded or cleared lands.
Juniperus virginiana has awl-like leaves and blueish, berry-like fruits. The fruits aren't technically berries; they're modified cones. Only female junipers produce fruit. They are an important food source for birds in the winter.
The "berries" from a related species (Juniperus communis) are commonly used to flavor gin.
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