by Jonathon Meeks, Sierra Club Alabama Chapter
2017 has been a busy year in many respects, for me especially. In the state legislature, we have seen attacks on Forever Wild, and the bill for the Alabama Water Conservation and Security Act (Water Plan) fail. We’ve also seen polluters turn creeks to the same pH as bleach with limestone sewage spill across the state. The Army Corps of Engineers began a new assessment to deepen and widen the shipping channel in Mobile Bay, and developers across the state flood our streams and rivers with silt.
The Executive Committee elected me to be your chair in January of this year. It’s an honor and a privilege to be your representative. When I took on the position, I wasn’t quite sure what my goals as chair would be. Now that we’re eight months into the year, I have some more concrete ideas. Alabama and it’s 132,000 miles of streams and rivers are full of natural wonders worthy of our protection. My goal as your chair is to build the Alabama Chapter into the most powerful force for conservation in the state, feared and respected by polluters and politicians alike.
Certainly, I have big dreams for the Alabama Chapter, and I surely cannot make them a reality on my own. In order to carry out our mission to explore, enjoy, and protect Alabama we must build our power. There are many aspects to this work including: raising funds to hire a chapter director/lobbyist, increasing our outings by recruiting and training more outings leaders, and developing a volunteer lobbyist team to advocate for the Alabama Chapter in the legislature, revitalizing Sierra Student Coalition and Inspiring Connections Outdoors to provide for our future, pushing for more clean energy in Alabama, and doubling our membership by 2019 (That’s ambitious, I know!).
All of these goals are dependent on you, dear member. Sierra Club is a membership- driven organization. Membership is the source of our power. It affects everything, from our funding from national Sierra Club to our internal grants. Membership numbers also affect our lobbying power, the more members we represent the stronger we are when we represent you to our legislators in the capital. How can you help grow our power? Become a member, stay a member, and give a membership to a young person. Not only do they swell the ranks, but those who join in their youth become active members for life.
It’s been an honor and privilege to represent you so far this year, and I have no intention of letting up until the end of my term in January of 2019. During the first eight months of this year I have lobbied the legislature, testified at committee hearings, tabled at events across the state, participated in coalitions, and built relationships with other organizations. I have also been very privileged to travel to Washington D.C. to represent Alabama at the Chapter Assembly. I will travel to Washington D.C. again in September to represent Alabama in the Council of Club Leaders and to witness my friend and mentor Peggie Griffin receive the National Sierra Club Special Service Award. Thank you all for these opportunities. I have enjoyed meeting and working with so many of you immensely. I hope to see many of you in October at the Chapter Retreat. I’m looking forward to working with many more of this year and the coming year, and I hope you all will support my efforts to advance the Alabama Chapter to its full potential.