Newsletter- October 2021 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

 

Happy fall from Sierra Club!
 
Black text Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter banner with green pine tree logo image
Hi Supporter,

Welcome to fall! It’s taking a while for the leaves to change color, but the temperature outside is slowly but surely falling... even if the leaves, so far, are slow to!

Here at the Hoosier Chapter, we love fall. It’s such a beautiful time of the year to get outdoors, especially in Indiana where we are blessed with awesome forests to witness the autumnal colors in all their splendor. Fall is also the time when many folks celebrate Halloween, Samhain, and other similar holidays and festivals. This has us thinking about one of the most iconic creatures of this time of year- the bat. But why do our thoughts turn to bats at this time of the year? Wildlife biologist Giorgia Auteri, daughter of Sierra Club volunteer leader Rebecca Lorenz, explores just that question in her video on YouTube,  It’s the Battiest Time of the Year! Why is That?

Bats are a source of fascination for Indiana musician and artist Stuart Hyatt, too. In fact, he created an entire album based on field recordings of bats. As Stuart says in this New York Times article, “Bat noises are like bird songs, just in a register no one can hear. I wanted to bring out the musicality in their voices.” He also wanted to bring attention to the plight of the Indiana bat , a species which has been on the endangered list for over half a century.

Another bat local to our state is the northern long-eared bat, who also seem to be becoming less common. You can find out more about them from our friends at Indiana Forest Alliance, who work hard to preserve the habitat of this bat and many other species.

So, what can we do to help our bat friends? The US Fish and Wildlife service has a great list of tips. We can plant native trees and pull invasive species like honeysuckle to provide bat habitats, as researchers from Purdue and Indiana State University recommend in this Indy Star article. And, we can continue to fight for our forests, and for clean air and land to give them the best chance of survival. 
If you’d like to donate to the chapter, including our conservation efforts, you can do so here.
We have a packed newsletter for you this month! Highlights include an interview with local author Michael Stafford, news of an event our Winding Waters Group is hosting on watersheds, and how to take action to combat air pollution. We also have a lot to celebrate- Columbus becoming Indiana's first Bee City, youth activist Rahul Durai receiving a prestigious award, and welcoming a new outings leader, Paul Fuchs. Read on for all this, as well as our usual recommendations feature and some beautiful readers' photographs.
 

Podcast with local author Michael Stafford

As Hoosier Chapter Chair, I wanted to let you know about this podcast interview with Indiana author, Michael Stafford. We talk of how we met earlier this year while taking action against the Indiana “Anti-Wetlands bill”, Senate Bill 389, and the importance of protecting the environment. 

Michael and I met during a volunteer phone banking event when I was calling Indiana voters to discuss the “Anti-Wetlands” bill. It was late March, 2021 and the Indiana State Legislature had not heard a single environmental bill but was about to hear SB 389. Now Indiana law, it was a bill that was anything but “pro-wetlands”. Hoosier Chapter members had been emailing and calling the chapter office communicating outrage and opposition to this biased partisan bill that would benefit the Indiana Home Builders Association and the authors of the bill. It was during one of these calls that Michael asked what he and his wife Susie could do to help. In short, Michael and I decided to record this podcast and share it with our Hoosier Chapter members and friends. We hope you enjoy it!

Julie Lowe, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and Winding Waters Group Chair.
A white, clean-shaven man with short brown hair and wearing a Colts t-shirt, stands with his dog, smiling for the camera. Behind him you can see there are trees in the distance and also what looks like a meadow.
Photo courtesy of Michael Stafford. Learn more about his books at  johnmichaelstafford.com
Graphic showing the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter logo, with the text Stronger Together. Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Chair, Julie Lowe, in conversation with Indiana Author Michael Stafford. On Spotify Now!

Columbus, IN Becomes First Bee City USA Affiliate in Indiana

Four years ago, members of the Sierra Club Winding Waters Group met with me to discuss plans for a “Pollinator Park” in Columbus. Both Sierra Club and the park committee shared the common goal of increasing native plants in Columbus.

Fast forward to the present, when, thanks in large part to the advocacy of the Sierra Club and other environmentally focused groups, Columbus has become the first Indiana affiliate of Bee City USA as of September 2021. Columbus City Council voted unanimously to accept the resolution to make the city’s commitment official.

Read the full story on our blog here.

Eric Riddle
Secretary and Program Co-Chair for the Sierra Club Winding Waters Group
 
A group of folks are spread out by a large patch of green and yellow plants. They look like they're either weeding or planting as they're kneeling or sitting and wearing gardening gloves. The sky is blue and they're smiling at the camera as they work. There are also a few people in the background waving.
Members of Columbus Pollinator Committee, Sierra Club, and Americorps at Blackwell Park at monthly volunteer event. Photo courtesy of Eric Riddle.

Celebrating Youth Climate Activist Rahul Durai

“Duke Energy has a choice: It can choose to keep polluting our planet and our communities, or it can choose to protect a livable future for Indiana. We are firmly telling Duke that we, the people of Indiana, want a livable future!” 

- Rahul Durai (right), 2021 Sierra Club Emerging Changemaker of the Year Award Recipient

Last year, 15-year old student activist, Rahul, helped found Confront the Climate Crisis, a youth-led organization dedicated to propelling Indiana forward on climate action and environmental justice, while holding our elected leaders accountable.  

We’re thrilled Rahul stepped in as a leader with the Greater Lafayette volunteer team on the Beyond Coal Campaign.
A young Indian American man with dark hair is speaking into a microphone at an event. He is wearing a red jacket and a blue t-shirt on which you can see some of the letters of the Repower Indiana logo.
Photo: Elina Gorenstein, Confront the Climate Crisis
Further reading: WBAA Radio — Indiana Beyond Coal Campaign calls for Duke Energy to transition to 100% renewable energy.

To learn more about and to support the work of Rahul and Confront the Climate Crisis, please visit confronttheclimatecrisis.com 
Recently, Rahul spoke at the Get Moving Duke Press Conference hosted by the Beyond Coal Campaign at the Pedestrian Bridge in Lafayette. The purpose of the event was to expose Duke Energy as Indiana’s worst climate polluter and to call on the utility to move beyond fossil fuels and transition to affordable, renewable energy as part of their 20-year energy planning process. The company is expected to debut their plan in the coming weeks. Rahul was joined at the event by State Rep. Chris Campbell, West Lafayette (WL) Councilwoman Kathy Parker, WL Utility Dir. Dave Henderson and Susan Schechter, owner of Virtuous Cycles. The Wabash River provided an important backdrop to signify the tie-in of Duke’s Gibson Super Polluter plant, also located along the Wabash, and the necessity of protecting our freshwater resources.

Congratulations again Rahul for receiving the Emerging Changemaker of the Year Award!

Ashley Williams, Indiana Beyond Coal Organizing Representative.
 

Take action- Tell IDEM to Hold Polluters Accountable

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is seeking comments on its draft regional haze plan, a do-nothing plan that fails to impose any pollution reductions on any polluters.

The goal of the regional haze part of the Clean Air Act is to protect visibility at our national parks. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the national park most impacted by Indiana polluters, but of course Hoosiers are impacted by their pollution too. The same types of pollution that cause haze--sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides/ozone--also cause serious public health problems. In this draft plan, IDEM has failed to reduce harmful air pollution from Duke's Gibson County Super Polluter, US Steel in Gary, and Alcoa Warrick's high polluting aluminum plant in Warrick County, among others. IDEM’s whole plan is designed to defend not requiring anything from Indiana polluters.

Interested in doing more and testifying at the upcoming hearing on October 28? Reach out to Amanda at amanda.shepherd@sierraclub.org.
   
Click here to tell IDEM to Hold Polluters Accountable

Upstream, Downstream: Sharing the Watershed

Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter, Winding Waters Group, is excited to announce the upcoming event, Upstream, Downstream: Sharing the Watershed. Attendees will be connected to Indiana Humanities’ Unearthed theme, which helps Hoosiers explore how the environment shapes us and we shape it. We are delighted to welcome speaker Phillip Anderson (ReThink Consulting and IUPUI) to present at this event, which will be held on November 9, at Decatur County REMC and online.

In this talk, Phillip Anderson encourages attendees to consider this question in their own life and locality: “How do my actions affect the ways other people interact with the watershed?” 

One of the biggest challenges Indiana’s rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands face does not come from big industrial pollution but rather pollution that can come from our construction sites, our parking lots, our farms, our roads, and even our own backyards. Every Hoosier can help to protect Indiana’s watersheds. That is why we are so excited to host this event. We hope you can join us!

Julie Lowe, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and Winding Waters Group Chair.
Date & time: Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 7 to 8 pm (Doors open at 6:30)

Location: Community Meeting Room, Decatur County REMC, 1430 W. Main Street, Greensburg, IN 47240 and online.

FREE & open to the public. 

Register: sierraclub.org/indiana/upcoming-events-and-outings
Indiana Humanities logo. The words are written as indiana humanities (all lower case) with the word human in humanities highlighted green and the rest of the text black. The words are in a circle made of green and black lines.

Welcome Paul Fuchs, new outings leader

We are pleased to welcome Paul Fuchs as a new outings leader with Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter!

To become an official hike leader with the club, it is a requirement is to organize and lead a hike. Paul chose Fort Harrison State Park as a perfect location for an early fall outing, and gave a great trailhead talk.

For more information about our outings program, or if you're interested in becoming an outings leader, contact chapter chair Julie Lowe, at j_lowe66@yahoo.com
A group of 6 young people are standing in a group and smiling at the camera on a hike. You can see tall trees in the background and the sun is peeking through them.
L-R, Paul Fuchs, Alan Pineda, Joe Warner, Ian Bretz, Jesse Kirkham, and Annie Bretz. See more photos from Paul on our Instagram.
 

Readers' photos

We have a lovely variety of readers' photos to share with you this month!

Top: "This is a green frog that has lived in this pond for over 3 years. He was raised as a tadpole and always sits in the Arrow Arum everyday. Although not an uncommon species it gives me hope of reclaiming wildlife marshes and habitat very easily. He also overwinters every year and fascinates me after a harsh winter that he is able to spring back". - Neal Dake.

The second photo is from our own Chair, Julie Lowe. She says, "forget-me-nots are my favorite, and I took this photo at Spring Mill State Park in August while there for our family reunion. So delicate!"

Lastly, a photograph from outside Indiana- reader Cheryl Milchak sent this from Rachel Carson Reserve Beaufort, North Carolina. She has named this photo Grazing on the Marsh.

Thank you so much to Neal, Julie, and Cheryl for sending these photos in!

Do you have a photograph of Indiana nature that you would like to share?

We'd love to see it and perhaps feature it in a future newsletter!

Use the button below or email 
rebecca.dien-johns@sierraclub.org
 
I have a photograph to share
A green frog in a pond. The plants around it are a beautiful bright green color, and the front of the frog's face matches them perfectly.
A small cluster of forget-me-not flowers. The petals are white with the slightest hint of blue. The middles are yellow with a dark dot in the middle.
A brown horse grazes on some short grass in what looks like a wetlands area. There are also a couple of white birds- maybe ducks- to be seen behind the horse. The sky is pleasently hazy.

Our recommendations - what we've been reading this month!

From Indiana:
Power Companies, Cities, Advocacy Groups Negotiate Agreement to Shutter Rockport “Super Polluter” Plant (Indiana Environmental Reporter)
Black bear sightings on the rise in Indiana (WTHR)
How a student “climate strike” could lead to changes in Indiana law (WIBC)
Op-Ed: Climate change is scary. When a fresh wave of climate grief comes, I hit the dirt.(Indy Star)
OPINION: Indiana is leading the way to environmental Armageddon (Indiana Daily Student)
An old can of paint or bottle of pesticides: How to dispose of toxic household items(Indy Star)
Letter from Michiana: U.S. Steel does it again (Nuvo)
Groups to EPA: Reduce harmful smog or we'll sue (Indiana Public Media)
Scrub Hub: Are trees in Indiana bypassing fall and dropping their leaves early? (Indy Star)
Environmental Resilience Institute organizes ‘I Am #HoosierResilient’ video contest (Indiana Daily Student)
Executive director Jesse Kharbanda steps down from Hoosier Environmental Council (Indy Star)
Customers voice cost, climate concerns at CenterPoint Energy rate hike hearing (Evansville Courier & Press)
Indiana Beyond Coal Campaign calls for Duke Energy to transition to 100% renewable energy (WBAA)

From the rest of the country and beyond:
‘What is this if not magic?’ The Italian man living as a hobbit(The Guardian)
How to Talk About Climate Change Across the Political Divide (New Yorker)
Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, The Wildly Popular 'Black Forager'(NPR)
Does Nature Have Rights? A Burgeoning Legal Movement Says Rivers, Forests and Wildlife Have Standing, Too (Inside Climate News)
A Friday for the Future: The Global Climate Strike May Help the Youth Movement Rebound From the Pandemic (Inside Climate News)
The transformation of Greta Thunberg (The Guardian)
UN declares access to a clean environment a human right (Reuters)
Want better talks with your kids? Take them outside (National Geographic)

From Sierra Club:
Budget Proposal is a Big, Bold Investment in the Outdoors
The Sierra Club and the YMCA: Coming Together for Veterans
An Invitation to Save the Planet by Ending White Supremacy
Global Climate Strike in Pictures
Podcasts That Make the Climate Crisis Personal

What have you been reading, listening to, or watching lately? We'd love to hear from you. Use the button below or email rebecca.dien-johns@sierraclub.org
I have a recommendation!
That's everything for this month! To stay up-to-date with our chapter goings on between newsletters, you can follow us on social media at the links below so you don't miss a thing. We hope you've enjoyed reading this newsletter as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

Until next time,

Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
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