Newsletter - April 2023 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
April 20, 2023
Take action for our environment today!
Special notice: from the deadly tornadoes earlier this month, to the recent toxic fire in Richmond, it's been a hard month for many in Indiana. We are holding everyone affected in our thoughts.
We are in the final two weeks of the Indiana 2023 legislative session. Follow our Legislative Tracker and our social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram ) to be kept up to date with any important calls to action.
In this newsletter- Earth Month activities, our Chair Julie Lowe named Hoosier Resilience Hero, take action for forests, plus all our regular features.
Happy reading!
Come and see us this Earth Month!
We are so excited to have a busy and inspiring April, celebrating Earth Month!
We hope you'll come and see Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and Indiana Beyond Coal at one of the many Earth Month events taking place in our beautiful state.
Where you'll find us:
April 21: Earth Day Education Fair at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Jasper. 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.
This year's theme is Invest in our Planet. There will be giveaways while supplies last including trees, tomato plants, and raffle drawings.
April 22: Children's Museum Earth Day Celebration, Indianapolis. 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.
Participate in special hands-on activities, and hear from local experts to learn ways you can take action.
April 22: Indy Creation Fest, Noblesville. 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Learn about local sustainable businesses, sample sustainable cooking, enjoy free giveaways, and play games for all ages.
April 22: City of Bloomington Earth Day Celebration at Switchyard Park. 1:00 - 5:00 pm.
Food and drink vendors will be present, and there will be raffle prizes for participants and attendees. There will also be an electric vehicle showcase.
April 22: Celebrate Earth Day with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College! 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.
There’s something for everyone from nature shows and earth-related craft activities for the kids, to spinning, weaving and felting demonstrations.
April 22: Purdue University Earth Day
Get out and enjoy the great outdoors while recognizing the importance of environmental protection! Contact sustainability@purdue.edu for more information.
Plant pollinators with Winding Waters Group this Earth Month!
On April 21 & 22, the Winding Waters Group will be hosting a Sierra Club Service Project all day Friday and Saturday. We will be preparing 8000 square feet of new native plant flower beds on the Columbus Pollinator Path at the Columbus AirPark.
The Pollinator Path was established last year with partners in our community working together and by a grant received from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. The Pollinator Path has been designated by the Indiana Wildlife Federation as a Sustainable Nature Trail and Columbus has also gained the distinction of Indiana's first Bee City!
We are in need of volunteers for Earth Day weekend and the following weekend to plant native flowers in the freshly made beds! The quantity of native plants installed will be roughly 3000, so we are grateful for each and every volunteer. Please sign up to volunteer here: Sierra Club Earth Day Service Project: 2nd Annual Pollinator Path Spring Planting.
Julie Lowe named Hoosier Resilience Hero!
In advance of Earth Day, Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute is recognizing 13 Hoosier Resilience Heroes for their contributions to Indiana communities and the environment.
We are proud to announce that our very own Julie Lowe, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Chair, is a 2023 Hoosier Resilience Hero!
Read our full press release regarding the Richmond fire at sc.org/richmond.
Take action: BLM open comment on proposed rule changes
Attention Climate Forests Advocates
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior is accepting Public Comments on the proposed Public Lands Rule "Conservation and Landscape Health'' (BLM 2023-0001-0001). The public comment period is open until June 20, 2023. The proposed rule will have a major impact on how the BLM manages its lands, improving its ability to engage in conservation, mitigation, and restoration activities. This proposed rule is in response to President Biden's Executive Order 14072 "Strengthening the Nation's Forests, Communities, and Local Economies".
BLM lands are mandated to have multiple “uses,” including managing resources, allowing for recreation, mining, timber harvest, grazing, and other activities. This proposed rule would add conservation to these uses. It also clarifies rules for conservation leases; revises regulations for designating and protecting Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC's); and provides a framework for programs to promote ecosystem resilience on public lands.
TAKE ACTION! Support this proposed rule change and provide public comment on the need to conserve our mature and old growth forests. Adding conservation to BLM land uses will allow forests on these lands to be restored and protected.
Submit email comments (on RIN: 1004-AE92) at regulations.gov or by mail to US Department of the Interior, Director (630), BLM, 1849 C St NW RM 5646, Washington, DC 20240 Attn: 1004-AE92.
This is our opportunity to speak up for the preservation of our mature and old-growth climate forests. Thank you for your support.
Rev. Michael E. Bean, Hoosier Chapter Conservation Committee
Sierra Club staff and volunteer leaders are passionate about getting out there and spreading the word about issues that matter to Hoosiers!
Uplands Network Volunteers (Marilyn Bauchat, Amy Henn and Greg Grant) tabled at the annual Indiana University Traditional Pow Wow.
Marilyn: "The intent of our table was to recognize the myaamiaki, Lënape, Bodwéwadmik, and saawanwa people as past, present, and future conservators of this land on whose ancestral homelands and resources Bloomington has grown and to begin conversations around this at the Uplands Network.
We asked folks attending the Pow Wow to share their thoughts on land and cultural acknowledgements and describe their personal relationships to the land. We asked how we could support those and if they were aware of specific groups we could support.
We look forward to developing these conversations further."
Top: Marilyn and Greg, Uplands Network volunteers.
Bottom: Tabling display at the Pow Wow.
Photos courtesy of Marilyn Bauchat.
Your local Sierra Club in the press:
Our director, Amanda Shepherd, was spotted at the Indiana Sustainability and Resilience Conference (ISRC) at the IUPUI Campus Center: Hoosiers gather to advance climate resilience.
Thank you to Glory-June Greiff and Aliyah Keuthan for sending in these photos.
Top: "Taken at one of my favorite nearby places to get out and walk: Falls Park in Pendleton, where one may see one or the other (sometimes both) resident great blue herons there. (Not to mention assorted ducks, songbirds, woodpeckers, and even the occasional bald age!)" - Glory-June Greiff.
Bottom: Owen county fog on a wooded backroad - Aliyah Keuthan.
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
