SierraScape February - March 2010
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by Ginger Harris
Transportation and Smart Growth Committee Chair
Via the December 2009 issue of the chapter's Missouri Sierran newsletter, notice was mailed to all Sierra Club members residing in Trail of Tears' area that their Group Executive Committee had voted to recommend that the Group disband due to the number of volunteer activists expecting to retire and move elsewhere. The notice invited members to voice their preferences for how the chapter should continue to serve their area. By the time you read this, the Chapter Executive Committee's decision will have been made at its January 24 meeting in Columbia, MO.
In the meantime, to best serve former ToT members, the 3 groups contiguous to ToT (Osage, White River and Eastern Missouri) were invited to reach out to their neighbors in ToT. As part of that effort, this issue of Eastern Mo. Group's SierraScape newsletter is being sent to members in both EMG and ToT.
At its December 2009 meeting, EMG's ExCom invited any or all ToT members to feel welcomed within EMG. As ExCom member Toni Armstrong said, "EMG outings go all the way to the Arkansas border." Cynthia Andre, White River Group's representative to Chapter ExCom, has also expressed interest in expanding her group's services to ToT residents, especially those in Howell, Oregon and Shannon Counties, since White River already leads some outings in those 3 counties.
In addition, the Chapter intends to vigorously pursue issues of concern in the ToT area, such as the National Park Service's management planning decisions for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, plus various mining and energy proposals in the area, and possible future activities of the Army Corps of Engineers related to St. John's Basin and New Madrid Floodway.
Please stay in touch, and to find out what Chapter ExCom decided to do, go to missouri.sierraclub.org, or contact the office at 800 628-5333 Toll Free, 314 644-1011 (St. Louis area local callers), or email to missouri.chapter@sierraclub.org.
Additional Information:
Map of groups in the Missouri Chapter.
2008 Missouri Sierran article, "The St. John's Basin - New Madrid Floodway Project".