Please watch our Outings Meetup page for outings that may be planned after each E-Newsletter’s publication date.

Join Green Drinks KC and Sierra Club at Blue Bird Bistro

Date: Thurs., Feb. 29

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Blue Bird Bistro, 1700 Summit, KCMO 64108

Continuing our series from Drawdown , #4 is a plant-rich diet. For this Green Drinks KC is teaming up with KC Healthy Kids to give a preview of this year's Local Food Expo taking place in April. Speakers will cover the history of the Expo, the logistics of this year's event and of course how it fits with a plant-rich diet. 

This will be part of a series focusing on the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming , edited by Paul Hawken. The website for Project Drawdown has more background information on the topic. The project’s proposed solutions are available as a list with proposed actions that can and should be taken to mitigate climate change. Further reading is available at Drawdown.org , where the proposed solutions are grouped by sector.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Date: Sat., March 2

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Join Sierra Club as we work together to restore the diversity, health and resiliency of the Blue River Glades Natural Area. This remnant of ecologically significant public land is managed in conjunction with Jackson County Parks & Recreation & KC Wildlands. It is located in the heart of Kansas City providing “nearby nature” opportunities for all. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. volunteers will work to remove invasive shrub honeysuckle from the Eddy-Ballentine Trail loop which winds through upland forest to the Blue River Glade Natural Area. From 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., we will do an optional hike to see the glade.

Located just south of Swope Park, this rare limestone glade community is one of the northernmost occurrences of such a community in Missouri and the best example existing locally. Gnarled chinquapin oaks nearly 300 years old sit atop slab-like outcroppings of Bethany Falls limestone. A prairie-like flora of grasses and wildflowers provides rich color and texture through most of the year. This community is managed through periodic prescribed burning.

The glade is threatened by several exotic plant species, especially shrub honeysuckle. Please come and help so native flowers and grasses flourish again in these stunning wild areas. Trail maintenance this time of year is an advantage because there are fewer ticks but if it is too cold we will reschedule. No prior experience necessary!

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Learn More About Enriched Compost

Recently, a training session and discussion on enriched composting was offered by Don Lourie, of Colville Compost , at Kansas City Community Gardens near Swope Park. Unfortunately, at send time for this E-Newsletter, this event will already have taken place. However, we want our readers to be aware of this important activity in our area.  

Johnson-Su composting uses fallen leaves in an aerobic structure, producing a fungus-dominant residue, which can be used to inoculate soils and seeds.  The treated soils have increased fertility, with more capacity to sequester carbon and hold water for timely use. This benefits the growth of healthy plants and climate balance, and it reduces the need to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, both of which are destructive to soil and increasingly expensive. This type of composting does not include food waste and is perfect for urban households and farms alike.

This soil regeneration method receives favorable discussion in an important new book: John J Berger's "Solving the Climate Crisis " (Seven Stories Press, 2023). It has favorable blurbs from Bruce Hamilton, former National Policy Director, Sierra Club, and from John Adams, founder of the NRDC. 

If you are interested in hearing about any other upcoming composting events, please email Jim Turner at jimturner301@gmail.com.
 

Trip Report Series #10: Three Sisters Loop 

Date: Wed., Mar. 6

Time: 7:15 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.

This is an online event.

The Three Sisters Wilderness is just outside of Bend, OR - an epicenter of outdoor activity on the Western slope of the Cascades. A fantastic combination of volcanism and time has produced endless views and sublime microclimates to appreciate.

Our host Matt Verhulst will provide an overview of the trip there: highs and lows, difficulties, risks, terrain, elevation, permit requirements, maps and guidebooks, information gathering, water strategy, food storage, side hikes, gear, group planning thoughts, logistics, and more.

It will be helpful to you to have reviewed this backpacking trip online and have at least a basic familiarity with it before this talk. The speaker(s) intend to launch into various specifics of the experience and not necessarily provide a start-to-finish walkthrough.

This is not a future trip planning session. This overview does not equip you with all you need to know to be safe and successful should you plan your trip - that will require significant due diligence beginning with official sources, but this can be helpful.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP/receive the link.

March Virtual Book Club – Paved Paradise

Date:  Wed., March 27

Time:  6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Gary Brush will lead a discussion of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar.

According to Amazon, "Henry Grabar is a staff writer at Slate who writes about housing, transportation, and urban policy. He has contributed to The Atlantic, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal, and was the editor of the book The Future of Transportation. He received the Richard Rogers Fellowship from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for excellence in national reporting by journalists under thirty-five."

Many commenters seem to find the book "wry" and "a fun read."

Gary Brush is the local leader of discussion group Drinking Liberally and a Sierra Club Thomas Hart Benton Group member.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP/receive the link.

Total Solar Eclipse Backpack 

Date:  Sat., April 6 - Mon., April 8

Location:  Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas

Join us for a 2-night, 3-day backpack in the Ouachita National Forest about 6 hours south of Kansas City. Save the date for Saturday, April 6th through Monday, April 8th, 2024.

We will backpack a route in the Ouachita National Forest, camping on-trail each night. The trip concludes Monday afternoon with the eclipse that starts around 12:30 PM and ends at 3:10 PM. Totality will occur around 1:50 and last over 3 minutes! Arkansas is the prime viewing location for this eclipse.

RSVPs will open on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 1:30 PM.

Participation in the event will be limited to ~10 people.

This adventure will be suitable for adult backpackers who have their own gear but may have limited backpack experience.

NOTE: Participants will need to bring appropriate eclipse viewing equipment such as eclipse glasses.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Lobby Day in Jefferson City April 10

On Wednesday, April 10, join Sierra Club members and supporters as we travel to Jefferson City to lobby to our legislators on our key priorities of the 2024 legislative session. Our elected leaders need to know that Missourians support clean air, renewable energy, and the protection of wild spaces.

When we use our voices together to speak out on behalf of our environment and community, we are powerful. Will you join us for our 2024 Lobby Day?

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Kansas City: Speak Up for Trees, Bees, and Community Needs at 2024 Budget Meetings

KCMO will host three public meetings for anyone to comment on the proposed 2024 budget. This is residents’ chance to speak for or against any proposed budget items. There is a lot to show support for as we build on past victories, including fully funding the tree protection ordinance, implementation of the KC Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, and continuing to ensure public transportation in Kansas City remains free for all.

Welcome Back, Billy, and Welcome to KC’s Newest Environmental Activist

The Missouri Chapter welcomes our newest Sierran to our team and our beautiful planet. Maeve Murphy Davies was born on Thursday, July 13 to two very loving parents, our KC-based Senior Field Organizer Billy Davies and his wife, Dr. Megan Carlson. Maeve is already bringing joy and change to the Kansas City area with their parents joining community events and zoom calls. Billy just returned from parental leave and we are excited to have him back for the start of 2024!

Want to Spread the Word about Conservation in Your Neighborhood? Help Us Table!

We are in full planning mode for 2024! Our volunteer leaders and staff are always working to get the word out about fun outings and opportunities for friends and neighbors to get involved and take action protecting our shared future and the environment we depend on. Do you want to see more environmental action in your community and need help spreading the word? Reach out to us (william.davies@sierraclub.org) about tabling so we can work together to connect more Missourians passionate about people and the planet.