By Pat Beaudet, Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, Sylvanian Newsletter Team
The Lake Erie Group (LKE) in northwestern Pennsylvania (NW PA) serves Erie, Clarion, Crawford, Forest, Venango, and Warren counties. It is bordered by two environmentally important assets: Lake Erie and the Allegheny National Forest (ANF). Founded in 1980, it is the smallest group in the Pennsylvania chapter (800 members). Chuck Benson joined 23 years ago and is the current chair of 8 years. He notes that LKE has maintained a 10-person ex-com which meets bimonthly to discuss conservation issues and plan a variety of activities to keep its members engaged.
When asked what the group's primary conservation issues of concern were, Chuck answered that at this time, maintaining the environmental health of Lake Erie and opposing the build-out of the plastics industry in NW PA were the top two issues. LKE frequently joins forces with other environmental groups such as PennWest, Audubon Society and others in its various campaigns.
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the smallest of the five Great Lakes. It takes its name from the Erie or Eriez tribe who lived along its southern shores. Through public outreach and letters-to-the editor, LKE volunteers address water quality issues. Some examples include pollution created by effluent coming from the Hammermill Plant and International Paper, Erie Coke plant's violation of EPA regulations, and cleaning up the Presque Isle Bay channel. The siting of wind mill turbines along the lake created a dilemma for the group: Support clean energy production or protect the annual bird migration that passes through the area. LKE ultimately opposed the turbines. On a positive note, pollution has been controlled enough to support a robust fishing industry.
IRG Plastics "Recycling" Plant
International Recycling Group (IRG) plans to build a plant for processing waste plastic on a 25-acre “Opportunity Zone” site between 10th Street and East Lake Road. The site was owned by International Paper (IP). The plant will have a sorting facility of waste plastic products that IRG calls “recycling”. LKE opposes building the plant. IRG has proposed to truck 250,000 tons of plastic garbage into Erie annually. The materials would be sorted and then transported off-site to be used as fuel. NO RECYCLING is involved. Based on the well-considered positions of the Sierra Club nationally and in Pennsylvania, the Lake Erie Group cannot support the IRG proposal. LKE's position is that any purported benefits accrued from such a plant are far outweighed by the long-term ill effects. In light of the climate crisis and air pollution, Erie's industrial legacy (steel/coal) should not be carried forward. Plastics in any form must be eschewed in favor of a clean energy economy.
A third issue of concern is controlling sprawl. LKE proposes that sprawl can be reduced or eliminated by revitalizing existing infrastructure on the city's brownfields.
Programs & Events
In addition to outings such as hiking and biking, LKE holds speaker events at local universities. Recent topics included dormant wells, wildlife (bees and snakes), and gardening techniques. The annual cleanup on Saturday, April 15th, 2023 in Waterford PA, was a big success! Volunteers picked up several bags of trash, and the PA Game commission helped haul it all away. On a rainy Earth Day 2023, the group planted several crab apple trees along Liberty Street in Erie with help from students at Gannon University. Ex-com member Diane Christin Esser leads the group's "Plant It Forward" campaign.
Executive Committee
A Sierra Club group is only as good as the people who step up to lead it. Therefore, we thank and acknowledge the people who serve on LKE's Executive Committee. And kudos to LKE for 43 years of protecting the environment!
Chuck Benson - Chair
John Vanco - Vice Chair
Diane Christin Esser - Secretary
John Paul Rossi - Conservation Chair
Paul Burroughs - Treasurer
Tom Hiegel
Dean Eichen - Outings Chair & Political Chair
Ken Fromknecht - Programs Chair
Bruce Arkwright
This blog was included as part of the June 2023 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!