Pennsylvania Chapter Recognizes Dedicated Volunteers

By Lindsay Delp, administrative assistant with the Pennsylvania Chapter.

Our success story has to do with recognizing our volunteers. We hadn’t had an event like this in 10 or 15 years, so many of the people we had to acknowledge were being recognized for the first time. A lot of people had the opportunity to see old friends for the first time in a long time.

To start, we formed an awards dinner committee and we sent two email alerts statewide to members asking people to officially register. The sign-up information was also circulated to club leader listservs. We asked all groups to nominate a person from their group to receive an award. We asked chapter members to submit a nomination for a lifetime achievement award. And we asked everyone to consider donating an item for the silent auction and we also had an acoustic music duo playing throughout the dinner.

Partnership with AARP Helps Stop Pro-Nuclear Bill in Iowa Legislature

Earlier this year, when the Sierra Club's Iowa Chapter wanted to stop a bill in the state legislature with nuclear incentives for an investor-owned utility, they found common cause with the AARP and successfully stalled the bill in the state Senate.

"A group of environmental lobbyists was talking one day at the Capitol about what other grassroots organization would be a good ally to oppose this particular bill," says Iowa Sierra Club Director Neila Seaman, pictured at left. "One of the lobbyists at the table approached AARP's lobbyist and he agreed to participate."

Polls showed that three-quarters of Iowa were opposed to the nuclear energy bill. But AARP's involvement was due to the immediate rate increases that were included in the bill, not because the organization was opposed to nuclear power. Still, the Sierra Club had a powerful and motivated ally.

The Iowa Chapter developed a nuclear power Web page, and the Sierra Club sent out three action alerts, each of which garnered 300+ responses. AARP members consistently took action by contacting legislators. "About 4,000 AARP members called the Legislature within two or three days of each action alert," says Seaman. "There were so many telephone calls the switchboard was overwhelmed."

The Sierra Club, AARP, and other organizations turned out at public hearings to present their positions, and they doggedly persisted in contacting and lobbying legislators—particularly senators because a similar bill had easily passed the House. Below, Iowa senators listen to public comments at a committee hearing on the bill that would have provided incentives for MidAmerican Energy to begin charging ratepayers for a proposed 540-megawatt nuclear power plant.

"While the bill's sponsors envisioned quick passage in both chambers, the grassroots put so much pressure on senators that two versions of the bill stalled in Senate committees," Seaman says. "We expect we'll have to work even harder during the next session, but if we can prevent passage in 2012, then we will have succeeded."

Movie Night Attracts New Faces to the Maine Chapter

By Bob Wuerthner, executive committee member of the Maine Chapter

For the past five years I've been hosting a movie night at the UU church in Kennebunk. We show three films in the fall and spring. The format is to show the film and then have an expert comment on the film and conduct a question and answer session. Sponsored by the Maine Chapter and the church’s social justice committee, we include coffee and dessert. Average attendance hovers around 30, but we had 100 show up for PBS's "Butterflies" program. We recently had 85 show for a speaker who talked about spending 12 weeks in Alaska canoeing wilderness rigers.

This is good PR for the Sierra Club because it gets articles in local papers about the event and we ask attendees to contact their state and federal legislators. We draw new people and the events have probably attracted new members. It's a good way to distribute our newsletter to new people.

Sierra Club Maine executive committee. Left to right: Bill Pearce, Bill Briggs, Becky Bartovics, Andy Burt, David Mokler, Bob Wuerthner, Joan Saxe, and Jim Frick.

Recruiting experts for post-film presentations can be a challenge, but that's why we have a team that works on putting our movie nights together. After a while I've been able to put together a good network, but it takes a lot of work to put this together. I couldn't sustain this program without help from our administrators in the Chapter office and Kennebunk folks and volunteers who are there to assist me.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

Sierra Club Marks 40 Years for New England

Sierra Club President Robin Mann with Chapter Chair Dan Proctor.

By Danielle Piscatelli, Development Associate, Massachusetts Chapter

In 1970, the New England chapter of the Sierra Club was established. Twenty years later the New England Chapter split into five separate state chapters. To mark the 40th anniversary, the Massachusetts Chapter decided to celebrate this milestone by hosting a celebration.

We had about 100 people attend. Included were people from all the individual New England chapters. Overall the event inspired folks to continue the work they started. There was a lot of work behind putting this celebration together. There was a small steering committee of four volunteers and one staffer who really worked to pull a lot of the details together. There were a couple of folks who stepped up as leadership donors basically covering the costs, enabling tickets to be revenue for the chapter.

One challenge in putting this together was finding names and addresses of people who were involved 40 years ago. We had to hire an intern to focus on the guest list by tracking people down. She did this by going through old, archived newsletters and contacting long-time volunteers for contacts of others.

We held a rather simple but elegant reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres and a short speaking program featuring Club President Robin Mann. There was also a 12-minute video, produced by a long time chapter volunteer, highlighting successes over the past 40 years.

One of the key lessons in putting this together was the need to keep good records and to surround ourselves with exceptional volunteers who were willing to roll up the sleeves and work. Although the committee didn't operate in a vacuum, some felt we did. I'd be more communicative to others about the planning process next time and give longer lead time. I had a worksheet with deadlines.

We overcame the obstacles in putting this event together and it proved to be a big success. The featured video introduced ten long-time activists talking about issues they were (and in some cases still are) involved with. Each effort represented years of work and, when all is said and done, it may be the power of the human spirit that is more impressive than the final score. Click here to watch the video.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

Protecting the Grand Canyon — An Organizer's Story

By Alicyn Gitlin, Sierra Club Resilient Habitats organizer.

I'm probably like you: I'm the one who will show up at public meetings and speak loudly, and I prod my friends to do the same. I will stand up and ask questions of water managers and foresters and politicians, and if their answer doesn't make sense, I will ask again.

I live in Flagstaff, Arizona—a place that's small enough to make easy connections. I see the same people at every meeting, and I rapidly realized that by being one out of the 10 or 20 people who show up to a hearing, I alone might offer 5-10% of the opinions that my decision-makers hear.

One year ago, I began organizing for Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Protection Campaign. One of my most important goals: empower more of the public to show up, speak out, and just plain participate in public processes. Easy, right? After all, everyone I know lives in northern Arizona because of our vast and stunning landscapes. Why wouldn't they want to protect them?

Persuading people that they must speak up to protect what they love is just like medicine: part science, part art, and some inherent skill; and what worked last time might utterly fail this time.

Club Partners with Veterans in Ascent of Grand Teton to Commemorate 9/11

On September 11, 2011—the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks—the Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program partnered with Veterans Expeditions of Boulder, Colorado, in recruiting and training eight veterans to summit the Grand Teton in Wyoming.

Stacy Bare, Military Families and Veterans Affairs Representative for the Sierra Club, helped train the climbers and accompanied them on the ascent of the Grand Teton. A former U.S. Army Captain and Bronze Star recipient, Bare served in Bosnia and Iraq, and spent time as a civilian explosive ordnance disposal technician in Angola and the Republic of Georgia.

Bare was serving in the Individual Ready Reserve when he was called back to active duty in late 2005. He was the Director of National Programs for Veterans Green Jobs before starting Veterans Expeditions. That's Bare pictured above, and below at center with other members of the Grand Teton expedition. The Grand Teton is the second peak from the right in the background.

Here is Bare's account of the expedition:

The program started four months before the actual climbing event through outreach to the military and veteran community to get them hiking and working towards the summit attempt of the Grand Teton. The team trained all summer in the Colorado high country with Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides of Boulder, and in Wyoming with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. The training paid off with an efficient team effort on summit day.

This team of veterans had endured the hardships of military service, fought through the struggles of a difficult transition back to civilian life, and climbed with the thoughts of all those who could not join us. The fallen, the broken, the suffering, were all there with us in our hearts.

We climbed for all those who have suffered as a result of 9/11/01. We climbed with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, prosthetic legs, missing fingers, and broken bodies disabled by roadside bombs. We climbed so that other veterans would be motivated to get off the couch and regain that fire again. We climbed to reverse the negative statistics that plague the veteran community. We climbed to raise our arms on the summit and bring a positive experience to this difficult day in our nation's history.

Coal Ash and Environmental Justice in Oklahoma

Standing in front of a coal ash pit. From left to right: Sierra Club Oklahoma Chapter Treasurer Rick Wicker, Chapter Chair Charles Wesner, Stephanie Jordan, Chapter Vice Chair Jody Harlan, Nancy Cain, and Executive Committee Member Rodney Boegel.

By Jody Harlan, Oklahoma Chapter Vice Chair

One way in which we've battled coal ash here in Oklahoma is by tying the message of this destructive practice to environmental justice. The Oklahoma Chapter produced a professional video about the negative health impacts of the coal ash dump site in Bokoshe, Le Flore County, that is causing cases of asthma and cancer.

Bokoshe-In the Air We Breathe from Jar of Grasshoppers on Vimeo.

The video is used at monthly presentations to a class of recycling technicians at a large non-profit organization. The majority of the class members are African Americans who are sometimes inspired by the environmental-justice message to attend monthly Sierra Club group meetings.

There are four to ten people in each class. Everyone is much more interested in what I have to say about the Sierra Club when the video is shown because of the messages included about environmental justice. The video has helped with Sierra Club Oklahoma in connecting with participants in the program who are primarily African American. My presentations are scheduled during the same week as Sierra Club Oklahoma's Cimmaron Group meetings in the western part of the state, to encourage students to attend the meetings.

Coal ash pits look like mountains on naturally flat land.

When reaching out to other groups and giving presentations, video such as this one improve our communication with others who may not have heard of the Sierra Club or to those who might otherwise be bored. The video has spread and several other chapters are showing it.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

Working with Religious Groups for Environmental Justice

   

By Rev. Bob Murphy, Vice Chairman of the Cape Cod and Islands Group, Massachusetts Chapter

For the past ten years, the Cape Cod and Islands Group has worked with congregations on the coast of Massachusetts to promote environmental justice. Attention has focused on energy issues, water, wastewater, and food issues. The emphasis is on reaching low-income people, racial and ethnic minority groups, and the elderly.

What does the group do? For energy, it has co-sponsored three regional conferences about energy and organized religion, energy use, and the needs of low-income people. Support is provided for community programs that include fuel assistance and conservation services for renters. The Cape Cod and Islands Group supports organic community gardening and local food pantries.

Fishing is important in many religious traditions and it's especially important on Cape Cod.  Working with community and religious groups, local Sierra Club volunteers have developed saltwater fishing expeditions as fundraisers to help support community food pantries and community gardens. This was the fourth year for our fundraising expedition. Free tickets are distributed so that a variety of people can join the expedition.

Why fishing? Like community gardening, fishing is a popular outdoors activity for all sorts of people. On Cape Cod, it's part of our culture. When local Sierra Club people talk about environmental justice and local food production, we include fishing and shellfishing in the discussion because we're concerned about the ocean's future.

Working with religious groups, our Sierra Club group has been able to develop the environment justice concept and we've made it clear in our area that the Sierra Club supports environmental justice. Our resources are limited and we've never had more than four to six people active with this continuing work, although some projects -- like community gardening -- have had as many as 100 volunteers involved. This is a model for Sierra Club groups that want to work with religious organizations to promote environmental justice.

Rev. Bob Murphy.

Major factors in our success have been our commitment to environmental justice, the ability to work with a variety of religious groups, the willingness to try new strategies, and the continuing support of some hard-working volunteers.

Explaining environmental justice continues to be a challenge. Working with different religious organizations is also a challenge. It's important to put old prejudices aside and listen to local leaders. Keep in mind that "all politics is local." What's appropriate and helpful in one region may not be useful and appropriate in another region. What's appropriate and helpful in one region may not be useful and appropriate in another region. Fishing and gardening are part of our Cape Cod tradition, some environmentalists don't fish and some don't garden. If diversity is your goal, look around and note the outdoors activities that are popular in your community. Look for the places where you can find common ground with your neighbors.

Rev. Bob Murphy has been active with the Sierra Club for over forty years. He received a Special Service Award from the national Sierra Club on September 23rd. Bob is the Unitarian Universalist minister in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

While Fighting the Wall, the Borderlands Team Makes Connections

By Dan Millis, Borderlands Team and Conservation Program Coordinator, Grand Canyon Chapter.

In August 2010, members of the Borderlands Team converged in San Diego for several days of strategizing, lobbying, outreach, and border wall touring. We met with lawmakers, we saw the impacts of border walls on the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area, and we met with local groups and conducted a screening of our border film Wild Versus Wall.

We were able to raise the profile of the Borderlands Team within the San Diego Chapter, local NGOs, lawmakers, and the public. Eight team members, a half-dozen local community leaders, some members of the press, and several representatives of the local activism community attended the various events. We also had one or two dozen members of the public show for the film screening.

Lots of preliminary planning and outreach ensured that the events were well-attended and that key people from the local area would be there. At one point we had some trouble getting access to one of the meeting places we had arranged, so we instead met in a scenic outdoor park!

One key lesson learned is that outreach and coordination with other interested parties in key regions is essential to building legitimacy and rapport. Putting yourself out there, talking to others, listening to their ideas, and following up with them are all important.

If possible, we need to spend time getting more first-hand experiences at the point of impact. For example, we should've toured the Tijuana Estuary and adjacent impacted areas, but we only had time for Otay Mountain Wilderness Area. Check out the Borderlands Team on the Activist Network.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.

Angeles Chapter Helps Navigate Outings

By Bob Myers, Angeles Chapter Navigation Chair

One success story for the Angeles Chapter has to do with our cross-country outings and the leaders who have to pass a navigation training course and become proficient in map and compass skills. To ensure that this requirement does not become a roadblock to potentially new leaders, we offer at least nine practice days a year. And these outings are open to already certified leaders to refresh their skills. We had a total of 122 participants in 2010. A total of 69 attempted the checkoff course with 62 percent passing.

The Angeles Chapter Outings program has always been strong. We've been doing navigation checkoffs for many decades, since the 1970s. Our Leader's Reference Book was first produced in 1973. We are now on the 17th edition, released in 2009. Each of my predecessors did an excellent job in teaching navigation to our leaders. Following in their footsteps, we modernized our materials and we are now offering expanded training opportunities. One reason for the success is that, by offering so many opportunities during the year, prospective leaders can attend events for practices and then checkoff at a later event. All participants receive the following materials: a 100-question exam to complete at home; a homework assignment to plant a route; and a 12-page guide of navigation hints.

We continue to refine our materials and offerings. We've begun to focus on micro-navigation skills and time management issues. We travel up some gullies, which are almost imperceptible on a map, teaching participants to look for very fine features on the map. In addition, along the way, all participants are belayed up a third-class chute to demonstrate what happens to trip time estimates when you use a rope.

This workshop is in the Wonderland of Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park, a huge maze of rocks. In February, I led a trip in the Wonderland of Rocks where a one-mile segment took five hours.

Our outreach includes email, trip announcements in Chapter publications, and my regular column in the Hundred Peaks Section newsletter.

The leaders on our navigation team are very talented and, more importantly, are a fun group to be around. We all share a common interest in helping prospective leaders succeed so that the Chapter's vibrant outings program continues long into the future.

Have a success story to share? We'd like to hear about it. Go to the Success Stories project on the Sierra Club's Activist Network and let others learn from your experience.