- Most recent information appears in chronological order below based on date.
- Items with Bold Stand-alone Header (such as the 11/8/19 entry) directly relate to the Sierra Club and/or the Arkansas Chapter. Other items (such as the 11/18/19 entry) may be of interest to readers.
Contents: Selected items have been linked; for others, scroll down to indicated date.
News-2020 | | News-2018 | News-2017 | News-2016 | News-2015
Index of 2019 News:
12/19/19 - Th - Conservation Easement in NW Arkansas
12/11/19 - W - SIERRA CLUB'S "Speak Up Arkansas" RADIO PROGRAM
12/11/19 - W - Dicamba - LR - Public Hearing
11/30/19 - Sa - Dicamba - Deadline for Written Comments
11/21/19 - Th - Fayetteville - Arkansas Energy Future Forum
11/20/19 - W - LR - "The Clean Energy Revolution: It's All Happening" - Glen Hooks
11/20/19 - W - Conway - Clean Air & Energy: A Turning Point - Glen Hooks
11/18/19 - Roger Mangham, formerly with TNC, new deputy director of AGFC
11/17/19 - Chronic Wasting Disease Testing
11/13/19 - W - Sierra Club's "Speak Up Arkansas" Radio Program (Glen Hooks)
11/12/19 - T - Fayetteville Markham Hill Development Discussion
11/8/19 - Arkansas Environmental Summit
11/2/19 - CAG Outing - Ouachita Trail Maintenance - Trip Report
10/15/19 - CAG Meeting - Josh Davenport
10/3/19 - Web Site Change/Update
9/18/19 [date posted] - Buffalo River Watershed Update
9/17/19 - CAG Meeting - Speaker: Richard Mason
9/10/19 - Trump EPA's Plan Will Lead to Dirtier Air for Arkansas
9/10/19 - Sierra Club & NPCA Disappointed in Trump EPA's Dirtier Air Plan for Arkansas
9/3/19 – NLR - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
8/5/19 - EPA Appoints Ken McQueen as Region 6 Administrator
7/31/19 - Su - Arkansas River Flooding [update]
6/26/19 - W - Arkansas River Flooding Update
6/13/19 - Buffalo River Watershed - State strikes deal
5/30/19 - Th - Arkansas River Flooding Update
5/26/19 - Su - Arkansas River Flooding
1/26/19 - CAG Outing - Bell Slough Trip Report
12/14/18 – Entergy Settlement
12/19/19 - 700 Acre Conservation Easement in NW Arkansas - The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust protects 700 acres of land with a conservation easement. For more info, click HERE. (contributed by SC member MN)
SIERRA CLUB'S "Speak Up Arkansas" RADIO PROGRAM
12/11/19 – 5 to 6 pm - KABF 88.3 FM or WWW.KABF.ORG, Sierra Club's monthly radio exploration of state and federal environmental issues! Host: Arkansas Chapter Director Glen Hooks. Tune in at 88.3 FM in Central Arkansas, or stream online from anywhere at www.kabf.org. Give us a listen! (This is a monthly radio program, normally the 2nd Wednesday.)
Guests for December include:
Loren Blackford, President of the national Sierra Club's board of directors, speaking on Sierra Club's mission and priorities;
Cyrus Reed, interim Director of the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter in Texas, talking about challenges in his state and some progress that may surprise you;
Hieu Le, Campaign Representative for Sierra Club's "Clean Transportation For All" campaign, educating us on electric cars and how we can bring them to scale across the country.
12/11/19 - W - 9:30 am - Dicamba - Public Hearing - The Arkansas State Plant Board will meet at the Embassy Suites Little Rock, 11301 Financial Centre Parkway, Little Rock, AR 72211 for a Public Hearing to consider changes to the Arkansas Regulations on Pesticide Classification. Anyone wishing to make comments in person may attend the hearing and they will be afforded the opportunity to present those comments. Comments must be made in person at the public hearing.
11/30/2019 - Sa - Dicamba Deadline for written comments - Written comments will be accepted by the Plant Board until the close of business November 30. Note: Arkansas Audubon is also collecting comments through Tuesday 11/26 to submit to the Plant Board. After 11/26, send comments directly to the Plant Board.
11/21/19 – Th - 6 pm – Fayetteville - Arkansas Energy Future Forum, sponsored by Arkansas Audubon, to engage Northwest Arkansas in a dialogue about our state's climate future and raise awareness, in particular, of the current fight over renewable energy policy - at the Fayetteville Public Library, 401 W Mountain Street. Admission is free and open to the public. Panelists include Dr. Dan Scheiman, State Rep. Denise Firmin Garner, and Terry Tremwell. For more info, click HERE.
11/20/19 - W - 6 pm - EIT Auditorium at UALR - "The Clean Energy Revolution: It's All Happening" - Think solar energy and wind power are just pipe dreams for hippies and liberals? Think again. Glen Hooks, Director of the Arkansas Sierra Club, details how the United States–Arkansas included–is swiftly moving away from dirty fossil fuels and toward clean energy. Why is this happening across the country? The varied reasons may surprise you! The EARTHtalk! Lecture Series is sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences at UA Little Rock. These lectures aim to promote scientific thinking and discovery about Earth-related topics. Lectures are always free and open to the public. For more info, click HERE
11/20/19 - W - 4 to 5 pm - Ellis Hall, Hendrix, Conway - Clean Air & Energy: A Turning Point - Our state and nation’s energy production is changing rapidly. Arkansas Sierra Club Director Glen Hooks gives an overview of how and why these changes are happening and discusses what it means for our future as we embrace solar and wind energy. His thesis: these changes are important and valuable enough that they will transcend partisan politics and radically transform our nation. For more info, click HERE.
11/18/19 - Roger Mangham, formerly Director of Conservation Programs for TNC Arkansas and more recently state director of The Nature Conservancy in Alabama has been appointed as deputy director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). For more info, check Sunday’s copy of the Log Cabin Democrat page B4.
11/17/19 - Chronic Wasting Disease - AGFC continues to encourage hunters to help with surveillance of CWD by getting your harvested deer tested (free testing in every county). Hunters should preserve the head with at least 6 inches of neck attached. Visit ArkansasCWD.com - or click HERE - to find a drop off location near you
SIERRA CLUB'S "Speak Up Arkansas" RADIO PROGRAM
11/13/19 - W – 5 to 6 pm - KABF 88.3 FM or WWW.KABF.ORG, Sierra Club's monthly radio exploration of state and federal environmental issues! Host: Arkansas Chapter Director Glen Hooks. Guests for the November edition: Donna Gray, Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, discussing the PSC's mission and the energy outlook for Arkansas; Mark Cayce, CEO & General Manager of Ouachita Electric Cooperative, talking about how solar energy has helped Camden to the point of seeking a rate REDUCTION for Ouachita's customers; and Jean Larson, co-coordinator of Citizens Climate Lobby for Arkansas, talking about her group's proposed "carbon fee and dividend" legislation and their recent lobbying trip to DC on the topic. Tune in at 88.3 FM in Central Arkansas, or stream online from anywhere at www.kabf.org. Give us a listen!
11/12 - Tu - 5:30 pm - Fayetteville City Hall - The City Planning Commission will likely discuss approval of a development project for Markham Hill, currently a 144-acre urban forest. Interested citizens may have an opportunity to express their opinion about this project. For more info, click HERE, or click HERE, or click HERE.
Arkansas Environmental Summit
11/8/19 – F – 8:30 am to 2:30 pm - North Little Rock - We'll have a full day of great guest speakers discussing the very latest on energy, clean water, clean air, and many more environmental topics. The 4th annual Arkansas Environmental Summit will provide attendees with the opportunity to hear from leading experts on the current state of environmental issues in Arkansas. Attendees will learn how recent policy changes will affect our environment, our economy, the lives of Arkansans, and what actions we can take to protect and improve our environment. You'll have a chance to network with environmental leaders, activists, regulators, and government officials who are involved in protecting our natural resources.
This event is sponsored by the Arkansas Chapter of the Sierra Club, Audubon Arkansas, and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. - University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College, 3000 W Scenic Dr, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72118. - MAP - COST: $15, which includes lunch. All are welcome, but please register at https://bit.ly/33UgejH as soon as possible. For questions, please contact Glen Hooks at glen.hooks@sierraclub.org. [posted to Newsletter page 10/25/19]
CAG Outing - Ouachita Trail Maintenance - Trip Report
11/2/19 - Sa - Six members participated on this trail maintenance outing. It turned out to be mostly just an easy hike on a beautiful fall morning - 35 deg. when we started. This section of the Ouachita trail, that the CAG is responsible for, runs east from where the trail crosses AR Hwy 9, for two miles. We carried loppers, nippers and a folding saw, which we didn't use. The under story on this section of trail is very high so we didn't have much trimming to do. Just some saw briers and a few small branches that stuck out into the trail. The really good news! We found NO trash on or along the trail. WE found some trash at the trail head, mostly along Hwy 9, which Tom picked up while the rest of us were getting "suited up". Sierra Club CAG will do another of these trail maintenance hikes in late April/early May. Photos are from cell phone.
Pre-outing write-up - 11/2/19 - Sa - Join us this Saturday at 9 am for trail maintenance and hike at Highway 9 Trailhead parking area where the trail crosses just south of Williams Junction. We will meet at the trailhead parking area and hike the Ouachita Trail for 1.5 miles going east and coming back out to pick up trash and lop weeds as needed. Bring loppers if you can. Wear sturdy boots and bring water and snacks. To reach the parking area from Little Rock, take Highway 10 toward Perryville to Highway 9 and turn left. Go about 3 miles and park on the left. Please bring sturdy shoes, water, a garbage bag, and loppers or hand trimming tools. Plan on spending about 2-2 ½ hours. Please keep your mileage to the trailhead and your travel time. This data helps secure grants for the Friends of the Ouachita Trail. Leader: Jim Woolly. (Trip report and photos are on Home page.)
CAG Meeting - Josh Davenport
10/15/19 - Tu - Third Tuesday of the month (except August and December) - Monthly CAG Meeting - Join us at the Oyster Bar for our monthly meeting - Social hour starting at 6 p.m. (Arrive before 6:30 pm to eat and visit with other members.) Meeting starts at 7 pm. October Program/Speaker: Josh Davenport, a well-known figure in the Arkansas Solar Energy realm. Josh Davenport is the CEO and co-founder of Seal Solar, one of Arkansas’s leading solar design and install firms. Josh has helped guide the company to at least 30% growth each year since its inception in 2012. Josh holds undergraduate degrees in both accounting and construction management. He also received his MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Josh was named the “Advanced Energy Rising Star” by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association in 2018. He serves on the North Little Rock Chamber Board of Directors, current Vice President of the Argenta Downtown Council and former President of the Arkansas Chapter of The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE).
October 3 update: CAG will continue to meet at the Oyster Bar
Web Site Change/Update
10/3/19 - The template controlling this web site has been changed/updated and things may look out of place until they are adjusted to fit the changed requirements. The first thing you may notice is that the Tab line (Home, About Us, Donate, Get Involved, Issues, Events, News) is located at the top of the page so that it should immediately be visible regardless of screen size without scrolling down. The header photo is now located below the Tab line. The web site Search block is now located in the page footer. Text styles have changed and type size will need to be corrected. Any needed corrections will take place in the coming weeks
9/18/19 [date posted] - Buffalo River Watershed Update - The buyout of the C&H hog farm made big news this past June, but it makes no sense unless the moratorium on future CAFOs in the Buffalo Watershed is made permanent. Currently, there is a moratorium on future CAFOs but it is temporary and it expires in 2020! What can you do? Right now, there is a process underway to make the moratorium on future CAFOs permanent in Buffalo River Watershed. And, right now through September 23 is the public comment period in which you can make your opinion known. Address your email comment by the September 23 deadline to Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) at: reg-comment@adeq.state.ar.us or Harper@adeq.state.ar.us And here's all you need to say in your email If you agree on a permanent moratorium: "I agree with the Rule Changes to Rules 5 & 6 for a permanent swine CAFO moratorium in the Buffalo National River Watershed." Or, you can write your own statement at length about how important the Buffalo National River is and what it means to preserve it from all pollutants, CAFOs, and swine waste.
CAG Meeting - Speaker: Richard Mason
This month's guest speaker is Richard Mason. You may know Richard from his environmental and nature columns in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but he's also a geologist and author. From Rex Nexson in the Dem-Gaz: Richard Mason is much more than just a geologist. He is, in some ways, south Arkansas' renaissance man. Along with his wife Vertis, Richard Mason led the way in taking a dying downtown at El Dorado and transforming it into one of the best downtowns for any city its size in the South. He's an ardent environmentalist, having angered untold numbers of business lobbyists after then-Gov. Bill Clinton appointed him in the 1980s to the state Pollution Control and Ecology Commission. He's a former president of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. He's also an incredibly prolific author, having recently finished the ninth and 10th books in a series of novels that he calls the Richard the Norphlet Paperboy series.
We'll also have updates on environmental activities and campaigns, news from our newest student chapter at Central High School, and info on upcoming outings.
All are welcome--hope to see you on Tuesday night!
Trump EPA's Plan Will Lead to Dirtier Air for Arkansas
9/10/19 - From Glen Hooks (Director of the Sierra Club’s Arkansas Chapter ) - We are disappointed that the Trump EPA has embraced a plan that will result in dirtier air for Arkansas. The previous plan was much stronger and would have led to clearer air in our parks and wilderness areas", along with improved health for all Arkansans." Sierra Club will consider all of our options, including a possible appeal of the weaker plan. Arkansans deserve our strongest efforts at reducing air pollution and we will never stop fighting to make this happen. ...PRESS RELEASE
Sierra Club & NPCA Disappointed in Trump EPA's Dirtier Air Plan for Arkansas
9/10/19 - Introduction to Press Release from Glen Hooks (Director of the Sierra Club’s Arkansas Chapter ): In the continuing saga of our fight for a strong regional haze plan in Arkansas: please note that the EPA finalized the "weaker" RH plan today. We are still awaiting federal court approval of our Entergy settlement closing White Bluff and Independence, so we are continuing the stance of fighting this weak new RH plan and will possibly appeal it. If for some reason our settlement is not approved, then we need to preserve our right to fight against the new weak RH plan. It all becomes moot from our end once the Entergy settlement is approved, but I just wanted y'all to know the current status. PRESS RELEASE
9/3/19 – NLR - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, interviewed at Verizon Arena - The 9/8/19 Conway Log Cabin Democrat reported that around 13,000 people attended and another 16,000 tried to obtain a ticket for the event. The total - 29,000 - is almost 1% of the population of the entre state of Arkansas.
8/5/19 - EPA Appoints Ken McQueen as Region 6 Administrator. For more info, click HERE.
7/31/19 - Su - Arkansas River Flooding [update]- After a very wet Spring (around 40 inches of rain since January 1), the last part of May and most of June was dry. However, continuing heavy rain in Oklahoma eventually resulted in flooding on the Arkansas River. The River crested in Arkansas mostly during June, then returned to normal levels during July. For more info, click HERE.
6/26/19 - W - Arkansas River Flooding Update - The Arkansas River is again approaching a normal level. Cleanup is underway in areas that were flooded. River traffic should resume in a few months after river depth has been checked and sand buildup has been removed where necessary.
6/13/19 - Buffalo River Watershed - State strikes deal to remove hog farm from Buffalo River Watershed – See Arkansas Times article at: https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2019/06/13/state-strikes-deal-to-remove-hog-farm-from-buffalo-river-watershed?fbclid=IwAR3zL-2q4RFrkj4hgLgv01f8ZkVtC8lUhPQNBW18yLU7NIgLjoWyf9xxC64
5/30/19 - Th - Arkansas River Flooding Update - The Arkansas River is located a half-dozen miles west of downtown Conway at the Toad Suck Lock & Dam (& Bridge). Monday, the campground west of the bridge was flooded. By Tuesday, water was just beginning to flow over the top of the dam and the sides of the lock. The low area on Hwy 60 west of the bridge flooded and the highway was closed. North of Conway, Hwy 25 was closed Wednesday due to flooding at the East Fork of the Cadron flood plain. Water from Lake Conway normally flows down Palarm Creek into the Arkansas River. Thursday (the River reached the point where) water in the Creek reversed and started flowing toward Lake Conway. The river is expected to crest at 285.5 feet, a few feet higher than the current level. (I believe most houses in Conway are above 290 feet although a small number are below 285 feet.) …The idrivearkansas.com website shows highway closures throughout the state.
5/26/19 - Su - Arkansas River Flooding - Water levels will likely rise another 5 to 10 feet, cresting in western Arkansas within the next couple of days, at Conway by mid-week, at Little Rock and Pine Bluff before the end of the week. As of yesterday (Saturday), the sidewalls of the Toad Suck (Conway) lock and the dam (as well as the campground) were still a foot or so above the water level. ...Downstream at Little Rock, the water level at the Clark Wetlands (next to the Clinton Presidential Library) has flooded the boardwalk (and is only a foot from the ceiling of the shelter on the boardwalk). (Go to https://www.sierraclub.org/arkansas/news-2015#flood12 to see photos of turtles swimming to the roof during the last flood in 2015.)
Central Arkansas Group (CAG) Outing - Bell Slough Trip Report
1/26/19 Sa - A dozen people met at 10 am at Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area just east of Mayflower for an easy 2-mile walk near Grassy Lake. Scenes from the walk are shown below. The wildlife viewing stand in second photo was surrounded by water (following a recent heavy rain).
