Newsletter- How did you celebrate Earth Month? - a special update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
May 10, 2023
A recap from your local chapter, plus how to get involved in our work!
Hi Supporter,
We hope you had a wonderful Earth Month! We here at Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter loved getting out and meeting so many great people at various Earth Day events around the state.
Here are photos from our volunteer leaders from just some of our Earth Day activities - and if you are interested in becoming one of the Hoosier Chapter’s wonderful volunteers and getting involved in events like this, you can attend an informal Meet and Greet on Tuesday, 5/16 from 7-8pm EST via Zoom.
Come meet the Hoosier Chapter team to learn more about our current work and how to get involved!Even if you are already familiar with us, there will be a recap of the 2023 state legislative session, so you won't want to miss out! RSVP by clicking here: Hoosier Chapter Meet and Greet.
St. Mary of the Woods Earth Day Celebration on the campus in Terre Haute.
Kurt and Lora Kemp, Tyler Moore, Pam Patterson, and Jeff Marks tabled at this event.
Many families and multigenerational groups attended as well as college students. We shared maps of the Owen-Putnam State Forest, gave compasses, binoculars, trees, and earth stress balls out to children and parents.
The pollinator game was a huge hit as well! We had a stuffed bat and a toy frog and we asked kids what they had in common: eating bugs!
- Lora Kemp
Pam Patterson (L) and Lora (R)
Photo: Tyler Moore
Lora is on our Executive Committee and our Conservation Committee .
Interested in finding out more about our Conservation Committee?
Laurie Elliot, Outings Leader, and Marilyn Bauchat, Uplands Network Chair, spoke with attendees about the EV showcase in the parking lot, new protections for forests, and upcoming outings with our partners in the area.
- Marilyn Bauchat
Photo by Greg Grant
Laurie Elliot (L) is on our Outings Committee. Interested in finding out more about our Outings Committee? Contact our Chapter Coordinator: rebecca.dien-johns@sierraclub.org
Marilyn Bauchat (R) is Chair of our Uplands Network, which represents Bloomington and the surrounding counties. If you'd like to know more about our local work around Bloomington, email marilynbauchat@gmail.com
Earth Day event at Memorial Hospital, Jasper.
Memorial Hospital, Jasper, Indiana held their annual Earth Day event on Friday, April 21st. The event had over 400 attendees with over a dozen tables including the Sierra Club for the first time.
We had several individuals pick up a Hoosier Chapter brochure, had great conversations about our public health issues and how the Sierra Club is working to improve conservation, health and climate issues.
- Mark Nowotarski
Photo: Mark Nowortarski. Mark is an Executive Committee member, and is on our Conservation and Energy Committees.
Interested in knowing more about Energy Committee work? Contact Chair Joab Schultheis at jschultheis@protonmail.com
Pollinator Path at the Columbus AirPark.
Winding Waters Group volunteers worked on the new native plant beds along the Pollinator Path at the Columbus AirPark. The trail has been designated as a Sustainable Nature Trail by the Indiana Wildlife Federation. We will be adding pollinator ponds: small tubs of water with rocks for insects to land on and drink.
We had so many Sierra Club volunteers show up for this project. Many have worked very hard on this project, from the grant process, to planning a successful timeline, creating a sustainable native design in an urban setting and then physical labor and long hours to install the native plant beds. It has been great to work on this project with the Winding Waters Group ExCom, members, and friends of the community!
- Julie Lowe
Julie Lowe is chair of the Winding Waters Group, which serves Columbus and the surrounding counties.
If you'd like to find out more about our local work around Columbus, email j_lowe66@yahoo.com
Top photo: Winding Waters Group native plant delivery day at the Propeller Makerspace at the Columbus AirPark with some members of our Pollinator Team: Rebecca Lorenz WWG ExCom Pollinator Path native bed designer 2022, Alvin Harlow Jr. the driver from Spence Restoration Nursery, Lisa Weisner, plant extraordinaire and "monarch mama", Natalie Perry, WWG ExCom and Pollinator Path native bed designer 2023, Doug Johnson, Winding Waters Group founder and "student of nature".
