March 2025 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
March 26, 2025
Join us this Spring!
Hi, Supporter
Happy Women's History Month! It's finally spring. Seasons change, but one thing that never changes is our commitment to rise up for our communities and the environment during the Indiana legislative session.
In this issue: honoring International Day of the Forests, rise up to save Briar East Woods, taking action for our Great Lakes, how you can get outside with us this spring, plus all our regular features — like photos from you, our readers — and much more!
Rebecca Dien-Johns Chapter Coordinator
P.S. Be sure to scroll down to see all our upcoming events and outings — we have a packed schedule this spring!
Sierra Club on the trail!
On March 8, 2025, the Sierra Club Heartlands Group partnered with Indiana Phenology and Friends of Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve for a hike focused on identifying the first signs of spring.
Winter Aconites on the Ritchey Woods trail. Photo: Morgan Hartman.
The Salt of the Earth: Saving Briar East Woods
"My name is Anne, and I’m an organizer with Save Briar East Woods in Hammond, Indiana. Two years ago, my friends attended a Hammond Common Council meeting to get involved in local issues. They sloughed through bureaucratic jargon and roll calls until public comment, when a man came up and passionately made the case to save a forest in the Hessville neighborhood from destruction."
"This is one of those moments where you question everything you thought you knew or believed. Spirituality smacks you straight in the heart. The emotions are undeniable. Something special is happening here."
Avenue of the Baobabs. Menabe region of Madagascar. November 2013. Photo: Kasey Jackson.
Tell Congress and President Trump: Fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative!
The Great Lakes are among our nation’s most valuable natural resources, providing fresh drinking water, recreation, and economic opportunity to millions. Through decades of industrialization and pollution, these lakes have suffered degradation.
Sierra Club staff and volunteer leaders are passionate about getting out there and spreading the word about issues that matter to Hoosiers!
Volunteers and staff from the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and the Beyond Coal Campaign spent three days in Indianapolis this February, planning for our work this year.
It was especially inspiring to hear our knowledgeable and passionate volunteers speak about how we can protect Indiana's forests and waters, and how we can best show up for our communities in Indiana.
We're very excited for the year ahead!
Chapter volunteers and staff were in attendance at the IU Sustainability and Resilience Conference in Bloomington on February 28.
"We spent the day tabling and attending the IU Sustainability and Resilience Conference.
The highlight of our day was getting to connect with and introduce the Sierra Club to so many incredible future scientists and environmental advocates" - Colleen Curtin, Outreach Coordinator.
On Saturday, March 8, a media event was held in Evansville in opposition to House Bill 1007.
Christopher Norrick from Solar United Neighbors, Zach Garcia from Faith in Place Action Fund, and Nicole Chandler, the Beyond Coal Campaign Organizer for Southwest Indiana, spoke about the harms of HB 1007.
“In Indiana, since 2005 we’ve reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25% and that is progress that’s worth protecting.” - Robyn Skuya-Boss, Chapter Director, is interviewed for the article Coal and the Cost of Change: Indiana’s Energy Crossroads (WFHB).
Welcome to this regular feature, where we look back and share photos from our past.
This month, we travel back to 2019 and a very rainy Earth Day in Indianapolis! At the Sierra Club table is Bowden Quinn, then Chapter Director, Beyond Coal volunteer Heidi Hesse, and Chapter Coordinator Rebecca Dien-Johns.
If you're interested in tabling or other volunteer opportunities with us, we'd love to hear from you! Complete our volunteer interest form.
Thank you, Luke Jackson, for sending in this photo!
"Fossil Beach at Ransburg Scout Reservation is nestled within Hoosier National Forest on the shore of beautiful Lake Monroe in Bloomington, Indiana. This photo was taken in July 2022 during the annual weeklong Scout summer camp."
Photo by Eagle Scout Luke Jackson, Troop 276, Indianapolis, Indiana. Do you have a photograph of Indiana nature — past or present, micro or macro — that you would like to share?
We'd love to see it and perhaps feature it in a future newsletter!
Outreach Coordinator Collen Curtin recommends A New Climate Leader Has Emerged - "My go to doom scrolling disruptor is Alaina Wood's Good Climate News Substack and Instagram @itsthegarbagequeen . Alaina is based out of Eastern Tennessee, she is a scientist, and is an award winning science communicator. Check out her latest on the growth of renewable energy projects in the United States and indulge in a little hope scrolling!"
