December update from Uplands Network, connecting Monroe and surrounding counties
December 3, 2025
Many ways to get involved this winter
Happy December!
We decided not to hold an Uplands meeting this month and to devote our time to current legislative issues and to plan our important days at the Statehouse. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.
Join our Sierra Club Beyond Coal folks and many other organizations who work toward clean, renewable energy for Indiana to show your support and meet with your legislators to advocate for a clean energy future..
The Hoosier Chapter of Sierra Club is a member of Indiana Conservation Alliance (INCA). The organization’s members work together to plan speakers and engagement with legislators for constituents to learn about and weigh in on bills.
Indiana Conservation Voters organizes this day to address all issues related to water. With recent decrease in regulation and increases in development (including data centers), our water is endangered. The state Water Allies group plans to meet weekly during the legislative session in order to act swiftly.
If you are interested in ways to be involved with water, energy or any other conservation issue, let me know.
Sun, Dec 7, 2025; 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Anderson Falls Clean Up and Founders Day Hike Register here
Community Lobbyist Training
Join our Community Lobbyist Winter 2025 Training Cohort and learn how our Community Lobbyist roles work together and build our capacity to influence public policy conversations at the Indiana Legislature. Through this training program you will understand the basics of how to plan and run effective legislative meetings, identify allies in your community who can help educate legislators on the issues we care about, and make new friends across the state of Indiana!
Join our outings program as a certified outings leader for Sierra Club's Hoosier Chapter. As a part of our Winter 2025 Outings Leadership Training Cohort you will learn how we work together to prioritize the well being of outings and hike participants, be eligible to participate in first aid training as a group prior to planning a qualifying hike, understand how to utilize Sierra Club resources to promote and recruit participants for your outings, and make new friends across the state of Indiana!
Become a leader with Sierra Club's Hoosier Chapter! Learn more about how our Groups, Networks, and Committees support and guide our work in Indiana and how you can cultivate your leadership skills to strengthen our Sierra Club community.
Evansville Solar Advocates Training - Vanderburgh County
Join Indiana BCC and Solar United Neighbors on Thursday, December 4th at 6:00pm CT at EVPL Central for a solar advocates training.
Join the Sierra Club and Solar United Neighbors for an evening of learning, advocacy, and action on utility-scale solar. Solar is now one of the cheapest, cleanest, and fastest built forms of energy generation. Yet, we are facing push back on solar projects across the state.
Together, the Sierra Club and Solar United Neighbors are working to educate advocates on what utility-scale solar is, why it's important to support utility-scale solar in the state, and how to advocate for utility-scale solar.
Email Citizens Energy Group demanding immediate transparency regarding their plan to build a pipeline to start drawing millions of gallons of water from Eagle Creek to support the LEAP industrial mega-site in Lebanon.
According to utilities facts online, the water available in Eagle Creek Reservoir is already oversubscribed without this pipeline!
Protecting our Forests
Hoosier National Forest
The Buffalo Springs Project planning status is still "on hold"! This is a change from the July-September SOPA, which was "in progress".
Even though we can't let our guard down, we need to recognize that all our hard work has made a difference!
Uplifting our Community
Here’s a chance to view a hopeful film produced by some of our partners in the Climate Forests Coalition:
The Wild American Chestnut: A Giant Returns The Story of Wild American Chestnuts Making a Comeback in Maine
This short film documents the thousands of thriving, wild American chestnuts on the land of renowned biologist Dr. Bernd Heinrich—contradicting decades of assumptions about the species’ decline. There are three generations of wild American chestnut trees growing on the land of renowned naturalist Dr. Bernd Heinrich, Biologist, naturalist, and author of A Year in the Maine Woods and 20+ other books. These trees, numbering in the thousands, are rewriting the story of a species once thought lost.
When: Thurs Dec 4, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Join volunteers and the City of Bloomington Parks and Rec for a day of trail improvement at the Griffy Nature Trail Loop. This is the trail where we have the annual Family Art and Nature Hike. Training and lunch will be provided by the Hoosier Hikers Council.
On January 12 our topic will update members on legislative bills and suggested actions. RSVP to receive link.
Special thanks to Ray McCormick, who took time out from harvest last month to share his innovative techniques for creating wetlands and improving soil health. If you would like to view the recording, please send me an email. Ray has also invited our members to visit his farm and surrounding wetlands. Let me know if you’re interested.
Our leadership team includes dedicated people who plan meetings and outings, table at events, and connect with other groups. We welcome anyone who wishes to volunteer with our network.
Open volunteer positions are: co-chair, treasurer, social media coordinator, conservation committee members and outings leaders.
Shorter volunteer opportunities include tabling at events and at local farmers’ markets.
