March update from your local Southwest Indiana Network
March 18, 2026
Join us on the trail!
Welcome to the latest from the Southwest Indiana Network of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter.
In this newsletter:
🥾 Join us on the trail: Howell Wetlands Earth Month Outing 🧣Tales from the Trail: Embracing the Cold and Moving Beyond Coal ⚡️Indiana Beyond Coal Statewide Kickoff Call 📢 Keep up the pressure: Tell Gov. Braun and AG Rokita to challenge Trump's illegal and costly coal orders! 📚 You're invited to our Spring Briefing and the Hoosier Chapter Book Club 🥾 Find out about upcoming events and outings ✍️ Keep in touch and get involved in our work.
Happy reading! Rebecca Dien-Johns Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Digital Strategist
Join us on the trail: 🥾Howell Wetlands Earth Month Outing 🥾
Fri, Apr 10, 2026; 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Central) 🥾Walk with Sierra Club Beyond Coal at Howell Wetlands🥾 Evansville, IN
Join the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign on a walk at Howell Wetlands, one of the largest urban wetlands in Indiana. Together we will walk about 2 miles of a combination of boardwalks and dirt paths through the wetlands. We will pass through marshland, an oxbow lake, and see bald cypress trees, and various birds and animals. The trails traverse uneven terrain and may be muddy or soggy, especially after rain. Strollers with large wheels usually do fine but wheelchairs may encounter problems. The trail is flat with minimal elevation changes. This is an easy trail and very beginner friendly. Parts of the trail are a boardwalk over the oxbow lakes, so be aware that the boardwalk is narrow in parts.
Before we start the walk and during, we will talk about how the Sierra Club is trying to combat climate change through the retirement of fossil fuel generation stations, like coal plants. The outing will be for those of all ages who want to get out and enjoy some time in nature. No special equipment will be required, just sturdy walking shoes and a water bottle and snack if you like.
Tales from the Trail: 🧣Embracing the Cold and Moving Beyond Coal🧣
Braving the cold on the Burdette Trail. Photo: Nicole Chandler.
A few brave, dedicated Hoosiers trekked out to the Burdette Trail in Evansville, Indiana to enjoy the last gasp of winter and discuss the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.
The Burdette Trail connects the University of Southern Indiana to the outskirts of western Evansville in a 3.5-mile long paved trail used for biking and walking. Closer to campus, student athletes use the trail to train. Despite its proximity to the city and campus, on any given day visitors might encounter deer, turkeys, ravens, hawks, and even foxes.
Keene Short Volunteer, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
⚡️Indiana Beyond Coal Statewide Kickoff Call⚡️
Join Indiana Beyond Coal on March 31st from 7:00-8:30PM ET for our 2026 statewide kick off call and learn how we are fighting back against polluting, expensive fossil fuels, data centers, and supporting clean, affordable energy! On this call we will do a recap of 2025; looking at how our volunteers/members engaged in energy issues across the state from IRP engagement, rallies, meetings with utility leadership, and more.
We will then look towards the future and how we can continue to build the movement to move Indiana beyond coal in 2026. We will end the kickoff call with upcoming campaign announcements, and finish with time for Q&A and discussion. Despite setbacks from the federal and state administration the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign is determined to continue our mission of helping create a healthier, cleaner, more affordable Indiana.
Tell Gov. Braun and AG Rokita: Challenge Trump's illegal and costly coal orders!
Want to take action now? Sign our petition at sc.org/INcoalorders to tell Gov. Braun and A.G. Rokita to stand up for Hoosiers and challenge the costly 202c orders issued by the DOE to keep aging coal units that were slated to retire in 2025, online. Learn more about this at sierraclub.org/burningmoney.
If you’ve already taken action, thank you! Please send this link to five of your friends to help spread the word: sc.org/INcoalorders
Join our Spring Briefing and the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club!
Join the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter for our statewide Spring Briefing. Get to know other Hoosier Chapter members and volunteers, learn more about the work we are doing across Indiana, and hear about the progress we are making as a community. All are welcome!
Thu, Mar 26, 2026; 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (Eastern) Hoosier Chapter Spring Briefing Virtual
Join us for the 2nd year of our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club! This year we have some fantastic reading selections as well as opportunities for members to submit suggestions for future books. Have a book you want to see us read this year? Submit your recommendation here or via email to colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org.
On March 31st check out Intertwined: Women, Nature, and Climate Justice by Rebecca Kormos with us.
At the end of this month look for a link to vote on our Earth Month read for April in the Hoosier Chapter Newsletter, and join us in May for The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle and again in June for Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian.
Upcoming Events and Outings
From Sierra Club:
Join the Repower Ohio River Valley for our monthly planning meeting on March 19th, 2026. Email nicole.chandler@sierraclub.org if you would like to be added to the meeting invite.
Fri, Mar 20, 2026; 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Eastern) Winter Hike at Allen's Creek SRA Bloomington, IN
Fri, Mar 20, 2026; 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Central) Find Indiana Beyond Coal at the Sunny Side Studios Spring Equinox Social Event Evansville, IN
Tue, Mar 24, 2026; 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM (Eastern) Attend the IURC Affordability Inquiry Hearing with Sierra Club Indianapolis, IN
Tue, Mar 24, 2026; 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern) Grub Ridge/Hayes Trail Weed Wrangle Yellowstone, IN
Thu, Mar 26, 2026; 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (Eastern) Hoosier Chapter Spring Briefing Virtual
Fri, Mar 27, 2026; 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Eastern) Selmier State Forest Hike North Vernon, IN
Sat, Mar 28, 2026; 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Central) Attend No Kings with Southwest Indiana Network Evansville, IN
Tue, Mar 31, 2026; 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM (Central) Documentary Screening: Reinventing Power Mt. Vernon
Tue, Mar 31, 2026; 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Eastern) Hoosier Chapter Book Club: Intertwined by Rebecca Kormos Virtual
