April 2026 update from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter
April 22, 2026
Happy Earth Month!
Happy Earth Month!
How beautiful is Indiana in the spring? Here at the Hoosier Chapter, we've been taking every opportunity to get outside and take it all in. We hope you can join us on the trail!
In this newsletter:
šæ Earth Month is underway! Your invitation to Grow with Us š„¾ Become an Outings Leader with the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter š« Hoosiers showed up to say America has No Kings! š” Spring cleaning? Read The Myth of Organization: Why We Canāt Store Our Way Out of Clutter (part two of the Replacing Consumerism blog series) š Join our virtual Book Club šļø Sierra Club events and outings near you
Happy reading!
Rebecca Dien-Johns Chapter Digital Strategist
šæYour invitation to Grow with Us this Earth Month
Last year we dubbed our Earth Month activities The Great Invitation. This year we are inviting you to lean in a little deeper and Grow with Us.
Grow with Us is inspired by volunteer leaders who have spent the last year stepping up to answer the call to become Outings Leaders, join committees, speak on behalf of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter at the Statehouse, and penning resolutions and blog posts about issues that matter to Hoosiers.
Youāll find us this month from the shores of Lake Michigan to the banks of the Ohio River.
We are extending this invitation in dozens of communities, and there's still time to get involved!
We welcome new folks who would like to join our team of Outings Leaders. No matter your background or experience, weād love to hear from you.
Outings Leadership Training (OLT) has eight modules which can be taken in your own time, or you can join a training cohort to learn with your peers. In addition to the online training course, there is a First Aid qualification requirement, and a qualification hike.
To learn more, come to our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter: Summer Outing Leader Training Orientation on May 11.
Curious to know more about the experience of becoming an Outings Leader? Read our November 2025 blog, Welcoming New Outings Leaders!
š« Hoosiers showed up to say America has No Kings!
We kicked off Earth Month a few days early this year: No Kings III was held Saturday, March 28, and was the largest mass day of protest in American history.
The Hoosier Chapter had seven meetups at No Kings in Indianapolis, Columbus, Noblesville, Lebanon, Bloomington, Fort Wayne, and Evansville.
We know many more Hoosier Chapter members and volunteers attended the nearly 70 events that took place across Indiana that day.
We held signs that declared our commitment to protecting the forests, our air, and water.
Hundreds of you took action with us: signing petitions objecting to 202c orders that intend to keep coal plants slated for retirement online in our communities, advocating for water in wetlands at risk because of data center development, and protesting attempts to rollback the Roadless Rule.
None of that would have been possible without members, volunteers, and staff like Dave, Chessa, Nicole S., Phil, Megan, Nicole C., Lora, and Robyn.
On a sunny Saturday they didnāt just show up ā they stepped up and helped table, collect petitions, and make sure our communities were able to get connected to the work the Hoosier Chapter is doing across Indiana.
Dave at No Kings in Columbus, IN. Photo: Julie Lowe.
Chessa and Colleen at No Kings Noblesville. Photo: Hamilton County Democracy Coalition.
No Kings Evansville. Photo: Nicole Chandler.
š” The Myth of Organization: Why We Canāt Store Our Way Out of Clutter
In the first part of this series, we explored the mindset of consumerism and how the dopamine trap can keep us tethered to a cycle of acquisition. To truly reclaim our homes, we must now look at the physical reality of how we manage our belongings and address a common misconception: the idea that we can organize our way out of a consumption problem.
Lindsey Helvaty Volunteer, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Founder, Sacred Space
š Join the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club!
Join us for the second 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.
Our Earth Month Book Club selection, voted on by Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter members across the state, is The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture by Barrett Klein. April Book Club is Tuesday 4/28. Register online to get additional Book Club updates and the link for the discussion! Canāt make it in April? Join us in May for The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle and again in June for our Pride Month read Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian.
Gentle reminder that it is totally okay to show up to Book Club having read all of the book, some of the book, thought about reading the book, or looking for a pitch to sell you on reading the book. ALL are welcome! Also a reminder that the goal of this space is to facilitate conversation and there is not a quiz at the end or an objective beyond learning more about issues we care about and cultivating community with one another.
We look forward to the opportunity to connect, share about, and reflect on the issues, themes, and excerpts that resonated with you in the book.
Colleen Curtin Outreach Coordinator
Spotted!
Sierra Club staff and volunteer leaders are passionate about getting out there and spreading the word about issues that matter to Hoosiers!
Hikers on Turkey Trot Trail - Tracy, Eleanor, Laurie, and Jennifer. Photo: Julie Lowe
We've been hitting the trails this spring!
The Uplands Network and the Winding Waters Group have been exploring Monroe County and Jennings County.
"Allenās Creek State Recreation Area Turkey Trot Trail in the Hoosier National Forest is a beautiful hiking area filling a peninsula overlooking Lake Monroe in Monroe County." - Jennifer Ehara
"After postponing once due to impending thunderstorms, the Winding Waters Spring hike in Selmier State Forest in North Vernon took place on April 3. Only 30 minutes from Columbus, Selmier State Forest was a first-time visit for all in the group. Wow, was it worth the wait!" - Jennifer Ehara
Meanwhile, southwest Indiana folks visited Howell Wetlands, guided by Indiana Beyond Coal organizer Nicole Chandler: "We saw squirrels, snakes, a turtle, and the work of beavers in the area. We did get caught by a small amount of unexpected rain, but everyone took it in stride and we had waterproof bags for cameras and phones."
Aasa, Julie, Connie, and Jennifer ready to explore the Selmier State Forest! Photo: Jennifer Ehara
Sierra Club supporters at Howell Wetlands pointing out a snake on a log. Photo: Nicole Chandler
Sierra Club in the press:
āOur leaders in the Statehouse can help by drafting policies that will prioritize the restoration of Hoosier waters, starting with restoring the thousands of wetlands we have lost,ā Snider said. āUtilizing nature-based solutions like wetlands, which serve as natureās water filter, would help restore balance to our waters and create flood- and drought-control measures.ā - Volunteer leader Nicole Snider quoted in the Indy Star: Water quality of Indiana rivers and streams improving, state says
On this swelteringly hot day, our now-Outings Chair Mary Reardon successfully qualified as a Sierra Club Outings Leader. She led a hike on the Pate Hollow Trail at Paynetown SRA in Bloomington.
