Virtual Meetings

In an effort to keep members connected, the Huron Valley Group is providing video and phone options for many of our meetings.  See details below for each upcoming meeting.

HVG Monthly Program for October 2021: Argus Farm Stop, a New Model of Farmers' Market
October 19, 2021 7:30 PM 

Bill Brinkerhoff and Kathy Sample are co-founders of Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor. This store is a new model of farmers market that makes it easier to buy and sell local food, allowing farmers to spend more time farming and still receiving high margins for their products. Bill and Kathy will take you through the challenges facing our local food system and the approach being taken at Argus. They will also share the impact that has been achieved since the first location opened in 2014.
 
Watch Live: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3288051893?pwd=ZHdIdS9KMW5hdG9FK20wWWZPL0EzQT09
 

HVG Monthly Program for September 2021: How to Fill Two B2B Trail Gaps and Build a Campus-to-Campus Bikeway, Larry Deck
September 20, 2021 7:30 PM 

Larry Deck will discuss what needs to be done to fill two gaps in the Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail in central Ann Arbor and how this work will facilitate the creation of a bikeway between the U-M’s Central Campus and North Campus. The B2B Trail projects, which are near the Fuller / Maiden Lane intersection, have been in Ann Arbor plans for over 30 years and are straightforward to build. The Campus-to-Campus (C2C) Bikeway will use existing and new facilities to provide a safe and efficient way to bike between the campuses. Larry will discuss how these projects relate to city, county, and U-M climate goals.
 
Watch the recording: Coming Soon
 

HVG Monthly Program for July 2021: Local Small Farming, Malaika Whitney and Amanda Sweetman
July 20, 2021 7:30 PM 

Join us as Malaika Whitney and Amanda Sweetman share their passion for local, sustainable food production and healthy eating. Malaika is the fifth generation farmer to produce food on the Whitney Farmstead. Amanda is Regional Director of Farming and Healthy Lifestyles for Trinity Health Michigan.
 
Watch the recording: Coming Soon
 

HVG Monthly Program for June 2021: Gray Wolves, presented by Dr. Cathy Theisen
June 15, 2021 7:30 PM 

Gray Wolves were delisted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in the entire lower 48 states, effective January 4, 2021. Given that the Gray Wolf has viable populations in only a handful of states, this seems to be an effort to prevent, not encourage, further recovery of a still endangered species. Join Washtenaw Audubon's Conservation Chair, Cathy Theisen, DVM, to examine why this unusual and scientifically unsound interpretation of the Endangered Species Act should be of concern to conservationists, birders and wildlife watchers everywhere.

 

Watch the recording: Coming Soon

HVG Monthly Program for May 2021: Update on A2Zero Plan, presented by Dr. Missy Stults
May 18, 2021 7:30 PM 

An update on Ann Arbor's incredibly ambitious plan to go carbon neutral by 2030, presented by Dr. Missy Stults, the City of Ann Arbor's Sustainability and​​ Innovations Manager. Dr. Stults will discuss the plan's progress to date, its challenges, and its opportunities.
 
Watch the recording: Coming Soon

 

HVG Monthly Program for April 2021: Global Ecology Adventures with Paityn Wedder
April 20, 2021 7:30 PM 

Paityn Wedder is president of University of Michigan Sierra Club and a senior environmental science student at the University of Michigan whose passion for the environment began at a young age. After attending Goodwillie Environmental School for fifth and sixth grade, her enthusiasm for the natural world grew and has continued to do so to this day. From hiking with mountain gorillas in Uganda, to spending a semester of high school in The Bahamas, to working with great white sharks with National Geographic in Cape Town, her love for the outdoors has taken her around the world. Some of her other favorite destinations include Thailand, Australia, and the Galapagos Islands. 
 
Watch the recording: Coming Soon
 

HVG Monthly Program for March 2021: Backyard Birds 
March 16, 2021 7:30 PM 

This presentation is by the Chair of our sister organization, the Crossroads Group. He states: In our area, with the right kind of feeders, as many as 30 species or more could show up over the course of a year. At this program you will learn about our backyard birds, their songs, what to feed them and how to attract them. You’ll even get a few tips about keeping squirrels from hogging all the food. This program is suitable for the whole family.
 
Watch the recording: Coming Soon
 

HVG Monthly Program for February 2021: Mike Steinberg and Melissa Mays: “Flint Water Update” A Virtual Program 
February 16, 2021 7:30 PM 

Flint Water Update with Melissa Mays of Water You Fighting For, and U-M Law Professor Mike Steinberg. ​Ms. Mays is the plaintiff in two Flint water cases. The first case, filed by NRDC and the ACLU of Michigan, led to groundbreaking $97 mil. settlement to replace all the lead pipes in Flint in three years; ​Mr. Steinberg represented Ms. Mays in that case when he was legal director of the ACLU of Michigan. Ms. Mays is also a plaintiff in an ongoing class action to compensate the residents of Flint for the untold damage caused by the poisoning of their water.
 
Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/P8ABxfmI8O0
 

HVG Monthly Program for January 2021: Entomologist and Photographer David Cappaert
January 19, 2021 7:30 PM 

Our presenter is entomologist and master photographer of invertebrates David Cappaert. His slides will include:
•The tiny stuff you miss because you don’t have a 5X macro lens.
•The most absurdly beautiful insects you might see in a week in Belize.
•Architecture of bee morphology.
•20 ant species you would see in an urban landscape.
•The food web centered on aphids.
 
Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/V5eeKdBNcKc
 

HVG Monthly Program for December 2020: End of Year Member Presentations 
December 15, 2020 7:30 PM 

Join in on our annual review of members’ explorations for the past year. Show and tell us about your favorite place in the world. Plan for a 5 or 10-min. presentation, so that there will be time for all. We will be ready to watch and hear about your view of our natural world! Have your photos queued up on your computer to share your screen via BlueJeans.
 
Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/eaLUoYDIr-c

 

HVG Monthly Program for November 2020: Environmentalism, Equity, and Eastern Washtenaw County 
November 16, 2020 7:30 PM 

Join Ypsi Mayor Lois Richardson , Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo, and Superior Twp. Supervisor Ken Schwartz, as well as a few unannounced special guests, who will be telling us about their environmental challenges and plans. 

Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/tpqC7vdPcFY
 

HVG Monthly Program for October 2020: Tom Clynes 
October 20, 2020 7:30 PM

National Geographic journalist Tom Clynes takes us to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to tell us about this special place and the perils it faces.

Watch the recording: 

 

HVG Monthly Program for September 2020: Environmental Justice with Justin Onwenu 
September 15, 2020 7:30 PM

Native Detroiter Justin Onwenu is a rising star! He has been getting a lot of attention for his work as Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice Organizer at the Sierra Club’s Detroit Regional Office. Now Justin brings his message of environmental justice to a combined virtual program of the Huron Valley Group, Crossroads Group, and Nepessing Group.

Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/COkQhefsiW4

 

HVG Monthly Program for August 2020: Birding in Washtenaw County
August 18, 2020 7:30 PM

The Sierra Club Huron Valley Group's virtual August program is going to be a special treat!  Local college-student brothers Matty and Benjamin Hack are avid birders.  In May, they set out to break the record of seeing 141 species of birds in Washtenaw County in a single day.  They researched what birds to target and where, then hit the road for 14 hours.  Did they succeed? 

Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/cU5JWVxt8rE

 

HVG Monthly Program for July 2020: Endorsements & Election Priorities
July 21, 2020 7:30 PM

The Sierra Club's Huron Valley Group has designated the November election as our highest priority for the year. This month's (remote) program meeting features Christy McGillivray and Tim Minotas from the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, outlining the club's electoral endorsements and priorities and how we can all pitch in to help. 

Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/3eacCpspeF8

 

HVG Monthly Program for June 2020: Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling in Ann Arbor, 2020
June 16, 2020 7:30 PM

What should I put in my recycling tote?  What should I leave out?  How should I prepare my recyclables?  What happens to my recyclables after they are collected?  Recycle Ann Arbor was the first curbside recycling collection, founded in 1978, and it has remained a pioneering mission-driven private non-profit ever since, with innovations like the Drop-Off Station and Re-Use Center promoting re-use.  RAA board member Bryan Weinert will update us on the way RAA is facing today’s challenging recycling market.  Special guest Sam McMullen will explain how he and his family have experimented with a zero-waste lifestyle.

Watch the recording:  https://youtu.be/yfa2_I1GLwM

 

HVG Monthly Program for May 2020: Really Stupid Goals, Bike Adventures, and Riding on Every Continent
May 19, 2020 7:30 PM

Al Newman shared his adventures biking on every continent (including Antarctica!)  There will also be a special guest appearance by his wife, Roddy (“Superman”) Wares, in which she will tell us about how to register voters!

Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/arv92df7dfA

 

HVG Monthly Program for April 2020
April 21, 2020 7:30 PM

Janet Kahan is a volunteer leader for Sierra Club National Outings service trips.  She will share a brief presentation on the why's and how's of these unique opportunities to serve and enjoy our public lands.
 
Dave Szczygiel, an Ann Arbor Public Schools Environmental Educator, will share a short set of slides describing the long-standing Environmental Education program and some volunteer opportunities that could be available, once school is back in session.

 

HVG Monthly Program: Palm Warblers: My Adventures As A Citizen Scientist, Susan Kielb
Mar 17, 2020 7:30 PM

In Mid-March, we await the great migration that will soon bring neotropical insect-eating birds to the forests around us.  Susan Kielb is a retired Ann Arbor science teacher, a gifted birder, and a Citizen-Scientist in the finest tradition. She may also be the world expert on Palm Warblers, thanks to her patient work studying these colorful, hyperactive songsters in the wetlands of the Upper Peninsula. 

If you want to spend St. Patrick’s Day evening among colorful, singing characters (who weigh only a few ounces), this program is for you!  Susan hints she may be announcing a new discovery…

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler/id
Presentation Slides (PDF)