Overlooking the Big River Valley in Washington State Park. Photo by Louise Bullock.
Hike Review of Washington State Park By Louise Bullock
Washington State Park caters to hikers, anglers, paddlers, river waders and pool swimmers, campers and glampers, historians and naturalists alike. The park is noted for its large number of Mississippian petroglyphs and the highly skilled masonry work of African-American Company 1743 of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This park is brimming with free educational activities each Saturday between now and September 6. On most weekends, interpreters offer guided tours of the petroglyphs. On the weekend of the Perseid meteor shower, rangers offer astronomy-related activities including games, stars stories and marshmallows around a campfire and when all is dark, there is star viewing of the night sky through a telescope. For a complete list of special events throughout the Fall, just CLICK HERE.
EMG Volunteer Window Insert Building Event By Stephanie Todd
On July 12, a volunteer event was held in partnership with EMG to build customized window inserts that will be used to help weatherize low-income homes. The inserts are made by attaching plastic shrink wrap to customized wood frames. Fourteen volunteers attended and although the event was scheduled to last two hours, most volunteers stayed for three.
EMG also helped pay for the window inserts through a donation to the Washington University Office of Sustainability. This project is part of a service project that Elliot Willams, a Sierra Club member and volunteer, is completing as a member of the Campus Compact EnviroCorps. Thanks to Elliot and all the volunteers. The inserts should really help reduce energy costs in this heat!
Volunteers constructing window inserts. Photo submitted by Stephanie Todd.
Trump’s EPA proposes rollback of basis for climate change rules From Missouri Independent The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency submitted a proposal Tuesday to rescind a 2009 finding that has provided the foundation for the agency’s regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, drawing strong opposition from Democrats and climate groups. READ MORE
Missouri to see largest spike in household energy costs under Trump’s bill From Fox 2 The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the spending package recently signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, is expected to drive up utility bills over the next decade, with Missouri currently projected to see the highest increases in the nation. READ MORE
Missouri, and your bank account, is about to go nuclear From KSDK Missouri's residents may soon be forced to fund costly, and possibly financially risky, nuclear energy projects. It's a future that many of the state's past residents fought hard to prevent. FULL STORY
Hundreds of Old EV Batteries Have New Jobs in Texas: Stabilizing the Grid From Inside Climate News The batteries in electric vehicles are typically replaced once they reach around 70 to 80 percent of their capacity as its range begins to diminish. As more EV batteries retire throughout the coming decade, the second-life EV battery market is forecasted to grow into a $4.2 billion industry by 2035. READ MORE
Centennial Greenway Trash Pick Up Volunteers. Photo submitted by Stephanie Todd.
Tower Grove Park Hike and Food Truck Friday - August 8
We will hike about 2 miles in the eastern end of the park with a focus on the park’s history and their Tree Restoration Plan. Then we'll head to Food Truck Friday and check out the vendors. Buy some food and drink and join several hundred ‘best friends’ listening to a local band [often folk or country]. MORE INFO
Q3 Chapter Ex-Com Meeting - August 9 Register today for the Missouri Chapter Ex-Com Q3 meeting! Please reach out to Gretchen or Kevin with any questions. SIGN UP HERE
Evening Hike at Castlewood State Park - August 9 We will hike the Grotpeter trail using connector trails to modify the distance to fit our 8 pm sunset time. The Sierra Club has worked with park staff for several years on various projects in this park. By participating on this hike, we hope that you will have a better understanding of how this stewardship has benefited the park and ultimately all who visit. REGISTER HERE
Farmers Market and The Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park - August 23 Learn how to use Tower Grove Park’s Interactive map to identify trees and other structures. Meander through the 40+ vendors in the TGP Farmers’ Market featuring fresh local produce and meats, food trucks, and local crafts. Empanadas? Curries? Baklava? Craft Beers? Then proceed to the food, crafts, music, and dancing representing 60+ nations for the Festival of Nations. Stay as long as you wish. RSVP HERE
MO Sierra Space | MOSS - August 27
Join the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter new & returning members, supporters, volunteers, allies, and staff to intentionally connect from across the state to: 1) build community amongst ourselves as teammates in Sierra Club’s mission, vision, values, and norms; 2) share updates on campaigns, victories, or other goings on in the state; 3) provide actionable steps to support grassroots organizing efforts for MO communities and environment. MORE INFO
Kress Farm Garden Preserve Tour & Hike - August 30
Come enjoy beautiful and unique Kress Farm Garden Preserve with us! Kress Farm is a 142+ acre garden and wildlife habitat located just north of Hillsboro, MO, off scenic Old Highway 21. Joe Corio, Kress Farm Board Chairman, will speak to us about the Preserve and give us a tour. Afterwards, we’ll hike a few trails before driving to lunch (optional) at the nearby Russell House Restaurant Inn & Brewery. SIGN UP
Building Community Through Sustainability - October 29
Join the Eastern Missouri Group & Olivette Parks and Recreation for a presentation by Kate Pichon-Hellmann of the Olivette Sustainability Advocates. "Building Community Through Sustainability: A Grassroots Journey presented by Kate Pichon-Hellmann, founder of Olivette Sustainability Advocates. This presentation explores the creation and growth of Olivette Sustainability Advocates, a community group focused on environmental sustainability. It highlights the inspiration for creating the group, the practical steps taken to engage members and build partnerships, and the lessons learned along the way. MORE INFO
Lemonade Stand at St. Charles Festival of the Little Hills - August 15, 16, 17 The Sierra Club will be back at The Festival of the Little Hills! The Downtown St. Charles Festival is one of the largest in the area, drawing artists and crafters from across the Midwest. We are excited to sell our famous fresh-squeezed lemonade to support our Eastern Missouri Group!
This will be a great and fun opportunity to connect with EMG volunteers in person and the greater St. Louis Metro community! There will be other local businesses, organizations, art, non-profits, restaurants, entertainment, and more! We have shifts here but we will be very happy with any time you can give, less hours, more hours, overlapping shifts, multiple shifts. SIGN UP HERE
Join the Energy Justice Team - August 20 Join us on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5:30-6:30pm as we fight for clean, affordable, renewable energy for our communities. SIGN UP TO ATTEND
Centennial Greenway Trash Pick Up - September 20 EMG had a successful trash pick-up on July 19 along the Centennial Greenway that EMG adopted. Our section runs from Olive Blvd. in University City to Shaw Park in Clayton. We had six great volunteers along with two leaders so we were able to complete the pick-up very quickly. The good news - there wasn't a lot of trash. The bad news- someone threw a couch along the trail but we notified the appropriate authorities so they can haul it away. Help make a difference and volunteer for the next trash pick-up on Saturday, Sept. 20, starting at 9:00. SIGN UP HERE
Have IT experience? As an organization managed by volunteers, so is our website! Are you interested in helping us update and manage our website? After completing a 1 hour online training, you can help build our group's digital presence! Reach out to Chapter Coordinator Ashton Kuehnel (ashton.kuehnel@sierraclub.org) to get involved.
Trail of Tears Trail Building - October 2-5 Join us in our first-ever State-wide service trip within the Trail of Tears State Park. The Trail of Tears State Park is a public recreation area in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. The park is also a reminder and a memorial to those individuals who underwent forced relocation and while doing so crossed the Mississippi at this spot. Our project is to create a little under one-half mile of new trail in the wilderness portion of the park. Due to its wilderness designation, the trail will need to be created using hand-tools only. The work, therefore, is considered to be strenuous. For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.
