Giant egrets in O’Fallon Park offer signs of life and hope amidst the devastating tornadic destruction which swept through a large swath of the St.Louis area. Photo and description by Louise Bullock.
Tornado Response Our Sierra Club team has been out supporting tornado relief efforts led by Action St. Louis & For The Culture STL . We are thankful for their leadership as the city comes together to help one another. If you'd like information on how to help tornado victims, please visit the City of St. Louis resource page.
EMG Happy Hour & Mississippi River Conservation Presentation - June 18 Please join us for a happy hour with light refreshments at Urban Chestnut in the Grove which includes a special welcome to new members of the Eastern Missouri Group! After the happy hour concludes, Christine Favilla, Three Rivers Project Co-coordinator, will give a presentation on Mississippi River issues and how they tie into the work of the Sierra Club’s Mississippi River Team’s Farm Bill Priorities and OneMississippi’s new National Mississippi River Day.
No pesticides to be used on St. Louis City school grounds Submitted by Stephanie Todd At their May 13th meeting, the St. Louis City Board of Education voted to amend its groundskeeping contract to state “herbicides and pesticides will not be used” on any of the city’s school grounds, including schools that have been shuttered. This is a win for the No Spray Coalition who has been trying to ban pesticide use in city parks and public spaces by adopting the Healthy Outdoor Parks and Public Spaces (HOPPS) bill. EMG is a partner with the Coalition and has provided input to the HOPPS bill. Banning pesticides in the schools is a good first step. During the public comment portion of the meeting, a No Spray member noted that herbicides are linked to cancer and can trigger asthma attacks, an illness that is becoming more frequent in children. For more information on the HOPPS bill, CLICK HERE.
Foods Already Affected by Climate Change—The 2025 Update From Earth 911 Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it’s transforming your grocery bill today. The energy-intensive agricultural and transportation systems that bring us strawberries in December and year-round coffee are contributing to climate change and being disrupted by it. SEE THE FOODS
How to Create a Garden for Pollinators From Sierra Magazine A step-by-step guide to transforming your yard into a thriving habitat for bees and butterflies. Even a small patch of native habitat can provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators while helping you reconnect with nature. READ MORE
EMG Sierra Club joins with three groups to clear trails at Northside Park Submitted by Dave Campbell, Outings Co-Chairperson On May 7th, the Sierra Club joined with the Ozark Trail Association, River City Outdoors and the St. Louis City Parks, Forestry Department to create a new trail and clear and improve exiting trails in O’Fallon Park. These trails are used by River City Outdoors and the adjacent YMCA to conduct outdoor programs for kids who may rarely get into a wooded area. This is part of our mission! We will have another trail maintenance event with these groups on November 8. We would love to have YOU join us! See Volunteer section below for upcoming meetings.
Photo submitted by David Campbell.
River Days of Action - June 1-June 15 Experiencing and connecting with the Mighty Miss is the best way to become one with the River. Experience the joy of making a real impact through hands-on activities alongside fellow River Citizens. Participate in canoe excursions, restoration projects, engaging webinars, and more events that inspire action for our people, land, water, and wildlife. MORE INFO
Overnight Backpacking at Hawn State Park - June 7 From the Whispering Pines trailhead, we’ll hike clockwise to campsite 1, approximately 5 miles. Sunset is at 8:30 PM so we’ll aim to be in camp by 5 PM to have plenty of time to set up camp and make dinner. Therefore, we’ll hike at a 1.5-2 MPH pace. In the morning, the group will depart the campsites together by 10 AM and hike 1.5 miles back to the trailhead. Limited spots available! SIGN UP HERE
Juneteenth Festival - June 14 Join Neighbors Impacting Communities for their THIRD annual Juneteenth Celebration in Soulard Park from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Soulard Market Park in St. Louis, Mo. Free and Open to the Public. MORE INFO
EMG Happy Hour & Mississippi River Conservation Presentation - June 18 Please join us for a casual happy hour at Urban Chestnut in the Grove, where you can meet fellow members and learn more about the important conservation work happening here in Missouri! Light refreshments will be provided, and new members of the Sierra Club - Eastern Missouri Group will receive a free drink ticket as a special welcome. After the happy hour concludes, Christine Favilla, Three Rivers Project Co-coordinator, will give a presentation on Mississippi River issues and how they tie into the work of the Sierra Clubs Mississippi River Teams Farm Bill Priorities and OneMississippis new National Mississippi River Day. JOIN US, GET INFO HERE
Get to know Gretchen! Chapter Director's Office Hours - June 20
Join our Chapter Director's office hours! This is a great place to drop in, ask quick questions, or just talk through your priorities. If you have a larger issue, please schedule a one-on-one with Gretchen by finding a time. COME AND CHAT
Show-Me Less Plastic: Advocacy Workshop - June 21 Join an empowering public workshop focused on plastic pollution advocacy and action in Missouri. This interactive session will explore the urgent health, environmental, and policy issues surrounding plastic use—especially single-use plastic in food and beverage packaging—and equip participants with the tools to become informed community advocates. REGISTER HERE
MO Sierra Space | MOSS - June 25
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
Park-Like, is a unique city garden at 3713 Washington Ave. and part of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation campus. Per their website “the garden contains over 100 varieties of native and non-native plants as well as found building materials that have been transformed into water filtration systems, retaining structures, and seating. Using land and rainscaping techniques, Park-Like is designed to absorb rainfall from storms and reduce the impact on urban sewer systems while creating a site for both wildlife and people.” This view to the west also shows the Contemporary Art Museum St.Louis and the entertainment venue, Judson House, in the background.
Photo and description by Louise Bullock
Tornado Damage Trail Maintenance at O'Fallon Park - June 11 We JUST cleared the trails in this park on May 7 and now the tornado has devastated these trails. This is a great opportunity to do some trail maintenance work. If you have not done this work before, this is a wonderful way to learn. We will be cutting trees and clearing brush. All tools will be provided by the Sierra Club. We will be working with St. Louis City Parks, Ozark Trail Association and River City Outdoors. Participants can work as many hours as they want. RSVP HERE
Outing Leaders Meeting - June 12 Join our monthly meeting with Outing Leaders to discuss upcoming hikes! This is a way to get involved and learn more about becoming an Outings Leader. Feel free to join and RSVP HERE.
Centennial Greenway Trash Pick Up - June 14 EMG has volunteered to adopt a 2-mile section of the Centennial Greenway for trash pick-up. Our section of the Greenway extends from Olive Blvd to Shaw Park and we will break into two groups. One group will walk 1-mile north to Olive Blvd and the other will walk 1-mile south to Shaw Park. You will find that you’ll have fun being social with other trash haters during this event. SIGN UP HERE
Stewardship Work at Don Robinson State Park - June 20 We’ll be working on various activities deemed important by the park superintendent. Participants can expect to possibly hike into the work site on a single-track trail that is rocky and rooty at times and can be slippery when wet. We’ll aim for 3-4 hours, but everyone can work as they see fit. MORE INFO
Join the Energy Justice Team! 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
Interested in IT volunteering? 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.
Photos from a Mother’s Day Hike in Hickory Canyon and Pickle Springs Conservation Areas. Leader: Lisa Hosey Co-Leader: Annie Russell
