Please watch our Meetup page for outings that may be planned after each E-Newsletter’s publication date.

Eddy-Ballentine Trail Maintenance and Cookout (Celebrating 60th Anniversary of Wilderness Act) – Sat., March 30

Join Sierra Club as we work together to restore the diversity, health and resiliency of the Blue River Glades Natural Area. We will work from 1-3, and afterwards from 3-5:30, we will celebrate another great season of trail maintenance on the Eddy-Ballentine Trail with a cookout up at the Rocky Point Glades Trailhead. After hiking that trail, we will have hot dogs, chips, beans, beverages and birthday cake for the 60th anniversary of wilderness. We will also have fun learning a few wilderness skills of hanging a bear bag, tying knots and making fire starter.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

In connection with the Eddy-Ballentine Trail Maintenance activity, which has been ongoing for three years, we would like to call your attention to this article which is published in full on our website.

Teamwork Helps Restore Eddy-Ballentine Trail Area At the Blue River Parkway

For the past three years, the local KC-area Sierra Club group has been working with Jackson County Parks + Rec to restore and improve the Eddy-Ballentine trail area at the County’s Blue River Parkway (south of Lakeside Nature Center and Swope Park).

The volunteer turnout has been very impressive, and an amazing amount of work has been done so far to clear out invasive honeysuckle that had crowded out native plants. 

Total Solar Eclipse Weekend Backpack in Arkansas – April 6-8

This outing is waitlisted.

We will backpack a route in the Ouachita National Forest, camping on-trail each night. The trip concludes Monday afternoon with the eclipse that starts around 12:30 p.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. Totality will occur around 1:50 p.m. and last over 3 minutes! Arkansas is the prime viewing location for this eclipse.

Please click here for more information and to join the waitlist. .

Hidden Valley Park Hike – Sun., April 7

This is the SECOND of three hikes to discover this hidden gem, right in the center of things! Join us to discover how spring arrives at this beautiful park!

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

"Food Inc. 2" Film Screening April 9

Thomas Hart Benton Group is excited to share that our friends at the Missouri Workers Center will be hosting a film screening in Kansas City of "Food Inc. 2," a sequel to the 2008 groundbreaking documentary by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser highlighting the dark side of the U.S. food system. This follow up will further shed light on the impacts on the people who work in the food industry, often under unimaginably poor conditions, and the very serious impacts it has on communities. We'll be in attendance and hope to see you there! If you'd like to join, please email our local organizer, Billy Davies, at william.davies@sierraclub.org to get the rsvp link which will be available the week of April 1.

Lobby Day in Jefferson City – Wed., April 10

On Wednesday, April 10, join Sierra Club members and supporters as we travel to Jefferson City to lobby to our legislators on our key priorities of the 2024 legislative session. Our elected leaders need to know that Missourians support clean air, renewable energy, and the protection of wild spaces.

When we use our voices together to speak out on behalf of our environment and community, we are powerful. Will you join us for our 2024 Lobby Day?

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Trip Report Series #11 Timberline Trail – Wed., April 17

This is a virtual event.

The Timberline is just outside of Portland, OR - an epicenter of outdoor activity on the Eastern slope of the Cascades. A fantastic combination of volcanism and time has produced endless views and sublime microclimates to appreciate.

Outings Leader Matt Verhulst will provide an overview of the trip there: highs and lows, difficulties, risks, terrain, elevation, permit requirements, maps and guidebooks, information gathering, water strategy, food storage, side hikes, gear, group planning thoughts, logistics, and more.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Earth Day Cleanup at Brush Creek Greenway – Sat., April 20

Celebrate Earth Day by spending a few hours making one of our local watersheds a little bit cleaner! This year the Thomas Hart Benton Group is participating in the Great Kansas City Cleanup, hosted by the City of Kansas City, to clean up litter along a stretch of Brush Creek. During this cleanup we will focus on the eastern stretch of Brush Creek, heading toward the creek's confluence with the Blue River.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Native Plant Sale – Sat., April 20

The Missouri Prairie Foundation will be hosting a Native Plant Sale at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO 64110, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Please click here for more information.

Virtual Book Club: A Bold Return to Giving a Damn – Wed., April 24

The full name of this book is A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food. Janet Blauvelt will lead this online discussion about "forging a different way of doing things. One that works with nature not against it, and bridges the quickly widening delta between consumers and their food."

The book can be found here (or check your local library).

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Save the Date: 60th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act Trail Maintenance at Lake of the Ozarks State Park – April 26-28

In 1977, Missouri Department of Natural Resources started a program for lands in state parks called Wild Areas modeled after the National Wilderness System established in 1964. In celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, join us for trail maintenance at one of the first designated wild areas in Missouri called Patterson Hollow. Besides trail maintenance, we will also explore several other trails at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Lodging is available at Camp Redbud cabins or on your own at a nearby primitive campsite or the park campground.

Please watch our Meetup for the link to RSVP as the time approaches.

Missouri Birding Society Hosts April Learning Series 

On the first four Mondays in April, the Missouri Birding Society is hosting a Learning Series online. Topics include Birding Basics, Engaging with Community Science Programs and Data Collection, How Birds Changed My Life, and MIssouri’s Indigenous People and Their Connection with Nature.

Please click here for more information and to RSVP.