Photo by Bruce Dupree, Alabama Cooperative Extension System
>CALLING ALL THOMAS HART BENTON GROUP PHOTOGRAPHERS<
Starting in June, the Thomas Hart Benton Group is hosting a photography contest! Online submission of nature-themed photos taken in 2025 will open June 1st and will continue through September. Then, all Thomas Hart Benton Group members will be invited to vote on the winner or winners!
• Entries may be made from June 1 through September 30. • There is no submission fee. • Photos must be from 2025. • Un-edited, “nature-themed images” that allow viewers to experience the beauty and splendor of the natural world • Entries cannot include images of identifiable people • Images should be at least 3000 pixels on the longest side • You must be a Sierra Club member to submit entries
Up to five (5) individual submissions may be made. If you submit more than five (5) photos, only the first five (5) photos submitted will be counted.
Millions for Monuments, not Monuments for Millionaires By Eileen McManus, Outings Chair
Recently, our local Sierra Club group held an outing to the George Washington Carver National Monument near Diamond, Missouri. It is the one national monument in Missouri and the first unit of the National Park Service dedicated to an African-American. The park is the birthplace and childhood home of the famed agricultural scientist, educator, and humanitarian.
The young child known as the "Plant Doctor" tended his secret garden while observing the day-to-day operations of a 19th-century farm. Nature and nurture ultimately influenced George on his quest for education.
After leading this outing, Eileen McManus would like to call attention to an action called “Millions for Monuments, Not Monuments for Millionaries.” This action is being undertaken because of concerns about proposed threats (of shutting down and selling off) some of our cherished National Monuments.
Here is some explanation from the “Millions for Monuments” action page: “We are part of the majority of voters and local communities across the country who love and depend on national monuments and other protected public lands and waters managed by the Department of the Interior. These cherished outdoor spaces sustain rural economies; support multi-generational families of hunters, military veterans, and ranchers; safeguard local watersheds and wildlife habitats; and are the cornerstone of our American ways of life.
“National monuments and similar protections have the unwavering support of local communities and businesses that worked for years to ensure their protection. As you know, many of our nation’s national monuments, including the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty, were protected by use of the Antiquities Act. It’s a superhero law established by Republican President Theodore Roosevelt and used by presidents of both parties to protect important historical and natural treasures all across the country that sustain local communities.
“With so much public land already available for energy production, I urge you to maintain the national monument protections that voters fought to establish through the Antiquities Act and to safeguard the public’s access to these places for the benefit of communities and local stakeholders, including elected officials, sportsmen, faith leaders, and outdoor enthusiasts.”
Native Plantings Update By Jennifer Helber, Conservation Committee Co-Chair
Our 300-square-foot plot within the half-acre site on the Strother exit at I-470 North has begun blooming with some coreopsis, and partridge pea is sprouting. However, these annuals are being dominated by regrowth of fescue.
Per the advice of of Jerod Huebner (Missouri Prairie Foundation), we obtained a grass-specific herbicide, and mixed with surfactant provided by Brian Scivnick, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), and applied to this area. This small plot is useful in testing treatment of the larger area--and the herbicide has been effective in killing the fescue, which is starting to form seed heads. We want to head off the seed production to reduce the presence of fescue seeds that will interfere with growth of the native seed mix that we'll provide for seeding in the late fall. In other words, we want to halt the fescue "seed bank."
So, in the next few weeks, we want to apply this herbicide to four sections in the half-acre that we aim to plant with milkweed species, native flowers, and three native grasses for a rich monarch habitat to grow in 2026. If you're able to help for about an hour in this area in August, contact Conservation Co-Chair, Jennifer Helber, jthelber@hotmail.com
Upcoming Outings
Survival of the Fittest: Picturing Wildlife and Wilderness
Date: Thurs., Aug. 14 Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Location: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St., KCMO 64111
Can art help save the planet? Can beautiful images have the power to change people’s minds? To answer those questions, join us at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art as we tour “Survival of the Fittest: Picturing Wildlife and Wilderness”. This exhibition features 45 masterworks created by a group known today as the big four - Richard Friese, Wilhelm Kuhnert, Bruno Liljefors, and Carl Rungius. This project examines a range of topics, including conservation, colonialism, darwinism, and indigenous perspectives on nature and wildlife.
Buy your ticket for this exhibition at here or join Friends of Art for a year of free exhibitions and free parking. Please arrive a few minutes early at the exhibit entrance to sign-in. Afterwards, participants may choose to gather on the Plaza for refreshment but this is not part of the Sierra Club structured activity. At sign-in, all participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard participant agreement you can read here, if you would like to read it before you choose to participate, here is a link to the form.
Please click here for more information and to RSVP.
KC-Area Beginning Backpacking Program
This popular series is waitlisted. Please keep watching our Meetup and this E-Newsletter to sign up early for the next one!
Date: Saturday., August 16 Time: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Location: Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center
This isn’t just a one-time program—it’s a gateway to adventure. You’ll gain the skills, confidence, and practical know-how to engage the backcountry, whether solo, by forming your own tight-knit crew, joining organized trips, or crossing paths with others who match your energy, drive, and ambition.
So if you're truly serious about learning the fundamentals of backcountry travel and ready to engage with hands-on skill development, this program is designed for you. We offer an essential introduction to backpacking techniques, culminating in a genuine weekend backcountry trip that puts your new skills directly into practice. This is where dedicated learners find their starting point.
Over the course of this KC-area Beginning Backpacking Program, we’ll break down key skills, tackle a weekend backcountry trip, and see who’s ready to embrace the backpacking lifestyle. Some will take what they learn and venture out on their own, while others may find the right mix of people with whom to keep exploring—because when the right combination of experience, mindset, and enthusiasm comes together, the trail has a way of leading to more.
If you’re injury-free, in good health, and already comfortable with hiking—or keep your fitness high—this is your chance to level up. Whether you’re looking to dive into backpacking as a lifelong pursuit or want to rebaseline your skills and connect with the right people, this is built for you.
Tour National Natural Landmark Onondaga Cave and Cathedral Cave
Date: Saturday., September 13 Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Location: Onondaga Cave State Park
Descend into the depths of Onondaga Cave State Park and drop into a world of wonder: towering stalagmites, dripping stalactites, and active flowstones help make the cave a National Natural Landmark and illustrate why Missouri is often called “The Cave State.” We will take two guided tours into this underground wonderland. The 11:30 a.m. tour of Onondaga Cave near the Visitor Center is along a one-mile lighted concrete walkway and lasts 1.5 hours. The 2:00 p.m. afternoon tour of Cathedral Cave near the campground lasts 2.0 hours. It is not lighted and the park provides flashlights or you can bring your own. The temperature in both caves is 57 degrees so bring a light jacket and wear sturdy shoes. Also, bring a sack lunch to eat between tours. The cost for both tours is $32 for adults and $29 for seniors which you will pay for at the Visitor Center.
There is a campground that you can stay at Friday and/or Saturday night. Reservations are on your own and not part of the structured activities organized by the Sierra Club. The campground fills fast and leaders have already reserved their basic sites #67 & #68 which are right across from the bathroom. You are welcome to join us for happy hour at our campsite each night for some brief discussion about the National Park Service and Missouri’s State Parks. BYOB.
Watch: The Kansas City Public Library recently hosted Michael Grunwald, author of We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate. Watch the recorded talk to find out just how significantly agriculture contributes to our changing climate.
Please check Lakeside Nature Center’s calendar here Please check Missouri Department of Conservation’s calendar here Please check Missouri Prairie Foundations calendar here Cultivate KC has a list of events and a list of farmers’ markets
Text Alerts - Sign up for mobile text alerts here (By providing your mobile number you consent to receive cell phone and text communications from Sierra Club, the Sierra Club Foundation, Sierra Club PACs and Chapters concerning news, action opportunities, and other important information)
Starting in June, the Thomas Hart Benton Group is hosting a photography contest! Online submission of nature-themed photos taken in 2025 will open June 1st and will continue through September. Then, all Thomas Hart Benton Group members will be invited to vote on the winner or winners! 
