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HBG and Chapter Meetings and Events
HBG ExCom meetings: In-person at Church of the Savior, 934 N Weisgarber Rd, Knoxville, TN 37909 (with Zoom option)
HBG Program meetings: In-person at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 (with Zoom option)
Tennessee Chapter ExCom Business meetings: Online (via Zoom)
October 2022 Program
What: How Thru Hiking Accidentally Changed My Life, by Hope Westall, Founder and CEO of Alt Route Meals
When: Tuesday, October 11, 2022, 7:00-8:30 PM
Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN and virtual via Zoom.
Please RSVP through this Campfire Event Link to get the Zoom link.
This is the story of the last decade of my life - the tale of chasing wild dreams, unlearning the word impossible, and living an adventure-filled life. After a decade of 6,000+ miles hiked, over 100 peaks bagged and 6 out of 7 continents lightly explored, I had finally discovered the missing link. There were not enough options for plant-based, health-conscious athletes and travelers. The time for boring flavors, unpronounceable ingredients, and disappointing meals at the end of the day was done for me. Come and join me as I tell the story of how I founded Alt Route Meals.
Note: Consult the HBG website Calendar for updates to our calendar. Questions regarding HBG events should be addressed to HBG Chair Jerry Thornton (gatwilcat@aol.com).
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HBG and Local Issues & Business
Big Win for HBG and Knoxville’s Urban Forest in Cradle of Country Music Park
By Kent Minault, HBG Political Committee Chair
Mayor Indya Kincannon and Kent Minault shake hands at the September 6th City Council Meeting. Photo by Todd Waterman.
This month, Harvey Broome Group members pulled off a significant victory by saving the tree canopy in the Cradle of Country Music Park. In June of last year, a small group of us, led by Maggie Longmire, started contacting city officials to find a way to protect five mature trees in the park that were threatened by the installation of a large sculpture. We were repeatedly told that the sculpture was already approved and the destruction of the trees was inevitable. The leader of the public arts committee, Liza Zenni, the City’s Chief Operations Officer, David Brace, and the Urban Forester, Kasey Krouse, all agreed: “There’s been a public process, it’s had several stages, and we have to go ahead.”
Then on August 19th, a bunch of us showed up at the Park and held a rally. People spoke about how important the trees were in their lives, we signed petitions, and word got out about the issue. Some who had been angered by the destruction of trees at Lakeshore Park started putting messages on social media, and others began an online petition. Some of us were interviewed in local media, and our request to make calls and send emails to the Mayor and City Council was answered by hundreds of people. Knoxville was starting to pay attention.
Protesters at the August 19th event, with a painting by Walt Fieldsa (in blue cap). Photo by Todd Waterman.
Mayor Kincannon called on Tuesday, September 6th, right before the next City Council meeting, to tell us they’d reached a compromise whereby four of the five trees could be saved. I thanked her for working out this solution but pressed her about that last tree and why it had to die. My concern was the continuity of the tree canopy. The park would be a lot less inviting if the canopy had a big hole in it. She said it would still be “pretty continuous” and 22 more trees would be planted as well. She said I ought to take this as a victory. I assured her I did and that other members had expressed enthusiasm as well. Still, I was concerned that under her “compromise” there had been no discussion about siting the art in another location where no trees would be sacrificed.
But the Mayor was right; it’s a victory. An aroused public defeated government intransigence, and the Kincannon administration came up with an acceptable solution. We might wonder why that solution had to wait until a year of mounting public outrage finally boiled over. But a victory it was, and we now have a core of roughly 1500 people who can organize to win more. We’ll need to continue to up our organizing game to get real climate progress as we move forward. Especially important is massive voter turnout for November. Evelyn Gill made the point at
our first rally: vote in all elections and bring friends with you. We need way more champions in public office. Drop me a note at kminault@gmail.com if you’d like to find a way to get more involved.
Read the full version of this article on our website
Watch the recorded City Council Meeting:
Todd Waterman’s photos from the rallies and City Council meeting:
Tuesday: Heat Island, or Green Oasis? Tell City Council!
Tonight: Save These Trees!
The Trees Are Saved!
Three Easy Fundraising Hacks for Our Group
It takes some courage to ask people to donate money. Our Group, however, needs some funds to be an effective voice for the environment in our area. Fortunately, the Sierra Club has given us some tools to raise some funds easily. These are:
1. On our Group’s webpage there is a red DONATE button at the top right of the page. This directs you to a secure web page where donations are deposited directly into our bank account.
2. On the same Group webpage there is a red JOIN button. If a new member clicks on the JOIN button in the upper right corner of the Group webpage and signs up for a $39 membership, the Group gets a commission of $39 back! So encourage people to join through our Group web page rather than using the National Sierra Club website, or by calling, or through the mail.
3. Know someone who would enjoy being a Sierra Club member? The Sierra Club new member reward program also works for gift membership. Surprise them this holiday season with a gift membership and a free gift. If you use this link for gift memberships to new members, our Group will get the commissions.
Please help our Harvey Broome Group by using these convenient methods of donating. Contributions, gifts, and dues to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support our effective citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Annual membership dues of $25 or more include $7.50 for a one-year print subscription to Sierra magazine and $1.00 for your chapter newsletter.
Laurel-Snow Hike Was a Sunny Surprise!
By Jerry Thornton, HBG Chair
The bridge over Richland Creek. Photo © Ron Shrieves, edited.
It was raining softly as four intrepid HBG hikers met at the trailhead of the Cumberland Trail access at Laurel-Snow State Natural Area on September 3rd. A fifth hiker had bailed out that morning because of the rain. Not to be deterred, the four (Jerry and Alice Thornton, Paul Johnson, and Ron Shrieves) set off for Laurel Falls on a trail that follows the former rail line that served the underground coal mines which once dominated the valley of Richland Creek. Suddenly, it stopped raining! Although it remained cloudy and wet most of the day, we proceeded up the trail to the aluminum bridge over Laurel Creek. Along the way, we took a rocky, treacherous detour to and from the old dam on Richland Creek that once provided the water supply for the city of Dayton, Tennessee. The “reservoir” above the dam is less than a foot deep these days and creates a 10-foot waterfall when the creek is roaring.
At the Laurel Creek bridge, we observed the irony, despite the rainy day, that it had been so dry in the previous month that Laurel Creek was barely flowing. However, the huge boulders that frame the creek were as spectacular as ever. The climb to Laurel Falls was a bit steep and slippery, but it was beautiful. The 85-foot waterfall was reduced to several trickles, which made a pleasant sound while we had lunch and enjoyed the rocky landscape.
After lunch, we re-traced our steps to the junction with the Snow Falls trail and headed up that trail as far as the old steel bridge over Henderson Creek, where we were surprised to meet a family from Russia! We did not inquire as to why/how they were in a wilderness park in Tennessee! One of life’s many mysteries!
Again, we re-traced our steps, this time back to the parking lot. As we did, the sun came out and turned our rainy day into a steamy, sunny one. Along the way we saw several groups of people who had come out to enjoy the sunny afternoon, some of whom were enjoying one of the many swimming holes in Richland Creek. After the hike was officially ended, Jerry also had to cool off in the creek – a perfect ending to a wonderful wilderness experience!
Care NET Regional Conservation Committee Update
By Bill Kornrich, Care NET Chair
Tennessee River Basin Network
Care NET received the Communication/Outreach award from the Tennessee River Basin Network (TRBN) at its recent annual conference, held at the Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville. The designation comes with a $5,000 cash award. Selection of Care NET was based on its work promoting awareness of the value of the Holston River as a resource and developing programs that support the river’s aquatic diversity.
The Tennessee River Basin Network (TRBN) is a partnership of states, cities, counties, tribal and federal agencies, academic groups, private industry, and non-governmental organizations. TRBN formed in 2014 to protect the Tennessee River watershed, one of the most diverse areas for aquatic species in North America. The Holston is one among the many rivers that feed into theTennessee River, which is about 650 miles long and flows through four states.
Holston River Exhibit
“The Holston: It’s Your River, Hawkins County” was displayed at the annual Surgoinsville Riverfront Festival (on the Holston River), the annual Hawkins County Humane Society fundraiser, and at the annual conference of the Tennessee River Basin Network at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville.
Potato Hill Quarry
A draft permit has been issued by TDEC for the quarry, located on the bank of the Holston River. The Hawkins County Commission voted to put a 20,000 pound weight limit on Jim Town Road (with signage). As this road is currently the only access to the proposed quarry, this action will limit the ability of the quarry to operate - if it receives a final permit.
Care NET has been working with the group Residents of Jim Town Road to oppose the quarry and will participate in the public meeting, when a date is announced. Issues involved are: use of dynamite, erosion and dust, impact on fishing and recreational use on the river and Cherokee Lake.
Hikes
August hike took place at Laurel Fork Falls near Hampton. On Saturday, September 24, the hike will be at Big Creek in Cherokee National Forest.
Fall Cleanup
Care NET will select a cleanup location based on suggestions from community members. A number of locations were received at the Surgoinsville Riverfront Festival.
Keep up with Care NET on their Facebook page
Federally Funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
This federal program provides federally funded assistance in managing costs associated with: home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs.
Read about other local events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.
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Events and Actions
Paddle trip: Seven Islands State Birding Park to Cruze Landing, French Broad
Saturday, September 24th, 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Seven Islands State Birding Park. Photo © Ron Shrieves. Used with permission.
This go-with-the-current float covers an easy 5 miles, starting from the Seven Islands State Birding Park public access point on the French Broad River, to a public boat ramp at Cruze Landing (this will require a car shuttle setup among group drivers when we meet). Though far from pristine, this river does have some interesting sights, and a bit of wildlife. There may be some shoal water, but no whitewater. Basic canoe/kayak skills are required. We'll take our time exploring the shoreline for birds and other wildlife, and stop to eat lunch and stretch our legs on an island that is in the State Park. Sorry but we cannot provide boats, so if you need to rent a boat, you will have to contact a local outfitter and make your own arrangements for boats, paddles and PFDs. One-way drive, 20 miles. Pre-register with Ron Shrieves: 865-922-3518; ronshrieves@gmail.com or at this website.
Knoxville Drive Electric Week Festival
Saturday, September 24, 10 AM - 3 PM
Pellissippi State Community College
10915 Hardin Valley Rd, Knoxville, TN 37933
The Festival will feature all vehicles that can be plugged in, and that a person can ride in or on: cars, motorcycles, eBikes, three wheeler FUVs (Fun Utility Vehicles) and electric scooters. You can see and compare a wide range of EV models in one place. Owners and auto dealers will have numerous vehicles for show and ride and drives throughout the day. Local dealers will bring models available in the Knoxville area. Knowledgeable KEVA members will be available to answer your questions throughout the day. There will be an information station, utility representatives, vendors (solar and other), and additional exciting electric alternatives. RSVP here
Appalachian Public Interest Environmental Law (APIEL) Conference
Saturday, October 1st, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
University of Tennessee College of Law
This year’s conference features presentations on the legal ethics of environmental justice, factory farming case studies, TVA’s carbon footprint, and more. Lay-friendly and open to the community at large. Register here.
Party for the Planet at The Boocherie (Frog Juice Kombucha)
Sunday, October 2nd, 1:00 - 6:00 PM
2920 Sutherland Ave
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
This all-ages event features poetry, live music, workshops, vendors, and guest speakers. Sponsored by River Sports Outfitters and the Tennessee Champion Tree Program.
Petition: Restore Cherokee Name Kuwohi to Mountain Presently Known as Clingmans Dome
Support the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in their effort to win recognition of the mountain’s historic name by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names by signing this petition.
Survey: Social Media and Wilderness Ethics
Please complete this survey for wilderness users about their experiences both outside and online. The survey supports a Columbia University student’s thesis research project on the impacts of social media on designated wilderness areas in the U.S.
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Environmental Newsflash
*** Note to readers about accessing these articles. Gift links provide a link that allows access for a single time, even if you have reached your limit.
TVA, Hooked on Dirty Energy: The mighty Tennessee Valley Authority isn't in any rush to pivot to clean energy. Austyn Gaffney, Sierra Magazine, September 14.
" ‘Change is hard,’ said Amanda Garcia, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. ‘They [TVA] don't think there's anyone telling them that they need to move away from fossil fuels, and so why should they do it? They like how they're doing business now.’
“TVA could be a national leader. But instead of showing the nation how to navigate away from the climate crisis, TVA has morphed into a prime example of why we're in it.”
“Frustrated organizations across the Southeast created the Clean Up TVA coalition in spring to advocate for renewable options. The group ‘underscores what we think TVA could be, and the massive potential to transform the region and be a leader for the country,’ said Bri Knisley, an East Tennessee organizer for the local environmental group Appalachian Voices and a coalition member.”
Though Gaffney’s otherwise excellent article lamentably doesn’t quote Sierra Club, the Tennessee Chapter powerfully engages both volunteers and TVA’s local power companies (LPCs) like Memphis Light, Gas, and Water in opposing TVA’s proposed methane gas pipelines and plants, its unjust rates and energy efficiency policies, and much more. Want to help? Contact Energy Chair JoAnn McIntosh at mcijoann@gmail.com, or donate to the Chapter.
In her first broadcast since her Whitesburg, KY station was flooded off the air in July, Katie Myers (partner of SOCM’s Adam Hughes), gives wrenchingly real voices to the climate-driven suffering in the region.
"And our thought was, 'Oh, Lord, the car’s gonna move, it's gonna bump into the house, and it's gonna go down the river. You know — we're gone.' "
"It was a difficult time, not knowin' if your loved ones was alive."
"Our lifehood, that's everything, right there, in a pile, in a heap, to be hauled away."
But "Think globally, act locally" is tough when local means coal. "Ain't no global warming... I don't buy that. I hauled coal 35 years. Detroit makes cars. We mine coal."
World on brink of five ‘disastrous’ climate tipping points, study finds: Giant ice sheets, ocean currents and permafrost regions may already have passed point of irreversible change. Damian Carrington, The Guardian, September 8.
"At 1.5C of heating, the minimum rise now expected, four of the five tipping points move from being possible to likely, the analysis said.
"Passing one tipping point is often likely to help trigger others, producing cascades. But this is still being studied and was not included, meaning the analysis may present the minimum danger.
" 'Our new work provides compelling evidence that the world must radically accelerate decarbonising the economy. To achieve that, we need to trigger positive social tipping points.'
Source Science study (For open access, click "Check access.")
Recorded Video of Cradle of Country Music Urban Forest and Abortion Access Resolution Debates and Votes at Sept. 6 Knoxville City Council Meeting (City Council R 265 220906). Recording by Knoxville Community Media.
The Harvey Broome Group’s “impossible,” yet triumphant campaign to save trees threatened by a $900,000 monumental sculpture in the Cradle of Country Music Park is a how-to guide for saving and getting planted urban trees to mitigate the escalating heat island effect and to remove the escalating carbon that causes it globally, and also for building personal, respectful relationships with decision-makers. HBG effectively lit up the area's top urban tree experts, talented local artists, and passionate environmentalists, whose infectious enthusiasm inspired Knoxvillians and their officials to hear the music of the trees, see their majesty, and hug them back for protecting us.
Video Highlights:
14:40: Mayor Kincannon announces the compromise reached to save both the sculpture and four of the five trees it had threatened, in response to a scheduled vote on a Singh/Parker resolution pausing the sculpture project for six months so just such a compromise could be found. The mayor is followed immediately by Rose Abramoff, who yields to HBG Conservation Chair Axel Ringe, who thanks the Mayor and other stakeholders who “worked together to achieve a common goal.” Axel then explains why urban trees are vital to both the City’s and the world’s goals. Immediately following Axel at 21:30 is longtime parks and greenways advocate Will Skelton of HBG, who echoes Axel’s gratitude for forging the compromise and reads leading local arborist Jim Cortese’s admonition never to destroy hard-to-grow urban trees.
45:40: ORNL climate/plant/soil researcher (and Extinction Rebellion protester) Rose Abromoff extolls mature trees’ many social, environmental, and economic benefits.
56:00: Vice Mayor Andrew Roberto calls on Knoxville Urban Forester Kasey Krouse to discuss the City’s Urban Tree Canopy Study and its wider, long-term goal, shared by Sierra Club and other environmental organizations, of protecting and planting beneficial trees.
The discussions culminated in council members voting unanimously to withdraw the resolution to pause the sculpture project.
At 1:13:30, discussion and loudly-cheered comments begin on a resoundingly popular, if largely symbolic, resolution supporting full access to obstetric and gynecological care, including abortion access, for all Knoxvillians. At 2:16:00, that resolution was approved unanimously except for one abstention.
Guzman provides a thorough account of the Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter’s efforts to promote transparency in TVA’s operations and exercise the public’s right to influence the public utility’s decisions through the listening session process. Scott Banbury, Amy Kelly, Jonathan Levenshus, and Bonnie Swinford are quoted.
Dollywood joins 7-state initiative recycling cigarette butts to keep TN River beautiful. Hannah Moore, WATE, August 30.
Visitors to Dollywood can sit on benches made from the plastic found in cigarette butts.
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) gifted Dollywood the two benches as a way to say thank you for the park’s efforts in stopping cigarette litter. In 2021, Dollywood partnered with the river cleanup nonprofit for their cigarette litter prevention project. KTNRB gave Dollywood 26 art-wrapped cigarette receptacles through grants and sponsorships from Keep America Beautiful, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the American Eagle Foundation.
“A coalition of environmental groups [including Sierra Club and Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment] sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday over its refusal to regulate some older coal ash dumps, claiming they are polluting air and groundwater.”
The article begins with the Kingston coal ash spill. It also spotlight’s TVA’s Bull Run Steam Plant, where two of three coal ash impoundments are exempt because they were closed before the EPA’s regulations went into effect in 2015, and where TVA can even claim groundwater contamination at the currently-used Dry Fly Ash Stack is exempt as pre-2015 contamination. Without mentioning his Sierra Club membership, AP quotes Todd Waterman, a member of Bull Run Neighbors, a grassroots group organized by Sierra Club, SOCM, and Appalachian Voices.
AP’s wire service story, which was picked up by PBS, The Hill, U.S. News and World Report and other national media, and more local media throughout the U.S., focusses much-needed national attention on toxic, potentially cancer-causing coal ash at Kingston, Bull Run, and nearly 300 other EPA-exempted legacy sites.
Climate Change Actions Are Far More Popular Than People in U.S. Realize: “False social reality” obscures widespread U.S. support for climate protection measures. Robin Lloyd, Scientific American, August 23.
"Recent polls from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication show that 66 to 80 percent of people in the U.S. support major climate mitigation policies. But participants in the new study estimated that only between 37 and 43 percent do so.
"Such a false impression can lead to a cycle of collective self-silencing on the topic of climate change and to decisions not to take any action to call for climate mitigation policies."
Keep talking, especially to your elected officials. And tell them how many in their district agree with you, according to Yale polling.
Read about other events in Tennessee in our Chapter e-newsletters.
*** A democracy with informed citizens requires the professionalism that we have historically expected of credible news sources. Most “local" newspapers today are asking folks who access their online news stories to purchase a subscription to their paper. This is understandable generally, and reminds us that we should do our part to pay for the resources that result in publication of local news. Those of us who use summaries of published print news, as we do, are no exception, and we ask the same of our readers. However, we also believe that a person who only wants to see an occasional article published in a newspaper should not be required to subscribe. So if you believe that you are in the latter category - only an occasional reader - you may be able to read an article without a subscription. You can click on the gift link, which assumes that you plan to "gift" the journal or magazine or newspaper to someone, or you can "browse anonymously" or clear your browser cache before activating a link to an article. This may help you avoid many "pay walls" at these news sources (some sources restrict access even with anonymous settings). Another approach is to search for alternate source on the particular news item. But we recommend that our readers who find themselves accessing an online news source on a regular basis subscribe to an online version of the paper, which is generally much cheaper than a print version.
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Can't donate now? Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger donates a portion of what you spend to the Harvey Broome Group as long as you designate HBG as your preferred charity.
Here's how:
1. Go to the Kroger Community Rewards web page
2. Register (or Sign In if you already have an account.)
3. Enroll in Community Rewards (or Edit if you're already enrolled.)
4. Enter HBG's Community Rewards Number 27874.
That's it. Swipe your Kroger Card when you shop and know that you're helping protect your environment.
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Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization -- with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we've made history by leading the charge to move away from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate disruption and toward a clean energy economy.
The Harvey Broome Group (HBG) is one of four Sierra Club Groups within the Tennessee Chapter. HBG is based in Knoxville and serves 18 surrounding counties. HBG's namesake, Harvey Broome, was a Knoxvillian who was a founding member of the Wilderness Society and played a key role in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Visit our website
Join HBG
Donate (click the Donate button on the HBG home page)
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