sierra sun - april 2013

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Printed by iCalamus v 1.16 (unregistered version) Suncoast Sierra Club Sierra Sun Newsletter Spring 2013 1 SIERRA SUN Earth Day Bike Ride Sunday, April 21 at 10am FREE (well, you buy your own lunch!) Starts: Long Center, 1501 N. Belcher RD #225, Clearwater, FL 33765 Ends: Philippe Park, 2525 Philippe Pkwy., Safety Harbor, FL 34695 Celebrate Earth Day 2013 a day early, with our Clearwater to Safety Harbor Bike Ride & Lunch, along the Ream Wilson bike trail. We'll ride from the Long Center to Philippe Park stopping for lunch at a restaurant in Safety Harbor and the Indian Mounds in Philippe Park. We'll ride at an easy, social ride pace, about 17 miles round trip. Ride leader Robin Baldwin will be riding in Climate Ride California in May 2013. Contact Robin [email protected] or 727-536-1880 Alchemy Fest8 at First Unity Campus 460 46th Ave. N. St Petersburg Sunday, April 21 1-6pm $8 in advance, $10 at the door Transformation Stations, Live Awesome Music, Organic Market and more For more information: http://integralchurch.wordpress.com/ alchemy-fest-2013 Earth Care at Allendale United Methodist Saturday, April 20th 10AM - 2PM FREE 3803 Haines Road North, St Petersburg Exhibits, gardens, music, fun and more For more information: http://www.allendaleumc.org/Earth- Day.html Island Earthdays at Honeymoon Island Saturday, April 20 11am - 7pm and Sunday, April 21 11am to 5pm $8 donation per vehicle at the gate Live music & entertainment, activities, pet friendly, bungee jumping & rock wall and lots more For more information: http://islandearthdays.com Bag It - Is your life too plastic? Earth Day, Monday, April 22 - 7pm Screening FREE HCC Ybor Campus Performing Arts Building 1304 E. 11th Avenue Watch this award winning documentary. What happens when a regular guy decides to give up plastic? HCC Ybor Campus Performing Arts Building 1304 E. 11th Avenue Presented by Tampa Bay Sierra Club & Hillsborough Community College of Sustainability Busy on Earth Day weekend?? Celebrate Arbor Day instead! Green Thumb Festival at Walter Fuller Park Saturday & Sunday, April 27 and 28 FREE 7891 26th Avenue N. St Petersburg, FL 33710 The place for great environmental and horticultural exhibits - every kind of plant imaginable For more information: http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/ greenthumb/index.html VOLUNTEER FOR EARTH DAY! We will be providing education and information at these events - if you are interested in volunteering at the Suncoast Sierra Club table please contact Lisa at [email protected] or Joyce at [email protected] 2013 EARTH DAY EVENTS

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Newsletter of the Suncoast Sierra Club - Sierra Club group for Pinellas, Western Pasco and Western Hernando Counties in Florida.

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Page 1: Sierra Sun - April 2013

Printed by iCalamus v 1.16 (unregistered version)

S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3 1

S I E R R A SUN

Earth Day Bike RideSunday, April 21 at 10am FREE (well, you buy your own lunch!)Starts: Long Center, 1501 N. Belcher RD #225, Clearwater, FL 33765Ends: Philippe Park, 2525 Philippe Pkwy., Safety Harbor, FL 34695Celebrate Earth Day 2013 a day early, with our Clearwater to Safety Harbor Bike Ride & Lunch, along the Ream Wilson bike trail. We'll ride from the Long Center to Philippe Park stopping for lunch at a restaurant in Safety Harbor and the Indian Mounds in Philippe Park. We'll ride at an easy, social ride pace, about 17 miles round trip. Ride leader Robin Baldwin will be riding in Climate Ride California in May 2013. Contact Robin [email protected] or 727-536-1880

Alchemy Fest8 at First Unity Campus 460 46th Ave. N. St PetersburgSunday, April 21 1-6pm$8 in advance, $10 at the doorTransformation Stations, Live Awesome Music, Organic Market and moreFor more information: http://integralchurch.wordpress.com/alchemy-fest-2013

Earth Care at Allendale United MethodistSaturday, April 20th 10AM - 2PM FREE3803 Haines Road North, St Petersburg Exhibits, gardens, music, fun and moreFor more information: http://www.allendaleumc.org/Earth-Day.html

Island Earthdays at Honeymoon Island Saturday, April 20 11am - 7pm and Sunday, April 21 11am to 5pm$8 donation per vehicle at the gateLive music & entertainment, activities, pet friendly, bungee jumping & rock wall and lots moreFor more information: http://islandearthdays.com

Bag It - Is your life too plastic? Earth Day, Monday, April 22 - 7pm Screening FREE HCC Ybor Campus PerformingArts Building 1304 E. 11th AvenueWatch this award winning documentary. What happens when a regular guy decides to give up plastic?HCC Ybor Campus Performing Arts Building 1304 E. 11th AvenuePresented by Tampa Bay Sierra Club & Hillsborough Community College of Sustainability

Busy on Earth Day weekend?? Celebrate Arbor Day instead!Green Thumb Festival at Walter Fuller ParkSaturday & Sunday, April 27 and 28 FREE7891 26th Avenue N. St Petersburg, FL 33710The place for great environmental and horticultural exhibits - every kind of plant imaginableFor more information: http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/greenthumb/index.html

VOLUNTEER FOR EARTH DAY!We will be providing education and information at these events - if you are interested in volunteering at the Suncoast Sierra Club

table please contact Lisa at [email protected] or Joyce at [email protected]

2013 EARTH DAY EVENTS

Lisa Hinton
Page 2: Sierra Sun - April 2013

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S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Connected by WaterFlorida springs and rivers need protection – protection they are not getting from water management districts, the state, or the federal government. On February 1st, the Center for Earth Jurisprudence hosted Rights of Springs – a conference on protecting our waters featuring scientists, filmmakers, and legal minds from Florida and across the country.

One of the main topics at the conference was the challenge of keeping our waters flowing at healthy levels. Scientists, agencies, and citizens have warned of falling water flows and levels for years. Forty years ago, Florida passed a law to establish minimum flows and levels for our waters, but the law has been poorly enforced and weakened over the years. In fact, no minimum flows and levels have been set at all for larger, “magnitude 1” springs. So much of Florida’s water is already allocated to consumptive use permits for industrial and municipal users that fixing the problem under current and proposed water policy could prove quite challenging and expensive.

Our water budget is like our personal financial budget. We must live within our means. Right now, Florida’s water credit card is maxed out, the checkbook is overdrawn, and we’re about to lose our job. What to do?

In addition to existing state and federal regulations, many local communities around the country are working to provide greater environmental protection to their citizens. According to one speaker, Mari Margil from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund,

three dozen cities around the U.S. have passed environmental Bills of Rights to protect their communities from threats like the destruction of ecosystems from fracking, water pollution, industrial agriculture, and the draining of aquifers. Barnstead, New Hampshire was the first community in the nation to ban the corporatization of water withdrawals. However, these rights still face an uphill battle, particularly here in Florida. In recent years, Governor Rick Scott and his allies have worked to wrest environmental oversight from local governments by limiting their ability to regulate nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, interfering with the regional governing boards that oversee water use in the state, and moving to prevent local governments from inspecting septic systems.

It’s time for us to find our voice…to stand up and say no. According to Rob Williams, attorney for CEJ, current policy has it backwards, asking only “what is the least amount of water we can keep to maintain the environment? And what is the most amount of pollution we can allow and still have water health?” Rather, we should be asking what it will take to restore and sustain the health and beauty of Florida for all Floridians. We have the right to protect what is ours – the lands and waters we were granted under the Florida Constitution. Ultimately, we must learn how to share – because we are all connected by water.

by Cathy Harrelson, Florida Organizer Gulf Restoration [email protected] Visit Cathy's blog at www.healthygulf.org/blog

We Are All Connected by WaterVolunteer Today to Protect Florida’s Cherished Waters and Natural Areas!

Protecting our waters, cherished natural areas and wildlife are funda-

mental to a healthy and vibrant Florida. And right now, you can start off the New Year by help-

ing [name of your organization] and Florida’s Water and Land

Legacy Campaign place a crit-ical conservation amend-

ment on the November 2014 ballot. [name of

your organization] fully supports this important ini-

tiative, and we encourage each of our members to volunteer.! The

Legacy Campaign needs to double the number of volun-

teers to cover as many fest-ivals and events happening

throughout Florida in the coming months. !

So far, campaign volun-teers have collected

about 20,000 signatures, and there is less than one year to gather the remaining 480,000 signatures. Please vo-

lunteer today to gather signa-tures at festivals, farmers

markets, and other public places near your home

this winter and spring.! With your

help, we will achieve our goal of securing

dedicated funding for pub-lic water and land conserva-tion and restoration.!Join the campaign and get in-

volved by signing up at www.floridawater-

landlegacy.org/volun-teer.

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Lisa Hinton
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S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Hands Across the Sand Beach Bash Saturday May 18 Noon !!Take a stand for clean water and clean energy and against offshore drilling at Hands Across the Sand, the annual event that joins people of all walks of life around the world. On Saturday,!May 18 at noon, you are invited to join Hands Across the Sand at a beach near you.!!This year’s event will feature a giant BEACH BASH!! from noon to 2 pm with music and other beach fun. !Arrive by 11:45 am to hold hands for 15 minutes to show you!!support!!protecting coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife and fisheries from the threats of expanded offshore drilling. Then stick around and have some fun!!! Please join us at Facebook.com/suncoastsierra to stay up to date on the beach/es that we will be organizing - look for all!locations or organize your own beach!by going to www.handsacrossthesand.com

Suncoast Sierra Club and Gulf Restoration Network present Beyond Oil & Joining Hands Across The Sand for Beautiful BeachesThursday, May 16 7pm at!First Unity Church, Friendship Hall, 460 46th Avenue North, St Petersburg, FL!Celebrate what you have done and the future of Hands Across the Sand (and Land). !See and hear how the Gulf is doing today, explore how to move the world Beyond Oil and what we can do together to keep our beaches beautiful and fun.

Thursday, June 20 7pm - FUN - Save the date for fun, food and friends!

Broken Tail: A Tigers Last Journey - 6pm Thursday, April 18 at the L Train in St. Pete

Suncoast Sierra Club Events & Happenings:

What is the TPP?

The massive Forward on Climate rally recently held in Washington bears a significant relationship to the ongoing negotiations for a trade agreement spanning the pacific rim, but pointedly excluding China.

The Obama administration is in the closing stages of negotiating an agreement with 10 other countries, with others hoping to join, that dwarfs any previous U.S. trade agreement since we joined the World Trade Organization. It’s bigger than NAFTA (the North America Free Trade Agreement) and it now includes both Mexico and Canada. Its environmental, social and political significance will probably be greater than the WTO, as the expansion of the scope of that organization has stalled.

The Sierra Club has chosen to make energy a key element in its deep concern about the emerging Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.! Currently, the U.S. enjoys a surplus of natural gas, which has driven down producer prices.

The Trans-Pacific PartnershipExport of that surplus is seen by the industry as the solution, as they are in a “use it or lose it” bind. Currently, export of natural gas is tightly controlled by the federal Department of Energy, but if the TPP agreement goes through, its likely provisions would prevent the U.S. from such restrictive enforcement rules, much to the joy of the industry. Suddenly, any restrictions on petroleum exports could vanish, and many Pacific-rim countries would be more than happy to buy what we couldn’t refuse to sell. The same situation would apply to other hydro-carbons, some of which, such as coal, we have in abundance.

Secrecy is the by-word with the TPP negotiations. Even members of Congress that will be called upon to vote on the agreement have been given no better access than the general public. However, some 600 or so corporations that have signed non-disclosure agreements are privy to what’s going on and can have input on the final result. One critical section,on investor protection, was leaked, so we have every

reason to believe that the NAFTA model is being followed throughout.

The benefits to trans-national corporations are enormous. For one thing, it would be a way of bypassing all those pesky environmental and legal restrictions: The system under these agreements, of which NAFTA is the best known, allows corporations to sue nation-states for actions that they feel are contrary to their right to profit. The expression in trade terms is “tantamount to expropriation.” These cases are referred to one of the international dispute settlement organizations, and will be heard by, typically, three trade lawyers, the results of which are generally binding. History has been most favorable to corporations. And entering the fray are groups looking for big payouts from successful arbitration. Success means payouts for everyone but the usually poor nation at the brunt of the assault. Even when they win, a nation will be left with a large tab for legal expenses, money that isn’t going into it health and education system.

continued pg. 7

3

Lisa Hinton
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S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

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The budget is one of the most important policy decisions in our local government. It is the process through which we prioritize our shared resources for basic services that keep clean water in our homes, police on our streets, and books in our libraries.

In a healthy democracy, the budget should represent the priorit-ies of the community and serve the interests of all residents. The People’s Budget Review was created to open the door to this all-important process by providing the tools and informa-tion necessary to offer meaningful input on decisions that directly affect the quality of our lives.

We believe that nobody better understands the needs of our residents than the residents themselves. That’s why we are going door to door, into public places, and using social media to bring your ideas and priorities directly to elected officials.

Tell us your vision @ www.peoplesbudgetreview.org!

www.facebook.com/peoplesbudgetreviewwww.twitter.com/[email protected]

The People’s Budget Review 2013

SAVE THE TIDES GOLF COURSESuncoast Sierra Club is working with local residents to help protect the Tides Golf Course from re-zoning.! The Tides Golf Course is located at 11832 66th Avenue North on Boca Ciega Bay.! As well as being a golf course, it serves as a wildlife sanctuary and flood plain. Currently a bank and a developer would like to have the area rezoned for housing development. !Please help keep the home of many different species from wood storks to manatees safe.!!To learn more and help protect this green area of Pinellas, please go to www.savethetides.com.

MANATEE PROTECTIONSuncoast Sierra Club, led by our conservation chair Janine Cianciolo, is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) to protect Manatees in Pinellas County. !Currently the FWC is examining whether manatee speed zones should be established in western Pinellas around the Boca Ciega Bay area. !Manatees deaths in Pinellas are most often caused by Watercraft. !Suncoast Sierra Club, along with many other environmental organizations, support the speed zones and will continue to work with the FWC to help ensure Manatees are protected in our area.

4

Lisa Hinton
Page 5: Sierra Sun - April 2013

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S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Residents of the Tampa Bay area love where they live. The area is flush with cultural and educational institutions, its beaches consistently rank among the best in the U.S., and the region boasts an extensive network of parks. In 2008,!Forbes!ranked Tampa as the 5th-best outdoor city in the country.

But one area where the region lags is public transportation. "The Tampa Bay region is the last major metro area in the U.S. without a multi-modal transportation system," says Sierra Club organizer Phil Compton, below. "As a result, we're too dependent on cars, making tailpipe emissions the primary local source of carbon and ozone." Compton says the Tampa-St. Pete metro area suffers from chronic traffic congestion, some of the nation's longest commute times, Florida's worst air quality, the country's highest proportional expense for transportation, and its most dangerous streets for bicycles and pedestrians.

Enter the Sierra Club's Green Transportation for Tampa Bay campaign, which scored a major victory at the end of February when the Pinellas County Commission voted 5-1 to place transit funding on next year's ballot. The initiative would raise the local sales tax by one cent to fund the construction and operation of a new light-rail line while also immediately doubling the frequency and routes of bus service throughout the entire county.

Immediately after the Pinellas vote, county commissioners in neighboring Hillsborough County scheduled a transit summit for its March meeting to get busy on a similar transit initiative. The Hillsborough County Commission voted unanimously to make mass transit a priority. A Mass Transit Summit will be scheduled in the near future with all the stakeholders on both sides of the bay involved.

The events represent a 180-degree swing from 2010, when anti-transit forces

defeated a transit referendum in Hillsborough County. But since then, Sierra Club activists with the Suncoast and Tampa Bay groups, along with progressive ally Awake Pinellas, have tirelessly promoted a transportation vision for the region, showing up and speaking at hearings, lobbying decision-makers, educating the public, and mobilizing support for transit. Their efforts are now paying off."The movement in Pinellas County to create the first light rail in the area can be

the beginning of an enormous regional transit system," Compton says. "Thanks to the Sierra Club's campaign, there is now reason to hope that decades of delay and defeat will end next year for this region of 2.2 million people who suffer daily from one of America's worst urban transit systems. Many people thought this turn of events was unlikely after the events of 2010, but the Sierra Club team really turned things around."

Transit naysayers had previously dominated the conversation at meetings

Green Transportation for Tampa Bay

...the Tampa-St. Pete metro area suffers from

chronic traffic congestion, some of the nation's longest

commute times, Florida's worst air

quality, the country's highest proportional

expense for transportation, and its most dangerous streets

for bicycles and pedestrians.

of the county's transit authority board and county commission, but that ended with a critical meeting in June 2012, now called "the turning point for the future of transportation for the Gulf Coast of Florida" by the transit authority chair. Plans by Tea Party-supported commissioners to eliminate light rail from the county's transit plan were derailed as Sierra Club activists and allies packed the house that day and at all subsequent meetings when decisions were made on whether to move the process forward. Awake Pinellas and the Sierra Club worked together over an 8-month period to create a huge turnout at every important transit meeting, overwhelming the efforts of transit opponents who sought to prevent green transportation initiatives from moving forward.

The pro-transit movement in the Tampa Bay area received a boost in December with the creation of Connect Tampa Bay, a new transportation education and advocacy group that is now working hand-in-hand with the Sierra Club to promote a 21st-century transit vision for the region and turn that vision into reality at the ballot box.

While plans for rail, rapid bus and 'complete streets' transportation improvements have been discussed for decades," Compton says, "it took the involvement of Sierra Club's Green Transportation for Tampa Bay campaign to organize the support needed for leaders to find the political will to finally move these plans into action. And it's time. Most people want this to move forward. They want the same choices as people have elsewhere in America."

If you would like to help Sierra Club in our efforts to maximize Green Transportation in the Tampa Bay area, please contact Phil Compton - [email protected] or 727-824-8813 x303.

5

Lisa Hinton
Page 6: Sierra Sun - April 2013

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S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Alexis Meyer, Associate Organizing Representative, Florida Panther Critical Habitat Campaign

We are reaching a tipping point in Florida as we run out of conservation lands, and our leaders are failing us. Our wildlife is being hemmed in my subdivisions and strip malls, and cut off (and cut down) by massive highways and poor road design, with 2012 a record breaking year for panther deaths: the most cats killed by cars. Florida Forever, the State’s conservation land acquisition program may be abolished by the Florida Legislature. And on top of it, the Florida Department of Transportation is looking to put even more super highways throughout Florida.

We have the ability to decide how we want Florida to grow. By instilling smart growth principles in our management plans, ensuring that conservation lands are protected, and that wildlife can safely traverse our state, we have the opportunity to set Florida up to be a state that can juggle the complexities of growth and development while retaining the wild aspect that so many people value in living and visiting here.

Please join Suncoast Sierra Club on Thursday, April 18 - 6pm at the Ltrain (900 Central Avenue, St Pete) for the film "Broken Tail: A Tiger's Last Stand" and find out how the tiger in India and the panther in Florida face some of the same challenges.

PROTECTING THE FLORIDA PANTHER

Pat Kiesylis (1942 - 2013)Suncoast Sierra Club honors and remembers Pat Kiesylis. !We will strive to always meet her very high expectations and unwavering commitment to the planet we live on. !The dedication, passion, skill, work and energy that Pat contributed to this group (and many others) will continue to make the earth a greener place for many, many years to come. Thank You Pat! R.I.P.

Pat with her granddaughter, LilySpreading the word for Sierra Club

SUNCOAST SIERRA CLUB MOVIE NIGHTAward Winning Film "Broken Tail: A Tiger's Last Journey"

At the L Train

900 Central Avenue Suite 25BSaint Petersburg, FL 33705

Thursday April 186pm Social 7pm Film

FREE FILM

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Lisa Hinton
Page 7: Sierra Sun - April 2013

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S u n c o a s t S i e r r a C l u b S i e r r a S u n N e w s l e t t e r S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

The US has paid out over $3 billion to foreign investors under U.S. trade and investment pacts, while more than $14 billion in claims are pending under such deals, primarily targeting environmental, energy, and public health policies.

Australia has in recent years stood firm against agreements that allow arbitration. Unfortunately, their older agreements did allow for this, and they are now fighting “big tobacco” over regulations requiring generic packaging of cigarettes, include graphic descriptions of the effect of the use of the product.

Other areas of special interest to corporations include restrictive rules on medicines and copyrights – the intellectual property regime. The object is to limit the use of generic medicine. Australia, for one, has a progressive health system, providing low cost medicine to its people. And many of the other participants in these negotiations are ill prepared to pay the high cost of brand medicines.

The Obama administration has promised to seek approval for this agreement as early as fall of this year. In order to pass, a special law known as “fast track” must be in place, allowing only an up or down vote in Congress. Congress seems ready to give him what he wants. So our first job is to defeat fast track. Don’t allow it to pass through Congress.

We’re not opposed to trade, but it needs to be Clean, Green and Fair.Right now, you should contact your Senators and ask them to oppose any move toward fast tracking consideration of this treaty. For more information and links to other sources, see http://nycsierraclub.org/tpp-resources/. Find your senators’ contact information at http://www.contactingthecongress.org.

Jim Mays works with the Sierra Club’s TPP program.

TPP Continued from pg. 3

Looking for a way to make the world a better and greener place! Look no further.....

Hands Across The Sand (Sat, May 18):Do you like having fun at the beach? Are you addicted to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or some other social media? Love to meet new people and spread the word about a worthy cause? If you answered yes to any of those - than we need you! Hands Across the Sand is a great way to have fun and make a statement. Let your kids come along, they make the best chanters - outdoor voices welcome! Contact Lisa at [email protected] to sign up.

If you are up for organizing a beach near you, go to www.handsacrossthesand.org Contact Lisa at [email protected]. to find out what’s involved. It’s easy - spread the word, line up, hold hands, make a statement, enjoy the beach and leave it the way you found it (or with a few less pieces of garbage).

Spring & Summer Events - TablingAt the numerous spring and summer events held (see our event page for a partial listing) Suncoast Sierra Club meets, greets and informs the public with educational materials, petitions, actions and other information on what Sierra Club is, what we do and how we help the planet. A great way to have fun, meet people and spread the word. Contact Joyce Walters at [email protected].

Inner City OutingsDo you want to make a difference in children’s lives? Do you love to hiking, canoeing and the outdoors? Inner City Outings provides opportunities for urban youth to explore, enjoy and protect the natural world. !Suncoast and Tampa Bay Sierra Clubs provide field trips for Academy Prep of St Petersburg and Tampa as well as several other organizations. !APCenters for Education are a private non-profit organization whose mission is to empower students to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program coupled with ongoing graduate support.! ! If you love the outdoors and enjoy working with kids please contact Rocky Milburn at: [email protected].

Volunteer with Suncoast SierraOutings (for grown ups!)Sierra Club Outings were started by John Muir because he knew that when people venture into wild places they learn to appreciate and love Nature. !Sierra outings depend on a few people stepping up!to!take responsibility for planning and leading adventures!- Sierra Club Outings Leaders. The number one qualification is simply enjoying outings.!If you do, you are well on the way to!stepping into that role. As with so many volunteer-driven programs, we need more leaders.!If you have enjoyed our outings, consider becoming an outings leader.!What other activity can you volunteer for that gives you the opportunity to enjoy your favorite outdoor activities with a group of really wonderful Sierra friends?!What outings you lead, and how often, are

entirely up to you. Take the first step, now, and contact your outings chair: Ben Berauer, Suncoast Group

Outings Chair, [email protected] 352-610-6704.

Local Conservation Issues:Attend public meetings to speak on an issue or show support in numbers, write letters to editors, lobby, make telephone calls, help out at awareness events or help others to learn how to deal with their local environmental issues. From enhancing public transportation, supporting clean energy sources, protecting our wildlife and green spaces, clean water and much more. Contact Janine Cianciolo [email protected] or Phil Compton [email protected] for more information.

Volunteers are also needed for:Database - data entryPhotographers Writers/bloggers for e-news and newslettersMeet Up, Twitter and Facebook administrators

Want to do something but don’t know what? Ask Elise!If you want to help but don’t know where to start, ask Elise! Elise is our membership and volunteer coordinator. [email protected]

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Lisa Hinton
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Non Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 553

St. Petersburg, FL

Sierra Sun is published for the members of the Suncoast Group, Florida Chapter of Sierra Club. PO Box 816St. Petersburg, FL 33731

Moving? Sierra Club Member Services.PO Box 52968Boulder, CO 80322-2968Allow 8 weeks for processing

CONNECT WITH SUNCOAST SIERRA CLUB ONLINEWWW.SUNCOASTSIERRA.ORG to find upcoming events, outings and information. Sign up for ENews to stay up to the minute.WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SUNCOASTSIERRA to stay informed, involved and connected to nature lovers like you.

SIERRA

SUNPublication of the Suncoast Sierra Club

Upcoming Outings - Get OutdoorsFor all outings go to: http://florida.sierraclub.org/outings.asp

Earth Day Bike RideSunday, April 21 at 10am FreeCelebrate Earth Day 2013 a day early, with our Clearwater to Safety Harbor Bike Ride & Lunch, along the Ream Wilson bike trail. Contact Robin [email protected] or 727-536-1880

Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve HikeSaturday, May 4 2013 Noon FreeExplore the 2,000-acre Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve in NE Hillsborough County on a 3-hour hike. This easy 6-mile hike will include various natural habitats and a stop at a scenic overlook to view Blackwater Creek. Leader: Mike Raff at [email protected] or 813-642-8624

Hillsborough River Hike Sunday, May 12 2013 8am FreeRegistration required prior to 5/11/2013Place: Dead River Park 15098 Dead River Rd Thonotosasssa, FL 33592 Learn about wetland mitigation and the tupelo tree as we hike in this area adjacent to Hillsborough River State park. Leader: Gail Parsons For more information - [email protected] or call 813-928-1412 Bring water, snacks and lunch.

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