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TheHeartland SierranThe Newsletter of the Thomas Hart Benton Group of the Sierra Club
http://missouri.sierraclub.org/thb
Bike Sharing Program Starts This Summer
Sierra Club Potluck Picnic & Marina Day June 9
Vol. 25 No. 1 May – July 2012
Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet
by David Anderson
Tired of waiting for improvements in sustainable transportation in Kansas City? The wait for a major step
forward will soon be over - Bikesharing is
coming to KC this summer.Under the program you will be able
to rent bikes at one of 20 stations spread across the greater downtown area. You can sign up for daily, weekly or annual (only $60) memberships. Members can swipe a debit or credit card at the docking station which unlocks the bike.
The first half hour is free. Then a modest rental fee is applied. The bike can be returned to any of the 20 stations. Bikes will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 9 months of the year.
Stations will be placed along bus routes and near major destinations in Crown Center, downtown, the crossroads and the river market.
The bikes are sturdy and comfortable and are equipped with a basket and lock.
They will have adequate gearing to handle Kansas City’s rolling terrain. The bikes will have a tracker showing miles ridden, calories burned and pounds of carbon dioxide saved.
A free cell phone app will find the nearest station and the number of bikes available there.
The system is being developed under a partnership between BikeWalkKC and Blue Cross Blue Shield KC. They hope to add stations in other areas such as the Plaza and UMKC in the next year or two.
Bikeshare systems have been a great success in many cities around the world including Paris, London, Denver, Minneapolis, Omaha, Des Moines, Miami, Washington DC, San Antonio, and others. For more information visit BikeWalkKC.org.
Sierra Club picnicFleming Park, Lake Jacomo, Shelter 6 Potluck 12:30 p.m., June 9There will be a nice view, a play-ground, outdoor games, a trail to a fishing dock on the lake, a grill for bison brats and more! Donations accepted.Don’t forget to bring a plate, cup, utensils, and a cooler if needed.
National Marina DayAvoid the lines – come early to enjoy free marina activities and demonstra-tions 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. such as fishing tips and contests, outdoor cooking with samples, a boat ride and bird scoping.Directions:From I-470 take Woods Chapel Road exit and go East. Go 2 miles to West Park Rd. then turn South.
From Highway 40 take Woods Cha-pel Road south. Go 2 miles to West Park Rd. then turn South.Drive past the marina turnoff and you will see a sign to shelters #6 and #7. Shelter 6 is past #7 and at the end of the drive.For questions, contact Patty Brown, home 816-737-2804 or cell 816-419-2882. �
Artist’s conception of bike sharing station. Image courtesy of BikeWalk KC
Move to Amend: Momentum Growing, Help NeededBy Mary Lindsey, KC Move To Amend
The Sierra Club has endorsed an action which we in the KC metro should all take in the service of both the environment and our democratic republic system of government.
The KC affiliate of Move to Amend has launched a petition campaign urging the city council to pass a resolution in support of amending the US Constitution to abolish “corporate personhood” and the precedent of “money equals free speech.” The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which freed corporations to spend unlimited money in electioneering, was based on those two precedents.
The KC campaign is linked with hundreds of groups across the country to advance similar resolutions through city councils. Many have already been passed, including LA and NYC. Many other
MTA, continued on page 2
municipalities (e.g., Madison, WI and Boulder, CO) have passed resolutions through the ballot box. The legislatures of Hawaii and New Mexico have called for amending the US Constitution.
KC’s petition campaign is directed toward educating the public and
motivating the city council to pass the resolution because the city charter does not provide for such a resolution as a ballot initiative. The KC campaign needs volunteers to collect 10,000 signatures of residents. Although the unofficial petition lacks the power of law, 10,000 residents calling for action by the city council will convey a strong message. This campaign offers an excellent opportunity to challenge the cozy relationship corporations enjoy with elected officials.
The language of the petition is:We, the undersigned residents of
Kansas City, Missouri, urge the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council to pass the following resolution:
“RESOLVED, the People of Kansas City, Missouri, stand with communities across the country to defend democracy from the corrupting effects of undue corporate power by amending the United States Constitution to establish that:
1. Only human beings, not corporations, are endowed with constitutional rights; and
2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and
Local citizens satirize corporate personhood by dressing in “Supreme Court” robes with corporate logos.Photo by Claus Wawrzinek
The Heartland SierranP.O. Box 32727
Kansas City, Missouri 64171The Heartland Sierran, the newsletter of the Thomas Hart Benton Group of the Sierra Club, is published quarterly for members in western Missouri.
Executive CommitteeClaus Wawrzinek, Chair, 816-517-5244, [email protected] Mitchell, Vice Chair, 816-931-7372, [email protected] Anderson, 816-678-4359, [email protected] Brown, Conservation Chair [email protected], 816-737-2804Richard McBroom, [email protected] Brenneman, [email protected], 816-274-8062Crystal K. Wiebe, [email protected], Richard McBroomSecretary, Ellen Brenneman
CommitteesConservation, David AndersonEducation, Hospitality, Population/Consuption, Patty Brown Membership, Ellen BrennemanNewsletter, Ellen BrennemanNewsletter Mailing, Dennis Gredell, 816-926-1067, [email protected], Paul & Melody Gross, 816-228-6563, [email protected], Claus WawrzinekPrograms, Claus WawrzinekUrban Issues, Claus WawrzinekElectric Vehicles, Tom Kutscher
“Koch Brothers Exposed,” the Film
Koch Brothers Exposed, the latest Robert Greenwald film, will be shown at All Souls UU Church, 4501 Walnut, at 7 pm on Tuesday, May 1. Kansas City Move to Amend will join the Documentary Film Series as a co-sponsor. The Koch Brothers industries have poisoned the environment with lies, benzene, GHG’s, tar sands oil at the Canadian terminal of the Keystone XL pipeline, oil spills, and spending to stop clean energy law and jobs.
“This film uncovers the corruption of the billionaire brothers who bankroll a vast network of organizations that work to undermine the interests of the 99% on issues ranging from Social Security to the environment to civil rights—and points the way to how Americans can reclaim their democracy.” – Nikki Willoughby, Common Cause �
spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.”
The Sierra Club and KC Move to Amend also collaborated on three big events this year. Occupy the Courts KC and a satirical wedding of a corporation and a woman were organized by KCMTA, but benefited through the work of Sierra Club members. Specific
contributions of Sierra Club members were involvement in event planning, displaying a “Corporations are NOT People” banner to promote Occupy the Courts, and filming the satirical wedding. An organizer of KCMTA spoke at the Sierra Club’s Occupy Koch Town on “Regaining Citizen Authority over Corporations.” Each collaboration enhanced the political knowledge of
many people, attracted new folks to the exponentially growing movement, plus some were really novel and fun!
Thank you to the THB executive committee members and Jim Turner of the Missouri Chapter for taking the lead in the partnering of the Sierra Club and Move to Amend at the national level.
Contact Mary Lindsay at 816-885-9996 or [email protected] to volunteer. �
MTA, continued from page 1
by Patty Brown, Population Committee Chair
We can’t take care of the Earth and its rapidly increasing population without trusting and caring for women and each other (see “Mother: Caring for 7 Billion” in what you can do section). Many can say that their father provided more of the family’s finances but their mother nurtured them to adulthood. And many say survival is a matter of being the fittest. Science has shown that survival depends on both competition and cooperation. We may soon realize, hopefully not too late, that cooperation is more important than we thought.
Old fashioned values like “father knows best” and that society must be based on competition are being shown to be flawed or incomplete. Recent archeological evidence has shown that it’s possible to live without a lot of conflict and with a spirit of taking care of all living things. It’s now time to reevaluate our societal values and our lifestyle.
Look around you. You see a failing financial system, increasing poverty, hunger and thirst, deforestation, species extinction, ocean acidification, climate change, increased armed conflict and the war on women’s reproductive rights. All these things are connected, just as all living things are. The hierarchical model of society is not working.
Now take another look. There are signs of hope: increasing energy efficiency and green jobs, although more so in other developed countries, healthcare coverage of birth control, although tenuous and a growing democratic movement of progressive groups starting to work together.
The Occupy movement’s model of functioning is no mistake. It seems strange compared to what we are used to though. It’s a partnership model in which all people are valued equally. This shows us a way out of the building chaos. �
Taking Care of “Mother”: Women, The Earth, and Each Other
What can you do to nurture the planet and its
7 billion population?
Watch the movie: “Mother: Caring for 7 Billion” May 8th, 7 p.m. All Souls UU Church. 4501 Walnut, KCMO. Free, donations suggested.
This film brings to light how population growth has fueled our most pressing environmental, humanitarian and social crises. Compounded with our ravenous appetite for natural resources, population growth is putting an unprecedented burden on the life system we all depend on, as we refuse to face the fact that more people equals more problems. We’ll break the taboo to talk about this with a facilitated discussion.
Get involved by attending a Sierra Club, KC MoveToAmend, or Occupy KC meeting.
Contact the Population Chair Patty Brown at 816-737-2804, email at [email protected] about coming to a Population and Consumption Committee meeting on the third Tuesday at All Souls UU Church to learn or volunteer to help in our World Population Day activities in July.
By Jane Stoever, KC Peace PlantersIn October the Sierra Club
endorsed two initiatives related to nuclear weapons parts production at the KC Plant. The KC Peace Planters collected signatures and presented petitions to the City.
On March 22 the KC Council unanimously passed the initiative originally titled “Safeguarding jobs with contingency plans for nuclear weapons facilities.” The new ordinance requires “consideration of the production of new environmentally sound energy or other environmental technologies” for both the old Bannister and the new Botts Road plants. This provides a model to smooth transition in case of federal nuclear weapons production policy changing.
The second initiative, “Removal of City financial involvement in production of nuclear weapons components,” came under fire from a City Council committee. The full City Council voted against the initiative and therefore will not place it on a ballot.
Petitioners may go to court to try to get the initiative on a ballot or may circulate a new petition this summer. For further info or to help, as with the April non-violence training and rally, see foolish-investment.com and peaceworkskc.org �
Nuclear Components Plant Initiatives
Update
“In our way of life, the plants are
family to us and help us to survive.
We must honor and respect and be thankful to them.”
Danny Beaton of the
Mohawk Turtle Clan (Canada)
By Gary BrushLike Ceasar’s Gaul, Michael
Mann’s new book The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars is composed of three parts. It’s a biography of Mann’s evolution as a climate scientist from a climate skeptic interested in natural climate variability to a high-profile proponent of climate change. Then it’s a primer on how past climate records are reconstructed using ice cores, tree rings, coral, ocean sediments etc. And finally it’s a history and exposé of the climate change denial movement.
Mann began his career as a climate scientist because he was curious about the natural events that affect climate. These include external factors like sun activity and volcanic activity, plus internal factors such as ocean and wind currents and the movement of ice sheets. Through his research and that of thousands of other climate scientists, he slowly realized that the current period of global warming was unprecedented and couldn’t be fully explained by means of natural causes. So man-made causes must be involved. To illustrate his point, he and others graphed climate change over a thousand years and the recent spike in temperatures made the graph look like a hockey stick. The hockey stick has now become an icon for climate deniers.
The main culprit in climate change is the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. CO2 traps heat and without it, life on planet earth would be possible. However, if CO2 concentrations continue to increase at the current rate, it threatens cata-strophic environmental damage.
Reconstructing past climate records is extremely hard and requires the efforts of thousands of scientists and the precise use of statistical tools. Mann shows how climate-change deniers have misused statistics.
Reconciling data from various sources presents numerous problems. This book shows the problems and
limits of using ice core samples and tree ring samples. Tree ring data is taken from different types of trees which live in different climates and at different altitudes. Tree ring growth can be affected by moisture as well as temperature. Reconciling the data requires scientists to come up with ingenious methods. These “clever” methods are called “tricks,” because they can tease out information from data.
Which leads to the third part of the book: a history of the climategate “scandal” and the propaganda methods of climate deniers. Mann exposes the strategies, people and organizations behind climate-change denial. He calls their main strategy the “Serengeti strategy,” referring to how predators isolate and separate their prey from the pack. There are thousands of climate scientists, but if just one prominent scientist can be marginalized through ridicule and distortions, then perhaps all will be tarnished by the broad brush.
Emails stolen from the Climate Research Unit of East Anglia University were sifted through and passages lifted out of context. One example is how they took the word “trick” and used it to imply that the scientists were perpetrating a fraud. The emails were hacked months before the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change but not released until a week before the conference. Immediately Saudi Arabia called for an investigation of climate scientists.
And investigations there were. Mann lays out in a humorous but also frightening way his encounters with Congresspeople like Sen. Inhofe from Oklahoma and Rep. Joe Barton from Texas.
The Hockey Stick is a must-read to understand the science behind climate change and why efforts to deal with climate change are so threatening to so many people. �
Book Review: The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars
Brookside Farmers’ MarketSaturdays 8 - 1 after April 21
Minor ParkSat 8 - 12:30 May 5 - Oct. 13Just east of Holmes on Red Bridge
Bad Seed Fri 4 - 9 May 6 - Nov. 161909 McGee
RosedaleSun 2 - 3 May 6 - Sept. 30340 SW Blvd.
Waldo Wed 3 - 7:30 May 2 - Sept. 27every third Wed 2 - 6 during winter303 W. 79th at Habitat Restore
Westport PlazaWed 4:30 - 7:30 May 2 - Oct. 17Westport Rd. and Wyoming
Downtown CitySats. 6-3; Suns. 8 - 3 March - Oct.Market 20 E. 5th
Juniper GardensMon 9 - 12 or sellout100 Richmond Ave., KCK
Catholic CharitiesTue 10 - 1 or sellout2220 Central, KCK
Independence SquareWed 5 - 1 June-Oct.Sat 5 - 1 May-Oct.Truman & Main
Additonal information on KC area farmers’ markets can be found at
http://www.kcfoodcircle.org
Local Farmers’ Markets Open Soon!
Outings & Other ActivitiesMay 5th (Sat) Day hike and picnic at Wyandotte County Lake, KC KS About 10 miles, natural surface trail, sometimes rough, lots of elevation change. $5 donation requested. Michael Reed, [email protected]
May 19 (Sat) Arrow Rock State Historic Site, Arrow Rock, MO Tour a living-history river town where many 19th century buildings retain their original appearance. Eat lunch at the Old Tavern. After lunch hike the 1.5-mile Fleche trail and the 1.85 Lewis and Clark Historic River Landing Trail. $5 donation requested. Eileen McManus, (816) 523-7823, [email protected]
June 1 – 3 (Fri – Sun) Car camp, Flint Hills, Tall Grass National Preserve, Strong City, Kansas
THB Activity Calendar
Monthly presentations are held the first Tues-day of the month at the Discovery Center, 4750 Troost unless otherwise indicated. Programs are open to the public and begin at 7 p.m.
Executive Committee meetings are held the last Tuesday of every month at Central United Methodist Church. For information: call Claus, 816-517-5244.
We’ll stay overnight at the scenic Camp Wood YMCA – bring your tent or stay in a comfortable cabin – and have a horseback trail ride on Sunday morning! This is a great weekend for kids and camping newbies! Overnight camping and riding fees apply at Camp Wood. $5 donation requested. Renee Andriani, (913) 488-4445, [email protected]
June 2 (Sat) Day hike & picnic at Clinton Lake, Lawrence, KS About 10 miles, good natural surface trail. $5 donation requested. Michael Reed, [email protected]
June 9 (Sat) Bike Ride to Powell Garden, Kingsville, MO Join us for this 25-mile ride of rolling hills and rural settings as we ride from Blue Springs to Powell Gardens. We will reward ourselves with a delicious lunch buffet at Café Thyme, followed by a hike through the gardens and all its flowers and foliage. For the return trip a trailer for bikes and car rides will be available. $5 donation requested. Paul Gross, (816) 228-6563, [email protected]
June 23 (Sat) Kansas River Canoe Trip, Desoto, KS Join this 5-mile canoe trip from Desoto to Cedar Creek access ramp. $60 per canoe rental fees for canoe, equipment, hot dog roast and guide services. Bill Nichols – [email protected]
For more outings, please check our website
missouri.sierraclub.org/thb/outings
PresentationsMay 1 (Tue) 816 Bike Collective, Idris RaoufiJune 5 (Tue) Missouri River Mitigation, U.S. Army Corps of EngineersJune 9 (Sat) Sierra Club potluck picnic at Lake JacomoJuly 3 (Tue) No program
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri DNRMore and more people are
discovering the joys of visiting Missouri state parks and historic sites and it shows in the attendance numbers. In 2010, more than 16.3 million people visited Missouri’s 85 state parks and historic sites, and this
reflects an almost 10 percent increase in attendance in the last two years.
“Missouri state parks are no longer the state’s best kept secret. More people are discovering the benefits and fun you and your family can have by visiting a state park or historic site,” said Governor Jay Nixon.
“Missouri’s state park system offers visitors a great way to connect with nature, to explore the past and experience healthy and enjoyable recreation,” said Bill Bryan, Missouri State Parks director. “You can have fun and adventure close to home without spending a lot of money. Our professional interpreters are very dedicated and they do an amazing job of presenting this information to the public. In 2010, we also benefited from the seasonal interpreters
Recent Sierra Club outing to Pershing State Park included exploring Wetland Boardwalk Trail. Photo courtesy of MO DNR
Mo. State Park Attendance Up
May 14 (Mon) Bike Week Kickoff 8 a.m. KCMO City Hall 9 a.m. Independence, MO 5 p.m. Handlebar Happy HourMay 15 (Tue) Beginners and Family Day Ride of SilenceMay 17 (Thu) Bike-In MovieMay 18 (Fri) National Bike to Work Day
May 19 (Sun) 9 a.m. Bike Rodeo at Schlitterbahn Water Park 5 p.m. Crossroads Bike Week After Party
For more updated events please visit bikeweek.bikewalkkc.org/events
Bike Week KC May 14 - 18
State Parks, continued on page 6
Sierra ClubThomas Hart Benton Group P.O. Box 32727Kansas City, MO 64171-5727
Non-Profit Org.US Postage PAIDKansas City, MOPermit No. 2514
NEWSPAPERDATED MATERIAL
facebook.com/THBSierraClub
provided through the State Parks Youth Corps,” said Bryan.
The State Park Youth Corps, a program initiated by Gov. Jay Nixon, provided jobs to more than 1000 youths to enhance Missouri state parks and historic sites. Their jobs ranged from routine maintenance and construction work to social media efforts and interpretation.
“The Missouri state park system is one of the best in the nation. Our goal is to do more than just maintain that standard; we intend to improve the way we do things, especially our customer service,” said Bryan. The department is also working to improve the way it measures how the state park system is doing, including the most accurate way to compile comprehensive attendance data.
For information on Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. �
By David Mitchell, THB ExcomAbout 3 years ago, I remember a
conversation with a fellow Sierra Club member about ocean acidification. Until then, that particular issue was distant on my radar screen. I remember the internal resistance to learning yet another serious effect of CO2 emissions. However, as they say, the facts are the facts.
The ocean is a huge carbon sink, and ever since the industrial revolution began in the mid-18th century, the ocean has been a major sink for human produced CO2. In that time, the pH of the oceans has changed from 8.25 to 8.14, which is a 30% increase in acidity. (Blame the logarithmic scale.) The current trend in ocean acidification will result in acidity levels higher than any in the last 65 million years, and ten times faster than the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum mass extinction.
Dr. Lubchenco with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes ocean acidification as the “evil twin” of global warming. Dr. Jason Hall-Spencer of Plymouth University in England states ocean acidification is already beginning to kill off shellfish beds, coral reefs, and endanger other stocks of fish. The NOAA PMEL Carbon Program points to pteropods as at risk in this century, and they are a food source for a wide range of marine species. Given current trends, the ocean of 2100 will dissolve the shells of the pteropod within 45 days. Obviously, ocean ecosystems will be seriously compromised long
before then.The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal
Maximum is regarded by researchers as the closest parallel to current conditions. However, the hot spell initiating the mass extinction then occurred over a 5,000-year period, driven by massive volcanoes. Humanity’s use of fossil fuels are the volcanoes of our time, needing only a few centuries to approach what had been done in 5,000 years. Note the real volcanoes of our time disgorge about 1% of annual human emissions (Skeptical Science website).
Humanity has set the living Earth on a path to another mass extinction of species. Robert Freely, NOAA oceanographer, states the decisions humanity makes in the “next few decades could have significant implications on a geologic time scale.” (The Observer, Zadarenko)
The InterAcademy Panel (IAP), a global network of national science organizations (including the US, China, U.K.), on ocean acidification states: “Ocean acidification is irreversible in our lifetimes and those of many generations to come.”
To mitigate this crisis, the IAP states CO2 emissions must be reduced 50% by 2050, with major reductions after that. So the bar has been set. Will humanity awaken (and grow up) in time to engage in the transformation necessary? Some of us will live long enough know the answer.
�
Ocean Acidification – Climate Change’s “Evil Twin” State Parks, continued from page 5
This year, Sierra Club’s Eileen McManus has been leading an outing to a different Missouri state park each month. On May 19 she will lead an outing to Arrow Rock State Historic Site. (See page 5 for more outings details)
