Opposition to New Nuclear Reactor at Legislation Could ... · Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club Spring 2008 ... servation and renewable energy sources. Recently, Unistar Nuclear

CCCCChesaphesaphesaphesaphesapeakeakeakeakeakeeeee 11111 SSSSSprprprprpring 2008ing 2008ing 2008ing 2008ing 2008EEEEExplorxplorxplorxplorxploreeeee,,,,, enjo enjo enjo enjo enjoy and pry and pry and pry and pry and protototototececececect the planett the planett the planett the planett the planet

MMMMMarararararyland Cyland Cyland Cyland Cyland Chapthapthapthapthapter of the Ser of the Ser of the Ser of the Ser of the Sierierierierierrrrrra Ca Ca Ca Ca Clublublublublub S S S S Sprprprprpring 2008ing 2008ing 2008ing 2008ing 2008

By Alana Wase—On January 17th more than 400 activ-ists came together in cold, snowy Annapolis to rally forstate action against global warming. It was a monumental

day; a guard who has been working in the capitol formany years told volunteers that it was the largest rallyhe had seen in a long time.

While the rally was a huge success, the battle hasjust begun. Citizens all across the state are weighing into help pass the Global Warming Solutions Act, SB309/HB717. The legislation commits the state to reduce itsgreenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 (baseline 2006),and 90% by 2050, numbers scientifically set to avoidthe most severe impacts of global warming. California,Hawaii, and New Jersey have already passed similar leg-islation, and more than a dozen other states have globalwarming legislation pending. Maryland’s, however, isone of the most aggressive bills in the nation, and itspassage is our chapter’s highest legislative priority.

While many of the critics of bill suggest that thiswill damage Maryland’s economy, I like to remind themhow damaging hurricanes Katrina and Isabel were. Isabelalone caused more than $5.5 billion in damage. Not tomention how such legislation would support the cre-ation of thousands of green jobs.

Another common argument against the bill is thatregulating greenhouse gases is not the state’s responsi-bility, but rather that of the federal government. Mostof us would probably agree, but we’d also agree with theGovernor that “when the federal government fails tolead, states have no choice but to step up and act.” Thisis certainly one of those occasions. Equally important,in passing such legislation we’re able to send a strong

Legislation Could Propel Maryland into Leadership onGlobal Warming Solutions

Activists rally in Annapolis in support of the Global Warming Solutions ActPhoto by Charlene Church (continued on page 7)

By Bob Boxwell—The fight against the proposed newnuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs in Lusby, Maryland(Calvert County) remains active. The Chesapeake SafeEnergy Coalition (ChesSEC) (http://www.safeenergymd.org) continues to develop opposi-tion throughout Maryland while promoting energy con-servation and renewable energy sources.

Recently, Unistar Nuclear Energy1 filed anotherpartial application with the Nuclear Regulatory Com-mission (NRC), and a public hearing, which thecompany’s cheerleaders at NRC will hold, is to occuron March 19. In December, Unistar submitted the re-quired request for a “certificate of public convenienceand necessity” to the Maryland Public Service Com-mission (PSC).

Both the Maryland Public Interest Research Group(MD PIRG) and the Nuclear Information and ResourceService (NIRS) have filed petitions to intervene in thePSC process. The groups intend to raise concerns aboutimpacts of the proposed, large, and new reactor on theenvironment, public safety, and local energy prices.

In January, representatives of ChesSEC embar-rassed Calvert County officials in a public meeting byasking where the emergency potassium iodide capsulesrequired by federal homeland security legislation arelocated. They didn’t know the answer—the same re-sponse we received when we asked other specific ques-tions.

Constellation Energy executives frustrated Mary-(continued on page 4)

Opposition to New Nuclear Reactor atCalvert Cliffs Continues

CCCCChesaphesaphesaphesaphesapeakeakeakeakeakeeeee 22222 SSSSSprprprprpring 2008ing 2008ing 2008ing 2008ing 2008

Contents

57

2

10

9

8

CCCCCooooonnnnnttttteeeeennnnntststststs

14

3

8

13

15

Letter from the ChairHighways and Charles County Develop-ment Could Doom the Chesapeake’sCrown JewelDemystifying Renewable Energy CreditsPost a Sign to Help Protect Maryland’sWildlandsJoin the Chapter’s Public Lands DefenseTeamWe’re Almost There for Public Financing ofGeneral Assembly CampaignsAn Inconvenient Truth That Environmen-talists Don’t Want to Talk AboutGroup News RoundupJoan Willey Interviews Nina Settina AboutState ParksBetter Cycling for MarylandHave Your Say Before EPA Makes a Gift toFactory FarmsThe Sierra Club’s Mr. Green Fills a Bookwith Sage Green AdviceOn a Road to Nowhere —The Truth aboutthe ICCHabitat Restoration and Invasive PlantsRemoval OutingsMaryland Chapter LeadersDiversity on OutingsInformation for Outings ParticipantsOutingsBICO OutingsThe Chapter Remembers Dan Lynch31

Hello To All!

Well, I’ve been try-ing to settle into myrole as ChapterChair, but I am be-ginning to thinkthat achieving any-thing that appearsto be “settling in”may be like the pro-verbial desert trav-eler trying to deter-mine if what he is

seeing is an “oasis” or a “mirage!” Seriously, I am look-ing forward to meeting and working with as many ofyou as I can during my tenure. We live in a wonderfulbut rapidly changing state here in our beautiful Mary-land, and we have a myriad of environmental issues toaddress on a continual basis. We will be successful withthese efforts because, right-up-front, I am asking eachof you as Maryland Chapter Sierrans to be proactivewith us, doing what you can to ensure that success.

The Maryland 2008 General Assembly legislativesession is underway and we will be keeping you informedand calling upon you to actively support key environ-mental bills during the session. The first focus will beon passing the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA)of 2008 (SB 309/HB 712). In a recent press confer-ence, Governor O’Malley highlighted his support of thislegislation and Maryland’s role in “setting the bar” highand leading the way in combating global warming ef-fects.

Our role is to enhance that support by being pro-active at the grass roots level, by contacting all our statedelegates and senators, and by urging them to sponsorand pass this bill. We did a lot of groundwork to garnersupport for GWSA passage in the 2007 session and dur-ing the summer and fall with our Climate Action Cam-paign. With a different governor and public opinion inour favor, let’s do our part and get this important billpassed and signed into law.

Another key legislative effort will focus on theChesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The Critical AreasProtection Program legislation (SB 844/HB 1253) willrequire updated, environmentally meaningful, and en-forceable setbacks of any development, to protect thenatural buffers that absorb polluted runoff before it

reaches the tidal waters of Maryland’s rivers and streams,and the coasts of the Chesapeake Bay.

Energy efficiency for Maryland is being addressedby SB 205/ HB 374, and focuses on reducing statewideper-capita electricity consumption; SB 268/HB 368 cre-ates an energy investment fund.

A key effort of MD Chapter Sierra Club duringthis legislative session is STOPPING THE ICC! This isa top priority for us since the ICC is a harbinger ofother planned major highway development and expan-sion plans that are also environmentally unsound. Thiseffort dovetails with the sorely needed emphasis on al-ternative transportation such as rail and bus. The passécycle of continually expanding highways only leads tomore pollution and unwise land use, and must be re-versed.

This is “The Important Legislative Year” to obtainthe environmental gains needed to offset and reversethe negative environmental impacts of the past. I solicityour help to achieve this objective!

In addition to 2008 being extremely importantfor the Maryland legislative session, we also need to beproactive with the national presidential and congres-sional political campaigns. I cannot over-emphasize theimportance of actively participating in these campaigns;it is our opportunity to help elect environmental cham-pions.

Closer to home, our chapter is on a talent hunt.We are looking for chairs and members for ourfundraising, legislative, membership and communica-tions committees. I am also looking for people to bechapter webmasters. Please call me or the chapter officeto volunteer for these very important tasks.

My vision for this chapter is that we commit our-selves to achieve those things we need environmentallythat will provide our descendants, seven generations fromnow, with a place to live that is better than what wehave now. We can do no less. For as the adage goes–“We did not inherit this earth. We borrowed it from ourchildren.” We are obligated to give them their birth-right.

If we respect each other and those we work with,use our resources wisely, and remain focused on whatmust be done, we can achieve this for the seventh gen-eration!

Until next time! ■

Meet Ron Henry, Our New Chapter Chair

Letter From the Chair

16

17

31

232322

SSSSSprprprprpriiiiinnnnng ‘0g ‘0g ‘0g ‘0g ‘088888�18

24


What would you say about a society thatallowed the best tributary to the largestestuary in the world to slip away? That isexactly what is foreseen for MattawomanCreek, deemed “the best, most produc-tive tributary to the Chesapeake Bay” byMaryland state fisheries biologists. Itswatershed, which lies beyond the urbangradient to the south of the nation’s capi-tal, is covered by a Charles County de-velopment district that sprawls larger thanWashington, DC. The County is work-ing from a Watershed Management Planthat predicts “a severe change in overallwater quality” at buildout, with “severe re-percussions on the biological community.”

Sprawl is highway-dependent, andtwo new four-lane highways are proposed

to crisscross the watershed. The CrossCounty Connector extension (CCC-ex)would open vast forest tracts to develop-ment, and would enable developers toturn the one-stoplight town of BryansRoad into another Waldorf, the county’spresent urban center. The second high-way, the Western Waldorf Bypass, is partof the piecemeal “Outer Beltway,” andwould irrevocably degrade theMattawoman watershed through addi-tional massive induced growth. Bothhighways have viable alternatives to con-sider.

The CCC-ex is being fast-tracked,with authorities evidently trying to avoidan Environmental Impact Statement(EIS) for this 6.5 mile, four-lane high-way that would destroy wetland acreagethat is a significant fraction of Maryland’sannual wetlands loss. A hearing on thewetland-destruction permits could occuras soon as April. Please stay tuned(www.mattawomanwatershed.org), planon attending this hearing, and speakingor writing in support of an EIS. Becauseof Mattawoman’s value to the Bay, this isa statewide issue, and beyond.

While an EIS does not stop a high-way, if properly scoped it scientifically in-forms officials of the impacts to the natu-ral and human environments, not onlyof the proposed highway, but also the al-ternatives. At the 12th Annual Meetingof the Maryland Tributary StrategiesTeams on Feb. 9, Dr. Summers, DeputySecretary of Maryland’s Department ofEnvironment, said in a keynote addressthat we must make sure that environmen-tal impacts are properly mitigated. Put-ting aside issues of inadequate mitigation,we can ask “how can you mitigate im-pacts if don’t even know what they are?”

We can not look the other way whileletting this crown jewel slip away. ■

Courtesy of the Mattawoman Watershed So-ciety, www.mattawomanwatershed.org.

Sierra Club is working in partnership with the MattawomanWatershed Society and MD Bass Federation to protect thisvaluable Chesapeake Bay resource. Charles County is presentlythe fastest growing county in MD.

In addition to the CCC-ex and the Waldorf Bypass, it seems thatwe will have to address the need to change the DevelopmentDistrict of Charles County, which is 1/3 larger than the District ofColumbia. With the addition of new information about thehealth threats to the Chesapeake Bay and the increasing aware-ness of the reality of climate change, business as usual can notcontinue.

We need to find a way to better organize the citizens of CharlesCounty who are Sierra Club members and outreach to addi-tional members for their help. We are expecting a wetlanddestruction hearing for the CCC-ex early this spring, and weneed lots of concerned citizens to stand up and testify that weneed a properly scoped EIS before permitting decisions aremade.

Anyone reading this with ideas on ways to help or suggestions,please email [email protected].

Photo courtesy of Jim Long

EEEEExplorxplorxplorxplorxploreeeee,,,,, enjo enjo enjo enjo enjoy and pry and pry and pry and pry and protototototececececect the planett the planett the planett the planett the planet

Create anEnvironmental

Legacy

Planning now may makeyour gift more meaningfuland reduce taxes on yourestate. We have many giftoptions available. We caneven help you plan a gift foryour local Chapter. For moreinformation and confidentialassistance, contact:

John CalawayDirector, Gift Planning85 Second Street, 2nd FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105415-977-5639 or [email protected]

Watersheds and Sprawl

Mattawoman Creek

Highways and Charles County Development Could Doom the Chesapeake’s Crown Jewel


land regulators on February 6 by skippinga hearing to discuss costs that might bepassed on to consumers due to deregula-tion, highlighting a standoff between thestate and the utility over rising energycosts. Major among these “stranded costs”is the potential $5 billion that will beneeded to dismantle the two Calvert Cliffsreactors at the end of their useful lives.

On Valentine’s Day, ChesSECstaged a rally at Constellation Energy cor-porate headquarters in Baltimore. Dressedin red and pink, activists, students, andfriends facilitated a moving picket, streettheater, and leafleting against Unistar’sproposed new reactor on the ChesapeakeBay.

ChesSEC includes a growing list ofadvocacy organizations: Beyond Nuclear,Green Party (MD), Maryland PIRG,NIRS, Public Citizen, and Sierra Club.Some heavy hitters in these groups—in-cluding award-winning activist PaulGunther2—are making Unistar nervous.

The company has stated that theywon’t do the project without billions ofdollars in federal loan guarantees. It hasfurther stated that if the atmosphere (anironic choice in terms) is not friendly inMaryland, they will pick up their bagsand move to New York. (Shall we buythem their bus tickets?).

Currently, the existing Calvert Cliffsplant is having trouble keeping up with arequirement to upgrade their pumpingsystem and has received a six-month ex-tension to do the work. This is not theresponse you or I would get if we askedUncle Sam for an extension on filing any-thing.

But if Unistar is concerned about theMaryland state government not beingfriendly, they can always turn to theCalvert County commissioners. I, too,might be friendly to a company thatagreed to cover a $6 million deficit in my

budget. Here’s how this arrangement works.When the Maryland government

deregulated the electric power industryin 1999, it took away the power of theCounty to tax its transmission lines. Thisreduced Calvert County’s revenue some$8 million (proof that Maryland govern-ment leaders didn’t shaft only the con-sumer by deregulating the industry). Tofill this local hole, the State had beengranting $6 million to Calvert Countyannually. Given the current budget defi-cit, however, the State has withdrawn this

grant. So the County asked Unistar forthe money and Unistar said, “Yes!” (aswould anyone who had a huge projecton the table needing governmental co-operation). This is all very neat, all verylegal, and all very suspicious.

Action: Stop OverconsumptionConsidering current power consumptionin Maryland and the projected shortages,we have to do something— but some-

thing that isn’t nuclear. Power shortfallsmay be just around the corner, but thepower production by the proposed newreactor is not a safe or fiscally sound so-lution. Regardless of how many cornersthe NRC cuts, we would not, realistically,see a single megawatt from this projectuntil 2015.

The real answer, of course, is to stopour massive over-consumption of energy.Viable options to reduce electricity con-sumption and atmospheric pollution doexist. Recently, the Sierra Club joined

with the American Solar Energy Societyto advocate that “an aggressive, yet achiev-able increase in the use of energy effi-ciency and renewables alone can achievea 60 to 80 percent reduction in U.S. glo-bal warming emissions by 2050.”

American ingenuity can create safe,clean energy and also vastly expand con-servation through development of effi-cient appliances, energy-saving lighting,and innovative building techniques.

Conservation and Efficiency a Better Bet Than Another Reactor at Calvert Cliffs

Energy

(continued from page 1) These methods will be a far cheapermeans to ensure enough electricity thanbuilding expensive reactors and creatingmore radioactive waste. Indeed, Sierramagazine senior editor Paul Rauber foundthat “a dollar spent on energy efficiencywould save seven times more carbon di-oxide than a dollar spent on nuclearpower.”

Closer to home in Maryland, wemust encourage this year’s passage of theGlobal Warming Solutions Act (SB309/HB 712), which is designed to reducepower plant greenhouse gas emissions,clean up the Chesapeake Bay and protectour health while maintaining energyavailability.

So the fight continues. To get in-volved, contact Bob Boxwell [email protected] or MarylandPIRG via [email protected], call or write your legislators andGovernor Martin O’Malley (via 1-800-811-8336 or [email protected])to express your opposition to new nuclearreactors and your support for energy con-servation. ■

1Constellation Energy, which replaced Bal-timore Gas and Electric (BG&E), andFrench-government-owned EDF compriseUnistar.

2Paul Gunter’s award was the Jane BagleyLehman Award from the Tides Foundation.According to the foundation’s web site, theseawards “seek to recognize individuals whohave exhibited a deep commitment to thepublic interest and whose work demonstratesinnovative approaches to social change. The2007 awards specifically sought individu-als whose anti-nuclear work reaches wideaudiences and successfully bridges the gapbetween grassroots activists and decision-makers.”


By Rich Reis—Some of my recent expe-riences raised a number of questionsabout what renewable energy credits(RECs) are and whether they were effec-tive in mitigating global warming.

To minimize our impact on globalwarming, my local congregation, theWashington Ethical Society, considereda company’s proposal to install a solarphotovoltaic system. The company wouldretain system ownership, while the con-gregation would purchase its solar elec-tricity for 20 years. The price, whilehigher than other market prices for elec-tricity, would remain fixed during the 20year contract. The solar-generated elec-tricity would also yield RECs. The com-pany would sellthese RECs topartially offsetthe cost of thesystem.

I attendedan informational meeting on globalwarming and the environment at the Sil-ver Spring Unitarian Universalist Church.There, a representative from the county’senergy office urged attendees to use Com-pact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)and tobuy RECs to compensate for the globalwarming gas emissions of the ordinaryelectrical energy they use.

RECs are a market-based device toallow people and corporations to benefitfinancially when generating energy fromrenewable energy sources—sources thatdo not emit global warming gases, prin-cipally carbon-dioxide (CO

2). They also

permit others to purchase these credits tooffset their energy-intensive activities thatproduce global warming gases, such as airtravel. Thus, RECs are a potential mecha-nism for reducing global warming.

RECs help address an essential prob-lem in our economy described in GarrettHarden’s seminal essay, “The Tragedy ofthe Commons” (Science, 1968). The

problem applies as an individual buyingelectricity from conventional sources doesnot pay for its adverse effects. For ex-ample, most of the electricity in our areacomes from coal. Its mining is very envi-ronmentally destructive. When it isburned to generate electricity, it produceslocal pollutants and global warming gases.

One REC is awarded based for eachmegawatt-hour (MWh), equivalent to1000 kilowatt-hours, of renewable energygenerated. The types of renewable energyallowed for these credits include solar,wind, biomass, and geothermal. It doesnot depend upon the infrastructureneeded to generate this electricity. EachREC can be considered equivalent to

about 1,350 pounds of carbon dioxide(CO

2) not emitted, based upon federal

Energy Information Office Reports.Yet it is important to realize that

RECs and carbon offsets are similar, butdifferent. RECs come from electrical gen-erators that emit no or less carbon thantraditional generators, whereas carbonoffsets can come from other sources.RECs can be used to claim that one’s elec-tricity comes from no- or low-carbonsources.

Maryland power companies are re-quired to meet renewable portfolio stan-dards per the 2005 law as amended in2007. Under this law they must eithergenerate a portion of their electricity fromcertain renewable sources or purchaseRECs from the open market.

The following scenarios illustrate the is-sues of selling and buying RECs and off-sets:

In years past, John purchased 10

MWh of electricity from conven-tional sources. Those power plantsemitted 10,000 pounds of carbondioxide to supply that electricity. Asa concerned environmentalist, Johnhas a grid-tied solar electric systeminstalled on his home. The systemgenerates an average 10 MWh of so-lar electricity per year and allows himto harvest 10 RECs. If each RECsells for $20 on the open market, eachyear John sells his 10 RECs for $200to partially pay back the cost of hissystem.

Mary plans to fly from St. Louis toSan Francisco to attend a Sierra Club

meeting. She uses a tool such as theone on the NativeEnergy web site(www.nativeenergy.com) to learn thather round trip flight will generate theequivalent of 1.395 tons (2,790pounds) of carbon dioxide per pas-senger—equivalent to about twoRECs. As a concerned environmen-talist, she buys the offset so that shecan travel feeling that, on-balance,her trip does not contribute to glo-bal warming. Each of four other at-tendees also buys the same offset; allfive purchase the equivalent of 10RECs —the same number that Johnsold in one year.

What is wrong with this scenario?The RECs added balanced the

RECs removed from the market. Yet thefive flights added the equivalent of 13,950pounds of CO2

to the global atmosphere.The reality is that John cannot sell RECsand still “earn points” as an environmen-

talist; he also needs to conserve and useless electricity. Mary should know that herpurchase of RECs might not fully offsetthe extra global warming of her trip.

There are other issues to consider.We can compare the embedded energyof conventional and alternative energysystems. This includes the energy to minethe materials, manufacture the compo-nents, and install the system. There maybe environmental impacts of alternativeenergy installation and use. For example,wind generation may harm birds. In therecent book, Heat, How to Stop the Planetfrom Burning, author George Monbiotargues that air travel must be avoided tomoderate global warming. Although a

MWh of energyuse avoided is atleast as good forthe environ-ment as aMWh of alter-

native energy, RECs are not awarded forconservation. Finally, RECs should becertified by a third- party rater or verifiedthrough an audit.

Perhaps the worst example is a planby California-based Planktos, Inc. todump iron in the Pacific to generateRECs. As the Friends of the Earth notes,the plan lacks oversight, could harm theocean, and would probably not work any-way.

Sequestration, another way to avoidcarbon release when generating electric-ity from conventional sources, costsmoney. For example, a recent paper (En-ergy Engineering 2007, Vol. 104, No. 6,p. 15) estimates that carbon capture andsequestration adds about 5.44¢ per kWhto the cost of coal-generated electricity.To date, geological carbon capture andsequestration has only been tried with tworelatively small demonstration projects.

Aside from using RECs, we can

Demystifying Renewable Energy Credits

RRRRReneeneeneeneenewwwwwable Eable Eable Eable Eable Enernernernernergggggyyyyy CCCCCrrrrredits cedits cedits cedits cedits come frome frome frome frome from elecom elecom elecom elecom electrtrtrtrtricicicicical general general general general generaaaaatttttors thaors thaors thaors thaors that emit no or less ct emit no or less ct emit no or less ct emit no or less ct emit no or less carbarbarbarbarbonononononthan trthan trthan trthan trthan traditional generaditional generaditional generaditional generaditional generaaaaatttttorsorsorsorsors,,,,, wher wher wher wher whereas ceas ceas ceas ceas carbarbarbarbarbon offon offon offon offon offsets csets csets csets csets can can can can can come frome frome frome frome frooooommmmm other sour other sour other sour other sour other sourccccceseseseses.....

(continued on page 6)

Energy


lessen the harm from coal and other non-renewable energy sources by having thegovernment mandate renewable energyportfolios for utilities (as mentioned ear-lier), regulating mining and electrical gen-eration, taxing carbon, conserving energy,and using tradable carbon permits. Theseand other possibilities are used locally andaround the world to some extent.

RECs do their job when they pro-vide an effective incentive for commer-cial alternative energy investments. Forexample, NativeEnergy of Vermont is aprivately held energy company. It usesRECs to help finance Native Americanalternative energy projects, such as theToksook Bay Alaska Native Village WindTurbine.

RECs have an important role to playin mitigating global warming, but like anyaccounting system, we need to be carefulnot to “cook the books” (and thus cookthe planet) and not really reduce globalwarming gases

. This essay is not the final

word on this important and multifacetedtopic. I look forward to questions andcomments. ■

Richard (Rich) Reis is a professional engi-neer and principal of Conservation Engi-neering, as well as a long-time member ofthe Sierra Club. He can be reached at 301-325-8001 or [email protected].

Rich thanks Cindy Paré and Dave O’Learyfor reviewing this article and for their manyhelpful suggestions.

We can buy renewable energycredits (RECs) or CO

2 offsets by

consulting several web sitesincluding:Clean Currents(www.cleancurrents.com)Wind Current(www.windcurrent.com)Sterling Planet(www.sterlingplanet.com)TerraPass (www.terrapass.com)Native Energy(www.nativeenergy.com)One REC is about equal to 1,350pounds (0.675 tons) of CO

2 equiva-

lent offsets.

Some may be able to buy alterna-tive energy delivered by our localutility through:Residential and CommercialWashington Gas Energy Services(www.wges.com)Residential:Pepco Energy Services(www.pepcoenergy.com/NaturalGasElectricity/default.aspx)and click on the box “Looking forour residential Electricity Rates?”CommercialConstellation NewEnergy(www.newenergy.com/) and select“Electricity” and “Products” from thetop line and then scroll down toinformation on “ElectricGreen”.

A tool to find and purchase RECscan be found at Green-E(www.green-e.org). To find outwhere to purchase renewableenergy select a “Buy RenewableEnergy” link on the right side of thepage.

Government resources are on theU.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (www.epa.gov/cleanenergyor www.epa.gov/greenpower), theNational Renewable Energy Labora-tory (www.nrel.gov), the Depart-ment of Energy, Green PowerNetwork (www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower), and the MarylandEnergy Administration(energy.maryland.gov).

There are also clean energy rewardscredits in Montgomery County, MDfor buying RECs or green energythrough your utility. They are 1¢ /kWh for residential and 1.5¢ forcommercial. For more informationsee: www.montgomerycounty.md/dep and select the link for CleanEnergy Rewards, 240-777-7700Susan Kirby 240-777-7753 or StanEdwards (chief ) There is also aprogram that provides credits tohomeowners and others for energygeneration such as using photovol-taic panels.

BBBBBuying RECsuying RECsuying RECsuying RECsuying RECs,,,,, C C C C COOOOO22222 O O O O Offffffffffsetssetssetssetssets,,,,, or A or A or A or A or Altltltltltererererernananananativtivtivtivtive Ee Ee Ee Ee Enernernernernergggggyyyyy

Taking the Mystery from RECs

(continued from page 5)

Energy

InternshipOpportunity

The MarylandChapter of the SierraClub offers you theopportunity to helpsolve the problems ofglobal warming.

As a Cool Cities intern, youwill learn about the SierraClub Cool Cities campaign,and promote the campaignunder the auspices of theEnergy Committee. You’lleducate and recruit SierraClub members, the public,and local cities to participatein the campaign and tochange our energy-usinghabits, systems, and choices.You’ll help to build workingrelationships amongorganizations, localgovernments, and citizens,under the supervision of theSierra Club MD ChapterCoordinator, the Cool CitiesCampaign Chair, and localcampaign leaders.

For information, call thechapter office at 301-277-07111 or [email protected].


By Mark Diehl—In the Savage RiverState Forest, a few years ago the beautifulSavage Ravines and South Savage Moun-tain areas were designated as wildlandslargely through the efforts of the SierraClub Western Maryland Group (WMG)and Maryland chapter of the Club. Wecan all be proud of this monumental suc-cess. It is good to know that these for-ested acres are now protected into theindefinite future—and it is also apparentthat abuse is occurring within theirboundaries.

The photo below shows serious ero-sion caused by all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)in the ravines. The photo showing the rutswas taken a mere 20 feet from Little Sav-age River, whose water is of extremelyhigh quality. These deep grooves are notthe result of casual usage; they representfrequent—and illegal—access.

In another area deep within the ra-vines wildlands, hemlocks were cut downto clear a path. ATV use in our wildlandsis occurring frequently and with seeming

Post a Sign to Help Protect Maryland’s Wildlandsimpunity. It must stop.

Nobody is really looking out for ourwildlands. If we fall asleep on the job, wemay wake up one day to find they’ve beenreverted to the general management zone(a designation that basically means “sub-ject to road building and logging”).

The first step toward protecting ourwildlands is educating the public. To thisend, the Sierra Club Western MarylandGroup (WMG) has been granted the De-partment of Natural Resources’ approvalto create and install signs (at our own ex-pense) at key wildlands entry points. Us-ing WMG funds, we bought two profes-sional-quality, reusable Mylar master sten-cils. They are identical, and the wordingis standard and approved by DNR.

The sign shown on the right belowwas prepared and installed in October2007. It is posted on a DNR gate thatblocks an old access road leading downto Little Savage River.

The WMG now invites the otherMaryland Sierra Club chapters to fund

and install signs in your respective areas’wildlands. Essentially this entails a dona-tion of $25 per sign, which covers the costof materials. Your group’s volunteers ob-tain the materials, create and install eachsign at a key wildlands entry point. Ourgroup will gladly provide specifics regard-ing the recommended material list andassembly guidelines.

Basic costs include:◆ Road-sign gauge sheet metal (2’H x 3’W): $10◆ One can spray paint: $4◆ One can stencil adhesive: $4◆ Mounting hardware (bolts/nuts/ washers): $2◆ Two 2’H x 2”D x 6”W pressure- treated lumber (sign stiffeners): $5.

Please consider this important invitation.Your wildlands need you! For more in-formation, please contact Mark Diehl [email protected]. ■

ATV tire tracks in the Savage River State Forest. Photo by Mark Diehl. The Western Maryland Group hopes to educate the public about the appropriate use of wildlands with signs suchas this. Photo by Mark Diehl.

message to the federal government abouthow crucial this issue really is.

But, as you might imagine, this billthreatens several rich private interests whoare working to stop this legislation. Whilethey’ve got the economic power, we’ve gotthe people power—what the Sierra Clubis best known for! It’s time now to roll upour sleeves and get to work to help passthis bill. As the governor has said, “Thetime to act against global warming haspassed; the time to catch up is now.”

Please contact your legislators andurge them to support SB309/HB717, theGlobal Warming Solutions Act. To findyour legislators go to: http://mdelect.netLet’s make Maryland a leader together!Remember, an email, phone call, or ahandwritten letter really does make a dif-ference. For more information about thelegislation or how to help, check out ourwebsite, http://maryland.sierraclub.org.,or call the Sierra Club office at 301-277-7111. ■

Assembly to Vote on GlobalWarming Solutions Act


Wildlands GWSA


By Chris Yoder—As an American, youare the partial owner of a vast legacy oflands of incredible beauty and the reposi-tory of untold wealth. These public landsinclude:◆193 million acres of national forests andgrasslands;◆262 million acres administered by theFederal Bureau of Land Management;◆More than 390 national parks, battle-fields, seashores, monuments and historicsites in the National Park Service system;◆100 million acres of wildlife refuges andother sites controlled by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service; and◆More than 300 recreation areas on wa-ter projects administered by the Bureauof Reclamation.

These lands offer us, and our descendants,an irreplaceable legacy of natural values.However, these lands also contain irre-sistible lures for those who would exploittheir resources. The natural values of yourpublic lands are constantly eroded by thepressures of excessive logging, overgraz-ing, irresponsible mining and rampantoff-road-vehicle users. As owners of theland, Americans have an all-too-often ig-nored responsibility of stewardship for thelands entrusted to us. Protection of thesepriceless lands was one goal for John Muirand the other visionaries who founded theSierra Club in 1892. You, as a memberof the Club, are an heir to their vision.

As a practical matter, managementof your public lands falls to federal agen-cies overseen by the U.S. Congress andacting in accordance with legislation en-acted by the Congress. Sierra Club mem-bers can protect our nation’s naturallegacy by ensuring that our representa-tives know that we, as their constituents,support legislation to protect public landsand that we demand strong oversight overthe agencies entrusted with their steward-ship.

Action StepsYou can help preserve these national trea-sures by doing one or all of the follow-ing.

Join the Maryland Chapter’s pub-lic lands protection team. Contact ChrisYoder, team chair, at 410-466-2462 or [email protected] to get on the e-mail list (or snail mail if you don’t have e-mail) of public lands defenders. We willlet you know when legislation needs thesupport of our delegation or when land-management agencies need congressionalpressure to stand strong in protecting theland rather bowing to pressure from com-mercial or motorized recreational inter-ests.

Act now to support pending legis-lation. The following bills are movingnow, or may move soon, in the House ofRepresentatives. Your congressional rep-resentatives need to hear that you sup-port these bills.

HR 3287: The Tumacacori HIghlands Wil-derness Act. HR 3287 would designate85,000 acres of spectacularly eroded cliffsand hills that host over 50 sensitive spe-cies and act as a refuge for endangeredspecies such as the jaguar, peregrine fal-con and Mexican spotted owl.

HR 2593: The Borderlands Conservationand Security Act. This bill is designed tohelp mitigate damage to federal and triballands from illegal border activity and bor-der-enforcement efforts by increasing co-ordination between land managementagencies and the Department of Home-land Security.

HR 3682: The California Desert andMountain Heritage Act. With the help ofthis legislation, 125,000 acres would bedesignated as wild and scenic, and it alsowould create three new wilderness areas,which are important to the future of lo-

cally endangered species such as bighornsheep and desert tortoises.

HR 2334: Rocky Mountain National ParkWilderness. HR 2334 would protect aswilderness areas a spectacular nationalpark that might otherwise be overrun byexcessive use.

HR1919: America’s Red Rock WildernessAct. More than 9 million acres of Utahwould be protected as wilderness underthis bill. These unique and fragile landsare threatened by off-road vehicles, min-eral and energy exploration, and devel-opment. The bill needs more cospon-sors. From Maryland, only Representa-tives Cummings, Van Hollen, and Wynnare cosponsors. Please contact your rep-resentatives and ask them to join in co-sponsoring this important legislation.

So far this session the House passed HR1011, The Virginia Ridge and Valley Actof 2007. The Senate companion bill is S.570. Please contact Senators Cardin andMikulski and ask them to support thesebills in the Senate.

You can contact your representativesthrough the Capitol switchboard at202.225.3121 or by writing to them at:[insert name of representative]U.S. House of RepresentativesWashington, D.C. 20515

You can contact your senatorsthrough the Capitol switchboard at202.224.3121 or by writing to them at:[insert name of senator]U.S. SenateWashington, D.C. 20510 ■

Chris Yoder is a long-time member of theSierra Club, a member of the MarylandChapter’s Executive Committee, and anadvocate for protecting the natural valuesembodied in America’s public lands.

Join the Maryland Chapter’s Public Lands Defense Team!

“ Wilderness needs no defense, it needs more defenders.” Edward Abbey

Public Lands

By Cliff Terry—Last year, after severalyears of trying, a bill to provide full pub-lic funding for campaigns for the Gen-eral Assembly came within one vote ofpassing the state Senate. That’s the firsttime public funding even got out of theSenate Committee on Education, Health,and Environmental Affairs (EHEA). TheHouse of Delegates never voted on it in2007, waiting for Senate action, butpassed it in 2006. This may be the yearto get it through both houses.

Here’s what it’s about. Many of thelegislators you lobby on environmentalissues depend heavily on campaign con-tributions from businesses and industrytrade associations. And the financial self-interest of many of these big contribu-tors puts them on the “anti-environment”side of some of the issues you care mostabout.

For example,this session’s bill toprotect the Chesa-peake Bay bystrengthening criti-cal- area rules prohib-iting shoreline devel-opment will befought bitterly bydeep-pocketed devel-opment interests.

Big campaign contributions cannothelp but influence General Assemblymembers’ votes on bills that will help orhurt the contributors.

No amount of tinkering with thecurrent system of financing campaignswill solve this problem. We need a newsystem. That new system is public financ-ing of General Assembly campaigns, asrecommended in 2004 by the StudyCommission on Public Funding of Cam-paigns in Maryland.

We’re Almost There!Public Funding of Campaigns forthe General Assembly


Campaign $


By Samuel B. Hopkins—If environmen-talists don’t talk about the need to reducepopulation, who will?

The inconvenient truth is that thetotal human population must stop grow-ing and then decrease, if we are to haveany chance in the long run of preservingour environment, having a decent levelof living in a resource-depleted world, andavoiding an uncontrolled collapse ofpopulation like that experienced by somepast civilizations.

And, the long run is rapidly gettingshorter. We need to appreciate how popu-lation growth explodes once it reaches asubstantial size. We should not forget thatpopulation grows exponentially; expo-nential growth is eventually explosive evenat low rates; and “eventually” is now. Thedoubling from one to two billion people(1927) took 123 years. We added anothertwo billion in 46 years (1974). And wehave since added another 2.7 billion inonly 32 years, even though the growthrate has averaged less than 2%.

Environmentalists were vocal in the1960’s and early ‘70’s about the need tostop population growth. We must againspeak up, especially when we are talkingabout climate change and the impend-ing decline in fossil fuel production.

Climate ChangeHow can we achieve a 70-80% reductionin our emissions of greenhouse gases with-out draconian measures in the short run?In the longer run, only population reduc-tion can allow a substantial majority inthe world to enjoy comfortable standardsof living. Yet, at all the conferences I haveattended on peak oil, climate change orboth, nothing about population growth,size or decline was on the agenda. AlGore’s film and stump speech include achart of the explosive population growthstill in progress. But he did not say theobvious—that this growth must stop and

be reversed, if humans are to have a de-cent chance of stopping climate change.

Peak Oil, Natural Gas and CoalNever has the production of food beenso dependent on fossil fuels. Modern, so-called high-yield agriculture requires moreenergy for each calorie produced (byabout a 10 to 1 ratio) than do the old,low-yield methods. So the impendingdecline in annual production of oil, natu-ral gas and coal is a threat to our mostbasic needs, not just to the luxuries ofcentral heating and air conditioning, andautomotive and air travel. There is no longplateau when production peaks. Manyexperts say that oil has already peaked.The peak for coal was once thought atleast a century away. But new assessmentsof coal reserves suggest that coal produc-tion could peak in as few as 17 years. Thenatural gas peak will vary geographically,since gas is expensive to transport. Butthe U.S. faces the peaking of gas produc-tion in the near future.

Growth of population is no longerthe immediate problem. Rather, it is ab-solute size. Absolute size determines howfeasible it is to:◆ substitute biofuels, wind energy, hydro,and solar for fossil fuels◆ reconsider land use and development inorder to return to a less fossil-fuel-inten-sive (but lower yield) agriculture that re-quires more human labor, and◆ move millions of people away fromcoastal areas in response to rising sea levels.

There are many reasons why environmen-talists often find it difficult to talk aboutthe need to stop human populationgrowth on this planet and then thought-fully and humanely reverse it.

Fundamental among the reasons arethe modest sacrifices that must be ac-cepted if a population is not growing and,even more so, if it is declining. Firstamong these are the challenges of sup-porting the dependent elderly with a

smaller population of younger people,and the reduced opportunities for busi-ness.

Less fundamental are the following:1. Complacency or hope from the factthat fertility rates have been declining ina large part of the world.2. Growing organized hostility to abor-tion and even contraception.3. Opposition of human rights groups toone of the very few effective efforts to slowor stop population growth—the one-child policy in China that began about1980.4. The position of some feminists that ad-vocacy of fertility reduction infringes onwomen’s reproductive freedom.5. The promotion of growth with an il-lusory appeal of “green,” “smart,” or “sus-tainable,” which can at best delay dam-age to the environment.6. Concern of some environmentaliststhat population stabilization is anotherthreat to economic or environmental jus-tice.7. The pro-population-growth wishes ofmany who fund environmental organi-zations.

We environmentalists must confront andovercome these obstacles so that we canonce again take the lead in educating thepublic about the need to reduce the sizeof the human population. ■

Mr. Hopkins worked as an advisor at theWest Pakistan Research and EvaluationCenter (part of the Pakistan National Fam-ily Planning Program) in 1967-69. Hewas president of the Baltimore Chapter ofZero Population Growth, 1969-73, and aResearch Associate with the Law & Popu-lation Programme at Tufts University,1974-75. The latter funded research andmonographs on how a large variety of lawsin developing countries affected their popu-lation growths.

An Inconvenient Truth that We Environmentalists Should Talk About—Again

Population

It would be similar to systems thathave been working well for several yearsin Maine and Arizona. It has worked sowell that, last I knew, 84% of the MaineHouse and Senate and 9 out of 11 state-wide elected officials in Arizona, includ-ing the governor, had run and won solelywith public funding.

All General Assembly candidateswho wish to receive public funding wouldfirst have to show broad public supportby collecting a specified number andamount of “qualifying” contributionsfrom registered voters in their districts.They must agree to spend essentiallynothing on their campaigns except thepublic funding they receive.

The bills, cross-filed, are SB 593 andHB 971. If you agree that public fund-ing of campaigns could transform Mary-

land poli-t i c s ,please cally o u rs e n a t o rand del-e g a t e sand askthem tosuppor tt h e s e

bills. [It is especially important that thoseof you who live in EHEA Chair Joan CarterConway’s district (District 43, BaltimoreCity) call her at 410-841-3145.]

Tell them the current system encour-ages public cynicism about the influenceof big contributions on legislators’ votes.Also, tell them it forces candidates tospend too much time asking for money,time that should instead be spent talkingto voters and (in the case of incumbents)doing their jobs.

If you have questions, please call meat 410-944-9477 or e-mail [email protected] . ■


We’re Almost There!

Campaign $


Edited by Mary C. Corddry—The following iswhat’s happening with the nine Sierra Club Groups inMaryland: Anne Arundel County, Catoctin, EasternShore, Greater Baltimore, Howard County, Montgom-ery County, Prince George’s County, Southern Mary-land, and Western Maryland. If you have informationto contribute to future “Roundups” for the Chesapeakenewsletter, please contact Mary Corddry [email protected] or at 410-239-4590.

The local Groups of the Sierra Club are active withthe Sierra Club’s “Cool Cities” initiative, encouraginglocal governments and citizens to take action to addressglobal warming. They survey and interview local candi-dates for public office, and make endorsements in col-laboration with the State Chapter. They are involvedwith local land use and environmental issues. They vol-unteer for service outings to eradicate invasive plants,plant native species, maintain trails, and clean upstreams. They enjoy theenvironment by hiking,biking, kayaking, stargaz-ing, camping, and back-packing. They discuss en-vironmental issues and so-cialize at dinners, picnics,slide shows, movies, andspeaker series.

There is somethingfor everyone. Contactyour Group to get linkedwith your favorite issue oractivity. The MarylandChapter’s home page hasa link to each Group’swebsite at http://maryland.sierraclub.org.

Anne Arundel GroupChair: David Prosten, 410-263-6341 or 410-703-0847, [email protected]

By David Prosten—About 100 members and friends ofthe Anne Arundel Group participated in the group’s an-nual potluck dinner January 26. They listened to theguest speaker, State Comptroller Peter Franchot, dis-cuss his office’s approach to environmental issues acrossthe state. Several Anne Arundel County activists were

honored, including long-time Executive Committeemember Earl Bradley, Annapolis Alderman Sam Shrop-shire, former Executive Committee member Joan Turek,and the late Tina Lorentzen Carlson. Attendees were en-couraged to bring a dish made of ingredients grown orharvested within 100 miles of Annapolis.

The group is applauding two of its own who havetaken on major environmental roles in the public sec-tor. Nita Settina, a group activist and a former Execu-tive Committee member , has been named superinten-dent of the Maryland state park system. Joan Turek—who resigned from the Executive Committee becauseof county conflict-of-interest rules—was named in De-cember to the Anne Arundel County Planning Advi-sory Board by County Executive John Leopold.

The Cool Cities group continues to meet monthly,with a focus on reducing the county government’s car-bon footprint.

The Executive Committee held a morn-ing-long retreat in February to look at goalsand objectives, and set an active agenda for2008. A primary focus: getting more of thegroup’s 1,400 members involved in club ac-tivities.

Plans are being made for the group’sannual Earth Day 5K Race and Walk, ourbig annual fundraiser held at Quiet WatersPark in Annapolis. Trophies and prizes willbe awarded to competitors in several catego-ries. Hundreds of dollars worth of goodiesdonated by local merchants will be given awayas door prizes following the event. Check thegroup’s website for information and an ap-plication. The event this year will be April 19.

The group is successfully using its newe-mail list for members who want to partici-pate in the e-mail alert program.

Catoctin Group (Carroll, Frederick,and Washington Counties)Chair: Chris Hodge, 240-388-6446,

[email protected]

By Gregor Becker—Global warming is a concern thatwe want towns to recognize! Carroll and Frederick coun-ties have recognized the concern and pledged to workon it locally and to support more action at state andnational levels.

The Catoctin Group will host a meeting onWednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at the North CarrollLibrary to discuss strategies to bring Cool Cities beforethe Hampstead Town Council. Sykesville was the firstCool City in Carroll County, the first locally to sign aglobal warming agreement. Westminster and MountAiry have adopted similar agreements. Hampstead willbe a greater challenge since Mayor Haven Shoemakerhas written pieces in the newspaper against global warm-ing “hype” and county acceptance. We want to con-vince a majority of the Council of the merits of adopt-ing a resolution on global warming. There are manySierrans in the Hampstead area; we need some who aremotivated to help with this. Contact Gregor Becker [email protected] (best) or call 410-346-6336.

Brunswick residents, please see the contact infor-mation above. We had a productive initial meeting afew months ago, but only a few attended. So we arelooking for more participants as we prepare to approachthe City Council. Gregor made two calls to each of 20Sierra Club members in Brunswick. We expect to meetagain on Saturday, March 22, but the location is not setas this newsletter goes to press. Our initial meeting wasat the home of Paul Lehman and may be again. Themeetings in Hampstead and Brunswick are open to any-one interested in global warming issues. You needn’t bea Sierra Club member to care about the earth. Every-one is welcome. Please R.S.V.P .to Gregor; see contactinformation in preceding paragraph.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 24 from 9a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Maryland Heartland SustainableLiving Fair at the Carroll County Farm Museum. Just$10 a person or $15 a couple. Children 15 and underare free. Check out www.sustainablelivingmd.org.

The Catoctin Group communicates with memberselectronically for the most part. Our website is http://maryland.sierraclub.org/catoctin/ OR go tosierraclub.org, and then select Maryland Chapter andCatoctin Group OR email us at [email protected] receive alerts on actions, hikes, or meetings.

Eastern Shore (Cecil County and EasternShore counties)Chair: Howard Bedlin, 410-643-3283,[email protected]

A new conservation committee has been meeting in the

From the Mountains to the Shore, Groups Tackle Environmental Issues


Group News Roundup



Group News RoundupChapter Groups Focus on Issues Close to Home

lower shore of the Eastern Shore consecutively for thelast three months and is building momentum. Thegroup is currently working on a recycling symposiumfor Earth Day and is excited to begin working on a CoolCities campaign. For details about the time and placeof the next meeting contact Laura D’Alessandro at 443-523-8987 or [email protected].

Greater Baltimore (Baltimore City andCounty, Harford County)Chair: Ron Henry, 410-838-9119, [email protected]

By Mary Corddry—The Greater Baltimore Group hasa general meeting planned for February 25 with aspeaker, Baltimore Trails author Bryan MacKay,and witha hiker’s quiz developed by Richard Klein. The quiz win-ner will receive a backpack donated by REI, an out-door equipment store.

The Sierra Club joined other environmental orga-nizations to rally at Baltimore City Hall on February 25for an “Eco-Summit: Health and Environmental Jus-tice.” The purpose of the rally was to ask the City Coun-cil to transform Baltimore into a “Cool City.”

Baltimore County’s Comprehensive Zoning MapProcess is underway. Residents and civic organizationshave proposed properties for rezoning. The CountyCouncil will vote on the rezoning issues this summer,and new zoning maps will be issued in November. Groupmembers participated with North County Preservationto develop a Geographical Information System (GIS),assisted civic organizations and residents with using theGIS to identify properties for downzoning to a morerestrictive rural conservation classification, are holdingworkshops for citizens on February 27 and March 5,and are now helping to review the properties proposedfor rezoning and to provide information to communitygroups, the County Zoning Department, and CountyCouncil about environmental issues related to the pro-posals.

The Group is partnering with the Greater DundalkAlliance to oppose a liquid natural gas terminal and stor-age facility at Sparrows Point and related dredging inthe Patapsco River. It is also working on a class actionlawsuit concerning the adverse health impacts of thearea’s past industrial activity.

The Group publishes a quarterly newsletter, “TheBaltimore Sierran,” which is mailed to members and

also is available on its web site. Check the Group’s website for a schedule of outings and other events. TheGroup has hikes of varied lengths and difficulty levels,including outings that are child- and dog-friendly. TheGroup also has happy hours, kayak outings, bike rides,star-gazing, camping, hayrides, stream cleanups, trail main-tenance, and invasive plant removals.Howard CountyChair: Ken Clark, 301-725-3306, [email protected]

By Ken Clark—Following are the Howard Group’s up-coming Events:

Scott Weidensaul, Return To Wild AmericaThursday, March 13, 7:00 p.m. at the Howard CountyConservancy.Author Scott Weidensaul retraces the 100-day trekaround North America by Roger Tory Peterson 50 yearsago. “Return to Wild America” has been praised by crit-ics for the examination of what has been lost and cel-ebration of what remains of the wild nature of America.Slides and lecture. The Howard County Conservancy,http://www.hcconservancy.org/, is hosting this program,and the Sierra Club is one of the sponsors.

Howard County Green FestSaturday, April 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.at the Glenwood Center next tothe Glenwood Library.See our web page for details, http://maryland.sierraclub.org/hc. TheSierra Club will have a table at thisevent and may lead a hike.

The Howard County Grouphas a very active outings program,including frequent backpackingtrips. Check the Group’s web sitefor a schedule of outings and otherevents. You may contact Ken Clarkabout getting on an email listing ofoutings and events.

Montgomery CountyChair: David Hauck,301-270-5826, [email protected]

By David Hauck—We continue to work on developing

programs that will help us achieve the three goals theGroup has set for Montgomery County.

For achieving the first goal—increasing energy con-servation by residents and businesses—we are explor-ing a number of opportunities to partner with localgroups and the County government on projects such asdeveloping a “green resource guide” to encourage resi-dents to become more energy-efficient and practice moresustainable lifestyles; creating a “green certification” pro-gram for businesses that encourages them to implementenergy and resource conservation measures; and pro-moting a “green curriculum” in the schools.

We also are working to ensure that the global warm-ing bills now before the County Council are strength-ened and passed. On January 31, I testified in favor ofthe bills and recommended several additions to them.We continue to meet with council members, their staff,and members of the County Executive staff in supportof Montgomery County’s taking aggressive and creativesteps to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Our second goal is to encourage the adoption ofsmart growth principles that will result in new commu-nities that are more energy-efficient, use much less openland, and help to improve air quality by expanding the

utilization of public tran-sit. Members track pro-posed changes to land usemaster plans and advocatefor smart growth revisionsto these plans. In addition,we have developed a set ofsmart growth guidelines toprovide a vision to guidedevelopment in Mont-gomery County to reduceour impact on the envi-ronment while enhancingour quality of life. We planto use these guidelines inour efforts to build publicsupport for smart growth.

(For a discussion of these 10 smart growth guidelines,please see page 3 of our February-March 2008 Groupnewsletter available on our website. Go tomaryland.sierraclub.org/Montgomery and click on“Newsletter” in the left hand column when our webpage opens.)

For our final goal—protecting natural, critical(continued on page 12)


Group News Roundup


Groups Act for a Greener Maryland

WWWWWebsitebsitebsitebsitebsite Se Se Se Se Sececececection tion tion tion tion WWWWWebmastebmastebmastebmastebmastersersersersers

Have limited time but want to help outfrom home on a regular basis?

We need smart, dependable people to workwith Maryland Sierra Club committees toimprove and update sections of theMaryland website. Consider becoming aMaryland Sierra Club’s Web-SectionWebmaster. Will train on needed technicalskills. Please contact [email protected] formore details.

spaces in Montgomery County, including the Agricul-tural Reserve, forest, and local streams—we are lookingfor ways to increase participation by local Sierra Clubmembers in hands-on activities such as tree planting,stream cleanups, and activities that reduce storm waterrunoff.

Finally, we welcome two new members to our ExCom, Tracy Stanton and Jim Grossfeld. Tracy has workedon smart growth issues and holistic land-use planning,and she’s done research on best practices for improvingenvironmental quality and protecting public healthwithin the Chesapeake Bay watershed. In addition toher work on the Ex Com, Tracy is actively working tohelp us achieve our goal of greater energy conservation.Jim Grossfeld’s interests lie in building alliances betweenlabor and environmentalists that challenge the falsechoice between good jobs and clean energy. Jim also isactive in the field of public health and believes that prob-lems such as workplace exposure to toxics and illnesscaused by industrial pollution in poor communitiesshould not only be priorities for public health practitio-ners, but for environmentalists as well.

Prince George’s CountyChair: Chip Reilly, 301-218-3920, [email protected] [email protected]’s office: 301-277-0600 or 301-277-7111

By Chip Reilly—The campaigns on climate change,Cool Cities, and the elections have engaged hundredsof members in Prince George’s County during the pastthree months. The victory by Donna Edwards for theU.S. House seat in District 4 is a cause for celebrationby Prince Georgians interested in responsive govern-ment. Work is underway, led by Chip Reilly and FredTutman, to create a “Prince George’s EnvironmentalKnowledge Web”—a database of substantive and tacti-cal knowledge on land use, environment, and transpor-tation to strengthen the participation by residents ofPrince George’s County in matters that impact theirquality of life. The project, including interviews withsenior activists, educational web pages and workshops,was funded by the office of Tom Dernoga, a CountyCouncilman and environmental advocate.

Pending State legislation of great importance: Inorder to protect the rights of Prince Georgians in landuse decisions, we support the Text Amendment Bill

(www.princegeorgeshousedelegation.com/legislation/bill-history?local=PG/MC%20117-08), and oppose theZoning Appeals (Standing) Bill (http://www.princegeorgeshousedelegation.com/legislation/bill-history?local=PG/MC%20119-08.)

Please contact your State legislator today and echothis position. We need people from other counties tosupport us, too. For more information, contact Chip at301-218-3920.

Southern Maryland (Calvert, Charles, and St.Mary’s Counties)Chair: Frank Fox, 301-884-8027, [email protected]

Invasive plant removal is being conducted two Satur-days per month at Swann Park and two Sundays permonth at Chapman Forest. Trash is being picked up,

and water quality is being sampled at a wetlands meadowtributary to Mattawoman Creek in Swann Park. Theseevents have been conducted since 1999 with volunteersincluding the Sierra Club, Maryland Native Plant Soci-ety, and Chesapeake Climate Action Network. For moreinformation, contact Marc Imlay at 301-283-0808.

The Group publishes a bimonthly newsletter, Newsfrom Southern Maryland. Check the Group’s web sitefor a schedule of outings and other events.

Western Maryland (Allegany and GarrettCounties)Chair: Sam White, 301-264-4162,[email protected] [email protected]

The Group publishes a quarterly newsletter, Nature’s Ad-vocate of Western MD. ■

ISO: Website Coordinator� Are you organized?

� Do you like to communicate withpeople?

We need a smart, dependable person to workwith Maryland Sierra Club committees toimprove and update the chapter website.

Consider becoming the MarylandSierra Club’s Website Coordinator. We’ll trainyou on needed technical skills.

For more details, please contact 301-277-7111or e-mail [email protected].


Joan Willey: You have recently been appointedas Superintendent of Maryland State Parks.What is your philosophy for State Parks?

Nina Settina: My philosophy for State Parks is thatthey should serve as an oasis for people from all walksof life who seek a periodic respite from the sights andsounds of man. I also believe that state parks should bemodels of ecosystem management and restoration, pro-viding healthy forests, meadows, wetlands, streams andrivers to support the diversity of Maryland’s native floraand fauna. State parks also tell the fascinating story ofhow the natural environment influenced history. Mary-land State Parks are rich in cultural and historical places

that have meaning for generations of Americans, fromNative American culture to the Civil War. Together, Ibelieve that State Parks provide people, particularly chil-dren, with the life-long gift of a connection to natureand their heritage.

This philosophy will have some practical influenceson how we manage Maryland’s state parks. We want toavoid over-developing the parks, providing passive rec-reation opportunities, such as hiking and biking on trails,enjoying a picnic under a forested canopy, fishing, swim-ming and boating in natural water bodies, visiting re-stored historical sites and camping in undeveloped for-est settings. These kinds of outdoor recreation activitiesare largely and uniquely available in Maryland’s StateParks.

We are also putting greater emphasis on resource resto-ration to conserve ecosystem function wherever possible.We are working in partnership with the MD Depart-ment of Transportation on plans to convert agriculturaluses in our State Parks to meadows, wetlands and for-

ests, particularly where we have hydric or highly erodablesoils. Even in Day-Use areas, we will continue to em-ploy and expand the “grow don’t mow” practice. Otherstrategies will include working with our colleagues inthe other DNR disciplines to eradicate invasive species,restore stream morphology and improve wildlife habi-tats.

A positive experience at a Maryland State Park isthe result of the often unseen efforts of some 198 dedi-cated State Park employees, 6,600 caring volunteers andapproximately 400 seasonal staff. These individuals,from Park Rangers to park technicians to camp hosts,ensure that the more than 133,000 acres of State Parklands and recreation facilities meet the expectations of

11 million visitors annually.Many of the State Park recreation amenities were

built 75 years ago by the Civilian Conservation Corps.Not only are these facilities historic landmarks, but theycontinue to provide recreation enjoyment today. Car-ing for these places is a monumental task that ourworkforce takes great pride in achieving. An importantpart of my organizational leadership philosophy is thatthe State Park workforce feels supported and appreci-ated, and understands the value of their contributionsto the Maryland Park Service mission.

I do not believe that it is an overstatement to suggestthat the State Park mission is an important contributorto societal well-being. Most recently, we have turnedincreasing attention to the No Child Left Inside move-ment sweeping the country. Children are spending dra-matically less time in nature enjoying unstructured playthan in previous generations. The implications of thisphenomenon, known as “nature-deficit disorder,” arealarming, including serious impacts to both the mental

and physical well-being of youth. The environmentalcommunity also shares these concerns, as children areexpected to mature into our future stewards of the Earth.Without a connection to nature, the prospects of futureenvironmentalists carrying forward the torch of conser-vation grows dim.

The Maryland State Park Service is working onthe development of an outdoor discovery program thatwill provide greater opportunities for youth to discoverthe awe, wonder and inspiration of nature. This effortwill rely on a diverse array of partnerships, and includemulti-faceted components to reach youth of all popula-tions, as well as their parents. One program we are work-ing on now is the development of a Civic Justice Corps

in partnership with the Department of Juvenile Service.This program will provide adjudicated youth with op-portunities to serve on paid summer work crews to re-store State Park resources, gain new skills and confi-dence and recreate in some of Maryland’s most beauti-ful places.

Last summer, I made a brief visit on the PatuxentRiver Sojourn to say hello to my Sierra Club friends. Imet a group of teens from Baltimore City who werepaddling the entire length of the trip with their teacher.I learned that the youth were able to enjoy this incred-ible experience as a result of a Sierra Club volunteerwho had adopted their school. These are the kinds ofconnections, big and small, throughout Maryland thatwe must all strive to support.

Finally, one of our greatest challenges and opportuni-ties in State Parks is the growing cultural diversity ofour visitors, many of whom are non-English speaking.In order to serve these visitors, who clearly seek out State

Conservation Chair Joan Willey Interviews Nina Settina, Superintendentof Maryland State Parks

SSSSStatatatatattttte pare pare pare pare parks should serks should serks should serks should serks should servvvvve ase ase ase ase asan oasis fan oasis fan oasis fan oasis fan oasis for por por por por people freople freople freople freople fromomomomomall wall wall wall wall walks of lifalks of lifalks of lifalks of lifalks of life who seek ae who seek ae who seek ae who seek ae who seek appppperererererioioioioiodic rdic rdic rdic rdic respitespitespitespitespite fre fre fre fre from theom theom theom theom thesights and sounds of man.sights and sounds of man.sights and sounds of man.sights and sounds of man.sights and sounds of man.

I do not bI do not bI do not bI do not bI do not belieelieelieelieelievvvvve thae thae thae thae that it is ant it is ant it is ant it is ant it is anooooovvvvverstaerstaerstaerstaerstatttttemenemenemenemenement ot suggestt ot suggestt ot suggestt ot suggestt ot suggestthathathathathat the stat the stat the stat the stat the stattttte pare pare pare pare park mission isk mission isk mission isk mission isk mission isan impan impan impan impan impororororortantantantantant ct ct ct ct cononononontrtrtrtrtributibutibutibutibutor tor tor tor tor tooooosososososocietal wcietal wcietal wcietal wcietal well-bell-bell-bell-bell-beingeingeingeingeing.....

TTTTThe Phe Phe Phe Phe Pararararark Sk Sk Sk Sk Sererererervicvicvicvicvice is we is we is we is we is worororororkkkkk ingingingingingon a program that will pro-on a program that will pro-on a program that will pro-on a program that will pro-on a program that will pro-vide grvide grvide grvide grvide greaeaeaeaeattttter opper opper opper opper oppororororortunitiestunitiestunitiestunitiestunitiesfffffor yor yor yor yor youth touth touth touth touth to disco disco disco disco discooooovvvvver the aer the aer the aer the aer the awwwwweeeeeand inspiration of nature .and inspiration of nature .and inspiration of nature .and inspiration of nature .and inspiration of nature .


State Parks


By David W. Sears—Let’s spend a day in the Nether-lands! You will notice many people going about theirdaily lives using their bicycles. You will see childrenriding their bikes to school. And you’ll encounter work-ers riding to their jobs, or to the train station wherethey will continue the journey to work. You will seemothers and fathers taking the kids to day care on theirbicycles. And you will see lots of folkswith their bicycle baskets brimmingwith the purchases from shoppingtrips.

Bicycling is woven into the fab-ric of life in the Netherlands. This isespecially true in Amsterdam and otherhigh density regions, but also holds inrural districts. This is all very interest-ing, you might respond, and certainlyspending a day wandering around theNetherlands can be fun; but what does this have to dowith Maryland?

The answer: There’s no reasonthat here in Maryland we can’t ap-proach the sort of bicycle paradisefound in the Netherlands! The argu-ments for improving the bicycle in-frastructure in Maryland will, ofcourse, include the positive environ-mental impacts familiar to all SierraClub members. At the top of thatlist is this issue: increased bicyclingfor transportation will lead to decreases in air pollutiondue to reduced automobile usage.

As the quick sketch of biking in theNetherlands demonstrates, the focus of im-proved bicycling infrastructure in Mary-land should be on enabling and encourag-ing our friends and neighbors to hop ontheir bikes for daily trips to work, school,shopping, and so forth (this is what wemight term transportation bicycling). Whilerecreational biking is wonderful for its par-ticipants (think exercise and stress reduc-tion), its ability to reduce automobile trips is limited.

The rationale for promoting transportation bicy-cling can be expanded well beyond the environmentalarguments to a broader case for improving the qualityof life in Maryland. In Maryland, we have been gener-

ally foresighted enough to pursue a rush-to-the-top strat-egy for economic development, which offers a packageof highly qualified workers, excellent infrastructure, andfirst class public services, along with an overall highquality of life for both workers and managers. (This isin contrast to a rush-to-the-bottom strategy, with its em-phasis on low taxes and low wages.)

The easier we can make gettingaround for our daily business and er-rands, the higher our quality of life.(You know that everyone in Marylandwould love to spend fewer hours aweek stuck in slow-moving or non-moving traffic!) Increased transporta-tion bicycling is a key part of the equa-tion, fully supporting our dominantrush-to-the-top economic develop-ment strategy.

Hey, a great idea, you might say, but could we getour politicians to move forward onstrengthening transportation bikinghere in Maryland? For one hint at ananswer, let’s return to Europe for amoment: this time to Paris. In July2007, with the strong push of themayor, Paris inaugurated a system of20,000 rental bikes, located strategi-cally at dozens of locations around thecity. The Velib has been such a re-sounding success that the mayor’s ap-

proval ratings have shot up rapidly over the past fewmonths. So at least one politician hasreaped the rewards of strong support fortransportation bicycling! Maybe it couldhappen right here in Maryland too!

In the US, the greatest success intransportation bicycling is seen in collegetowns, such as Davis (CA) and Boulder(CO), but larger more diverse communi-ties, such as Portland (OR), have also usedenlightened political power to build astrong bicycling infrastructure. So success

in Maryland is plausible!And what exactly would this bicycling nirvana look

like? In the ultimate bicycle-friendly community, thevery first thought about almost any trip is to use a bi-

Parks and value recreating in the outdoors, the diversi-fication of our workforce is vital. We will be investingmore resources into recruitment efforts to attract a di-verse workforce and in educating our park staff on thecultural norms and needs of our park visitors who haverecently joined us from other countries.

JW: 20 years from now, looking back on yourcareer as Maryland State Parks Superinten-dent, what would you like to say is your legacy?

NS: It may be a little premature to project my hopedfor legacy for the next 20 years, having only been in thisposition for a few months; however, there are severalissues that come to mind as part of my long-term vi-sion. In the most practical sense, developing a means toprovide the Maryland Park Service with a more stableand adequate funding source is essential. Second, thediversity of our visitor population presents a unique op-portunity to bring people together and inspire greaterharmony and understanding.

State Parks must remain an affordable recreationand leisure choice for Maryland’s working families. To-day, park entrance fees and other charges cover less than50 percent of the costs of managing a State Park. Thepressure to raise these fees is ongoing as the State ParkService battles with an ongoing structural deficit as aresult of budget cuts. We must develop a new source ofrevenue that breaks this vicious cycle, so that State Parkscan truly be accessible to all Marylanders as their publicestate.

The State of our State Parks relies on the caringand pride of its visitors. The Native Americans believedthat the way we treat the Earth is reflective of the waywe treat one another. This concept resonates with mevery deeply. If State Parks were able to become places ofinspiration, where lives were turned around, people werebrought together, and stewardship of the Earth was in-spired, then this would be my greatest hope for a life-long legacy. ■


Joan Willey and Nina Sesstina Talkabout State Parks

State Parks The Green Life


Better Cycling for Maryland


cycle. It is not weird or unusual to use a bicycle for atrip to work or to shop or for other daily business; suchtrips are so commonplace that they are totally unremark-able. In fact, for many such daily trips, no thinking isneeded; the use of the bicycle is simply a part of therhythm of life (similar to brushing your teeth everymorning).

To reach this state of commonplace daily bicycling,the community must have in place a strong physicaland social infrastructure to support bicycling.

The ultimate bike-friendly community is one inwhich bicycling is extremely easy and safe and pleasant.All major daily destinations are located within easy bi-cycling distance for the vast majority of the population,including schoolchildren and elderly riders, not just ath-letes. The routes would be well paved, well marked, andwell maintained. The route network must be very dense,coming up to the front door of many common destina-tions (such as jobs and schools), and within a few hun-dred feet of almost all other such common destinations;and within half a mile of most residences.

In the ultimate bike-friendly community bicyclingis extremely safe. All bicycling is well separated fromspeeding automobiles, trucks, and buses. Any bicyclingon the same route as cars and trucks involves only ve-hicles traveling at 20 miles per hour or slower. This sepa-ration of bikes from high speed automobile traffic con-tributes to safety and, as a fringe benefit, makes the bikeriding experience much more pleasant.

Eventually, strict segregation of bicycling fromother uses will not necessarily be important or even al-ways desirable. Part of what needs to happen in the ul-timate bike-friendly community is that all citizens rec-ognize that bicycling is a critical, and positive, part ofthe community fabric. Thus, all automobile drivers un-derstand that keeping bike riders safe is a civic duty, notjust an option; once bicycling has “caught on,” for al-most all drivers, this will be easy because the very sameperson who is an automobile driver at one point in theday is a bike rider later in the same day.

The ultimate bike-friendly community is a smartgrowth community. This is because a higher densityintegrated-multi-use smart growth development is, allelse equal, more conducive to bicycling than a lowerdensity segregated-use dumb growth development. Thereason for this: when thinking of transportation bicy-

cling, for most riders in most situations, a shorter ride ismore appealing than a longer ride. (“Sorry, I’d love toride my bike to work, but that would take way too muchtime.”) Thus, the typical bike ride from one place (e.g.,home or work) to another place (e.g., school or shop-ping) is shorter (in both time and distance) — and there-fore more attractive — in a smart growth neighborhoodor region than in a lower density dumb growth area.

The ultimate bike-friendly community has facili-ties in place at all common destinations to make thebicycle riding experience as easy, safe, and pleasant aspossible. Thus the bicycle parking area at work (or athome or school or shopping) is not a dirty dark base-ment or alley, but rather is a clean well-lighted coveredspace near the front door.

In addition, the ultimate bike-friendly communityhas a system of market incentives and subsidies in placeto encourage transportation bicycling and, on the flipside, to discourage automobile usage.

Many bike riders can and will cope with a com-munity that is less bike-friendly than the ultimate. Thismeans that some level of success in encouraging increasesin transportation bicycling can be expected even in com-munities that are less advanced. Greater success, how-ever, should be achieved as communities move closer tothe ultimate goal, since many potential bike riders willonly be coaxed out of their cars when most of the com-ponents of the ultimate bike-friendly community are inplace.

It is not outrageously optimistic to think that Mary-land might be transformed into a bicycling paradise. Itcan be done. But it won’t be easy. ■

Dave Sears has worked on economic development issues inseveral federal agencies (HUD, USDA, Commerce) overthe past quarter century. During a recent trip to the Neth-erlands a light bulb went off which led to the thesis of thisarticle: Providing strong bicycling infrastructure is an im-portant economic development tool, and one that is seldomused in the US. As part of his daily commute, Sears rideshis bike to the nearest METRO station.

Dave would be pleased to hear from anyone interested indiscussing the issues raised here. He would also be pleasedto share a copy of a longer piece on this subject. Contacthim at [email protected]; please put “SC ChesapeakeNewsletter” in the subject line.

The Green Life


Pick an area of environmental concern—global warm-ing, say, or air quality, water quality, land use, sustain-able agriculture, food safety—and you’ll find factoryfarms at the heart of it. Confined animal feeding opera-tions, CAFOs, sequester thousands of animals incrowded feed lots or sheds, and pool their resultantwastes in manure pits or lagoons. The pits emit toxicgases, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, into the air.Though the EPA does not impose a limit on these emis-sions, it does require that CAFOs report the emissionswhen they exceed a certain level. The reports help localofficials hold the feeding operations accountable for thepollutants they produce.

The EPA has proposed exempting CAFOs fromthis reporting requirements. The rule change would bea gift to CAFO owners and their trade associations,which have long complained that the reporting puts theirbusinesses at risk for lawsuits when their identified emis-sions threaten public health.

The public which is being told we must accept thatrisk has an opportunity to comment on the proposedrule change .Tell the EPA “NO!” on or before March27. Here’s how:

Prepare your comments, referring to Docket ID No.EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-0469.

E-mail: [email protected]. Refer to DocketID No. EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-0469 in subject lineU.S. mail: Mail code: [2822T], 1200 PennsylvaniaAve., NW., Washington, DC 20460.Fax: Transmit to 202-566-9744On the web: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.Under “Comment or Submission” enter the DocketID No., EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-0469 and click“Go.” When the comment screen is displayed, clickon “Send a Comment or Submission,” and enter yourcomments when the comment screen is displayed.Comments can be anonymous. ■

Have Your Say Before the EPA Makes aGift to Factory Farms

Could Bicycling Become a Transportation Solution in Maryland?

CAFO


The Green Life

Hey Mr. Green, Should I turn off mycomputer at night or put it to“sleep”? —Dave in Bozeman, MontanaUnless you have software or network hookupsthat require your PC to be on constantly, turnthat sucker off. The sleep mode cuts energy use by70 percent, but using the off switch reduces it evenmore—and turning off the power strip stanches theflow entirely. (Please don’t confuse power saving withscreen savers; though the latter may feature a heartwarm-ing picture, they do not save energy.) Since computersin the business sector alone waste more than $1 billionworth of electricity a year, it’s surprising that more fussisn’t made about these simple steps.

Some people believe that restarting the computereach time you return consumes a significant amount ofenergy, but it’s really not enough to worry about. Thinkabout it, if these devices actually required as much powerto boot up as some believed, circuit breakers would besnapping like castanets and you’d be flamenco dancingback and forth to the fuse box instead of sitting theretyping out pertinent questions to Mr. Green. It’s alsorumored that turning a computer off and on repeatedlyhastens its demise. This is simply not true. Even if itwere, obsolescence would likely kill off your machinefirst. And when your desktop PC is put to sleep—per-manently—consider replacing it with a laptop, whichuses a lot less power.

Hey Mr. Green, I would like to encourage myson-in-law to turn off the lights when heleaves a room. To do that, I would have toshow the cost benefit. Can you help? —Ruthin Watertown, MassachusettsIn olden times, a household authority figure would say,“Turn the lights out,” and that would be that. But today’s

contentious whippersnappers apparently need a detailedfinancial analysis before flipping the switch. Fortunately,the math is on your side. Electricity rates are based onthe number of kilowatt-hours consumed (1kilowatt equals 1,000 watts).

All you have to doto find the dailycost of

op-e r -atinga lightbulb ismultiplyits wattageby thenumber of hours it burns,then multiply that by the kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate printed on your utility billand divide the result by 1,000. To summarize: (hoursused ¥ watts ¥ rate) / 1,000 = daily cost.

So if a 100-watt bulb burns for ten hours a day,and the power company charges ten cents a kilowatt-hour, it costs a dime a day to keep lit. That’s about $3per month, or $36 per year. Leaving a half dozen bulbsburning would waste more than $200 per year.If your son-in-law turns off the lights and puts the an-nual savings into an account that draws 5 percent inter-est, in ten years he will have about $2,650, a nice littlesum he could invest in some booming alternative en-

ergy company.

Hey Mr. Green, I know the Sierra Club encour-ages replacing incandescent bulbs withefficient fluorescents, but the former arereadily disposable in the trash, while the

latter contain mercury. So what am I sup-posed to do with my dead fluorescent

bulbs? —Stew in Princeton, New JerseyHow many environmentalists does it take to changean efficient lightbulb? While your local hazard-ous-waste authority is the best source for infor-mation, many hardware stores will take backyour old bulbs—sometimes at no charge ifyou’re buying replacements. Checkwww.earth911.org or call (800) CLEANUPto find a recycling location near you, orvisit the EPA’s Web site at www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling for info. It’s worth the ef-fort: Though fluorescents do containmercury, a highly poisonous elementthat persists in the environment,burning coal to generate electricityputs almost fifty tons of the nastystuff into the air each year. Sincefluorescents are four times moreefficient than regular bulbs—and last at least five timeslonger—replacing allhousehold incandescents

(and recycling all dead fluorescents)could cut mercury and CO

2 emissions while

saving the equivalent of at least 4 billion gallons of oilannually.

Hey Mr. Green, I am urging my employer toparticipate in a paper-recycling program.Can you tell me how many trees would besaved by recycling a thirty-gallon bin ofpaper? —Allan in HoustonAs teenagers, my buddy Gordo and I and our trustyMcCullough chainsaw whacked scads of innocent treesand shipped them to the mill in Dubuque. Toiling toanswer this sort of question is a penance for such sins.Better to do it now than to stew in a vat of boiling pulpin the hereafter, taunted by environmental sermons blar-ing through raspy amplifiers. Anyway, a 30-gallon bin

What's the best way to be more earth-friendly? Just askMr. Green! Bob Schildgen, a.k.a Mr. Green, is the au-thor of Hey Mr. Green: Sierra Magazine's Answer GuyTackles Your Toughest Green Living Questions, com-ing from Sierra Club Books in April. The book is avail-able to Club members and friends at a discounted priceof $11.25 through the Sierra Club online store, http://www.sierraclub.org/books. To ask Mr. Green a question,visit www.sierraclub.org/mrgreen. And while we waitfor the book, here are Mr. Green’s answers to afew frequent questions.

The Sierra Club’s Mr. Green Fills a Book with Sage Green Advice



ICC

will generally hold around 80 pounds of computer pa-per, or up to 100 pounds if the paper is tightly packed.A typical tree used for pulp yields about 83 pounds ofoffice paper, meaning your bin would essentially holdthe equivalent of one tree. Since 10 to 25 percent of themass gets lost in the paper-recycling process, you mightnot rescue a whole tree each time you fill a bin, but it’ssafe to say at least three-fourths of a tree could be savedper container. Now if you throw in a lot of crumpledpaper that takes up extra space, you’ll obviously fall shortof that noble goal.

Of course, trees come in various sizes, and somespecies yield more pulp than others, so these are ballparkfigures. Remember too that all paper is not created equal:virgin office paper requires twice as much pulp perpound as virgin newsprint. But any way you slice it,recycling paper saves a lot of trees, and we could saveeven more if we didn’t trash over 45 percent of the 100.2million tons of paper we produce each year. ■

HHHHHeeeeeyyyyy,,,,, Mr Mr Mr Mr Mr..... G G G G Grrrrreen,een,een,een,een, I’ I’ I’ I’ I’vvvvve Ge Ge Ge Ge Got a Qot a Qot a Qot a Qot a Questionuestionuestionuestionuestion(continued from page 16)

By Alana Wase—As you read the title of this article,many of you might be reminded of the Talking Heads’catchy hit from 1985. Unfortunately, unlike the care-free approach the song suggests, the Intercounty Con-nector calls for the exact opposite: action. Let’s take astand and stop this beast once and for all!

As many of you know, the Sierra Club has beenwaging a very long campaign to stop the ICC.

The cost of the proposed highway is expectedto exceed $3 billion dollars. This financial commitmentwill drain all of the state’s transportation funding forpublic transit, like the Red Line in Baltimore City orthe Purple Line in Montgomery County. The environ-mental repercussions of the 18-mile long, six-lane wide,$7-toll highway are grave. The ICC will create furthersprawl, with its concomitant destruction of tributariesto the Chesapeake Bay. It will cut through residentialcommunities, located only eighty meters from an el-ementary school, and within 500 meters of 30,000people whose health will be affected by the traffic’s pol-lution and noise.

It’s true that traffic around D.C. is awful, butis this the way we want to address it, with more lanes ofhighway? Shouldn’t we be a little more technologically

advanced? The greenhouse gases emitted from cars onthe ICC are predicted to cancel out completely the im-provement in air quality that Maryland hopes to makewith the new CAFÉ standards. To top it off, the road isexpected not to reduce congestion on routes 495, 270,and 95 but rather, to increase it! We can agree that theICC is the wrong solution for Montgomery and PrinceGeorge’s Counties’ traffic woes, and a fiscal problem forthe entire state. In particular the ICC would shift neededjobs and growth from Baltimore City and PrinceGeorge’s County to already overburdened Montgom-

JJJJJoin us in Aoin us in Aoin us in Aoin us in Aoin us in Annapnnapnnapnnapnnapolisolisolisolisolisttttto sto sto sto sto stop the ICop the ICop the ICop the ICop the ICCCCCCand prand prand prand prand promotomotomotomotomoteeeee

sustainable trsustainable trsustainable trsustainable trsustainable transpanspanspanspanspororororortatatatatation!tion!tion!tion!tion!

When: Every Monday evening5 o’ clock briefing, 5:45-8 lobbying

Where: Public Lounge on the ground floorof the House of Delegates building,6 Bladen St Annapolis

What: We meet for a briefing and updateson the ICC bills and then break into groupsto meet with our legislators to ask for theirsupport to stop the ICC.

Never met with your legislators before?No problem. Come, learn, and have a goodtime!

Please RSVP to Alana at 301-277-7111 [email protected] so that meetingscan be set-up ahead of time to meet withyour representatives.

Can’t make it right at 5? That’s okay; justlet us know and we’ll be sure to schedulean appointment with your legislator forlater in the evening!

On a Road to Nowhere—the Truth about the Intercounty Connector

ery and Frederick Counties.Fortunately, there is still time to act. With three

different bills in the legislative session to stop the ICC,it’s NOT a done deal—far from it. Delegate BarbaraFrush (D. Prince George’s County) has introduced HB1471 to defund the ICC. With over forty co-sponsorsthis could be a winner. The bill repeals the IntercountyConnector Financing Plan passed by the General As-sembly in 2005 and liberates more than $2 billion instate debt capacity and in state and federal funds. Whocan say no to this?

The second bill, by Delegate Dana Stein (D. Bal-timore County) requires the Maryland Department ofTransportation and the Maryland Department of theEnvironment to assess and quantify the full greenhousegas impacts of the Intercounty Connector and thegrowth and increased driving it would induce. The fi-nal bill would require the state to disclose the cumula-tive public health impacts of air pollution from the ICC.

Regardless of what county you live in, who yourrepresentatives are, if we want to make any of these billsgo anywhere and put an end to this “road to nowhere”we’ve all got to pitch in from across the state. A call,email, letter, or visit to your representative does makethe difference. Help hold our officials accountable. Forthe names and contact information of your state del-egates and senators, go to: www.mdelect.net. ■


Compiled by Mark Imlay—Why removeinvasive plants? Native ecosystems are ina state of balance. When nonnative plantsenter, they upset this balance, sometimesproducing such deleterious effects as cre-ating toxins lethal to some animals, andaltering hydrological patterns, fire regimesand soil chemistry. (www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/invas.htm) Further,nonnative plants occupy the habitats ofnative plants, replacing native plants thatpeople enjoy. In the extreme, invasiveplants might contribute to extinction ofnative species, with uncertain long-termresults.

Stop the spread of invasives by help-ing the organizations below. It’s easy! Thesponsors of the listed outings will showyou how to identify the targeted invasivesand how to remove them. High intensityremoval efforts followed by low intensitymaintenance efforts are proving very ef-fective.

Anne Arundel CountyJug Bay Wetlands SanctuaryHelp preserve rare plants on the Sanctu-ary. Those interested can adopt a plot tomonitor, map, and manage. On April 5,wear long sleeves, long pants, and sturdywork shoes. Bring water, and, if you havethem, gloves and hand pruners. Childrenshould be at least 8 years old.DATE: Saturday, April 5, 1:00-4:00 P.M.DIRECTIONS: Call 410-741-9330 orwww.jugbay.orgCONTACT: Karyn Molines, 410-286-2928, [email protected]

Baltimore CityBaltimore City ParksBaltimore City Recreation and Parks sup-ports an Urban Weed Warriors program.If you certify under the Weed Warriorprogram, you may work on your own tohelp control invasives in Baltimore Cityparks. Tools and refreshments provided.CONTACT: Urban Weed Warrior Co-

ordinator, [email protected], or410-396-0359.

Chinquapin ParkDATES: September 22, 9 A.M.-12 noon.Join the Friends of Chinquapin Park forweed pulling along Chinquapin Run.This area is in desperate need of weedcontrol. Tools and gloves are provided.Wear durable work clothes.DIRECTIONS: Meet at the bridge byNorthwood Dr. and Lenton Ave., be-tween Northern Parkway and BelvedereAve.CONTACT: Roberta Cowan at 410-365-1351, [email protected]

Tree of Heaven. James H. Miller, USDA Forest Servicebugwood.org

Cromwell Valley ParkTools and refreshments are provided.DATES: 2nd Saturday of each month 9A.M.-noon; rain date is the following day,at the same time.DIRECTIONS: Cromwell Bridge Rd.off the Baltimore Beltway.CONTACT: 410-887-2503,www.bcpl.net/~cvpark

Cylburn MansionWear sturdy work attire. Tools and gloveswill be provided, but feel free to bringyour own. Refreshments also provided.DIRECTIONS: 3915 Greenspring Ave.,Baltimore CityCONTACT: [email protected] or410-396-0359.

Glen Ellen-Seminary TrailSponsored by the Greater Baltimore Si-erra Club. Tools and gloves will be pro-vided.DATE: March 22, 9: A.M. Sponsored bythe Sierra Club.DIRECTIONS: Loch Raven Watershed,meet on Seminary Ave., just past the lightto the left-off Dulaney Valley Rd., justnorth of the Baltimore Beltway.CONTACT: Mary, 410-239-4590, 443-386-0862, [email protected]

Gunpowder Valley ConservancyCONTACT: [email protected] 410-343-3478.

Garlic Mustard. Chris Evans, River to River CWMAbugwood.org

Herring Run Watershed AssociationTools and gloves will be provided, but youcan bring your own. The following willalso be provided: yummy chili, hot co-coa, coffeeDIRECTIONS: Herring Run Park, meetat Chesterfield Ave. & Cardenas Ave.,www.herringrun.orgCONTACT: Darin Crew, 410-254-1577, [email protected]

Irvine Nature CenterCONTACT: www.explorenature.org or410-484-2413.

Jones Falls Watershed AssociationCONTACT: Suzanne Greene,[email protected], 410-366-3036

Leakin ParkSponsored by the Greater Baltimore Si-erra Club. Cut invasives strangling beau-tiful old trees. Tools and gloves will beavailable.DATE: May 17, 10 A.M.DIRECTIONS: Carrie Murray natureCenter, in Leakin Park, off Windsor MillRoad.CONTACT: Mary, 410-239-4590, 443-386-0862, [email protected]

Prettyboy Watershed AllianceCONTACT:www.pre t t yboywate r shed .o rg ,o [email protected]

Calvert CountyAmerican Chestnut Land Trust, Port Re-publicJoin the Cove Point Natural HeritageTrust for invasive removals in one of thelast pristine watersheds on the WesternShore of Chesapeake Bay. Training, tools,water, and gloves providedDIRECTIONS: www.acltweb.orgDATES: Wednesdays, early spring 10A.M.-noon; late spring 9 A.M.-11 A.M.or Saturdays, 9 A.M.-noon, March 29,April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, Sep-tember 13, October 18CONTACT: American Chestnut LandTrust, Liz Stoffel, Land Manager, 410-414-3400, [email protected]

Hellen Creek PreserveDIRECTIONS: www.ma-eppc.org/fo-rum/viewtopic.php?t=9CONTACTS: Bob Boxwell, Director,Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust, 410-394-1300, [email protected]

Caroline CountyAdkins ArboretumAdkins Arboretum trains volunteers toassist the staff in the removal of invasivenon-natives on the Arboretum’s 400-acresite. Workdays flexible.

Habitat Restoration and Invasive Plant Removal OutingsOpportunities Abound for Improving Habitat by Removing Invasive Plants

continued ➱


DIRECTIONS:w w w . a d k i n s a r b o r e t u m . o r g /directions.htmlCONTACT: Sylvan Kaufman at 410-634-2847, ext. 24

Charles CountyChapman Forest and Ruth Swann ParkRemove invasive non-natives from the200-acre Swann Park and 800-acre por-tion of Chapman Forest designated asChapman State Park. and enjoy a beauti-ful beach lunch. Wear long sleeves andlong pants, walking boots/shoes, andgloves if you have them.DATES: 1st Sundays and following Sat-urday each month, 10 A.M. – 4 P.M.DIRECTIONS: To Chapman Forest,Chapman State Park, Mount Aventine,and the Glendening Natural Environ-ment Area:h t tp : / /www.chapmanfo re s t . o rg /directions.htmlTo Ruth B. Swann Park: http://somd.com/Detailed/1524.phpCONTACT: Marc Imlay at 301-699-6204 or 301-283-0808. On outings days,on cell phone at 301-442-5657. Forcarpools, call Laurel Imlay, 301-277-7111, and meet at MD Sierra Club at 9A.M. and return at 5 P.M.

Garrett CountySavage River State Forest“Battle Botanical Bullies in Bear PenWildland.” Volunteers are needed to con-tinue control efforts of Japanese spiraeain the Bear Pen Run area of Savage RiverState Forest. Snacks & drinks provided,along with free camping the night beforefor out-of-townersDATES: Friday, April 18 and Friday, June20, 9 A.M.-noonDIRECTIONS:h t t p : / / w w w. s t a t e p a r k s . c o m /savage_river.htmlCONTACT:Ron Boyer of Elk Ridge NatureWorks,

Habitat Restoration and Invasive Plant Removal Outingscontinued➱ [email protected] or 301-

895-3686.

Howard CountyMiddle Patuxent Environmental AreaThe Conservation Stewardship Project atthe Middle Patuxent Environmental Area(MPEA) will meet March 3 for a presen-tation on invasives and the managementplan for the MPEA.DATES: March 25, April 22, May 27,June 24, September 23, October 28, andNovember 25, 9 A.M.-11:30 A.M. Work-day co-sponsors are the Howard CountyRecreation and Parks and the HowardCounty Master Gardeners.CONTACT: Aylene Gard at 410-992-

Multiflora Rose. Ted Bodner, Southern Weed ScienceSociety, bugwood.org

9889 or e-mail Carol Filipczak,[email protected]

Howard/Anne Arundel/PrinceGeorge’s CountiesFort Meade Army InstallationDATE: 2nd Saturday of each month at10 A.M. Time is flexible if enough vol-unteers are available. Bring hand tools,gloves, lunch, and water. Wear longsleeves and pants.DIRECTIONS: Take Route 175 Eastfrom the 295 Baltimore WashingtonParkway. Turn right onto Reece Rd. toenter the post, immediately turn left ontoErnie Pyle St., go approximately 1 mile,turn left on Llewellyn Ave., turn rightonto Chisholm Ave., turn left on 3rd St.,turn right on Ross Rd., and go to 2nd

building on the right—EnvironmentalDivision Office. CONTACT: At least 3 days before theevent, contact Don Marquardt, Installa-tion Forester, 301-677-9185 [email protected]

Patuxent Research RefugeOutings are conducted in partnershipbetween the Department of the Army(Fort Meade), the Maryland Native PlantSociety, the Maryland Chapter of the Si-erra Club, and Patuxent Research Refugeand volunteers.DATES: April 20, Earth Day, North TractVisitor Contact Station, 2 P.M.-4 P.M.,May 17, North Tract Visitor Contact Sta

Devil’s Tearthumb. Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University ofConnecticut, bugwood.org

tion, 1 P.M.-4 P.M.; June 7, North TractVisitor Contact Station, 9 A.M.-12 noon;July 12, National Wildlife Visitor Cen-ter, 9 A.M.-12 noon; July 26, North TractVisitor Contact Station, 9 A.M.-12 noon;August 9, North Tract Visitor ContactStationDIRECTIONS: To the North Tract Visi-tor Contact Station: From I-295, take theexit for MD-Route 198 towards FortMeade. Go approximately 1.5 miles un-til you see Glory Days Auto Salvage onyour near right corner and baseball fieldson your far right. Turn right betweenthem onto Bald Eagle Drive. Proceedthrough the gate and continue about 1/2mile to the Visitor Contact Station.To the National Wildlife Visitor Center:The Center is located off Powder Mill Rd.

between MD Route 197 and the Balti-more/Washington Parkway, south of Lau-rel.

CONTACT:Christopher Wicker, 301-497-5763,[email protected],http://patuxent.fws.gov . Please registerfor outings by calling 301-497-5887.

Riverfront Park, LaurelDATE: 2nd Sunday of each month, 1P.M.-4 P.M.DIRECTIONS: From I-95, take the MDRoute 216-Laurel exit. At the 2nd trafficlight (Main St.), turn right. Go to the endof the next block, turn right at 9th St.,and park at the swimming pool.CONTACT: Brigitte [email protected], 240-506-8976

Howard/Baltimore CountiesPatapsco Valley State ParkDATE: May 4, 1 P.M.-5 P.M., removeinvasive garlic mustard for 2 hours andthen enjoy live music, games, and envi-ronmental displays. Prizes for all.Join the Friends of Patapsco Valley StatePark on the second Wednesday eveningof each month at the Avalon area to eradi-cate invasive vines. Wear long clothes andbring gloves, as there is some poison ivy.Bring hand pruners and loppers (the 2handed cutters for larger vines) if you havethem. We have some tools to borrow.CONTACT: Jim Palmer, 410-531-2065,or [email protected] updates, www.fpvsp.org

Kent CountyEastern Neck Wildlife RefugeThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needshelp removing invasives from the Refuge.DIRECTIONS: 1730 Eastern Neck Rd.,Rock Hall. Bring bug repellent, gloves,high boots, and a hat.CONTACT: Rachel, 410-639-2108 [email protected].

continued ➱


continued➱

Habitat Restoration and Invasive Plant Removal Outings

Montgomery CountyBrookside GardensWeed Warriors are needed for the forestedareas surrounding the gardens. You willbe given directions so that you may workindependently on your own schedule.CONTACT: Stacy Parsons, 301-962-1417, [email protected]

Montgomery County ParksVolunteer to remove invasives individu-ally or in a group in the 32,500 acres ofcounty parkland. Complete a two-partonline course and attend a two-hour fieldtraining led by Carole Bergmann, Mont-gomery County Department of Parks for-est ecologist. A newer program, SpecialProject Weed Warriors, is for communitygroups.DATE: Earth Day week, and April 26,Earth Day,DIRECTIONS: 10 parks, for details, see:www.mcparkandplanning.org/Parks/PPSD/Natural_Resources_Stewardship/Veg_Management/Weed_Warriors.shtmCONTACTS: Paul Carlson, VolunteerCoordinator for Weed Warriors, 301-942-4709. or Lynette Scaffidi, 301-949-0223, Special Projects

Northwest Branch of the Anacostia,Montgomery CountyDATES: 3rd Saturdays each month,10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. A vegetarianlunch is provided. Bring water and gloves.DIRECTIONS: 10204 Big Rock Road.www.neighborsnwb.orgCONTACT: Jane Osburn, 301-754-1564, [email protected]

The Potomac GorgeThe Nature Conservancy, in partnershipwith the National Park Service, has inva-sive plant control workdays in thePotomac Gorge, a 15-mile stretch of rivervalley between Great Falls andGeorgetown with over 200 rare plants and

5 globally rare plant communities. AtWeed Warrior training sessions, volun-teers learn about 13 non-native plant spe-cies, adopt an area, and then work inde-pendently in the National Parks in thePotomac Gorge. DATES: March 30, pull garlic mustardon Cabin John Island; also, for workdaysfor organizations or directions, contactMary Travaglini, info below.

English ivy. Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia,

bugwood.org

CONTACT:Mary Travaglini, 301-897-8570, x210 [email protected], or find outabout workdays at www.nature.org/maryland

Sligo CreekThe RIP—Removing Invasive Plants—Committee of Friends of Sligo Creekholds invasive plant removal events indifferent parts of Sligo Creek Park be-tween New Hampshire Ave. and theheadwaters in Kemp Mill and Wheaton.CONTACT: For a schedule, seewww.fosc.org/RIPEventSched.htm SallyGagne, 301-588-2071.

Woodend Nature Sanctuary, ChevyChaseJoin the Audubon Naturalist Society toremove invasives from its Woodend Sanc-

tuary in Chevy Chase, MD. Training willbe provided. Trained volunteers may beauthorized to work independently.CONTACT:Liz Jones at 301-652-9188, x 30, [email protected].

Prince George’s CountyAccokeekDATE: April 29, 9:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M.

Wineberry. Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut,

bugwood.org

For directions to Hard Bargain FarmEnvironmental Center, check the web atwww.hardbargainfarm.org/directionsCONTACT:Karen Jensen Miles, 301-292-5665 [email protected]

Lower Beaverdam CreekTools provided. Wear sturdy shoes andbring work gloves.DATES: March 29, April 26, May 31,June 28, Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 29, 9A.M. – noon.DIRECTIONS: Woodworth Park onWayne Place, Cheverly, MD. Take 202East under the BW Parkway. Drive oneblock, turn right on Parkway. Drive 2blocks, turn left on Wayne, drive oneblock. Meet at small playground.

Belt Woods, BowieDATES: Ongoing Saturday, Sunday, andoccasional mid-week workgroups. Timesand dates vary based on available teamleader. Tools and gloves are provided, butfeel free to bring your favorite tool orgloves.CONTACT: For schedule, contact 301-390-0797 or [email protected]

Beltsville, Little Paint Branch Park andCherry Hill Road Community ParkDATE: September 29, 10 A.M.-3 P.M.Native plants will be identified as we workto rescue them. Gloves and tools are pro-vided.DIRECTIONS: www.anacostiaws.org/PDF/maps/DirectionsLPBP.pdfCONTACT: Marc Imlay, PhD Conser-vation Biologist, Anacostia WatershedSociety, 301-699-6204 or 301-283-0808.

Berwyn Heights, Indian Creek Trail atLake ArtemesiaDIRECTIONS: Meet in the LakeArtemesia parking lot along Berwyn, atIndian Creek Trail at Lake Artemesia,Berwyn Hgts. The lake is located onBerwyn Rd. in College Park.w w w. r u n d c . c o m / D o c / M D / P G /Artemesia.htm

Greenbelt Homes Inc. Housing Coop-erativeThe Greenbelt Homes Inc. (GHI) hous-ing cooperative in Old Greenbelt has 85.6acres of stewardship forest as well as otherwooded parcels. The Woodlands Com-mittee has regular work sessions through-out the year for the removal/eradicationof non-native invasive plant species andtree planting.CONTACT: Matt Berres, LandscapeSpecialist, at [email protected]. 301-474-4161

Greenbelt National ParkDATEs: 1st Saturday of each month, 11

continued ➱


Habitat Restoration and Invasive Plant Removal Outings

continued➱A.M.-3 P.M. People of all ages, back-grounds and interests are invited. Bringlunch, drink, and appropriate clothing forweather.DIRECTIONS: meeting at theSweetgum picnic area; www.nps.gov/gree/planyourvisit/directions.htm

Hyattsville, Magruder ParkDATE: September 29, 10 A.M.-3 P.M.and ongoing outings.DIRECTIONS: Meet at the MagruderPark parking lot. Take Eastwest Highway(410) east almost to Route 1 in CollegePark. Turn right on Queens Chapel Rd.about a mile before Route 1. Go southabout a mile and turn left on Hamilton.Pass the Safeway on the right, pass 38thSt., go about one block, and turn rightinto the park. Magruder Park is approxi-mately a 10-block walk from the WestHyattsville Metro stop on the GreenLine. CONTACT: Marc Imlay, PhD Conser-vation Biologist for the Anacostia Water-shed Society, 301-699-6204 or 301-283-0808.

Suitland BogHelp to preserve this unique habitat byremoving honeysuckle and multiflorarose with shovels and pruners. Bring wa-ter, work boots, durable clothes with longsleeves, gloves, pruners, and shovels. Lightrefreshments will be provided.DIRECTIONS: www.pgparks.com/places/nature/suitland.html Meet in park-ing lot.CONTACT: M-NCPPC Park RangerChris Garrett at 301-627-7755.

Watkins Regional ParkJoin us for Weed Warrior Work Days atWatkins Nature Center in Watkins Re-gional Park. Light refreshments provided.Bring water, sturdy shoes, long sleeves andwork gloves.

DIRECTIONS: Meet at WatkinsNature Center, in Upper Marlboroat Watkins Regional Park, one milewest of the Six Flags Americaamusement park.www.pgparks.com/places/parks/watkins.htmlCONTACT: M-NCPPC ParkRanger John Dillon or ChrisGarrett, 301-627-7755.

Woodworth Park, CheverlyDATE: Friends of LowerBeaverdam Creek, Cheverly willresume invasive plant removals inthe fall on the last Saturday of eachmonth. All age groups can helprescue our native flowers, ferns, and otherplants from non-native plants covering 30to 90 percent of our parks that we haveworked so hard to preserve. Tools are pro-vided, but wear work gloves and sturdyshoes.CONTACT:Cathy and Dan Smith at 301-386-0889.DIRECTIONS: Take Rt. 202 east underthe Baltimore Washington Parkway. Goone block and turn right on Cheverly. Goone mile and turn left on Forest Rd. Gotwo blocks passing a church on the leftand turn right on BW Parkway. Go 2blocks and turn left on Wayne for oneblock. We meet at the park by the smallplayground.

SSSSSttttt..... M M M M Marararararyyyyy’’’’’s Cs Cs Cs Cs CounounounounountttttyyyyyMyrtle Point ParkDIRECTIONS: www.co.saint-mar y s .md.us / rec rea t e / f ac i l i t i e s /myrtlepointpark.aspCONTACT: Bob Boxwell, Executive Di-rector, Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust,[email protected] or 410-394-1300. ■


EEEEExxxxxecutivecutivecutivecutivecutive Ce Ce Ce Ce CommitteeommitteeommitteeommitteeommitteeRon Henry, Greater Balt. Del.,[email protected] Hodge, Catoctin Del.,Vice [email protected] Yoder, At Large Del.,[email protected] Bick, At-Large [email protected] Johnson, At-Large [email protected] O’Leary, At-Large [email protected] Robinson, At-Large [email protected] Willey, At-Large Del.,Conservation [email protected] Prosten, Anne Arundel Del.,[email protected] Bedlin, Eastern Shore [email protected] Sheedy, Howard [email protected] Konschnik, Montg. [email protected] Reilly, Prince George’s Del.

(301) 218-3920

[email protected] Imlay, Southern MD [email protected] White, Western MD [email protected]

Issues ContactsJoan Willey, Conservation [email protected]

Earl Bradley, ACE, Right Whale [email protected] White, Agriculture, CAFO, [email protected] Garlow, Air Quality [email protected] Imlay, Biodiversity, ESA, Inva-sive Species, and Habitat Steward-ship [email protected] Terry, Campaign FinanceReform [email protected] O’Leary, Energy, GlobalWarming, Cool Cities [email protected] Bick, Environmental [email protected] Yoder, National Wilderness/Refuges/Mining [email protected] Birnbaum, Pesticides [email protected] Terry, Population [email protected] Diehl, State Forests [email protected] Tutman, Stormwater Mgmt.Chair301-249-8200 ext [email protected] Caflisch, Transportation [email protected] Merrifield, Water Quality [email protected]

Other ContactsKathy Harget , Baltimore [email protected] Iacovazzi, BICO [email protected] Johnson, Fundraising [email protected] Pepin, Membership [email protected] Soeder, Outings [email protected] Fay, PAC [email protected] Johnson, Political [email protected] Birkett, [email protected] Graham, State Legislative Chair410-648-5476 [email protected] Dixon, [email protected] Andrews, [email protected] Tewell, Newsletter [email protected]

Chapter SChapter SChapter SChapter SChapter StafftafftafftafftaffLaurel Imlay, Chapter [email protected]

Alana Wase, Conservation [email protected]

OOOOOffice Addrffice Addrffice Addrffice Addrffice Addressessessessess7338 Baltimore Avenue #1ACollege Park, MD 20740Tel: 301-277-7111Fax: 301-277-6699http://maryland.sierraclub.org

Maryland Chapter Leaders


OutingsInformation for Outings ParticipantsDiversity on OutingsSierra Club outings are open to everyone,members and non-members alike. Eachouting is intended to be a wholesome,safe, and enjoyable experience in the out-doors. Participants must have properclothing, equipment, and stamina suit-able to the event, and are encouraged toselect activities that match their individualabilities for outdoor adventures. The Cluboffers a variety of outings from “easy” to“strenuous” that suit all activity levels. Thedifficulty of each outing is clearly desig-nated in the announcement. Reservationsare generally not required for local out-ings unless noted; however, outings lead-ers should be contacted in advance forquestions about the terrain, the difficultyor duration of the trip, recommendedclothing, and equipment. Activities arenormally held “rain or shine,” but maybe postponed at the leader’s discretion forsafety reasons in the event of inclementweather. Potential participants are re-minded that all outdoor activities carry adegree of risk, and some take place in lo-cations where professional emergencymedical aid may be two or more hoursaway. People with health concerns shouldconsult a physician to determine the ad-visability of participating in these or simi-lar activities. The Club outing leader isresponsible for the safety of all partici-pants, and has the final authority to de-cide whether or not an individual mayparticipate on a specific outing. SierraClub policy requires that helmets be wornon bicycling outings, and that personalflotation devices (PFDs) be worn on out-ings using watercraft.

Unless noted in the announcement,Club outings are intended for adults. Be-fore bringing minors or pets on an out-ing that is not specifically designated asbeing child/dog friendly, please consultthe leader to determine if it is appropri-ate. Minors (under 18 years of age) mustbe accompanied by a parent or a legalguardian, or they must have both 1) asigned permission slip, and 2) the leader’s

prior consent, to participate in the Clubouting. Dogs are not normally permittedon outings, unless an outing is so desig-nated. Sierra Club outings officially be-gin and end at the trailhead, paddlecraftput-in/take-out point, or some othersimilar designated locality near the activ-ity. Travel to the official starting point andback, even from an advertised meetingplace, is the sole responsibility of eachparticipant. While the Club encouragescar-pooling, such arrangements arestrictly between the riders and the driv-ers, and are not a part of the outing. Par-ticipants assume full responsibility andliability for all risks associated with suchtravel.

All participants on Sierra Club out-ings are required to sign a standard liabil-ity waiver, which can be viewed on theweb at http://www.sierraclub.org/out-ings/chapter/forms/index.asp. Sierra Clublocal outings are free of charge, althoughpayment of park entrance fees, a share ofcampsite rental costs, permit fees, equip-ment rental charges, etc. may be requiredfrom the participants. Such costs arespecified in the announcement wheneverpossible. The Sierra Club practices “leave-no-trace” trail techniques, including hik-ing and camping on durable surfaces,minimizing campfire impacts, packingout all trash, respecting wildlife, beingconsiderate of other visitors, and leavingthe environment as it was found. Takeonly pictures, leave only footprints, andhave fun out there.

The Sierra Club’s California Seller of Travelidentification number is CST 2087766-40.Registration as a seller of travel does not con-stitute approval by the State of California.

By Dan Soeder—The Sierra Club is seek-ing to become more diverse, and to bet-ter represent the wide variety of peoplewho live in the United States. As a start,a number of national outings committeemembers (including yours truly) attendeddiversity training a few weekends ago inTampa. I’ve been through several of these,because my agency holds them on a regu-lar basis, and I thought the Sierra Clubclass was above average.

The training raised a lot of ques-tions, including how we view racial, gen-der, age and sexual orientation stereo-types. We learned that many people pos-sess a stereotype of the Sierra Club as be-ing predominantly white, middle-aged tosenior, and affluent. While not entirelytrue, this perception often makes it diffi-cult for the Club to engage some segmentsof the population where we’d like our en-vironmental message to be heard.

Because the outings program is anentry point into the Club for manypeople, the national outings committeehas decided that outings should lead theway on diversity. We don’t collect diver-sity data on the outings sign-in sheets, butanecdotal information suggests that Cluboutings participants (and leaders) tend tobe middle-aged to older white men, andmiddle-aged to younger white women.Besides the general dearth of youngerwhite men and older white women, thelack of participation on our outings bypeople from African-American, Hispanic,Asian-American, Southeast Asian, SouthAsian, Middle-Eastern and other ethnicgroups is a significant concern. Thesegroups make up huge segments of the popu-lation in the Washington and Baltimoreareas. Somehow we are missing them.

Are these people not interested inthe environment? I don’t think so. It’shard to live around here and not be con-cerned about the poor health of theChesapeake Bay, the loss of forest andfarmland to urban sprawl, or the appall-ing air quality in our big cities, to name

just three issues. Perhaps these ethnicgroups just don’t like the outdoors? Idon’t think that’s true either. Organiza-tions such as the Boy Scouts and GirlScouts are far more diverse than the Si-erra Club, and run outdoor activity pro-grams that are world-class.

I believe it’s a question of comfortlevel. Even under the best of circum-stances, it can be difficult to show up at atrailhead and go hiking with strangers.Now imagine if not a single one of thosestrangers looked like you, talked like you,or shared your culture. This can be a for-midable obstacle, and a lot of peoplemight decide just to stay home.

It is much more pleasant to go on ahike with people who are familiar, andare friends. All of us know people fromdiverse races, religions, national originsand backgrounds. They might be neigh-bors, co-workers, folks from church,whatever. We may count some of themamong our friends. So if you’re going onan outing this spring, why not invite oneof these friends to come along? They’llbe comfortable being with someone theyknow, and maybe they’ll have enough funto bring another friend next time, andour program will grow. Sometimes, allthat is needed is for someone to extendan invitation. This is how we will startto diversify the outings program and theSierra Club.

We are offering a wide variety of out-ings at many different skill levels thisspring. All of them are open to everyone.I would like to invite our members, re-gardless of their race, creed, ethnicity, age,gender, or sexual orientation to pleaseconsider joining us on an outing. We’dlove to have you along, and it would doyou, us, and the Sierra Club a world ofgood.

Thanks. See you outside. All ofyou.■

Dan Soeder, [email protected],is the MD Chapter Outings Chair.


Outings (March)

MWROP is an activity section of the Virginia chapter, with an extensive outings program runby leaders who live in andaround the Washington, D.C.area. Please check theirwebsite (www.mwrop.org) fora calendar of activities,information, and updates.

M M M M M W R O PW R O PW R O PW R O PW R O PMMMMMetretretretretropopopopopolitan olitan olitan olitan olitan WWWWWashingtashingtashingtashingtashingtonononononRRRRRegional Outings Pegional Outings Pegional Outings Pegional Outings Pegional Outings Prrrrrooooogrgrgrgrgramamamamam

Most outings in the MarylandChapter are run at the group level,with a few chapter and inter-chapterevents. The group originating theouting is identified in parenthesesby the leader’s name. These andother abbreviations used are listedbelow:

AA Anne Arundel GroupAMC Appalachian Mountain ClubAT Appalachian TrailBLM Bureau of Land ManagementCCA Canoe Cruisers Association

(Washington, D.C.)CG Catoctin GroupC&O Chesapeake and Ohio CanalFFA Family friendly activity (kids/

dogs ok, but check with leader)

FWS (U.S.) Fish and Wildlife Service

GB Greater Baltimore GroupGWNF George Washington National

ForestHC Howard County GroupMNF Monongahela National

ForestMW Metropolitan Washington

Regional Outings Program(MWROP)

NPS National Park ServiceNRA National Recreation AreaNWR National Wildlife RefugePFD Personal Flotation Device

(lifejacket)SF State forestSP State parkSNP Shenandoah National Park

CCCCCrrrrross Coss Coss Coss Coss Counounounounountrt rt rt rt ry Sy Sy Sy Sy Skkkkk iingiingiingiingiing (ratedmoderate) Anytime when snowconditions allow, there is a potentialfor a ski trip to Western Maryland orWest Virginia. Watch the weather, andkeep Jack’s phonenumber handy. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:Jack Wise (GB) 410-256-3963

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 1:ar 1:ar 1:ar 1:ar 1:InInInInInt rt rt rt rt roooooducducducducduction ttion ttion ttion ttion to 3-o 3-o 3-o 3-o 3-SSSSSeason Beason Beason Beason Beason Backackackackackpackpackpackpackpackinginginginging(not rated) SEMINAR.SEMINAR.SEMINAR.SEMINAR.SEMINAR.Learn the basics aboutthis wonderful pastimeincluding tips on gear,food, preparation, safetyand leave-no-trace. Pre-registration isrecommended but not required.Oregon Ridge Nature Center, 10:00 AMto 12:30 PM. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mike Juskelis (HC)410-439-4964,[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 2:ar 2:ar 2:ar 2:ar 2:OrOrOrOrOregon Regon Regon Regon Regon Ridge Pidge Pidge Pidge Pidge Pancancancancanca ka ka ka ka ke Hike Hike Hike Hike Hikeeeee (ratedeasy) Start the morning with a 5-milehike, including some hills and streamcrossings, followed by a pancakebreakfast. The park demonstrates theboiling down of maple syrup, andholds a fundraising pancake breakfastfor $5.00 per person. Depart at 8:30AM from Long Gate Parkway park &ride, off Rt. 100, just east of Rt. 29. Ormeet the group in the parking lot bythe Oregon Ridge Lodge at 9:10 AM.Bring water and money for thebreakfast. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Ken Clark (HC) 301-725-3306, [email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:CCCCCaaaaatttttoooooccccctin Mtin Mtin Mtin Mtin Mounounounounountain Ptain Ptain Ptain Ptain Pa ra ra ra ra rk ,k ,k ,k ,k , WWWWWolf andolf andolf andolf andolf andCCCCChimnehimnehimnehimnehimney Ry Ry Ry Ry Rooooocksckscksckscks. (rated moderate) Hike9 miles to the falls and rock outcrops.Bring lunch and water. Meet at the

Bagel Bin off Rt. 40 in the EnchantedForest Shopping Center, for an 8:30 AMdeparture. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: James Perschy(HC) 410-964-1902,[email protected].

March

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy, M, M, M, M, Mar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:CCCCComptomptomptomptompton Pon Pon Pon Pon Peak in SNPeak in SNPeak in SNPeak in SNPeak in SNP (ratedstrenuous) A 16-mile circuit hikestarting at the 4H Center in FrontRoyal and proceeding to ComptonPeak on the AT for a side trail stop atthe columnar jointing geologicformation. Return via Land’s Run Gapand Hickerson Hollow Trail. Elevationgain 4,000 feet. Meet at OaktonShopping Center off route 66 on route123 just outside Vienna, Virginia at 7:30AM. Alternative meeting place inHoward County possible (contactleader). Moderate pace with stops forflora and fungi of interest.Inexperienced hikers call for hikerrequirements. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: WilliamNeedham (MW) 410-884-9127,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:EEEEEdddddwwwwwa ra ra ra ra rds Fds Fds Fds Fds Ferererererrrrrry Cy Cy Cy Cy Cleanup leanup leanup leanup leanup (not rated)Service Outing. Pick up trash, enjoy abeautiful part of the C&O Canaltowpath, and make it even morebeautiful. Join C&O Canal Association“level walkers” to clean up the towpath

and riverbanks near Edwards Ferry.We’ll work until noon, then (optional)have lunch in Poolesville, MD. Theleaders will supply trash bags; pleasebring your own work gloves. Meet at 9am at Edwards Ferry (driving

directions atwww.mwrop.org/directions.htm). LLLLLeaders:eaders:eaders:eaders:eaders:Pat Hopson (MW) 703-379-1795 (9 am–10 pm)and Carol Ivory (MW)[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:TTTTTuscuscuscuscusca ra ra ra ra rororororora Sa Sa Sa Sa Statatatatattttte Fe Fe Fe Fe Forororororestestestestest,,,,,PPPPPA - FA - FA - FA - FA - Fooooowler Hwler Hwler Hwler Hwler Holloolloolloolloollow/w/w/w/w/AAAAAmbmbmbmbmberson Rerson Rerson Rerson Rerson Ridgeidgeidgeidgeidge (ratedmoderate) 11 mile circuithike with a pretty streamand a possible vista.

Portions of this hike are previouslyunscouted. Bring lunch and water.Depart at 8:00 AM from the park & ridejust north of I-70 on Rt. 32. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Mike Juskelis (HC) 410-439-4964,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:ar 8:LLLLLeaders Ceaders Ceaders Ceaders Ceaders Choichoichoichoichoice e e e e (not rated) ChrisHodge will be leading a hike on March8 starting at 10 AM. Check theCatoctin Group website (http://maryland.sierraclub.org/catoctin/)for details, or contact the leader.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Chris Hodge (CG)[email protected]: The Catoctin Group (Carroll,Frederick, and Washington counties)hikes regularly on the AT, in CatoctinNP, and other Frederick andWashington County trails. Check theweb page for the latest listings.

TTTTTuesdauesdauesdauesdauesdayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 11:ar 11:ar 11:ar 11:ar 11:CCCCCaaaaatttttoooooccccctin Gtin Gtin Gtin Gtin Grrrrroup Soup Soup Soup Soup Sooooocial and Infcial and Infcial and Infcial and Infcial and InfororororormalmalmalmalmalMMMMMeeting aeeting aeeting aeeting aeeting at It It It It Isabsabsabsabsabellaellaellaellaella’’’’’s Rs Rs Rs Rs Restaurestaurestaurestaurestaurananananantttttand and and and and TTTTTapas Bapas Bapas Bapas Bapas Ba ra ra ra ra r,,,,, F F F F Frrrrrederederederederederick ick ick ick ick (not r(not r(not r(not r(not ratatatatated)ed)ed)ed)ed)Come for drinks and/or dinner. This is


Outings (More March)

a good chance to meet fellow outdoorlovers and environmentalists, as well asmake suggestions for Sierra Clubactivities you’d like to see. Isabella’s isall non-smoking and is in downtownFrederick on the East side of MarketStreet between Patrick and Church. For garage parking, go right on Churchthen take an immediate left into thegarage. We’ll be at a table in the back. RSVP appreciated but not required. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Chris Hodge (CG)[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 15:ar 15:ar 15:ar 15:ar 15:SSSSSoldieroldieroldieroldieroldier’’’’’s Ds Ds Ds Ds Delighelighelighelighelight t t t t (rated moderate)This hike will be a combination of theSerpentine Trail, and the Choate/RedRun/Dolfield Trails, to form a figureeight that will start and end atthe parking area. The totaldistance is approximately 5.5miles. Soldier’s Delight is anatural environment area thatsupports over 39 rare,threatened, or endangeredplant species. This is a goodhike if you are new to hiking,but can comfortably walk fouror five miles. Bring lunch or asnack and water. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Nicki(AA), [email protected], anduse “Sierra Club-Soldier’sDelight” in the subject line formore information or to attend.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 15:ar 15:ar 15:ar 15:ar 15:JJJJJerererereremememememyyyyy ’’’’’s Rs Rs Rs Rs Run,un,un,un,un, N N N N NeighbeighbeighbeighbeighborororororMMMMMounounounounountain,tain,tain,tain,tain, VVVVVAAAAA (rated strenuous)Rugged, 14-mile circuit hikewith 14 stream crossings.Bring lunch and water. Departat 8:00 AM from the west lot ofthe park & ride on Broken LandParkway at Rt. 32. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: MikeJuskelis (HC) 410-439-4964,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 15:ar 15:ar 15:ar 15:ar 15:PPPPPaaaaatapsctapsctapsctapsctapsco Hiko Hiko Hiko Hiko Hikeeeee (rated moderate)About 4 miles. Meet at the RollingRoad Park & Ride off I-95 south at 10AM. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: John (GB) 410-566-0915.

FFFFFrrrrr idaidaidaidaidayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 21:ar 21:ar 21:ar 21:ar 21:HHHHHappappappappappy Hy Hy Hy Hy Hour and Sour and Sour and Sour and Sour and Sooooocialcialcialcialcial (not rated)Members and non-members areinvited to meet 6 – 8 PM forsocialization, happy hour, and dinnerat the Charred Rib in the RidgelyShopping Center in Lutherville nearYork Road. Walking distance to theLutherville light rail station. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Paul Schoen (GB) 410-667-4889,[email protected]

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:InInInInInvvvvvasivasivasivasivasive Pe Pe Pe Pe Planlanlanlanlant Rt Rt Rt Rt Remoemoemoemoemovvvvval along Gal along Gal along Gal along Gal along GlenlenlenlenlenEEEEEllen/Sllen/Sllen/Sllen/Sllen/Seminareminareminareminareminary y y y y TTTTTrrrrrail ail ail ail ail (not rated)Conservation/Service Outing. Help cutinvasive vines and pull other non-

native plants along the Glen Ellen/Seminary Trail in the Loch RavenWatershed. Meet at 9:00 AM onSeminary Ave. just past the light to theleft off Dulaney Valley Rd., just north ofthe Baltimore Beltway. Tools, gloves,and refreshments will be provided.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mary Corddry (GB) 410-239-4590 (home), 443-386-0862 (cell),[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:FFFFFFFFFFA PA PA PA PA Prrrrrettettettettettybybybybyboooooy Ry Ry Ry Ry Reseresereseresereservvvvvoir Hikoir Hikoir Hikoir Hikoir Hike e e e e (ratedmoderate) Conservation Outing. Olderchildren and dogs are welcome onthis 4-6 mile hike along the shorelineand through forests around PrettyboyReservoir along the old Prettyboy Trail,newly re-discovered and maintainedby the GB Sierra Club in collaborationwith the Prettyboy Watershed Allianceand the Mountain Club of Maryland.Enjoy the pristine water and wildlifealong this isolated trail. Look for thebeginning signs of spring. Meet at1:00 PM at the Mt Carmel Rd. park andride just west off Rt. 83 north of theBaltimore Beltway. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: MaryCorddry (GB) 410-239-4590 (home),443-386-0862 (cell),[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:CCCCCaaaaaving in ving in ving in ving in ving in WWWWWest est est est est VVVVV i ri ri ri ri rginiaginiaginiaginiaginia (ratedmoderate) Go underground for fourhours of wild caving (spelunking), inTrout Cave, located near Franklin, WestVirginia. The outing will consist ofmostly walking and scrambling overrocks with no steps or handrails, andthere will also be some crawling andtight passages. This activity isdefinitely not for the claustrophobic.A pre-trip meeting will be held inAnnapolis one evening before the tripto go over safety and what to expect.No experience is necessary. Gear willbe provided, including helmets, lights,gloves, and kneepads. Bring water and

a lunch to eat inside the cave. The tripis limited to eight participants plusthe two trip leaders. The outing willofficially start at the cave entrance at10:30 AM, although participants fromthe Annapolis area are encouraged tojoin in a car-pool leaving at 6:00 AM,with a planned return to Annapolis byabout 9:00 PM. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Bill Shuman(AA) 410-263-4102,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:ar 22:SSSSSeeeeevvvvvenenenenenth Ath Ath Ath Ath Annual Ennual Ennual Ennual Ennual End of nd of nd of nd of nd of WWWWWinininininttttterererererCCCCCanoanoanoanoanoeing on Aeing on Aeing on Aeing on Aeing on Annnnntietam Ctietam Ctietam Ctietam Ctietam Crrrrreekeekeekeekeek (notrated) Celebrate end of winter andovercome cabin fever. Practicednovice trip of 12 mi., class 1–2whitewater, running through AntietamNational Battlefield Park. Canoe andlife jackets required. Dry bags withclothing change strongly suggested.Cosponsored with Canoe Cruisers,Monocacy Canoe Club, and Blue RidgeVoyager Canoe Club. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: JimFinucane (MW) 301-365-3485 (before9 pm), [email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 23:ar 23:ar 23:ar 23:ar 23:FFFFFFFFFFA EA EA EA EA Eastastastastaster Ser Ser Ser Ser Sunrunrunrunrunrise Sise Sise Sise Sise Sererererervicvicvicvicvice and Hike and Hike and Hike and Hike and Hikeeeee(rated easy) Celebrate Easter at a non-denominational Sunrise Service atRocks State Park. It will be followed byfellowship with coffee, cocoa, anddonuts, and an easy to moderate hikeof about 3-4 miles. Children OK withprior approval. Meet at church parkinglot on Seminary Ave W of DulaneyValley Rd at 5:30 AM. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: PaulSchoen (GB) 410-667-4889,[email protected]

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 29:ar 29:ar 29:ar 29:ar 29:FFFFFairairairairairfax Cfax Cfax Cfax Cfax Crrrrross Coss Coss Coss Coss Counounounounounttttty y y y y TTTTTrrrrrail ail ail ail ail (ratedmoderate) Hike the 15 mile northernhalf of this beautiful trail in the middleof a major suburban area starting atthe Potomac River. Meet at 7 AM atOak Marr Recreation Center in Oakton,


Outings (More March, April)

VA. Joint outing with Northern VAHiking Club. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Michael Fischetti(MW) 703-771-8559 (leave message).

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 29:ar 29:ar 29:ar 29:ar 29:GGGGGunpunpunpunpunpooooowwwwwder Sder Sder Sder Sder Statatatatattttte Pe Pe Pe Pe Pa ra ra ra ra rk Sk Sk Sk Sk Sererererervicvicvicvicvice e e e e TTTTTrrrrr ipipipipip(not rated) Service Outing.MCM in partnership with the localSierra Club will clear and repair trails inthe Hereford Area of Gunpowder StatePark. Please come out and help us getthe trails ready for the spring andsummer hiking seasons. We will meetat 9:00 AM at the Mt. Carmel Road Parkand Ride (Exit #27 of I-83). Bring lunch,water, and work gloves. CCCCCoooooororororordinadinadinadinadinatttttororororor:::::Mike O’Connor (GB) 410- 871-0066,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 29:ar 29:ar 29:ar 29:ar 29:WWWWWeeeeevvvvverererererttttton Con Con Con Con Cliffl iffl iffl iffl iffsssss (rated moderate)Hike along the Appalachian Trail 12miles from Gathland State Park toWeverton Cliffs and return. Bringlunch and water. Meet at the BagelBin off Rt. 40 in the Enchanted ForestShopping Center, for an 8:30 AMdeparture. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Tim Ryan (HC) 410-248-2974 (call before 9:30 PM),[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Mar 30:ar 30:ar 30:ar 30:ar 30: S S S S Saaaaavvvvvage Page Page Page Page Pa ra ra ra ra rk ,k ,k ,k ,k ,WWWWWincincincincincopin opin opin opin opin TTTTTrrrrrai lai lai lai lai l (rated moderate) Hike7 miles along the Middle and LittlePatuxent Rivers, easy except for a fewhills and rocky parts. Bring lunch andwater. Meet at 9:30 AM at PatuxentValley Middle School, offVollmerhausen Road just west ofSavage Guilford Rd. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Ken Clark(HC) 301-725-3306,[email protected].

TTTTThursdahursdahursdahursdahursdayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 3:pr 3:pr 3:pr 3:pr 3: G G G G Grrrrreaeaeaeaeattttter Ber Ber Ber Ber BaltimoraltimoraltimoraltimoraltimoreeeeeGGGGGrrrrroup Outings Poup Outings Poup Outings Poup Outings Poup Outings Planning Mlanning Mlanning Mlanning Mlanning Meetingeetingeetingeetingeeting(not rated) If you’re interested inleading outings and are curious aboutwhat is involved, come and talk with

the outings leaders. The planningmeeting will be held at the PaneraBread restaurant in Timonium,beginning with dinner andsocialization at 6:30 PM in a quietcorner, with the meeting to follow at7:00 PM. From I-83 north, take exit 16Timonium Rd. east, turn left on York Rd.,and turn right at the next light for theTimonium Center across from the StateFairgrounds. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Bette Thompson(GB) 410-666-2696.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5: H H H H Hooooowwwwwa ra ra ra ra rd Cd Cd Cd Cd CounounounounountttttyyyyyGGGGGrrrrreen Feen Feen Feen Feen Festestestestest (not rated) From 9AM to1PM at the Glenwood Center next tothe Glenwood Library, see the HowardCounty government’s GreenFest PDFFlier for details. The Sierra Club willhave a table at this event. CCCCCononononontactactactactact :t :t :t :t :Ken Clark (HC) 301-725-3306,[email protected].

April

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:SSSSSprprprprpring Ming Ming Ming Ming Meeting of the Seeting of the Seeting of the Seeting of the Seeting of the Sierierierierierrrrrra Ca Ca Ca Ca Clublublublublub’’’’’sssssMMMMMetretretretretropopopopopolitan olitan olitan olitan olitan WWWWWashingtashingtashingtashingtashington Ron Ron Ron Ron RegionalegionalegionalegionalegionalOutings POutings POutings POutings POutings Prrrrrooooogrgrgrgrgram Lam Lam Lam Lam Leaderseaderseaderseaderseaders (not rated)Features election of officers, summaryof 2007 activities, and plans for 2008,including a regional training event.Open to the public as well as currentleaders, prospective leaders, and otherSierra Club members. Save the dateand check the March–April calendar(www.mwrop.org) for more info.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:BBBBBucktail ucktail ucktail ucktail ucktail TTTTTrrrrrail/Hail/Hail/Hail/Hail/Halfmoalfmoalfmoalfmoalfmoon Lon Lon Lon Lon Loooooo ko ko ko ko koutoutoutoutoutLLLLLoooooopopopopop,,,,, GWNF GWNF GWNF GWNF GWNF,,,,, W VW VW VW VW V (rated strenuous)Hike 9.7 miles to one of the best viewsin GWNF. Bring lunch and water.Depart at 8:00 AM from the west lot ofthe park & ride on Broken LandParkway at Rt. 32. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: MikeJuskelis (HC) 410-439-4964,

[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:pr 5:GGGGGunpunpunpunpunpooooowwwwwder Rder Rder Rder Rder Riviviviviver Hiker Hiker Hiker Hiker Hikeeeee(rated moderate) About 4miles. Meet at the Mt. CarmelRoad Park & Ride off I-83north at 11 AM. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: John(GB) 410-566-0915.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday-Sy-Sy-Sy-Sy-Sundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 5-6,pr 5-6,pr 5-6,pr 5-6,pr 5-6,WWWWWilderilderilderilderilderness Fness Fness Fness Fness First Airst Airst Airst Airst AidididididTTTTTrrrrrainingainingainingainingaining,,,,, C C C C Camp Hamp Hamp Hamp Hamp Hoooooooooovvvvvererererer,,,,,NNNNNeeeeew w w w w YYYYYororororork k k k k (not rated) Weekend workshop offeredby the Sierra Club OutdoorActivities Training Program. This fast-paced and hands-oncourse covers a wide range ofemergency medical topics tohelp people who spend timein the outdoors prepare forthe unexpected. Thecurriculum is that of theWilderness Medicine Institute,and the instructors are Sierra

Club training staff from San Francisco.

Cost for members is $125; $150 fornonmembers. Camp Hoover is ahistoric Girl Scout facility located nearPreble, NY, about 20 miles south ofSyracuse. For more details andregistration, visit http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/training/brochures/2008_WFA_NewYork.asp

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 6:pr 6:pr 6:pr 6:pr 6:MMMMMuddudduddudduddy Ry Ry Ry Ry Rununununun (rated moderate) Hike 6-7miles in Southern Pennsylvania. Meetat 11:00 AM at K-Mart on Belair Roadjust north of Beltway exit 32. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:Jack Wise (GB) 410-256-3963.

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 6:pr 6:pr 6:pr 6:pr 6:PPPPPrrrrrojecojecojecojecoject Ct Ct Ct Ct Clean Slean Slean Slean Slean St rt rt rt rt reameameameameam (not rated).Service Outing. Take part in thisregional stream cleanup organized byAlliance for the Chesapeake Bay andfunded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.Bring gloves. The Howard Countyproject will be 9:00 to noon. CCCCCononononontactactactactact :t :t :t :t :Sue Muller (HC) 301-498-8462,[email protected] (call fordirections).

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 6:pr 6:pr 6:pr 6:pr 6:FFFFFFFFFFA DA DA DA DA Dooooog g g g g WWWWWalk aalk aalk aalk aalk at Qt Qt Qt Qt Quiet uiet uiet uiet uiet WWWWWaaaaattttters Pers Pers Pers Pers Pa ra ra ra ra rkkkkk(rated easy) Hike about 2 miles withyour dog; may be extended. Well-behaved dogs only are welcome!Meet at the Dog Park area at 9 AM.Quiet Waters Park also has a dogbeach and a dog washing station.Bring water and treats (for dogs).LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Joe Pepin (AA) 410-674-6127,[email protected]. Note: there is a $5per-car entrance fee for Quiet WatersPark.

TTTTTuesdauesdauesdauesdauesdayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 8:pr 8:pr 8:pr 8:pr 8:CCCCCaaaaatttttoooooccccctin Gtin Gtin Gtin Gtin Grrrrroup Soup Soup Soup Soup Sooooocial and Infcial and Infcial and Infcial and Infcial and InfororororormalmalmalmalmalMMMMMeeting aeeting aeeting aeeting aeeting at It It It It Isabsabsabsabsabellaellaellaellaella’’’’’s Rs Rs Rs Rs Restaurestaurestaurestaurestaurananananantttttand and and and and TTTTTapas Bapas Bapas Bapas Bapas Ba ra ra ra ra r,,,,, F F F F Frrrrrederederederederederick ick ick ick ick (not r(not r(not r(not r(not ratatatatated)ed)ed)ed)ed)See Mar. 11 listing for details. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Chris Hodge (CG)[email protected].


Outings (More April)

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 12:pr 12:pr 12:pr 12:pr 12:FFFFFFFFFFA KA KA KA KA Kididididid’’’’’s Ns Ns Ns Ns Naaaaaturturturturture e e e e WWWWWalk,alk ,a lk ,a lk ,a lk , WWWWWincincincincincopinopinopinopinopinTTTTTrrrrrai lai lai lai lai l (rated easy) Observe nature onthis 3-4 mile hike targeted for children10 and older. Contact leader for timeand location. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Sue Muller (HC),301-498-8462, [email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 12:pr 12:pr 12:pr 12:pr 12:SSSSSugarugarugarugarugarloaf Mloaf Mloaf Mloaf Mloaf Mounounounounountaintaintaintaintain (rated moderate)Hike 8 miles of rocky outcrops withsweeping views. Bring lunch andwater. Meet at the Bagel Bin off Rt. 40in the Enchanted Forest ShoppingCenter, for a 9:00 AM departure.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: James Perschy (HC) 410-964-1902, [email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday Ay Ay Ay Ay Apr 12:pr 12:pr 12:pr 12:pr 12:MMMMMassanuttassanuttassanuttassanuttassanutten Men Men Men Men Mounounounounountain intain intain intain intain inSSSSShenandoah henandoah henandoah henandoah henandoah VVVVValleallealleallealley Sy Sy Sy Sy Shuttle Hikhuttle Hikhuttle Hikhuttle Hikhuttle Hikeeeee(rated strenuous) Total distance 16miles with 3,500 feet elevation gain.The hike will begin at New Market Gapand proceed up Massanutten Trail toStrickler and Duncan Knobs, both ofwhich are excellent vantage points forviews of the Shenandoah Valley. Thehike will proceed on the Scothorn GapTrail at Crisman Hollow Road for a carshuttle back to the start. Meet atOakton Shopping Center off route 66on route 123 just outside Vienna,Virginia in at 7:30 AM. Alternativemeeting place in Howard Countypossible (contact leader). Moderatepace with stops for flora and fungi ofinterest. Inexperienced hikers call forhiker requirements. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: WilliamNeedham (MW) 410-884-9127,[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 13:pr 13:pr 13:pr 13:pr 13:CCCCCa ra ra ra ra rderderderderderooooock ck ck ck ck WWWWWildfloildfloildfloildfloildflowwwwwersersersersers (ratedmoderate) Hike 8-9 miles on the C&Ocanal towpath, and over rocky terrainby the Potomac River on the Billy GoatB and C trails. We will take a slow pacein some areas to identify and enjoythe profusion of wildflowers. Bring

lunch and water. Depart at 8:30 AMfrom the west lot of the park & ride onBroken Land Parkway at Rt. 32. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Ken Clark (HC) 301-725-3306,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 19:pr 19:pr 19:pr 19:pr 19:SSSSSugarugarugarugarugarloaf Mloaf Mloaf Mloaf Mloaf Mounounounounountaintaintaintaintain (rated moderate)Sugarloaf is a conservation/recreationareaprivately owned and managed byStronghold, Inc. This 8.5mile hike hike hasseveral scenic viewsand varied terrain,including the summit.Bring lunch and water.Parking is limited, socarpooling isencouraged. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Nicki (AA) email:[email protected] use “Sierra Club-Sugarloaf” in thesubject line for moreinformation or to attend.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 19:pr 19:pr 19:pr 19:pr 19:CCCCCaaaaatttttoooooccccctin tin tin tin tin TTTTTrrrrrail ,ai l ,ai l ,ai l ,ai l , G G G G Gambrambrambrambrambrill Sill Sill Sill Sill Statatatatattttte Pe Pe Pe Pe Pa ra ra ra ra rkkkkk(rated strenuous) Out-and-back hike of9 or 10 miles ending with a short loop.The first in a series of 5 hikes whichwill include the entire 26.5 mileCatoctin Trail. Bring lunch and water.Depart at 8:30 AM from the park & ridejust north of I-70 on Rt. 32. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::John Cougnet (HC) 443-756-6741,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 19:pr 19:pr 19:pr 19:pr 19:FFFFFFFFFFA EA EA EA EA Ea ra ra ra ra rth Dth Dth Dth Dth Daaaaay Sy Sy Sy Sy St rt rt rt rt ream Ceam Ceam Ceam Ceam Cleanup aleanup aleanup aleanup aleanup atttttDDDDDouble Rouble Rouble Rouble Rouble Rooooock Pck Pck Pck Pck Pa ra ra ra ra rkkkkk (rated moderate)Service Outing. Celebrate Earth Day(April 22) a few days early by cleaning uptrash (bottles, cans, plastic bags, etc.) inand around the stream at thisneighborhood park that includes awaterfall and trails through woodlands.Children under 18 must beaccompanied by a parent or other

responsible adult. Wear footwear forwading in shallow water. Trash bagsand gloves will be provided. Meet at10 AM in the parking lot at the park’sentrance at the end of Texas Ave. offHarford Rd. in Parkville. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: MaryCorddry (GB) 410-239-4590 (home),443-386-0862 (cell),[email protected], Apr 19-21:

AT Shuttle Backpack, JNF/GWNF,VA (rated strenuous) 26 mile back-pack starting at Sunset Field, passingthrough the Thunder Ridge andJames River Face Wilderness areasand ending at the Punch Bowl. Crossthe 625-foot James River Foot Bridge,named for Bill Foot who spent yearsgetting the $1.5 million grants andother arrangements needed toreplace a dangerous and unpleasantcrossing on a road bridge. Registerwith leader in advance. Leader:Mike Juskelis (HC) 410-439-4964,[email protected].

Sunday, Apr 20:NNNNNorororororthwthwthwthwthwest Best Best Best Best Brrrrranch Panch Panch Panch Panch Pa ra ra ra ra rk ,k ,k ,k ,k , WWWWWheaheaheaheaheattttton,on,on,on,on,MDMDMDMDMD (rated moderate) Hike 8-9 miles onmostly flat terrain, but with some hillsand muddy portions. From WheatonRegional Park, follow the creek on theWatersedge Trail, and return on theRachel Carson Greenway. End with anoptional visit to Brookside Gardens.Bring lunch and water. Depart at 9:00

AM from the west lot of the park & rideon Broken Land Parkway at Rt. 32.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Ken Clark (HC) 301-725-3306,[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 20:pr 20:pr 20:pr 20:pr 20:FFFFFFFFFFA GwA GwA GwA GwA Gwynns Fynns Fynns Fynns Fynns Fallsallsallsallsalls (rated easy)Conservation Outing. Celebrate EarthDay weekend by hiking 5 miles out-and-back on the Gwynns Falls trail,

beginning and ending atCarroll Park near downtownBaltimore. Learn about oneof the most urbanizedstreams in Maryland, andscientific studies underwayin the Gwynns Fallswatershed. We will discussthe hydrologic changes thatoccur when a stream isurbanized, and somepossible ways to deal withthem. Meet at the CarrollPark trailhead at 11:00 AM;

bring lunch and water. Well-behaveddogs/kids okay; check with leader.Heavy/steady rain cancels. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Dan Soeder (AA) 410-969-9465,[email protected]

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 26:pr 26:pr 26:pr 26:pr 26:TTTTThe Ahe Ahe Ahe Ahe Annual One Dnnual One Dnnual One Dnnual One Dnnual One Daaaaay Hiky Hiky Hiky Hiky Hikeeeee. (ratedextreme) Join a couple hundred newand old friends to walk 100 kilometers(about 62 miles) in a single, rather longday along the C&O Canal towpathfrom Washington, D.C., to HarpersFerry, WV. Or start later the samemorning upriver from DC for the 50Koption. For information, seewww.onedayhike.org.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday – Sy – Sy – Sy – Sy – Sundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, A A A A Apr 26-27:pr 26-27:pr 26-27:pr 26-27:pr 26-27:CCCCCar Car Car Car Car Camping aamping aamping aamping aamping at Ct Ct Ct Ct Caledonia Saledonia Saledonia Saledonia Saledonia StatatatatattttteeeeePPPPPa ra ra ra ra rk in Pk in Pk in Pk in Pk in PAAAAA (rated moderate) Dayhiking along lakes and streams in theMichaux State Forest. Contact leaderin advance to reserve a space. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:Jack Wise (GB) 410-256-3963.


Outings (May)

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 3:y 3:y 3:y 3:y 3:OOOOOvvvvverererererall Rall Rall Rall Rall Run,un,un,un,un, VVVVVAAAAA (rated strenuous)Seriously vertical 10.3 mile hikefeaturing wading pools andShenandoah’s tallest waterfall. Bringlunch and water. Depart at 8:00 AMfrom the west lot of the park & ride onBroken Land Parkway at Rt. 32.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Ken Clark (HC) 301-725-3306,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday-Sy-Sy-Sy-Sy-Sundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 3-4:y 3-4:y 3-4:y 3-4:y 3-4:WWWWWhithithithithite Oe Oe Oe Oe Oak Nak Nak Nak Nak Naaaaational Rtional Rtional Rtional Rtional Recrecrecrecrecreaeaeaeaeation tion tion tion tion TTTTTrrrrrai lai lai lai lai lBBBBBackackackackackpack,pack,pack,pack,pack, VVVVVA A A A A (rated moderate)Beginner’s 10-mile backpack includingNorth River Gorge Loop, forexperienced hikers who want to moveup to backpacking. Hike 6 miles thefirst day with an elevation gain of 1000feet over 3 miles and 0.5 miles of open

woods bushwhacking. Camp in abeautiful pine grove next to the river.Day 2 is a mostly flat hike along theriver back to the cars. Therewill be 7 substantial streamcrossings that might requirea change of footwear.Register with leader inadvance. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: MikeJuskelis (HC) 410-439-4964,[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 4:y 4:y 4:y 4:y 4:BBBBBi ki ki ki ki ke Ne Ne Ne Ne Neeeeew w w w w YYYYYororororork – k – k – k – k – TTTTThe Fhe Fhe Fhe Fhe FiviviviviveeeeeBBBBBorororororo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bi ki ki ki ki ke e e e e TTTTTour our our our our (ratedmoderate) The all-time bestway to see New York City.Ride 44 flat, traffic-free mileswith 30,000 other cyclistsfrom the southern tip on Manhattanthrough dozens of neighborhoods inall five boros of New York City. Finishby riding across the Verrazano NarrowsBridge to a festival on Staten Island.Fully-supported, safe, fun ride. TheSierra Club requires helmets to beworn on bicycling outings (as doesBike New York – funds raised by thisevent are used to support brain injuryresearch). If interested, contact DanSoeder at 410-969-9465, e-mail:[email protected], and perhapswe can put together a Maryland SierraClub team. For more details andregistration information, visit http://www.bikenewyork.org/rides/fbbt/index.html.

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 4:y 4:y 4:y 4:y 4:FFFFFFFFFFA PA PA PA PA Perererererrrrrry Py Py Py Py Poinoinoinoinoint t t t t VVVVVeteteteteterererererans Hans Hans Hans Hans Hospitalospitalospitalospitalospital(not rated) Service Outing. Not all ofour service outings have to be parkcleanups or trail repairs. Brighten thelives of patients at the Perry PointVeterans Hospital with a visit and sing-along accompanied by guitar andother instruments you may bring.Many of the people here do not havefamily and friends to visit them, and

they appreciate interaction with otherpeople, which is how we can show ourappreciation for their sacrifices for our

country. We will follow our visit with ashort walk around Havre De Grace(they have a special celebration thatweekend), and an early dinner at aninexpensive diner with great food.Meet at church parking lot onSeminary Ave W of Dulaney Valley Rdat 1:00 PM. Children OK with priorapproval. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Paul Schoen (GB)410-667-4889, [email protected]

WWWWWednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 7:y 7:y 7:y 7:y 7:GGGGGunpunpunpunpunpooooowwwwwder Rder Rder Rder Rder Riviviviviver Hiker Hiker Hiker Hiker Hike e e e e (rated easy)Short and sweet walk on a springevening to see wildflowers. Easy mileor two. Meet at Gunpowder River andBelair Road at 6:30 PM. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader: JackWise (GB) 410-256-3963.

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 10:y 10:y 10:y 10:y 10:CCCCCaaaaatttttoooooccccctin tin tin tin tin TTTTTrrrrrail ,ai l ,ai l ,ai l ,ai l , H H H H Hamburamburamburamburamburg Rg Rg Rg Rg Road toad toad toad toad toooooFFFFFish Cish Cish Cish Cish Crrrrreek Reek Reek Reek Reek Roadoadoadoadoad (rated moderate tostrenuous) Out-and-back 9 mile hikethrough the Frederick MunicipalWatershed. The second in a series ofCatoctin Trail hikes. Bring lunch andwater. Depart at 8:30 AM from thepark & ride just north of I-70 on Rt. 32.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: John Cougnet (HC) 443-756-6741, [email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 10:y 10:y 10:y 10:y 10:CCCCConwonwonwonwonwaaaaay Ry Ry Ry Ry Riviviviviver and Per and Per and Per and Per and Pooooocccccosin Hosin Hosin Hosin Hosin Holloolloolloolloollowwwwwin Cin Cin Cin Cin Cenenenenentrt rt rt rt ral SNPal SNPal SNPal SNPal SNP (rated strenuous) This

16-mi. circuit hike willascend 3500 feet upthe Conway River Trailto the AT, proceedingsouth over Bear FenceMountain withexcellent 360 degreeviews of the Blue Ridge;return via the PocosinTrail. Meet at OaktonShopping Center offroute 66 on route 123just outside Vienna,Virginia in at 7:30 AM.Alternative meetingplace in Howard

County possible (contact leader.Moderate pace with stops for flora andfungi of interest. Inexperienced hikerscall for hiker requirements. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::William Needham (MW) 410-884-9127,[email protected]

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 11:y 11:y 11:y 11:y 11:PPPPPaaaaatapsctapsctapsctapsctapscooooo,,,,, D D D D Daniels Aaniels Aaniels Aaniels Aaniels Arrrrrea,ea,ea,ea,ea, and P and P and P and P and PotluckotluckotluckotluckotluckLLLLLunchunchunchunchunch (rated moderate) Hike 6-7 milesalong both sides of the river, visitingruins of the old mill town. Wade acrossthe river or cross a railroad bridge.Meet at 9:00 AM at the Daniels Damparking lot, on Daniels Rd. Bring asnack and water, and optionally bringa lunch dish to share at a party atStella’s house after the hike. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Ken Clark (HC) 301-725-3306,[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 11:y 11:y 11:y 11:y 11:TTTTTrrrrrussum Pussum Pussum Pussum Pussum Pondondondondond,,,,, D D D D Delaelaelaelaelawwwwwa ra ra ra ra re e e e e (rated easy)Paddle through the northernmostcypress forest in the USA on this smallpond near Laurel, Delaware. Viewmassive, old-growth cypress trees,waterfowl, beaver and other swampcritters. Participants must supply theirown kayak or canoe; Sierra Club

MAY

Sign up to get an e-newsletterabout the happenings withinthe MD Chapter, importantAction Alerts, and ways to getinvolved!

It’s easy. Just send an email [email protected] fromthe email address you’d like usto use and we’ll sign you up. Putthe word E-newsletter in thesubject line. Don’t worry, youremail will be confidential andyou’ll only hear from us!

Want to be kept in theloop?


Outings (More May, June and beyond)

requires all participants to wear a PFDwhile on the water. Launch boats at11 AM; trip should take an hour or two.Heavy/steady rain or high windcancels; rain date is May 17. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Dan Soeder (AA) 410-969-9465,[email protected]

TTTTTuesdauesdauesdauesdauesdayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 13:y 13:y 13:y 13:y 13:CCCCCaaaaatttttoooooccccctin Gtin Gtin Gtin Gtin Grrrrroup Soup Soup Soup Soup Sooooocial and Infcial and Infcial and Infcial and Infcial and InfororororormalmalmalmalmalMMMMMeeting aeeting aeeting aeeting aeeting at It It It It Isabsabsabsabsabellaellaellaellaella’’’’’s Rs Rs Rs Rs Restaurestaurestaurestaurestaurananananantttttand and and and and TTTTTapas Bapas Bapas Bapas Bapas Ba ra ra ra ra r,,,,, F F F F Frrrrrederederederederederick ick ick ick ick (not r(not r(not r(not r(not ratatatatated)ed)ed)ed)ed)See Mar. 11 listing for details. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Chris Hodge (CG)[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 17:y 17:y 17:y 17:y 17: In In In In Invvvvvasivasivasivasivasive Pe Pe Pe Pe Planlanlanlanlant Rt Rt Rt Rt Remoemoemoemoemovvvvval in Lal in Lal in Lal in Lal in LeakeakeakeakeakinininininPPPPPa ra ra ra ra rkkkkk (rated moderate) Service Outing.Help cut invasive vines out of beautifulold trees in Leakin Park in BaltimoreCity. As well as getting satisfactionfrom freeing trees that are beingchoked and strangled, you will berewarded with excellent exercise. Toolsand gloves will be available. Meet at10 AM at the Carrie Murray NatureCenter in Leakin Park, off of WindsorMill Road in Baltimore City. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:::::Mary Corddry (GB) 410-239-4590(home), 443-386-0862 (cell),[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 17:y 17:y 17:y 17:y 17:FFFFFFFFFFA BA BA BA BA Bicicicicicyyyyycle Rcle Rcle Rcle Rcle Ride on the Gwide on the Gwide on the Gwide on the Gwide on the GwynnsynnsynnsynnsynnsFFFFFalls alls alls alls alls TTTTTrrrrrai lai lai lai lai l (rated moderate) Explore allor part of the new 15-mile bike trailthat runs from near Rt. 70, through aseries of parks along the Gwynns Fallsto Middle Branch Park at BaltimoreCity’s waterfront. Older children arewelcome. Children under 18 must beaccompanied by a parent or otherresponsible adult. Sierra Club requiresall riders to wear helmets. Meet at 1PM at Trailhead # 2, Winans Meadow –Leakin Park, 4500 Franklintown Rd offof Cooks Lane/Security Boulevard inBaltimore City. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mary Corddry

(GB) 410-239-4590 (home), 443-386-0862 (cell), [email protected].

WWWWWednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 21:y 21:y 21:y 21:y 21:FFFFFFFFFFA EA EA EA EA Evvvvvening Hikening Hikening Hikening Hikening Hike ae ae ae ae at Ct Ct Ct Ct CylburylburylburylburylburnnnnnAAAAArbrbrbrbrborororororetumetumetumetumetum (rated easy) Children anddogs are welcome on this 2-mileevening stroll along woodland trailsand through formal gardens around amansion house from the 1880s.Children under 18 must beaccompanied by a parent or otherresponsible adult. Dogs must befriendly and leashed. Meet at 6:30 PMin the parking spaces along the side ofthe road just before the mansion. Thepark is in Baltimore City onGreenspring Ave. just off theJones Falls Expressway betweenColdspring and NorthernParkway. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mary Corddry(GB) 410-239-4590 (home), 443-386-0862 (cell),[email protected].

WWWWWednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdaednesday-Fy-Fy-Fy-Fy-Frrrrr idaidaidaidaidayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 21-23:y 21-23:y 21-23:y 21-23:y 21-23:HikHikHikHikHike Le Le Le Le Las as as as as VVVVVegasegasegasegasegas (rated moderate):Meet us in fabulous Las Vegas,Nevada. Not for the shows, thegames or the buffets, but forsome spectacular hikes just ashort distance from Glitter Gulch.The leader is a former 8-yearresident, and will be leading dailyhikes on easy to moderate trailsat Red Rock Canyon, SpringMountains NRA, Valley of FireState Park, and Lake Mead NRA.Go on some or all. Trip limited to12 participants; reserve a space by theend of March. Airfare, hotels andmeals are on your own, and we willsplit the cost of a rental vehicle. Planto arrive by Tuesday evening and leaveFriday night or Saturday. Contact theleader for details. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Dan Soeder(AA) 410-969-9465,[email protected]

June and BeyondTTTTThursdahursdahursdahursdahursday – Sy – Sy – Sy – Sy – Sundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jun 5-8:un 5-8:un 5-8:un 5-8:un 5-8: L L L L LofofofofoftttttMMMMMounounounounountain Ctain Ctain Ctain Ctain Campingampingampingampingamping,,,,, S S S S ShenandoahhenandoahhenandoahhenandoahhenandoahNPNPNPNPNP,,,,, VVVVVAAAAA (camping easy; hikes ratedstrenuous) Car camp at Loft MountainCampground. Featured hikes are the

Austin Mt/Furnace Mt loop (12.6 miles)and the Rocky Mount Circuit (9.8miles). Both hikes are strenuous. Joinus for one or both. Register with leaderin advance. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mike Juskelis (HC)410-439-4964,[email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jun 14:un 14:un 14:un 14:un 14:KKKKK aaaaayyyyya ka ka ka ka king and Ding and Ding and Ding and Ding and Daaaaay ay ay ay ay at the Bt the Bt the Bt the Bt the Beach aeach aeach aeach aeach atttttHHHHHammerammerammerammerammerman Sman Sman Sman Sman Statatatatattttte Pe Pe Pe Pe Pa ra ra ra ra rkkkkk (rated easy)Kayak where the Gunpowder Riverand Dundee Creek empty into theChesapeake Bay. Explore the marshesand shoreline and look for wildlife inthe air, in the water, and along theshores. Meet at 10 AM on the beach atthe Hammerman Area of GunpowderState Park. The park is on Ebenezer Rd.reached from the Whitemarsh Blvd.east exit off I-95. Bring your own orrent a kayak from UltimateWatersports. All participants mustwear a PFD while on the water. Thereis an admission fee to the park. Stayafterwards or join us later for a picniclunch and day at this sandy beach,which has picnic tables, a bathhouse,playground, etc. Kayaking is weather-dependent—no threat ofthunderstorms and no high waves inthe Bay. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mary Corddry (GB)410-239-4590 (home), 443-386-0862(cell), [email protected].

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadadayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jun 14:un 14:un 14:un 14:un 14:GGGGGrrrrreaeaeaeaeat Nt Nt Nt Nt Norororororth Mth Mth Mth Mth Mounounounounountain neartain neartain neartain neartain nearWWWWWa ra ra ra ra rdensvilledensvilledensvilledensvilledensville,,,,, WWWWWest est est est est VVVVV i ri ri ri ri rginiaginiaginiaginiaginia (ratedstrenuous) This 17-mile circuit hikewith 4,000 feet of elevation gain willstart at Waite’s Run in GWNF andproceed up the Pond Run Trail to theTuscarora Trail, completing the circuitthrough Vance Cove. Meet at OaktonShopping Center off route 66 on route123 just outside Vienna, Virginia in at7:30 AM. Alternative meeting place inHoward County possible (contactleader). Moderate pace with stops forflora and fungi of interest.Inexperienced hikers call for hikerrequirements. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: WilliamNeedham (MW) 410-884-9127,[email protected]

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday-My-My-My-My-Mondaondaondaondaondayyyyy,,,,, M M M M Maaaaay 24-26:y 24-26:y 24-26:y 24-26:y 24-26:CCCCCanaan Manaan Manaan Manaan Manaan Mounounounounountain Btain Btain Btain Btain Backackackackackpack,pack,pack,pack,pack, W VW VW VW VW V(rated moderate) Awesome 29 milebackpack featuring mature forest,giant spruce and hemlock trees,streams, highland bogs and vistas.Register with leader in advance.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mike Juskelis (HC) 410-439-4964, [email protected].


Laurel ImlayMaryland Chapter/Sierra ClubRoom 101A7338 Baltimore Ave.

College Park, MD 20740

�

Catoctin Excom BallotSSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday – My – My – My – My – Mondaondaondaondaondayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jun 14-16:un 14-16:un 14-16:un 14-16:un 14-16:CCCCChuck Khuck Khuck Khuck Khuck Keipeipeipeipeiper er er er er TTTTTrrrrrail Bail Bail Bail Bail Backackackackackpack,pack,pack,pack,pack, P P P P PAAAAA(rated strenuous) Hefty 32 milebackpack in Sproul State Forest.Approximately 10 miles/day throughbeautiful stream valleys and acrosshighland plateaus. Register with leaderin advance. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mike Juskelis (HC)410-439-4964,[email protected].

WWWWWednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdaednesdayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jun 18:un 18:un 18:un 18:un 18:FFFFFFFFFFA EA EA EA EA Evvvvvening Hikening Hikening Hikening Hikening Hike ae ae ae ae at Pt Pt Pt Pt PrrrrrettettettettettybybybybyboooooyyyyyRRRRReseresereseresereservvvvvoiroiroiroiroir (rated easy) Older childrenand dogs are welcome to hike 2 milesalong the shoreline and throughforests around Prettyboy Reservoiralong the old Prettyboy Trail, newly re-discovered and maintained by the GBSierra Club in collaboration with thePrettyboy Watershed Alliance and theMountain Club of Maryland. Enjoy thepristine water and wildlife (maybe abeaver) along this isolated trail. Meetat 6:30 PM at the Mt Carmel Rd.Parkand Ride just west off I-83 north of theBaltimore Beltway. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: MaryCorddry (GB) 410-239-4590 (home),443-386-0862 (cell),[email protected].

SSSSSundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jul 6:ul 6:ul 6:ul 6:ul 6:GGGGGunpunpunpunpunpooooowwwwwder Rder Rder Rder Rder Riviviviviver er er er er TTTTTububububube e e e e TTTTTrrrrr ipipipipip (ratedmoderate) Bring a tube or rent one atthe Monkton Station. Meet at theMonkton Station at 1:00 p.m. LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader:Jack Wise (GB) 410-256-3963

SSSSSaaaaaturturturturturdadadadaday – My – My – My – My – Mondaondaondaondaondayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jul 12-14:ul 12-14:ul 12-14:ul 12-14:ul 12-14:DDDDDolly Solly Solly Solly Solly Sooooods Bds Bds Bds Bds Backackackackackpack,pack,pack,pack,pack, W VW VW VW VW V (ratedmoderate) Challenging 26+ milebackpack through Dolly Sods Northand Wilderness Area in MonongahelaNational Forest. This wild area looksmore like the Canadian Shield than atypical area forest. We will exploresome seldom visited trails on the firstday. Challenging stream crossingsmight require a change of footwear.

Register with leader in advance.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mike Juskelis (HC) 410-439-4964, [email protected].

TTTTThursdahursdahursdahursdahursday ty ty ty ty to So So So So Sundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jul 17-20:ul 17-20:ul 17-20:ul 17-20:ul 17-20:CCCCCamping aamping aamping aamping aamping at St St St St Sprprprprprucucucucuce Ke Ke Ke Ke Knob Lnob Lnob Lnob Lnob La ka ka ka ka keeeee,,,,, W VW VW VW VW V(rated easy) Camp in Monongahela NFby a remote mountain lake near thehighest point in West Virginia. Enjoyhiking, paddling, fishing, mountain

biking, or just relax in a lawn chair.Contact leaders for details. LLLLLeaders:eaders:eaders:eaders:eaders:Dan and Susan Soeder (AA) 410-969-9465, [email protected]

TTTTThursdahursdahursdahursdahursday – Sy – Sy – Sy – Sy – Sundaundaundaundaundayyyyy,,,,, J J J J Jul 24-27:ul 24-27:ul 24-27:ul 24-27:ul 24-27:LLLLLoooooyyyyyalsoalsoalsoalsoalsock ck ck ck ck TTTTTrrrrrail Bail Bail Bail Bail Backackackackackpack,pack,pack,pack,pack, WWWWWorororororldldldldld’’’’’sssssEEEEEnd Snd Snd Snd Snd Statatatatattttte Pe Pe Pe Pe Pa ra ra ra ra rk ,k ,k ,k ,k , P P P P PAAAAA (rated moderate tostrenuous) This is a 4 day, 2 part trip; doone or both parts. Part 1 is a 17 to 20mile backpack on the Loyalsock Trailand Link Trail. We will either camp onthe shores of a highland pond oralong Loyalsock Creek. Second night,car camp at World’s End. Part 2 will bean overnight backpack using theLoyalsock Trail and World’s End Trail, ofsimilar distance to the first part. Campabove a waterfall on Ketchum Creek.The next day, hike back and returnhome. Register with leader in advance.LLLLLeadereadereadereadereader::::: Mike Juskelis (HC) 410-439-4964, [email protected].

MMMMMetretretretretropopopopopolitan olitan olitan olitan olitan WWWWWashingtashingtashingtashingtashington Ron Ron Ron Ron RegionalegionalegionalegionalegionalOutings POutings POutings POutings POutings Prrrrrooooogrgrgrgrgram (MWRam (MWRam (MWRam (MWRam (MWROPOPOPOPOP)MWROP is an activity section of theVirginia chapter, with an extensiveoutings program run by leaders wholive in and around the Washington,D.C. area. Please check their website(www.mwrop.org) for a calendar ofactivities, information and updates.

MMMMMa ra ra ra ra rk yk yk yk yk yourourourourourcalendars:calendars:calendars:calendars:calendars:TheMetropolitanWashingtonRegionalOutingsProgram, incooperationwith theMaryland,Virginia, andWest VirginiaChapters of

the Sierra Club, is in the process ofmaking arrangements to host SierraClub professional training staff fromSan Francisco for the advancedOutings Leader Training class (OLT201)in the Washington, D.C. area sometimein 2008. It will most likely be in theautumn. More details will be comingas a date and location are selected.

Outings (More June and beyond )

The Maryland Chapter is looking for peoplewith experience in fundraising and grantwriting. If you are interested, please contactBetsy Johnson at 301-656-4948 [email protected]

FFFFFundrundrundrundrundraising Oppaising Oppaising Oppaising Oppaising Oppororororortunittunittunittunittunityyyyy


BICO

BICO OutingsOutings (BICO)

By Cliff Terry—DanLynch, who was activein the GreaterBaltimore Group untilmoving toMassachusetts a fewyears ago, diedJanuary 5 at the ageof 90.

Dan was the primeactivist of the GreaterBaltimore andMaryland Sierra Clubpopulationcommittees through

most of the 1990’s. At every opportunity, he tabled for theSierra Club and gave talks on population issues. Hedesigned and built several novel devices to dramatizeexponential growth visually or to ask and answerpopulation questions in an engaging way.

Through the early 1990’s Dan worked tirelessly insuccessful campaigns to preserve at least three large tractsof open space in Baltimore County: to preserve 200 acresknown as the Merryman property as part of the County’sOregon Ridge Park rather than the site of 40 upscalehouses, to prevent extensive development of recreationfacilities at Black Marsh (on the Bay shore) when it becameNorth Point State Park, and to preserve the Cromwell Valley(just north of Baltimore) as a County park rather than ahousing development.

Dan was a warm and giving friend to many and one of themost scrupulously ethical people I’ve known.

There will be a memorial service June 14 at 2 PM at StonyRun Friends Meeting House, 5116 N. Charles St. inBaltimore, and all his friends are welcome.

Dan’s family has asked that, in lieu of cards or flowers, hisfriends “choose a way to make the world a better place—conserve, recycle, walk, care for one another.” That’s justwhat Dan would have asked.

The Maryland Chapter Remembers Dan Lynch

In Memoriam

Sierra Club Inner City Outings is a community outreach program providingopportunities for urban youth and adults to explore, enjoy and protect thenatural world.

Baltimore Inner City Outings (BICO) was founded in 1999 with the goal ofproviding under-served Baltimore City youth with educational, enjoyable andsafe outdoor experiences at no cost to them. Since start-up, BICO hasconducted more than 290 outings, serving over 2,900 youngsters.

BICO provides environmental education and promotes respect for the outdoors,teamwork and leadership skills and a community service ethic.

For more information, or to volunteer with the BICO program, contact BICO ChairBob Iacovazzi at [email protected], or visit our web site at http://ico.sierraclub.org/baltimore/

MMMMMa ra ra ra ra rch 2008ch 2008ch 2008ch 2008ch 200815 Overnight DHILL24-26 Camping, Blackburn Cabin DHH

AAAAAprprprprpril 2008il 2008il 2008il 2008il 200812 Earth Day program CGCC19 or 26Earth Day clean-up DHHTBD Garden Harvest organic farm & activity FYCTBA Chesapeake Bay Foundation Cruise, (?) DHILL

MMMMMaaaaay 2008y 2008y 2008y 2008y 20083 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival CGCCTBD TBD DHH17 Hiking, Billy Goat Trail DHILL

June 2008June 2008June 2008June 2008June 200814 Biking, Torrey Brown Trail, Sparks Nature Center visit CGCCTBD Patuxent River Sojourn DHH

Abbreviations:CGCC: College Gardens Community CenterDHH: Digital Harbor HighFYC: Franciscan Youth CenterDHILL: Dickey Hill Elementary School


The Chesapeake is published quarterly by the Maryland Chap-ter of the Sierra Club. Annual Sierra Club membership dues payfor subscription to this publication. Non-members may sub-scribe for $20.00 per year.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are in general alignedwith those of the environmental community in Maryland butare strictly those of the authors and not necessarily officialpolicy of local, state or national Sierra Club entities. The SierraClub prides itself on being a grassroots volunteer organization.The concerns and opinions of all its members are welcome inthese pages.

Items for publication are best submitted by email to<[email protected]>or <[email protected]> with “For Chesapeake” andtitle in subject line. Items must include the author’s addressand telephone numbers. Material may be edited for length, con-tent or clarity at the discretion of the editor. Photographs, illus-trations and other works of art are welcome. Materials cannotbe returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressedenvelope.

Change of address: send address changes to the Sierra Club, 85Second Street (2nd Floor), San Francisco, California 94705-3441.For fastest service, please include your old and new addressesalong with your 8-digit membership number. For local mem-bership information contact the Maryland Chapter Office 301-277-7111 or write: Maryland Chapter/Sierra Club, 7338 BaltimoreAve (Suite 101A), College Park, MD 20740.

Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and in-formation, contact:Editor, The ChesapeakeSierra Club Maryland Chapter7338 Baltimore Ave, Suite 101College Park, MD 20740

Credits

Look what we have for you!

NO

N P

RN

ON

PR

NO

N P

RN

ON

PR

NO

N P

RO

FIT

OF

ITO

FIT

OF

ITO

FIT

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

GA

NIZ

GA

NIZ

GA

NIZ

GA

NIZ

GA

NIZ

AA AAAT

ION

TIO

NT

ION

TIO

NT

ION

U.S

.U

.S.

U.S

.U

.S.

U.S

. PO

ST

PO

ST

PO

ST

PO

ST

PO

STAA AAA

GE

GE

GE

GE

GE

PP PPPAID

AID

AID

AID

AID

EL

KT

EL

KT

EL

KT

EL

KT

EL

KTO

N,

ON

,O

N,

ON

,O

N, M

D M

D M

D M

D M

D

PE

RM

IT N

O 8

5P

ER

MIT

NO

85

PE

RM

IT N

O 8

5P

ER

MIT

NO

85

PE

RM

IT N

O 8

5

Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club Spring 2008

The Maryland Chapter wishes to thankthose who contributed to this issue ofChesapeake.

Writers and Contributors: Bob Boxwell,Alana Wase, Charlene Church,RonHenry, Jim Long, Rich Reis, Mark Diehl,Chris Yoder, Cliff Terry, Samuel Hopkins,David Prosten, Gregor Becker, MaryCorddry, Ken Clark, David Hauck, ChipReilly, Joan Willey, David Sears, MarcImlay, Dan Soeder

Editors: Betty Brody, Mary Corddry,Donna Engle, Becky French, LaurelImlay, Betsy Johnson, Sue Kunkel, CindyParé, Annie Rehill, Darla Tewell, JoanWilley

Outings Editor: Dan Soeder

Layout and Typography: Darla Tewell

The Assembly’s Legislative Hot ListMeet Ron Henry, Our New Chapter ChairWill Development Spoil the Mattawoman?Energy: Nukes, No; Offsets and RECs, YesA Sign of the Times for WildlandsBicycling in MarylandOutings, Events, and Volunteer OpportunitiesAplenty

Your Two Cents

WWWWWananananant tt tt tt tt to co co co co commenommenommenommenomment on somethingt on somethingt on somethingt on somethingt on somethingyyyyyououououou’’’’’vvvvve re re re re read in ead in ead in ead in ead in CCCCChesaphesaphesaphesaphesapeakeakeakeakeakeeeee?????

Send your comments by email [email protected] with“For Chesapeake” in subject line. Please include your name,address, and phone number. We’llpost comments on the Chapter website,http://maryland.sierraclub.org.

Material may be edited for length, content or

clarity at the discretion of the editor.

It’s all inside.

Documents

Opposition to New Nuclear Reactor at Legislation Could ... · Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club Spring 2008 ... servation and renewable energy sources. Recently, Unistar Nuclear