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www.kentucky.sierraclub.org
July 2015
Volume 49, Issue 7
TheCumberland
S I E R R A
C L U B
•
K E N T U C K Y
New Life for Abandoned Mine Lands
by Lane Boldman
or those who may not be
familiar, Kentucky’s Division of Abandoned Mine
Lands (AML) works throughout
the state’s coalfields to protect
the public from health and safety problems caused by mining
that occurred prior to 1982.
Examples of hazards that can be
found on abandoned mine sites
are landslides, water-filled pits,
slurry ponds, open mine portals
and dilapidated equipment and
buildings. The Division restores
these degraded sites to a safe and
environmentally stable condition
through a process known as
reclamation.
Kentucky’s Division of Abandoned Mine Lands also adminis-
F
ters a bond-forfeiture reclamation
program. Before coal companies
begin mining at a site, they must
post a reclamation bond. A company's bond may be forfeited to
the Commonwealth if the company fails to mine and reclaim a site
to the standards specified in its
mining permit. The forfeited funds
are used by the state to reclaim the
site for which the bond was posted.
The program also administers
a water-supply replacement program. The division extends waterlines into areas where drinking
water has been contaminated by
past mining.
The AML program is 100
percent funded by the federal government, who gets its funding for
Time to get outdoors...explore and enjoy the mountains. Pictured here is the vista
in Kings’s Canyon, California. See story, page 6.
(continued on page 10)
Save the Date!
(continued on page 10)
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
I
PAID
n early June, citizens from
across Appalachia attended a
listening session hosted by
the Appalachian Regional Commission in Morehead, Kentucky.
With the provisions proposed by
Obama for the 2016 budget,
Sierra Club organizers are
attempting to create groundswell
on many levels that will push
local leaders to make good deci-
sions for the future of
Appalachia. A part of these provisions, known as the Power Plus
Plan, include a proposed $25
million in funding to the
Appalachian Regional Commission. As many know, the ARC
has a lot of influence when it
comes to economic development
in the region. They have been a
part of shaping conversations
Permit No. 100
London, Ky
by Gabby Gillespie
The Cumberland Chapter’s Annual Meeting/Activist Weekend will
be combined this year into one great event! The date will be October
23-25, 2015 at Rough River Dam State Resort Park.
P.O. Box 1368,
Lexington, KY 40588-1368
Appalachian Regional Commission
Hosts Listening Sessions in
Appalachian Communities
Photo by Lane Boldman
Ideas on How to Restore Lands While Also Creating Economic Opportunities
The Cumberland July 2015
page 2
Group News
THE CAUDILLS OF THE
CUMBERLANDS
he Executive meeting of the
Bluegrass Group will be held
on Monday, July 6, at 7:00pm.
Everyone is
welcome to
BLUEGRASS
attend. The
meeting will
be held at
Faith House,
Donna DePenning
836 Melrose
(859) 268-2968
Ave. behind
Faith Lutheran Church. Call Jay
Taylor, Group Chair, 859-396-6636
or Donna DePenning , 859-268-2968
for details and directions.
Our
next meeting will be on August 3;
same time and same place.
T
Inspiring Connections
Outdoors
Our Inspiring Connections Outdoors group will meet on Monday,
July 13, at 7:00 pm. A really fun summer is planned! Volunteers are always
needed. The group will meet at the
home of Frankie and Oscar Geralds,
2173 Palomar Trace Drive, Lexington. Call Frankie or Oscar, 948-0118
or 264-8903, for further details.
July General Meeting
The July program for the General
Meeting of the Sierra Club/Bluegrass
Group will feature Terry Cummins,
author of The Caudills of the Cumberlands: the Story of Anne’s Life with
Harry. This book tells the heartwarming story of a couple who were
The
Cumberland
not only a perfect match, but perfect
partners as well. Harry credited Anne
with his completion of Night Comes to
the Cumberlands, his ground-breaking
work on the trials and tragedies of the
coal miners of Eastern Kentucky.
Both were renowned storytellers,and
in this heartwarming memoir, Terry
captures Anne’s fascinating and
incredible stories of the 44 years of her
life with Harry in Appalachia.
Anne Caudill will be joining
Terry as a very special guest. At 91,
she is still active as an advocate for
land preservation in Eastern Kentucky, and she has created her own
lifelong legacy of public service. Please
join us for this very special evening!
The meeting will take place at Second
Presbyterian Church Annex (440 E.
Main St., Lexington, corner of Main
and Ransom). Date: Monday, July 20.
Time: 7 - 8:30 pm. Please enter from
the Ransom Ave. side. For further
details, call Judy Humble, 859-6992934.
Book Group
The Bluegrass Group Book Club
will meet on Thursday, July 16 to discuss “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: the
Inspiring Story of the Woman Who
Saved the Appalachian Trail” by Ben
Montgomery. There will be refreshments and plenty of opinions. They
will meet at 7:00 pm, in the home of
Ray and Mary Barry, 3415 Snaffle
Road, Lexington, phone: 859-2230180.
Dinner Out
The “Dinner Out with Sierrans”
group will be meeting on Thursday,
July 23 for a great meal at a local
A monthly publication of the Cumberland
Chapter of the Sierra Club, Kentucky
P.O. Box 1368, Lexington, KY, (859) 296-4335, Fax (859) 233-4099, E-Mail [email protected]
Editorial Committee
Frankie Geralds
Lane Boldman
Oscar Geralds
Alice Howell
Terese Pierskalla
Joey Shadowen
Carl Vogel
David Allen
Advertising Coordinator
Oscar Geralds
2173 Palomar Trace Dr.
Lexington, KY 40513
(859) 264-8903
[email protected]
Outings Coordinator
Dave Stawicki
859-293-0712
[email protected]
Change of Address
Send old and new addresses with
mailing label (or member number)
to:
Sierra Club,
P.O. Box 52968
Boulder, CO 80322-2968
Deadlines
The deadline for all materials is the
first Thursday of this month. The
deadline date for submission of
articles to the August
issue of The Cumberland
is July 2, 2015
Visit us on the web at www.kentucky.sierraclub.org
Contributors’ Guidelines
Please submit articles typed, on disk,
or e-mailed to address above, according to the following:
1. Double-spaced, not to exceed 700
words (3 double-spaced pages.)
2. Author’s first and last names, day
and evening phone numbers at the
top.
3. Articles on disk or e-mailed should
be accompanied by double-spaced
hard copy.
The editor reserves the right to trim
or revise for reasons of clarity, space
or libel.
The Cumberland is printed on
recycled paper.
restaurant. Come and join us for dinner and socializing. If you want to
know where we will be or have any
questions, please contact Mary Barry,
859-223-0180 or [email protected].
ANNUAL PICNIC!
reater Louisville Sierra Club
July Program: Please join us
at our annual picnic, Tuesday, July 28, 6
p.m.
at
GREATER LOUISVILLE
Louisville
Nature Center,
3745 Illinois
Avenue, across
Steve Henry
from
the
(502) 894-8029
Louisville Zoo.
Our special guest and speaker will be
Jonathan Miller, former Kentucky
Secretary of Finance & Administration and former Kentucky State
Treasurer.
Weather permitting, we’ll again
plan to eat outside at the Nature Center. However, we will have the option
of cooling off or eating indoors, if necessary. As usual, our meal will be a
potluck. Greater Louisville Sierra
Club will provide two main dishes
(one meat, one vegetarian) and one
main beverage. Please bring some
food of your choosing to share. Also,
we ask that you bring your own
G
It Pays to Advertise in
The
Cumberland
only $10.00 / column inch
(Minimum ad size is 3 inches)
Column sizes
1 column = 2.29” 3 columns = 7.20”
2 columns = 4.75” 4 columns = 9.66”
Depth of page = 11”
Deadlines
Camera ready ad or digital file must
be submitted by the first Thursday of
the month for the next month’s issue.
For advertising info contact:
Oscar Geralds Jr.
2173 Palomar Trace Drive,
Lexington, KY. 40503. 859-264-8903
reusable eating/drinking ware. Sorry,
alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
Jonathan Miller is a past winner
of UK’s Public Service Sustainability
Award as well as a winner of the U.S.
Green Building Council’s President’s
Award. Jonathan successfully promoted energy efficiency initiatives while
State Treasurer and he currently is
providing leadership on the Energy
Project Assessed District effort in
Louisville, which is before the Metro
Council for approval. Our programs, including our picnic, are free and open to the public.
We hope you’ll join us for this informative program.
Louisville Group Social Dinner
When: Friday, July, 24 @ 7:00
p.m. Where: Queen of Sheba, 2804
Taylorsville Rd. Please contact Judy
Lyons @502-585-3806 or Gloria
Kemper-O’Neil @502-458-5253
before noon Thursday prior to dinner
to allow for accurate reservations.
MID-YEAR CHECK UP
onday, July 6 at 6:30 p.m.
at Colonial Cottage, 3140
Dixie Highway, Erlanger,
KY the Northern Kentucky Group
Ex-Com will
meet. The
NORTHERN
year is flying
by and the
Ex-Com will
be discussing
Kim Luber
events and
(859) 344-8713
concerns
that will be the Group’s focus for the
second half of the year. You won’t
want to miss your chance to contribute to the planning and discussions. The Ex-Com welcomes your
input and relies on your support of all
the Group Events. These monthly
meetings are open to all. For more
information please contact Rich
Koster at [email protected].
M
Summer Nights
Tuesday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. the
Northern Kentucky Group will celebrate the summer evening with a
social dinner at Packhouse Meats,
1004 Monmouth Street Newport,
The Cumberland July 2015
page 3
KY. This neighborhood hangout is
known for its hand-packed meatballs
and frosty cold drinks. The front windows open wide and it’s a great place
to hangout and enjoy the summer
evening. Their menu features a wide
selection from meatballs, to soup and
salad and homemade desserts. For any
questions or additional information
contact Rich Koster at [email protected] or
[email protected].
For more information about
equipment needed, please RSVP by
July 7, 2105. Attendance is limited to
25, first-come first –served. To RSVP
or get more info, contact Paul Buelterman - 859-371-0028 (home) or 513376-2887 (cell, but try home first) or
[email protected].
Monthly General Meeting
Monday, July 27 at 6:30 p.m.
We will be taking a field trip to the
Thomas More College Field Station,
8309 Mary Ingles Highway California, KY 41007. It’s important that you
check the website for details about our
July event. And please check the Field
Station
website
at
thomasmore.edu/fieldstation/directions.cfm for the most accurate driving
directions.
Plan to attend, you know it will
be an informative and relaxing
evening. Please RSVP to Donna
Becher
at
[email protected].
For any questions or additional
information contact Rich Koster at at
[email protected].
e need fewer invasive
Asian carp in our lakes and
rivers, more bacteria in our
guts, and some replacement or new
members on our executive committee. These
were
the G R E A T R I V E R S
main themes
in the June 3
meeting of
the Great
Ken Wolf
(270) 293-5502
Rivers
Group.
Ben Tumolo, a Murray State
graduate student in the Watershed
Studies program, alerted us to the
global challenge posed by invasive
species, symbolized for many in Western Kentucky by the Asian carp that
are now established in the Mississippi
River basin. “An ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure,” Mr Tumolo
said, quoting the famous line by Ben
Franklin. Once any invasive species is
naturalized and spreads, it is virtually
impossible to prevent damaging
changes to that particular ecosystem.
In the case of the carp, the best
we can do is to eat or otherwise use as
many as possible. Efforts are currently
underway to convert the carp into fertilizer, dogfood, and even “people
food.” “I have some good recipes,”
Tumolo noted.
Group leader George Kipphut
reported on our recent trip to Paducah
and on the May 21 event sponsored
locally by the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition. State Senator
Reginald Thomas from Lexington
spent the day here touring local solar
installations, and was honored at a
potluck at the home of student member Molly Braden. Thomas will cosponsor a clean energy bill, and was a
supporter of the Clean Energy
Opportunity Act.
Outings chair Ray Smith reported on the tour of the Murray wastewater plant held on June 2, and said
that he planned another tour, this one
of the water treatment plant, on June
Upcoming Outings
Saturday, August 1, 10am –
3p.m. a popular summer outing
meets at Thaxton’s Canoe & Paddlers
Inn, 33 Hornbeek Rd. Butler, KY for
a day of paddling and Mollusk Conservation. Dr. Monte McGregor,
Aquatic Scientist with KY Dept of
Fish & Wildlife Resources will guide
the group along the Licking River,
one of the world hot spots for fresh
water mussels. The outing will stop to
explore shoals where Dr. McGregor
will find and identify many species of
mussels living in the stream bed, and
he’ll talk about how important these
creatures are as indicators of water
quality. He’ll also provide information
about what he and the Center for
Mollusk Conservation are doing to
protect these important organisms all
across the Commonwealth. It’s a fascinating story, and it’s happening right
here in our backyard. In addition to
seeing freshwater mussels, you will
also see other aquatic life. Thanks to
the mussels, which are filter feeders,
the river clarity in the area where we’ll
be paddling is very good, so plan to see
many living things moving about in
the water.
INVASIVE SPECIES
W
9. He invited all of us to join him in
his look at how water both goes and
comes.
“We need more good bacteria in
our gut!” That was the thesis of the
book by Biology professor Rob Dunn,
The Wildlife of our Bodies: Predators,
Parasites, and Partners who Shape
who we are Today (Little, Brown,
2014), reviewed by group member
Angela Thomas. We probably do too
much hand-washing and disinfecting,
killing too much useful and necessary
bacteria. Antibiotics need to be used
only in emergencies, and then replaced
as soon as possible by probiotics,
according to Dunn.
In other business, group members
discussed plans for our major fall 2015
event: a presentation of alternative
energy resources available in our
region. We are seeking a major speaker and would like to call attention to
the recently announced federal grant
to install a five megawatt solar array at
Fort Campbell.
George also reminded us that the
terms of two members of our Executive Committee will expire in December. We need to present a slate for
election by September 10. He encouraged members to consider becoming
candidates, even declaring it “fun.” He
also reminded us that we could painlessly contribute to the financial welfare of the Cumberland Chapter by
using “Amazon Smile,” and by registering our Kroger Plus discount card
on line.
The next meeting of the Great
Rivers Group will be Wednesday,
September 2. Our annual Local Foods
Dinner will be held in late August or
Early September as well.
A VISIT FROM THE
CHAPTER
sually MAMMOTH CAVE
we
take
a meeting
vacation in
Eleanor Bower
July, but this
(270) 793-9011
year we will
try something new. On our
third Tuesday , July 21, the Ex-Com
will be hosting Judy Lyons, KY Sierra
Club Chapter Chair and Betsy Bennett, Chapter Conservation Chair at
Lost River Cave on Nashville Road,
U
(continued on page 4)
Cumberland
Chapter:
Who to Call
Administrative:
Cumberland Chapter Chair
Judy Lyons
502-585-3806
[email protected]
Chapter Coordinator and
Conservation Manager
Sherry Otto
859-296-4335
[email protected]
Issues:
Conservation Chair (all issues):
Betsy Bennett 502-228-1870
conservation@
kentucky.sierraclub.org
Energy Chair:
Wallace McMullen
502-271-7045
[email protected]
Mining/Mountaintop
Mining Co-Chairs:
Alice Howell, 859-420-8092,
Lane Boldman, 859-552-1173
[email protected]
Legal Chair:
Randy Strobo
[email protected]
502-417-0781
Legislative:
Ruth Bamberger
859-291-2976
[email protected]
Political:
Joan Lindop
[email protected]
Recreation:
Outings Program Chair:
Dave Stawicki
859-293-0712
[email protected]
Media/Public Relations:
Sherry Otto: 859-296-4335
Lane Boldman: 859-552-1173
[email protected]
For more informaton on
committees, issues, and leaders, visit our
website at www.kentucky.sierraclub.org
The Cumberland July 2015
page 4
...Group News (cont.)
(from page 3)
Bowling Green. We will be ordering
in dinner and planning for the fall
months. Of course we will be getting
some great inspiration from our
guests. We invite any and all members and friends of the club to attend
this meeting with your ideas and to
meet our guests. We will begin at 6
p.m. If you plan to meet and eat,
please call Eleanor Bower by the 14th
at 270-793-9011.
Mark your calendars for
August 8 this summer for the Grand
Re-opening of the Lost River Nature
Trading Post. Rob McAllister,
Eleanor Bower and Annie Holt met to
plan an exciting new future for the
Trading Post that welcomes and
encourages input from all our members
and friends. We are looking for one or
two people to serve on the planning
committee for special events; for clerks
on the two Saturday afternoons we will
be open each month and handy “men”
to help make some much needed reno-
vations to the building. Of course
donations are always welcome for
materials. So there is something for
everyone to do. Watch this column
for updates. SUMMER SOLSTICE
POTLUCK
aturday, July 11th, the Pennyrile
group will have an opportunity
to meet
some fellow
PENNYRILE
lovers of the
outdoors.
We will host
a sag stop for
Rick Fowler
the Greater
(270) 635-3188
Owensboro
Bicycle Club. It will be in St. Joseph
starting at 9:00 am. We will be offering refreshments to the riders who
will be touring the county as a part of
the Bicentennial of Owensboro
S
Daviess County. We have five volunteers but could use more. If you
would like to donate some water or
snacks, please contact Rick Fowler
270-635-3188. There will be no
meeting in July. Have a great summer.
Saturday August 8th 2015 The
Pennyrile Group will take a day hike at
Hemlock Cliffs, located just South of
English Indiana.
We will meet at 8:00am in the
parking lot of the Christian Church,
2818 New Hartford Road, Owensboro, Kentucky. We will carpool and
caravan from there along US Hwy. 60
to Hawesville, KY, where we will cross
the bridge to Cannelton In. to join In.
Hwy 66 and travel through the
Hoosier National Forrest, passing
through the small communities of
Rome, Derby, Oriel, and Sulpher.
Hwy 66 then intersects with In. Hwy
37 North toward English, where we
will follow the signs to Hemlock
Cliffs. Hemlock Cliffs is a valley
of special beauty in Southern Indiana.
A cool climate is created by the box
canyon shape, sandstone rock formations and seasonal waterfalls. Unique
trees and plants grow here. This is a
popular destination for people seeking
tranquility.
A one-mile hiking trail leads
down into a canyon under a lush
canopy of large trees, through rock
shelters and past seasonal waterfalls.
Parts of the trail are steep and slippery
when wet, so use caution. It will take a
couple of hours to complete the loop.
We will have lunch in the canyon so
you will need to bring water and a
brown bag lunch (there are no restaurants), a good pair of hiking boots and
a walking stick if you have one. Ticks
and chiggers are common in Southern
Indiana so avoid tall grasses and thick
bushy areas.
Please contact Rick Fowler at
[email protected] or telephone
270-635-3188.
Chapter Gathering 2015: Join us
and check out what’s going on
Help Make a KY Solar-Themed
License Plate a Reality!
We’ll be having sessions on topics of interest to all of our membership. There will be issues such as Fracking/Pipelines, Solar, Legislative
issues, Solid Waste issues and there will also be time to get outdoors and
enjoy the area. We’ll have workshops too, to get you ready to work on the
issues that move you.
This will be a great weekend to get recharged for the work ahead.
Look for the registration form coming soon to the Chapter website and
your monthly Cumberland.
Our Chapter Annual Gathering will be happening the weekend of
October 23-25, 2015 at Rough River Dam State Resort Park. This will
be the first year of combining our Annual meeting and Activist weekend
in to one event. We feel this will give more people a chance to get
involved with the Chapter and what we do as the Sierra Club in Kentucky. We’re looking forward to this being a great weekend for all to
Explore, Enjoy & Protect the natural beauty of Kentucky. For information or with any questions please call Joey Shadowen at 859-252-3422.
Over the next
ten years, Kentucky will move
away f rom its
dependence on
coal while we continue to see solar
panel installations
popping up everywhere. Solar
works in Kentucky as an energy
source providing electricity to
homes and businesses; the price
has come down; and more people
are finding out there‚ this quiet,
beautiful alternative to coal that
actually pays you back over its
lifetime. A transition from coal
to solar will improve Kentucky‚
air, water, health, security, and
prosperity. Education on these
fronts will be the main driver of
the future of energy in our state.
So isn’t about time we have a
“Friends of Sol” license plate alternative to the nearly 50,000
New Deadlines for The Cumberland
Due to persistent delays in bulk mail turnaround, the Cumberland
Editorial Committee has decided to move their deadlines up by one
week in order to get your news to you earlier. So please note the
change and send items on the FIRST Thursday of each month.
Send your stories to [email protected]
“Friends of Coal”
plates we see on our
roads? 900 commitments to pay the $25
fee for a solar-theme
license plate when it
becomes available are
all that are needed to
make this happen.
There’s a design contest for
the license plate in the works;
please send your artistic representation of what a solar-friendly
license plate should look like to:
[email protected]. (No
copyrighted materials permitted).
To commit to a solar license
plate please sign up here today and
then share this address far and
wide: http://kyses.org/licenseplate.
As of May we have about 170
of the 900; please add your name
today to make seeing a solarthemed license plate a reality in
Kentucky!
The Cumberland July 2015
page 5
Dam Removal in the Red River Gorge
by Dave Cooper
s most Kentucky Sierra
Club members know, the
Cumberland Chapter of
the Sierra Club first formed in
the late 1960s, opposing the construction of a dam on the Red
River which would have flooded
the Red River Gorge in Powell
and Wolfe Counties. Looking back on that historically successful campaign with
the benefit of forty years of hindsight– it is easy to see that our
chapter was on the right side.
The beauty of that precious land
is preserved, the river is free-flowing, the hiking trails were saved,
and all the rock formations are
still visible. The Red River
Gorge is now an internationally
popular destination for rock
climbers. The area has hundreds
of thousands of visitors annually,
and that number continues to
grow. It is a model for economic
growth in an area of Kentucky
that is rapidly shifting away from
coal mining. The proposed dam was to be
located near the mouth of Indian
Creek. Indian Creek is a less-visited but still popular area of the
gorge. It’s great for car campers.
I go to Indian Creek frequently
to walk my dog, and to quietly
mountain bike on the flat gravel
roads. Sometimes Patty and I go
swimming in the creek – the
water is clear and there are several
nice jump-off rocks up Indian
Creek. It’s very quiet and peaceful in the winter. This is my place to go when I
want to be alone to just walk and
to think. I can work out almost
any problem with a nice walk on
Indian Creek. Any troubles that
I have seem to almost melt away.
Indian Creek is a very special and
meaningful place to me, and I am
grateful to the original Cumberland Chapter members who
worked to save it. Thank you. There are two forks of Indian
A
Creek and both are beautiful.
The last time I walked up Indian
Creek, I noticed that the right
fork (the east fork) of the creek
had a new iron gate across the
road. Next to the gate was an
informational sign from the US
Forest Service explaining about a
new construction project. It’s a dam-removal project. I walked around the gate and
savored the irony on my walk up
to the project site.
The Indian Creek project is a
project by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife to
improve habitat. There are two
low-water concrete road crossings
over Indian Creek that are acting
as dams. These road crossings
were installed in the 1980s.
These large concrete dams are
being removed, and meanders are
being restored to the stream.
Trees along the stream will be
used to stabilize the channel and
improve aquatic habitat. There
will be some camping sites
installed as part of the project. According to Jon Walker, a
Hydrologist with the Daniel
Boone National Forest, “Even
though today East Fork Indian
Creek is a pretty area, it is not
functioning properly. There are
unstable banks, bedrock bottom
stream sections that are poor
habitat for fish and bugs, and
floodplains that never get wet.
“To change that long-term
stream disturbance cycle takes
drastic measures, and currently
the area is under construction to
restore natural conditions.” Indian Creek was once a disturbed area. “Channels were straightened,
the whole area was logged, and
families farmed the bottoms
where they lived. Before the
1930s there were numerous houses near the stream channel, a railroad spur came off the ridge, a
saw mill was in full production,
and there was even a school,”
according to Walker.
Straightening a stream’s
channels is a bad thing. A
straightened stream is like a
storm water ditch which carries
water away more quickly, but
which creates flooding for someone else downstream. The fasterflowing water causes increased
stream bank erosion, which in
turn causes more silt to be carried
downstream. Channelizing alters
the natural habitat for fish and
other creatures that live in the
stream. In a healthy meandering
stream, the flood plain inside a
stream’s meanders is inundated
after heavy rainfall events, and
that inundated land is enriched
by fine silt which settles out of
the still floodwaters. Before
chemical fertilizers, farmers coveted this rich soil, but they
couldn’t farm land that was constantly being flooded, so they
rechanneled and straightened the
stream. Over time, of course, the
fertility of the land diminished,
because the soil was not steadily
replenished. This Indian Creek
project is an attempt to restore
the stream closer to its original,
natural state. When I first saw the site, it
looked like a construction site.
There is a large earth-moving
machine, and a lot of large trees
have been cut and placed along
the stream bank. It’s kind of hard
to see a place that you love being
torn up by machines. It is a temporary disturbance and I’m sure
that the project will be a good
thing in the long term, improving
habitat and restoring the stream
closer to its original condition.
But most of all, it’s nice to see
all the concrete being removed.
Sierra Club members knew as
early as the 1960s that a dam did
not belong in the Red River
Gorge. Once again, we are being
proven right.
page 6
Trip Report: Sequoia, Kings
Canyon and Yosemite
Cumberland Chapter members Joey Shadowen and Lane
Boldman spent a week in a rented
camper van to explore Sequoia
Kings Canyon and Yosemite
National Parks.
While we typically like to
backpack or stay in tents for many
of our trips, we determined that a
camper van would be an economical option for staying as close to
nature as possible without the hassle of having to pack a lot of our
own camping gear for the flight
out to San Francisco, where we
began our trip. There are several
camper van rental companies with
fully-outfitted vehicles available in
San Francisco, Los Angeles and
Las Vegas that are reasonable in
cost and nicely equipped for folks
who want some basic amenities,
the flexibility of traveling wherever
you want, but still want a camping
expereience. The vehicles typically
are standard mini- or full-sized
vans that come equipped with bed,
sink, cooler or refrigerator, stove,
sheets and linens, full tableware
and more, so that you don’t really
have to pack anything but your
food and clothes. You will have to
purchase a propane canister on site
if you want to use your stove.
Other than this, the units are pretty complete, and easy to manuver
on twisty mountain roads, compared to a full-sized traditional
camper.
We began our trip the last
week of May from San Francisco,
and drove approximately 4-5 hours
to the entrance of Sequoia and
Kings Canyon National Parks. We
spent three days exploring the
massive Sequoia groves and
canyons throughout the park,
including the Giant Forest and
Grant’s Grove, home to the largest
trees on earth. While there are
areas that allow camper vans to
park near some of the attractions,
we opted to stay in the designated
campgrounds. The van allowed us
the flexibility to explore several
areas of these parks before an
unexpected snowstorm and
accompanying late-season hail
storm prompted us to hit the road
a day early and jump over to
Yosemite, just a couple hours away.
We spent the remainder of our
week exploring both the high
country and valleys of Yosemite.
Some of the most spectacular
views of all of these parks are seen
in the early morning and late
evening hours, so
the other convenience of having
our tent-onwheels was the
option to catch
sleep as needed
after getting up
at 4AM to catch
the sunrise at
Yosemite’s Glacier Point. But the
early morning
excursion was worth it...Glacier
Point at dawn is one of the most
spectactular views on earth, in our
opinion. We were fortunate during
many points of the trip for the
quintessential photographer’s
experience, including a surprise
rainbow at the Tunnel View observation point, which boasts one of
the best views of the entire
Yosemite valley. The rainbow covered the vista from El Capitan,
over Half Dome, and across to
Bridalveil Falls. A once in a lifetime experience.
And if you go to Yosemite,
DON’T MISS LeConte Memorial Lodge — a quaint, historical
building that pre-dates many structures in the park, and is sponsored
by the Sierra Club. The lodge was
‘grandfathered’ in to the park from
the days when the Sierra Club
owned many hiking huts throughout the park. The Lodge accepts
help from Sierra Club volunteers
year-round (see story elsewhere in
this issue).
During our time in Yosemite,
we reserved a space in one of the
valley campgrounds to take advantage of showers and bear lockers
(where all food must be secured
nighly due to high bear activity)
and saw no less than a half-dozen
of these same rental vans being
used by our fellow campers. While
we have stayed in some of the tent
and hard-sided cabins that reside in
Yosemite valley in the past, the
camper van was just as convenient
and economical as other options in
the valley and really allowed us the
freedom to go wherever and whenever we wanted, making the most
of our opportunity to see three
amazing parks in a single week.
Camper Van Rental Companies
from San Francisco:
Lost Campers:
www.lostcampersusa.com
Escape Campervans:
www.escapecampervans.com
Juicy Vans: www.jucyrentals.com
page 7
Top Left: Rock formations in Kings’s Canyon. Middle left: roaring creeks in the valley of King’s Canyon. Bottom Left: the massive General Sherman tree in Sequoia
National Park. Top: Panorama at Yosemite’s Glacier Point. Middle: Face of El Capitan. Middle Bottom: Face of Half Dome. Middle Right: Yosemite Falls. Bottom
Right: Rainbow over Yosemite Valley. Photos by Lane Boldman and Joey Shadowen.
The Cumberland July 2015
page 8
Volunteering at LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite National Park
Contact: Dr. Bonnie J. Gisel,
LeConte Memorial Curator, [email protected]
Volunteering at
LeConte Memorial
Lodge is a joyous
opportunity to meet
people from around
the Planet and help
them experience Yosemite's natural
and human history; and, learn
about the Sierra Club and its mission and goals. If chosen, you will
share the thoughts and good deeds
of Joseph LeConte and John Muir
that culminated, on behalf of wild
places that were voiceless, in the
creation of the Sierra Club in 1892
and the creation of the National
Park Service in 1916. Now you can
help! At LeConte Memorial
Lodge we serve a growing, active
public, hungry to learn more about
the world in which we live, hungry
to learn to live on the Planet with
greater care.
LeConte Memorial Lodge is
looking for dedicated volunteers to
assist with the operation of the
Lodge during the season from the
beginning of May and runs
through the end of September
each year. LeConte Memorial
Lodge is open Wednesday through
Sunday from 10:00 am until 4:00
pm, with free evening programs on
Friday and Saturday evenings at
8:00 pm. Seating for evening programs is limited to 50 guests. Some
programs are oriented toward families and children.
Volunteers for LeConte
Memorial Lodge must be members of the Sierra Club.
Wondering what it's really
like? Read about the first-hand
experiences of previous volunteeers:
Benefits:
• Free entrance pass to Yosemite
National Park during your
week of volunteering.
• Free shared camping at the
designated LeConte Memori-
• Volunteers may stay for only
one week as a volunteer, but
your stay as a volunteer does
not count against your camping limit on your own elsewhere in the park.
• No guests are permitted. We
have limited campground
space for volunteers only.
• There are no accommodations
for children.
• No pets are allowed in the
campsite or in LeConte
Memorial Lodge.
Other:
• Group campsites and one food
locker per volunteer or volunteer couple, in which to store
all food and toiletries, are provided for volunteers.
• Volunteers will be provided
with basic historical information about the Sierra Club and
LeConte Memorial Lodge.
• Volunteers are encouraged to
draw from their own knowledge and share their reading
and experience.
• Couples and partners are
encouraged to volunteer and
share the same shift.
LeConte Memorial Lodge
is a historical treasure to
both the history of the
Sierra Club and Yosemite
National Park. The Lodge
depends largely on volunteer labor and donations
from the public.
al Lodge campsite in Yosemite
National Park
(Should
you
desire
other
housing arrangements these
must be made by the volunteer
at the volunteer's expense.).
• Volunteers have Monday and
Tuesday on their own to enjoy
Yosemite National Park.
• Free showers at Curry Village
or Housekeeping Camp.
• These financial benefits exceed
$250 per volunteer; but the
experience of being in
Yosemite and sharing the
National Park Idea with visitors is immeasurable.
Volunteer Responsibilities:
• Greet the public, introduce visitors to the exhibits and the
library, and assist with evening
programs
• Answer questions (materials
and maps are provided) volunteers are encouraged to study
on their own, training sessions
are limited.
• Assist with general maintenance of building: sweeping,
dusting.
Requirements:
• Volunteers must be members
of the Sierra Club.
• Volunteers must have visited
Yosemite at least once in the
last two years.
• Volunteers must have a basic
working knowledge of
Yosemite Naitional Park,
directions, accommodations,
food service, facilities.
• Volunteers should be comfortable talking with the public
about the Sierra Club, the history of the Sierra Club as well
as ongoing programs at
LeConte Memorial Lodge
and in the Park.
• All volunteers provide their
own tents, food, and camp
equipment.
Information and Donations
For more information during
the summer season, call Leconte
Memorial Lodge directly at (209)
372-4542.
During the winter, contact
LeConte Lodge Committee
Chair, Harold Wood, P.O. Box
3543, Visalia, CA 93278; phone:
(559)
697-3525;
e-mail:
[email protected]
Finding adequate funding for
LeConte Memorial Lodge has
become a serious issue. Tax
deductible donations to support
your volunteer week, and the
exhibits, programs, and other educational efforts of the LeConte
Memorial Lodge can be made to
"Sierra Club Foundation," marked
for the "LeConte Lodge Fund."
Send to: Sierra Club Foundation,
85 Second Street, Suite 750. San
Francisco, CA 94105.
The Cumberland July 2015
page 9
Election of 2016 Executive Committee Members for
Chapter and Groups
he annual election of
Executive Committee
(ExCom) members for
both the Chapter (state) and the
six regional Groups of the Sierra
Club for 2016 will be held during the fourth quarter of 2015.
The 2015 Chapter Nominating Committee members are:
Betsy Bennett, Alice Howell and
Randy Strobo. If you are interested in running for the ExCom, you
may contact one of these individu-
club.org) by November 30, 2015.
The Election Committee
counts the ballots, and the candidates receiving the highest number
of votes are elected. The Election
Committee immediately notifies
the candidates, the ExCom members and reports the results at the
next ExCom Meeting
Incoming ExCom members
assume their duties at the first
meeting in 2016.
Photo by Lane Boldman
T
and Group positions shall submit a
candidate statement to The Cumberland by September 3, 2015, for
publication in the October edition,
along with the ballot. The statement (maximum 250 words)
should state interest and qualifications for serving.
Members may submit the
paper ballot printed in the October
edition of The Cumberland, or
vote on-line at the Chapter’s secure
website (www.kentucky.sierra-
als, or you may run as a petition
candidate by submitting a petition
signed by 50 Chapter members
prior to the deadline for submission of candidates. Ideally, at least
two more candidates will be presented than there are vacancies.
Each Group appoints its own
Nominating Committee. You may
contact the Group Chair in your
region to express interest is serving
on a Group ExCom.
Each candidate for Chapter
Bluegrass Group Sierra Club members during a tree identification walk and picnic
at the Ashland Estate in Lexington. Thanks to all who came, and thanks to Dick
Shore, Mary Carol Cooper and Dave Leanord for their educational support.
New Deadlines for The Cumberland
Due to persistent delays in bulk mail turnaround, the Cumberland
Editorial Committee has decided to move their deadlines up by one
week in order to get your news to you earlier. So please note the
change and send items on the FIRST Thursday of each month.
Send your stories to [email protected]
The Cumberland July 2015
page 10
...Abandoned Mine Lands
(from page 1)
AML programs by collecting a fee
on every ton of coal produced by
mining operations nationwide.
Kentucky’s division has a central
office in Frankfort and field offices
in Prestonsburg, London, Madisonville and Hazard.
From June 2014 through May
2015, two Highlander Center
Appalachian Transition Fellows
doing placements with Appalachian Citizen’s Law Center (ACLC)
in Whitesburg and the Alliance
for Appalachia in Central
Appalachia have been researching
the Abandoned Mine Lands program to find ways to understand
how the AML operates on both
the federal and state/tribal level,
learn from research participants
what they understand to be important issues for the public to comprehend on the AML program,
and take suggestions for further
research, hopefully leading to support for the reauthorization of the
AML program and to make sure
the funds are used for the main
purpose of reclaiming mined
lands.
Reviewing the policy and history of the program, the
researchers have looked for successful models that state AML
programs are using that can be
shared with other states/tribes, as
well as ways to positively impact
local economic development.
Another purpose of the research
project is to educate the general
public about the AML Program
and encourage participation
through fostering fact-based public
dialogue.
The project is consulting with
key federal and state AML decision makers for the research. As
part of that process, the two fellows developed a survey to be
delivered to the 28 states and tribes
with AML programs. The Interstate Mining Compact Commission is administering this survey.
The ultimate hope is that
these conversations can translate
into the beginnings of a campaign
for Appalachian citizens to influence the way in which AML funds
are managed in the region, to put
unemployed miners back to work
through reclamation and reforestation efforts, and/or to begin to foster creative, community-led reclamation solutions that will benefit
communities that have seen up to
25% of our land destroyed by
mountaintop removal.
The project wants to take this
opportunity to plant the seeds and
bring together the wide interest
surrounding the AML fund, educate ourselves, and begin to explore
what might be possible.
Researchers Eric Dixon and
Kendall Bilbrey, who are serving as
Appalachian Transition Fellows
under the auspices of the
Appalachian Citizens' Law Center
and The Alliance for Appalachia,
respectively, are coordinating the
overall research effort. Dr. Betsy
Taylor (Senior Research Scientist,
Appalachian Studies, Virginia
Tech) is the principal investigator
of this survey and a scholarly advisor on the project as a whole. Key
questions in this survey were
crowd sourced by the AML Policy
Priorities Group, a network
including participants from over
two-dozen nonprofits, think tanks,
and several universities.
The Cumberland Chapter has
been participating in the project
through our connection to the
Alliance For Appalachia, where
the Sierra Club Environmental
Justice program is a member.
Researchers are looking for
opportunities to present their
information about this program
and research findings. If you are
interested in learning more, please
contact Alice Howell ([email protected]) or Lane
Boldman (lanebold@earthink.
net), Cumberland Chapter Mining
Co-Chairs. You may also contact
the Alliance for Appalachia via
their website at http://theallianceforappalachia.org.
...ARC Listening Sessions
(from page 1)
and building partnerships for the
past fifty years. As a young citizen of Appalachia, I believe it is
important for as many of us as
possible to participate when
ARC hosts listening sessions
and public forums, so that our
voices are heard and our ideas
are propelling these conversations forward.
The ARC scheduled five listening
sessions
across
Appalachia to gather public
input on their 2016-2020
Strategic Plan. Before hosting
these events, the ARC put
together a study detailing the
impacts of the initiatives put in
place by their organization over
the past fifty years. These listening sessions are the next step in
the process towards creating a
strategy that includes the input
of citizens, leaders, and representatives from varied sectors that
will be impacted by the work of
the ARC. Carol Judy from the
Clearfork Valley in Tennessee
said “at the Morehead meeting
there was a significant presence
of youth who shared and participated, creating an intergenerational sharing of solutions and
issues” and the question she has
moving forward is “where is the
youth of ARC?” Coming out of
this session, I also heard a lot of
questions about how citizen
input was meant to be incorporated. How much sway do our
ideas truly have on the strategic
plan?
The structure of the listening session began with a welcome and briefing about the
strategic plan, as well as the
findings f rom the Executive
Summar y mentioned above,
entitled Appalachia Then and
Now: Examining Changes to
the Appalachian Region Since
1965. After these presentations,
the facilitation team asked participants to get into groups and
share their understandings of
opportunities to strengthen the
economies in their communities.
In that same session folks were
asked to discuss the specific barriers they see to advancing those
opportunities. People were given
space to share within their small
groups, and also share out to the
entire assembly the things that
resonated during their conversations. In the next session the
questions involved the building
blocks and resources people felt
they had in their communities
and which building blocks were
lacking or needed strengthening.
Kendall Bilbrey, a young citizen from Southwest Virginia
felt that “folks seemed to be
comfortable with solutions based
conversations without getting
caught up in political arguments” and believes that these
conversations are vital to moving
our region for ward to work
together toward just transition.
We have seen a lot of progress
on this f ront in Central
Appalachia over the past five
years. It seems that more and
more citizens every day are willing to let the “coal is our future”
rhetoric fall to the wayside and
are far more open to talk about
new economic opportunities in
the region. Many folks in the
groups I engaged in at the event
wanted to see more spaces for
sharing intergenerational knowledge and skills, as well as seeing
much more youth engagement.
Overall, I believe events like the
ARC listening sessions are a
good opportunity for communities across the region to come
together and share ideas for the
future as well as discuss issues
concerning the roles organizations have and should play in
shaping the economic landscape
of Appalachia.
Gabby Gillespie, Southwest
V irginia Organizer- Beyond
Coal Campaign
The Cumberland July 2015
page 11
Movie Review: “End of the Line”
together to win seemingly
enerally, enviunwinnable fights, even
ronmental
against multi-billion dollar
documentaries
companies, and to share
follow a pretty stansome insight into the
dard plot...an overview
strategies and methods
of the issue at hand,
that helped communities
details about the polwin here in Kentucky.
luters, followed by a
Most importantly, the
few “gotcha” moments
driving force of the film
exposing the opposiwas to share the story to
tion and, hopefully,
help make the case for a
after a long stuggle, an
global shift towards suseventual victory of the
tainability in energy and
people.
manufacturing.
The new movie,
The End Of The Line
“ The End Of The
is a non-commercial proLine” has all of this,
ject made possible through
but so much more.
the support of The
The film follows a
Louisville Film Society
diverse coalition of
and numerous contribuKentuckians as they
tors and volunteers. The
unite to protect their The early screening of “The End of the Line” was viewed by a packed house, including many of the
land, liberty, and very citizens who were instrumental in stopping the Bluegrass Pipeline.
group has raised enough
lives from the controfunds to finish post-proversial
Bluegrass
duction, but due to the
Pipeline. W hat is so
fact that the early
impressive about the
footage was somewhat
film is its ability to
rougher in quality, there
demonstrate the wide
is still much post-prorange of community
duction to be done. The
represenatives who at
film is still accepting
first approached their
additional contributions
to promote and better
challenges individually,
support the film's release
but over the course of
so that they can reach as
the campaign came
Graphic for “The End of the Line.” See film trailwide an audience as postogether as an effective,
er at http://selluswilder.com
sible. Donations for the
collective and informed
began filming the events at project can still be sent care of
effort to stop the
hand, he had no idea what this the L ouisville Film Society,
pipeline.
movement
against the Bluegrass http://www.louisvillefilm.org.
Local filmmaker
to become. TherePipeline
was
Sellus Wilder started
fore
the
early
footage is somedocumenting the grasswhat
more
crude
in quality.
roots resistance to this
However
the
hope
is that this
hazardous
liquids
For Sale:
can
be
cleaned
up
more with
pipeline in 2013, and “End of the Line” Director Sellus Wilder
Seadoo
Sportster
additional post-production. But
followed the story all
Jet Boat
the success of the documentary
the way through the
rough-cut
is
still
being
masis
the
fact
it
was
able
to
capture,
pipeline's unprecedented defeat
For details and pictures, see:
last summer. After a few months saged, the public had the oppor- both in real time and after the
http://blog.as.uky.edu/allentunity
to
screen
the
movie
to
a
fact,
real
stories
from
the
wide
of editing and follow-up interpage_id=1098.
packed
house
at
the
Muhammad
diversity
of
people
most
affected
views, and with the help of
numerous collaborators and con- Ali Center in Louisville. What is by the pipeline, and how they all
You can also call
tributors, Sellus pulled together a striking about the film is not just came together in a single
859-296-1074
rough cut of a 90-minute fea- the fact that there are the impressive movement.
or write
The goal of the film is to
[email protected].
ture-length film that was pre- inevitable “gotcha” moments, but
the fact there are so many of inspire other communities to
viewed in early June.
W hile the quality of the them. W hen Sellus W ilder recognize that they can stand
Photos by Lane Boldman
G
The Cumberland July 2015
page 12
Upcoming Activities
Featured Outings
To Attend an Outing
Please contact the outing leader. They will provide you with any
additional or updated information on time/location/cancellations,
etc. Outing Leader contact information is included in the listing.
More information and detailed descriptions can be found at
http://kentucky.sierraclub.org/getoutdoors and choose Outing
Calendar in the box on the right. This site will also include new
outings as they are added, so check regularly.
Also check with your local Group’s Chair and Outing Chair for
activities and outings being planned in your area.
July 2015
July 24 (Friday) Louisville Sierra Club
Dinner, 7:00pm. July’s dinner will
be at Queen of Sheba, 2804 Taylorsville Rd. Contact the leader
before noon on Thursday prior to
dinner to allow for accurate reservations. Rating: Easy & delicious.
Leaders: Judy Lyons 585-3806 or
Gloria Kemper-O’Neil 458-5253.
August 2015
August 1 (Saturday) Second Annual
Paddle the Licking R. and Learn
About Mussels, Licking River, Butler, KY. (Rain Date: Saturday, 8/15).
The Licking River is nationally known
for its freshwater mussels. The Commonwealth of KY, and specifically the
Licking River are world hot spots for
freshwater mussels. There are more
freshwater mussels in the State of KY
than in the entire African Continent.
Twenty -six percent of the mussel
species found in the Licking are
endangered. We will be joined by
speaker and tour guide Dr. Monte
McGregor, Aquatic Scientist/Malacologist Kentucky Dept. of Fish &
Wildlife Resources Center for Mollusk
Conservation. During our trip we will
stop to explore one or more shoals
where Dr. McGregor will find and
identify many species of mussels living
in the stream bed, and he’ll talk to us
about how important these creatures
really are as indicators of water quality.
He’ll also provide information about
what he and the Center for Mollusk
Conservation are doing to protect
these important organisms all across
Note to Outings Leaders: Please notify Oscar Geralds ([email protected]) as soon as possible if there are changes that need to be made to your outing.
the Commonwealth. It’s a fascinating
story, and it’s happening right here in
our back yard. Limit: 25 people. Rating: Easy class one paddle, suitable for
people with little or no canoe experience. Leaders: Paul Buelterma, 859371-0028 (home), 513-376-2887
(cell, but try home first),
[email protected]. Jerry Messer,
859-525-8719, [email protected].
August 8 (Saturday) Dayhike, Hemlock
Cliffs, Located just South of English,
Indiana. Hemlock Cliffs is a valley of
special beauty in Southern Indiana. A
cool climate is created by the box
canyon shape, sandstone rock formations and seasonal waterfalls. Unique
trees and plants grow here. This is a
popular destination for people seeking
tranquility. Rating: Easy-Moderate.
Leader: Rick Fowler, 270-635-3188,
[email protected].
August 21 (Friday) Louisville Sierra
Club Dinner, 7:00pm. August’s dinner will be at North End/Highlands
2116 Bardstown Rd.. Contact the
leader before noon on Thursday prior
to dinner to allow for accurate reservations. Rating: Easy & delicious. Leaders: Judy Lyons 585-3806 or Gloria
Kemper-O’Neil 458-5253.
August 22 & 23 (Saturday-Sunday)
Backpack Trip, Big South Fork
National River & Recreation Area,
Jamestown, TN. The trip will be 5-6
miles each day with our campsite down
beside a nice cool creek. Rating:
Strenuous. Leader: Joey Shadowen,
859-492-6373, [email protected].
August 29 (Saturday) Outing Leader
Retreat - “Luxury” Camping, General Butler SRP, Carrolton, KY.
Meet with fellow Outing Leaders to
August 8 (Saturday) Dayhike, Hemlock Cliffs, Located just
South of English, Indiana. Hemlock Cliffs is a valley of special beauty in Southern Indiana. A cool climate is created by
the box canyon shape, sandstone rock formations and seasonal waterfalls. Unique trees and plants grow here. This is a
popular destination for people seeking tranquility. Rating:
Easy-Moderate. Leader: Rick Fowler, 270-635-3188, [email protected].
August 30 (Sunday) Sip and Ride: Bike/Winery/Brewery
Outing, Loveland, Ohio to Morrow, Ohio. A Moderately
Paced Bike Ride. We will ride a little over 24 miles round trip,
primarily on one of the more popular rails-to-trails bike paths
to the Valley Winery where we will sample wines from locally
produced grape and locally brewed beers. A leisurely afternoon for the sometime cyclist who wishes to support a local
businesses. Numbers limited so contact early if you wish to
attend. A helmet must be worn. Rating: Easy, but not suitable for beginners. Leader: Don Becher, (859) 380-8238,
[email protected]. Assistant Leader: David Josko,
[email protected].
exchange tips and tricks, get information and share. Contact the
leader to get details and updates.
Rating: Easy. Leader: Dave Stawicki,
859-293-0712 (home),
[email protected].
August 30 (Sunday) Sip and Ride:
Bike/Winery/Brewery Outing, Loveland, Ohio to Morrow, Ohio. A Moderately Paced Bike Ride. We will ride a
little over 24 miles round trip, primarily
on one of the more popular rails-totrails bike paths to the Valley Winery
where we will sample wines from locally
produced grape and locally brewed
beers. A leisurely afternoon for the
sometime cyclist who wishes to support
a local businesses. Numbers limited so
contact early if you wish to attend. A
helmet must be worn. Rating: Easy,
but not suitable for beginners. Leader:
Don Becher, (859) 380-8238, [email protected]. Assistant Leader:
David Josko, [email protected].
September 2015
September 12 (Saturday) Stargaze,
backyard of a private home in Northern Kentucky. Summer Milky Way
Stargaze hopes to offer views of the
summer Milky Way, some nebulas &
many star clusters. Expect to arrival
by 8pm (before darkness). Rating:
Easy, suitable for beginners. Leader:
John Robbins, 859-363-0376,
[email protected].
September 13 (Sunday) Rib-Ride, a Bike
and Barbecue Outing, Cincinnati/
NKY area. This moderately paced bike
ride begins in the Cincinnati area of
Eliís Ribs, the leader’s absolute favorite
Cincinnati/NKY rib joint. We’ll ride
primarily on bike paths from the area.
Numbers will be limited and helmets
must be worn. Rating: Easy, but not
suitable for beginners. Leader: Don
Becher,
(859)
380-8238,
[email protected]. Assistant Leader:
David Josko, [email protected].
The Cumberland Chapter’s Outings Program exists primarily to make participants aware of the natural areas and resources the Sierra Club works so hard to preserve. Outings provide a valuable source of fun and relaxation. The Cumberland Chapter’s Outings Program is managed by the chapter. Any donations to support this program are
appreciated but not required. Each leader serves in a volunteer capacity. Each participant must get permission from the trip leader to attend the trip. Outings will take place
regardless of weather unless otherwise specified. If you are unable to attend an outing which you have signed up for, please have the courtesy to inform the outings leader
as soon as possible. Pets, smoking, radios and guns are not allowed on trips. Guests and children are always welcome. If you have any questions about our outings program,
or publicizing any outings, please contact the Cumberland Chapter Outings Chair Dave Stawicki at 859-293-0712 or [email protected]. Happy Trails!!!