Serving the concerned citizens of Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Independence, Izard, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Newton, Pike, Polk, Pope, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, and Yell Counties.

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Wed. Feb. 27: GENERAL MEETING

Janine Parry of BuildSmart will lead a discussion of the environmental aspects of the siting of Fayetteville High School. We start at 7:00 pm at Smilin' Jack's, on School Street just south of Dickson. Excellent local food is available.

CONSERVATION AWARDS BANQUET Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008

The Arkansas Chapter of the Sierra Club presented its annual Conservation Awards Banquet in Fayetteville on Saturday, Feb. 16. The guest speaker was RITA HARRIS from the Sierra Club’s national Environmental Justice Program. Rob Leflar was M.C.

“Our annual Conservation Awards Banquet is a time for us to recognize the outstanding environmental work taking place all across Arkansas,” said Adrienne Shaunfield, Chapter Chair. “During the past year, the Sierra Club has been proud to work closely with a number of terrific people, groups, and businesses who have our environment in mind. On Saturday, we’ll salute many of them for their great work.”

Here are the awardees:

Public Forum: Gas Drilling in the Fayetteville Shale Formation, Jan. 23 2008

A public forum titled “Environmental Considerations on Gas Drilling in the Fayetteville Shale Formation” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23 in the School of Law Courtroom on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. This event, co-sponsored by Arkansas Chapter of Sierra Club and League of Women Voters of Washington County, is open to the public and free of charge.
 
Panelists will include Lawrence Bengal, Director of the Arkansas Oil & Gas Commission; James Bradbury, a Fort Worth Texas attorney with an Arkansas background who is working with surface owners on the Bartlett Shale Play development; Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, who will be teleconferencing from Boulder, Colo.; state Rep. Betty Pickett, an Arkansas legislator representing an active gas drilling district near Conway; and Eric Stagg, a landowner with two well operations near Clinton, Ark. Industry representatives also have been invited to attend.
                
The forum presents an opportunity to learn about the gas drilling bonanza in central Arkansas and its environmental and economic impact. Reference materials on the subject are available on the League of Women Voters of Washington County web page, www.lwvarwc.org.  For information, contact Rob Leflar of the Sierra Club at 479-575-2709 or Joyce Hale of the League at 479-527-2777.

Burn haze at Boxley Church (top photo) and Kingston Square (bottom photo) Sunday April 3rd, 2005. The haze is the result of a prescribed burn at the Big Eddy on the Mulberry River, about 35 miles away.

LATEST NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

• US Forest Service Releases Draft Management Plans for Ozark-St Francis and Ouachita National Forests These forests make up the bulk of our public land in Arkansas and the comment period is underway! Now is your opportunity to provide input and influence management of our public land. Support the Citizen's Forest Plan which seeks to stop harmful forest practices and provide management responsive to public and scientific opinion. [Listed February 11, 2005]

• 'Controlled Burns' are BACK! The fires have started again with no specific public notification whatsoever! The only information available is either during or after the fact. People need to know! All forest users, especially those with respiratory problems, need this information. Call the Forest Service at (479) 968-2354 and ask for information on upcoming prescription burns - dates, locations, and acreage impacted on public lands. Call your senator or congressional representative and ask for the same information. Support the Citizen's Forest Plan.

• Trail Maintenance Volunteer Hikes to Begin at the Buffalo National River - Beginning January 15th, volunteers will be able to take part in a series of hikes for learning and helping to maintain trails at the Buffalo National River. Trail tools and training will be provided by National Park Service Trail Supervisor Jeremy Curtis and long-time volunteers Bill Bates and Ken Smith. Anyone is welcome to take part. Trail maintenance will include pruning overhanging limbs, removing fallen trees and limbs, and re-shaping trail walkways where damaged by erosion. Overall, the Saturday hikes will provide an opportunity to visit trails throughout the area around Steel Creek, while learning how to maintain them in National Park Service Standards. Volunteers will meet at Steel Creek Ranger Station (near Ponca) by 9:30 AM Saturday mornings, weather permitting. Volunteers need to wear sturdy clothes and hiking shoes or boots, have work gloves, and bring a daypack with lunch and drinking water. The Trail maintenance hikes will end at about 4 pm. For those wanting to spend the entire weekend at the Buffalo River, free campsites are available at Steel Creek. Further information is available from Bill Bates (417) 887-0145 or email Cindy and Bill Bates, Ken Smith (479) 443-4098, or Jeremy Curtis (870) 439-2088 or email Jeremy.

• NEWSLETTERS -
  • Ozark Headwaters Group's
  • Sierra Club Arkansas Chapter's
• DAILY SCOOP - The latest on the environmental beat.
• PRESS ROOM - From the National Offices
• POLITICS and ELECTIONS - From the National Offices

LOCAL OUTINGS and EVENTS

LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES         Watchdog Contacts

• Ozark and Ouchita National Forests Management
  • Controlled Burning in the Ozark National Forest by the U.S. Forest Service
• Sierra Club Analysis of U.S.Forest Service Rational for Conductiong Massive Burning Programs in the Ouachita and Ozark National Forests: The Conclusions Do Not Fit the Facts
• Boss Hollow and Burn Appeals
• Citizen's Forest Plan
• Roadless Forest Protections Repealed by Bush Administration
  • Keep the Roadless Rule Intact - Take Action
• Waste Management
  • Waste Management Inc. Tontitown Landfill (WMTL)
• Solid Waste Management Plan for Northwest Arkansas
• Water Quality
  • Clean Water and Factory Farms: Keep Animal Waste Out of Our Waters - Stop Factory Farm Pollution
  • Clean Water and Factory Farms: Corporate Hogs the Public Trough
• Illinois River Water Pollution
• Poultry Litter
• Wetlands
  • Wilson Springs

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES         Watchdog Contacts

• #1 Environmental Concern: The Bush - Cheney Administration

• Clean Air
• Clean Water
• Ecoregions
• Environmental Education
• Environmental Justice
• Factory Farms
• Genetic Engineering
• Global Population
• Grazing
• Human Rights
• International
• Marine Wildlife and Habitat
• Nuclear Waste
• Protect National Forests
• Responsible Trade
• Species and Habitat
• Stop Sprawl
• Stop Global Warming
• Sustainable Consumption
• Toxics
• Trash Transfer
• Transporation
• Wetlands
• Wildlands Campaign

POINTS of INTEREST

• Recycling in Northwest Arkansas
• Resources for Educators
• Arkansas State and Local Government Agencies and Offices

ARKANSAS SIERRA CLUB CONSERVATION AWARDS ("Woody Awards")

OHG OFFICERS and COMMITTEES

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