Sierra Club
Newsletter

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Issue of the Planet Kansas
TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Calendars for Kansas Craig Wolfe
• Seward Co. Rejects Corporage Hogs Craig Volland
• The Value of Outings Jeff Pierce
• Citizens to Fight Mega Hog Farms Craig Volland
• Kansas Dept of Wildlife & Parks DeEtte Huffman
• Judge Halts S. Lawrence Trafficway Charles Benjamin
• Rolling Down the River Festival Jack Rawlings
• Governor's Surface Water Commission Charles Benjamin
• Wichita Moms Save Drinking Water Bill Cather
• Water and Toxics Terry Shistar
• Big Muddy News Karen Uhlenhuth
• Body Awakening/Earth Awakening Diane Tegtmeier
• Jo Co Citizens' Visioning Com Report Diane Stewart
• Flint Hills Group Doings James E. Sherow
• Mo River Coalition Meets Army Corps Bill Griffith & Greg Bryant
• Surface Transportation in 21st Century Wayne Sangster
• Sustainable Development Wayne Sangster
• Utility Deregulation Comes to Kansas Bill Griffith
• Tallgrass Plan Asks for Suggestions Iralee Barnard
• Kanza Newza Tom Thompson
• Chapter & Group Officers
• General Meetings
• Committee Meetings
• Sierra Club Outings
• Sierra Club Calendar

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Calendars for Kansas

Chapter Kicks Off New Fundraiser… Get Involved!!

By Craig Wolfe

Our Kansas Chapter has been searching for new and successful fundraising ideas so that we can keep our superb lobbying efforts in high gear. As you know, we have been blessed with back to back primo lobbyists… first, Bill Craven, and now Charles Benjamin. We have decided to take a lesson from the efforts of our calendar guru Craig Lubow in Kansas City and try to incubate his successes through out the state.

The idea is simple. All it takes is someone who has access to groups of people, like your place of work, your social club, your school… anywhere that your can offer our calendars for sale. Here is how it works… 1) We give you our Calendar Kit. This includes a sample of each calendar we have for sale. 2) We give you order forms listing the calendars and their prices. 3) You take orders, collect checks, and send the orders in. 4) We send you the calendars to distribute. Craig has made in profit from $500 - $1,000 each year. If we could multiply that by 20 or 40 folks, we would have a real fundraiser on our hands!!

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Seward County Citizens Soundly Reject Corporate Hog Factories

By Craig Volland

In a startling display of grassroots organizing, citizens of Liberal, Ks. and Seward County overwhelmingly approved a ballot question calling for the repeal of a 1994 County Commission resolution that approved corporate hog farming. The margin of victory was 72% to 28%. This margin is remarkable in the face of the massive campaign conducted by the opposition, mainly Seaboard Farms, Inc., who was proposing to raise 500,000 pigs at eight complexes in the county. Seaboard executives were even reported to have gone door to door. Seaboard promised to invest $75 million in the county including the construction of a new feed mill.

Just 19 hours before the vote, the Attorney General issued an opinion that this election was advisory and not binding on the county commissioners. However, at press time, citizens expressed confidence that the commissioners would heed the will of the people and vote to rescind the resolution approving corporate hogs. In 20 counties since 1994, 37,573 Kansas citizens have voted against corporate hog farming and only 14,758 have voted for it. The Kansas Legislature and the Governor would also be wise to take heed of these results.

The Wichita Eagle quoted one citizen as saying, "We're just trying to protect our property rights, and just our ability to go outside and enjoy our property." It seems that mega hog factories have helped put the "takings" issue to rest nationwide. While it is incumbent on environmentalists to avoid unduly restricting people's use of their own property, a real takings is when you've invested everything into your farm and home and somebody plops down a hog factory next door.

Our admiration of these citizens also extends to our own Legislative Director, Charles Benjamin, who was in frequent contact with the Seward County citizens group. Charles dispensed campaign advice based on his 30 years of experience in politics, including 16 years as a county commissioner, and his 15 years of experience as a professional political scientist.

Seward County citizens are not quite out of the woods, though. They still face the same threat as other counties from Murphy Farms, Inc. the nations largest hog producer. Murphy is claiming it's a family farm and exempt from our corporate farming law. However, even before the election, Byron Bird, one of the group's leaders, stated that they would approach both the county commission and state legislature about setting up strict zoning laws.

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The Value of Outings

By Jeff Pierce Kanza Group Outings Chair

As summer nears its end, my thoughts turn to the outdoors. Not that summer is bad for getting out, but with the hot weather and insects at their peak, it makes for a less comfortable time to be outside. This is when I look forward to the frosty nights and warm days of fall and the Sierra Club outings that accompany them. Whether you enjoy multi-day backpacking or just an easy day hike on a paved trail, we have outings to meet a wide range of abilities and interests.

The reasons why we venture outdoors are as varied as the individuals that comprise our membership. My own reasons include the seeking of both companionship and solitude, getting exercise for the body and rest for the mind, enjoying fresh air and confronting foul weather, identifying plant and animal life, observing and photographing beautiful scenery, stargazing on clear nights, and practicing outdoor skills such as route finding and map reading. There is also the lasting enjoyment to be gained from telling "outings stories," often involving a misadventure from a prior outing.

Even if none of these reasons existed, I would still seek the outdoors. I venture out to get away from the human landscape. I must be periodically reminded that we live in a fundamentally artificial and human-centered world, and those places do exist where human activity does not play a major role. Wendell Berry refers to these as "excellent examples," standards by which we can measure how far we have deviated. Upon my return I find myself renewed with the conviction to not let one-ounce of it get needlessly destroyed. This usually results in a letter to my congressperson.

Regardless of your own reasons for getting outside, the Sierra Club provides outings to help you enhance your enjoyment of the outdoors. We take care of the nitty-gritty stuff like planning and deciding where to go. All you have to do is show up and have fun. Nothing could be easier! Look for our schedule in this publication, and I hope to see you on an upcoming outing.

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Citizens To Mount Legal Challenge To Mega Hog Factory

By Craig Volland

Families Against Corporate Takeover (FACT), a coalition of citizens from Hodgeman and surrounding counties, has retained public interest attorneys Bob Eye and John Carter to challenge efforts by Murphy Farms, Inc. to build a 14,000 sow mega hog factory in Hodgeman County. This would be the first in a network of hog factories Murphy plans for Hodgeman, Rush, Lane, Ness and Finney counties if they can overcome citizen opposition. Murphy Farms is the nation's largest hog producer with headquarters in North Carolina

In April of this year citizens of Hodgeman County voted to ban corporate hog farming despite heavy campaigning by Murphy Farms Inc. Despite their oft quoted statement that they "never go where they aren't wanted," the company decided to claim the family farm exemption to the corporate farming statute and to proceed anyway in Hodgeman County. The language governing the exemption is ambiguous. However, in August the State Attorney General issued an opinion that Murphy qualifies as a family farm in Kansas. Attorneys for the Kansas Chapter of the Sierra Club, who have been following developments closely, note that the primary basis for this opinion is simply Murphy's statement, issued through their local attorney, that they qualify.

Attorneys for FACT intend to challenge the proposed Hodgeman facility on at least two grounds. First, that the AG's opinion is incorrect and Murphy should be bound by the April vote, and secondly on technical grounds relating to the site and permit application. Although certain other circumstances pertain in the other counties, FACT's legal effort is very important to all citizens of the state. If Murphy succeeds here they can go into any of Kansas's 105 counties including 18 that have banned corporate hog factories.

Meanwhile state House Majority Leader, Robin Jennison is leading a delegation of legislators to North Carolina on October 16. They will meet with state and local officials, hog producers and local residents. Included is a tour of Murphy Farms' facilities. Last month Mr. Jennison expressed his support for corporate farming in Kansas.

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Agency Watch - Kansas Department Of Wildlife & Parks

by E. DeEtte Huffman

FUNDING FOR STATE PARKS

The problems facing KDWP on funding for state parks are serious because we do not have a Legislature with any commitment to even properly maintain its park system to say nothing of improving it. I made two visits to Oklahoma State Parks (Sequoia Bay and Roman Nose) this summer where hiking trails, swimming, horseback riding, mountain biking to mention a just a few activities were outstanding. Compared to state parks in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas, Kansas’ parks offer minimal amenities even though the natural settings are outstanding. For those who do not camp, being able to stay at a motel in a park or in one of their cabins at a reasonable rate is desirable. The food at the restaurants at the state parks mentioned above was excellent and inexpensive. These types of settings make for enjoyable family retreats and reunions.

The economic fact is that money is lost for the state when people go to parks in adjoining states because the facilities in Kansas are so inadequate. The state must make a commitment to maintaining its parks as Arkansas has recently done when its voters passed a constitutional amendment providing a one-eighth cent sales tax to the park system. Kansas needs full funding for its parks.

Secretary Williams would like to see the Legislature dedicate a portion of the current sales tax to Wildlife & Parks in order to provide a consistent source of funding without increasing the sales tax. An alternative option Williams would accept would be for the Legislature to float ten million dollars in bonds to stop the deterioration of facilities, purchase new equipment, increase handicap accessibility and construct new facilities as needed. Less dependence on the Kansas Legislature for state park funding is a worthy goal considering that the legislature has chosen in the past to do as little as possible to improve our park system. An annual camping permit is being requested by some vocal camping enthusiasts allowing more legislative control.

The new 14-day permit system allows KDWP to break even. In 1996, the year this system was established, 596 14-day permits were sold while in 1997, 2779 were sold. At least five years’ results are needed before making any changes such as the proposed reinstitution of the old annual camping fee that will be capped by the Legislature at $100 per year. This is a ridiculous when you consider that in 1996 it was estimated that the actual cost to operate a campsite was $500 per year. Folks who don’t use state parks should be concerned about that give-away to those who do use the parks.

MAJOR CHANGES IN THE THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES STATUTE (H.B.2361)

1. The Secretary is not permitted to add or remove a species from the Threatened, Endangered, or Species in Need of Conservation lists without first having a public informational meeting which coincides with the scientific review conducted outside Department. This process is required both for actions resulting from a 5-year review of the lists and upon the petition of an interested person. The working group drafted procedural guidelines to address this requirement.
2. The Secretary is required to conduct a review of the listed species every five years, except for those species listed pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The Secretary is required to submit any proposed change to the lists to various parties as outlined in the bill. This directive does not require regulatory action and is addressed in the procedural guidelines.
3. The Secretary is required, on or before January 1, 1998, to adopt rules and regulations establishing procedures for developing and implementing recovery plans for all species listed in need of conservation, threatened, or endangered. The bill requires the Secretary to begin implementation of recovery plans for at least two species on or before January 1, 1999, based on a priority ranking. New regulation 115-15-4 has been drafted to establish recovery plan procedures while "Recovery Plan Ranking Criteria" is the draft procedure for prioritizing recovery plan development.
4. The Secretary is required to establish a volunteer local advisory committee composed of members representative of the area affected by the addition of a species to the threatened or endangered species list. An advisory committee is required for SINC species if the priority ranking determines a need for recovery plan development. The committee will work with the Secretary to adapt the listing of the species and the recovery plan to the social and economic conditions of the affected area and also to disseminate information. New regulation 115-15-4 incorporates this requirement.
5. The bill outlines types of conservation agreements which the Secretary may enter into with federal agencies, other state agencies, political subdivisions, or private persons for conservation of threatened, endangered, or SINC species. Although not limited to these specific programs, the bill identifies preexisting conservation agreements, safe harbor agreements, and no take agreements. The bill requires the initial term of any conservation agreement to be five years. Since regulatory action is not required for this directive, "Landowner Agreements Concerning Threatened, Endangered, or SINC Species" was drafted to establish Department guidelines and procedures.
6. The bill allows two types of tax credits for a taxpayer whose real property is designated by the Secretary as critical habitat for a listed species and which is included in a signed conservation agreement with the Department. Agreements will specify the land management activities agreed to by the landowner and will be based on practices identified in an adopted recovery plan. Regulatory action is not required for this directive.
7. The Secretary is required to adopt rules and regulations establishing guidelines prescribed in the Operational Directive of the Secretary (established Jan. 18, 1996) as the guidelines for law enforcement action and permit requirements, related to listed species, based on a determination of intent as it relates to lawful activities associated with normal farming and ranching practices, and activities related to development of residential and commercial property on privately owned property financed with private, nonpublic funds. Modified regulation 115-15-3 incorporates these requirements.

PRAIRIE SPIRIT TRAIL

Bid letting by KDWP is underway for construction of the second phase (17 miles) of trail from Ottawa to Richmond. Kansas Wildscape Foundation helped Ottawa Friends group raise $32,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to match EDIF and federal ISTEA funds for completion of the trail.

MILFORD LAKE WETLANDS RESTORATION

KDWP is currently reviewing the feasibility study completed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the proposed 2,3000 acre wetlands restoration at north end of Milford Reservoir and if all partners agree to proceed, Wildscape will raise 25% non-federal matching funds for this five million dollar project.

NEXT COMMISSION MEETING

To be held at Municipal Building in Beloit on November 19 at 1:30 p.m. and reconvening at 7:00 p.m. for the evening session.

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Judge Halts South Lawrence Trafficway

by Charles Benjamin, Legislative Coordinator

On July 17, U.S. District Judge Thomas Van Bebber issued a permanent injunction against Douglas County and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) prohibiting them from taking any action and expending any funds on the eastern leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway (SLT) until the completion of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Plaintiffs in this case included Jason Daniels, a Kansas University student and president of K.U. Environs (a campus environmental group), Pemina Yellow Bird, Anjanette Bitsie, Stanley Ross and Thomasine Ross, students and alumni of Haskell Indian Nations University.

The legal issue in the case centered around whether Douglas County and KDOT could "segment" the SLT by claiming that the eastern leg of the SLT, which as planned cuts across the Haskell -Baker University Wetlands, would not be constructed with federal funds and thus negating the necessity of completing a SEIS. Plaintiff’s attorneys, Bruce Plenk and Bob Eye, showed that the SLT was conceived as one federal "demonstration" project and therefore completion of the eastern leg of the roadway could not proceed until the SEIS was completed.

The court agreed with the plaintiffs and called the segmentation argument an "after the fact rationalization." Since this is a case of "first impression" on the legal issues raised, Douglas County and KDOT have announced their intention to appeal Judge Van Bebber’s ruling to the 10^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a process that all parties expect will take from one to two years.

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Rolling Down the River Festival

Kaw River Float - Sept. 20^th & 21^st, 1997

by Jackie Rawlings

Rolling Down the River became a reality on September 20 and 21 on the Kansas River from Manhattan to Wamego. This event was the first of its kind on this stretch of the Kaw. It was sponsored by Friends of the Kaw, Kansas Canoe Association, Flint Hills Group of the Sierra Club, and Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society. The float trip complimented other activities of the Rolling Down the River Festival, organized by the Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance. The Kaw River Float Trip was beautifully organized by river enthusiast, T.J. Hittle. The purpose of the event was to promote awareness of the many qualities and ecology of the Kansas River and of the need for better public access to our publicly owned Kansas River. For those who participated it became almost painfully obvious that the need is there.

What a success it was!! The weather started out chilly and rainy but both days turned out to be perfect days to be on the river. Of course, for some of us, any day is a perfect day to be on the river. We had an excellent turn out with 55 canoes/kayaks and nearly 100 participants from all over Kansas and parts of Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma over the two day-floats. Dignitaries that were registered for the event included KS Senator Oleen, KS Representative Glasscock, employees and representatives from several State and Federal agencies. All who were there had a great time and came away more enlightened about the river. The Kansas River really is beautiful and deserves to be maintained and enjoyed by all Midwesterners.

The Kansas Legislature in the upcoming 1998 session will again have the opportunity to authorize nearly 1% of the taxpayer generated $16 million Superfund called the Water Plan Fund to help provide a start toward public accesses on the Kansas River. The Water Plan Fund has supported Recreation in its Legislative mandate, but has failed to act on adequate funding over the years since its inception. Considering the support again this year from the Kansas Water Authority, the Governor, the many State agencies involved, and the people of Kansas, we all hope the KS Legislature will move ahead on this great Recreational and Tourism need for all Kansans.

Many people, organizations, and agencies deserve a big thank you for the help they gave toward this event. It could not have happened without the total effort that was made. I know T.J. has thanked many of them personally. The Cities of Manhattan and Wamego and Corps of Engineers at Tuttle Reservoir were very cooperative but biggest round of applause goes to St. George, KS. They did their best to make an awful river access accessible. They opened their City Hall for bathroom facilities, and served ice water, tea, and lemonade at the take out. They truly went the extra mile to make us feel welcome. Thank you to the people of St. George.

The biggest thank you needs to go to T.J. Hittle. Without his many hours of organization, this event would not have happened.

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Governor’s Surface Water Quality Commission Meeting Around the State

by Charles Benjamin, Legislative Coordinator

H.B. 2368, passed during the 1997 Kansas legislative session, calls for the creation of a "special commission on surface water quality standards." The legislation was promoted by an alliance that included agribusiness interests, a small group of municipalities and salt producers. Agribusiness interests want to prevent the implementation of a 1 part per billion atrazine standard for certain designated streams, which they claim will mean the elimination of atrazine use in Kansas and subsequent loss of income due to decreased crop yields. The EPA considers atrazine a possible human carcinogen and there is credible scientific evidence showing atrazine to be an endocrine system disrupter.

Atrazine, because it is an herbicide, destroys the plant habitat required for the survival of certain aquatic life. The municipalities, notably Ft. Scott, Topeka and Johnson County, have aging wastewater treatment facilities and refuse to tax their residents in order to implement the 1994 standards for ammonia pollution under the federal Clean Water Act. Ammonia, a byproduct of urine, is toxic to aquatic life.

In contrast, forward thinking cities like Wichita undertook to upgrade their wastewater treatment facilities several years ago to meet the 1994 ammonia criteria, resulting in dramatic improvements to water quality in the Arkansas River. Salt producers, especially in the Reno County area, are polluting the tributaries to the Arkansas River and who do not want to see the 1994 chloride criteria implemented.

The Water Quality Commission has thus far held hearings in Topeka, Ft. Scott, Manhattan, Hutchinson, and Olathe. They have heard presentations by the representatives of agribusiness, municipal and salt producers making the case for lowering water quality standards on ammonia, atrazine and chlorides. They have also heard from representatives from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the requirements of the law.

While the first two meetings of the Commission were clearly biased toward the point of view of the polluters, pressure from the Audubon representative and myself has resulted in subsequent meetings including testimony calling for a strengthening of the standards and compliance with the law. Future meetings of the Commission will be held in Topeka, October 14, on atrazine pollution and in Great Bend, October 21, on fecal coliform pollution. There will also be a meeting on November 18, in a site to be announced, to discuss risk-benefit analysis as it relates to water quality standards. On November 25 the Commission will start a series of work sessions to draft a preliminary report to the legislature due by the end of December. A final report is due by the end of June 1998.

You can present testimony to the Commission either in person, during the public comment period held during each meeting of the Commission, or by sending it in writing to the Commission chairman, Jim Triplett, Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas 66762. The documents and testimony presented to the Commission are available in the form of a public docket. For information about accessing the docket, as well as updates on where and when the Commission is meeting, contact Jamie Clover Adams, Office of the Governor, State Capitol, Topeka, Kansas 66612, telephone (785) 296-1773. You may also contact me by mail, telephone, fax or e-mail and I will be glad to update you on the Commission hearings. (Benjamin contact information on page 2)

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Wichita Moms Save Drinking Water

By Bill Cather

Is drinking sewage okay? Some communities are considering it because water is in short supply. They clean it up, of course. Wichita has not tried to drink its sewage, but came very close to drinking the leachate from its dump.

It all started when KDHE discovered that the Brooks Landfill in Wichita, Kansas was leaking. Water wells located across the Arkansas River, on the opposite side of the landfill, were already becoming contaminated. When this problem became evident, Wichita was required by KDHE to clean up the pollution. This included bringing the ground water, which had been contaminated by leachate from the dump, up to the EPA maximum contamination level (MCL), for drinking water.

City chemists believed that the known contaminants mostly violate organic compounds (VOC), could be air stripped. Air stripping consists of bubbling air through the water so that oxygen will break down these VOCs into different types of molecules. The "air-stripped" water would then be diluted with clean water, making it the drinkable. Thus, "the solution to pollution is dilution".

Wichita may have a water shortage twenty years from now. At this point in time, there is no water shortage; thus the City of Wichita feels that no viable conservation effort is necessary. It was however, a stroke of sheer economic genius that occurred next. It may be expensive to remedy the contaminated groundwater as mandated by KDHE, but the city decided to sell the remediated leachate to its own municipal monopoly corporation, the Water Department, thus recoup the financial loss. This almost sounds like recycling, doesn’t it?

Some folks in Wichita wonder if anyone really knows what is in the leachate from the dump. Everything in Wichita has been thrown into the dump... paint, pesticides and mercury. The list is endless. The City must monitor all the pollution it knows about, but they don’t have to test for unknown compounds. This is the problem.

The City was unable, or unwilling, to tell citizens even what chemicals would be tested.

The matter was brought to the Wichita City Council in October, 1996, with no publicity or public awareness. The author, however, was a City Council member. A very heated debate followed and the council voted 6 to 1, NOT to put the allegedly remediated leachate, into the drinking water supply. As soon as I was off the council, June 3, 1997, the topic was reconsidered, again without publicity. In fact, I was the only citizen to speak for, or against, the proposal. When the motion was passed, it then received publicity in our local newspaper.

A Sunday school class, at the East Heights United Methodist Church, read about it. This Sunday school class consisted mostly of young mothers concerned about their children and those of their fellow human beings. These young mothers decided to put on a demonstration at City Hall, with their toddlers carrying signs, like "I’m not a lab rat", etc.

Pam Herbert, a mother with a chemistry degree, realized the City was exposing children to certain dangers by releasing this air treated leachate into the water supply. After the demonstration, the Mayor, who has been friendly to environmental ideals, led the council to reconsider the issue. It took courage on his part to reverse this course. The City staff next tried to use a little public relations to show that the "Moms" were just emotional and they didn’t know how much you can trust your local government. But the moms didn’t back down. They lead another big demonstration. Sierra Club members played a quiet roll in this, as did other community environmental leaders. Without a doubt, however, it was the moms who got Mayor Bob Knight’s sympathetic ear. The matter was considered a third time and on July 22, 1997, the Mayor killed the project, vowing it would not come up again, "as long as I am Mayor."

Sierra Club sincerely thanks the Moms.

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Water and Toxics

Matters of Life and Death

By Terry Shistar

Ecology and Water Quality

We now have a Water Quality Commission judging the soundness of the science that supports the Kansas surface water quality standards—the regulations that define protected uses of the state’s streams, lakes, and wetlands and establish criteria to protect those uses. Only one member of that commission is trained in ecology, yet the ecology of these aquatic systems is crucial.

Don Huggins of the Kansas Biological Survey told the Commission at a recent meeting in Hutchinson that effects on ecosystems are much more complex than effects on individual species. Most of our limits on allowable concentrations of toxic materials in water are based on tests performed on single species. But when it comes to effects on ecosystems, Huggins said, interactions are much more important than effects on individual species.

Atrazine example

One example is the effect of atrazine on fish. Atrazine is relatively non-toxic to fish. If you put fish in a tank with atrazine, it takes more to kill them than you are likely to see in runoff from a field. But atrazine doesn’t exert its strongest effects directly on fish. Atrazine is a herbicide—it is designed to kill plants. Very low concentrations of atrazine in water kill or inhibit the growth of both macrophytes—larger plants—and algae. Algae provide the food for the small animals that in turn feed most fish. Macrophytes are even more important. The underwater surfaces of these plants provide anchorage for algae that require a solid substrate. Those algae, in turn, provide food for invertebrate grazers, again fish food.

Most importantly, however, macrophytic plants form an underwater jungle in which young fish can hide from predators—most notably their parents. In experiments in which atrazine killed the aquatic macrophytes, bluegill reproduction was totally halted—not because of the direct toxicity to the fish, but because the refuge from predation was eliminated.

Toxic Dinoflagellates

An even more complex example was uncovered by Joann Burkholder, an aquatic biologist at the North Carolina State University. Pfisteria piscicida is a single-celled organism that has been implicated in half the major fish kills in North Carolina’s estuaries and coastal waters. Pfisteria is always present in those waters, but only under certain conditions does it become dangerous.

When Pfisteria detects certain chemicals excreted by fish, the dinoflagellate is stimulated to grow and produce a toxin that affects the nervous system of fish—and people. In order for the chemicals excreted by the fish to be detected by Pfisteria, they must accumulate in the water, so outbreaks occur in slowly moving water. This slowly moving water also allows the toxin secreted by the dinoflagellate to accumulate. The affected fish are slowed or killed, which allows Pfisteria to attack the skill and eat the fish.

The toxin released by Pfisteria has been linked to symptoms in people ranging from asthma-like affects on breathing, numbing or tingling in hands and feet, to burning eyes, stomach cramping, nausea and vomiting, and development of slowly healing sores. Researchers who worked with the organism in a laboratory suffered short-term memory loss and impaired ability to think and reason. It is suspected to affect the immune system, as well.

Pfisteria has a complex life cycle that includes at least 24 different flagellated, amoeba-like, or encysted forms. When it is not stimulated to produce the toxin and attack fish, it makes its living by eating bacteria, algae, and small animals. The dinoflagellate grows especially well in algal blooms stimulated by nutrient over-enrichment—at sewage outfalls, discharges of fertilizer plants, and in run-off from feedlots.

Fish kills resulting from Pfisteria are therefore an indirect result of pollution by nutrients. These nutrients do not kill fish themselves, but set in motion a process that is nonetheless deadly. While Pfisteria piscicida is not known to occur in Kansas, at least one other toxic dinoflagellate with a similarly complex life cycle has been found in Melvern Lake.

It is important that when we establish standards to protect the ability of our surface waters to support aquatic life that we consider not only the direct toxic effects, but also the indirect effects on the aquatic ecosystem.

More information on Pfisteria piscicida is available through the World Wide Web at:

http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/project/aquatic_botany/pfiest.html.

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Big Muddy News

By Karen Uhlenhuth

Next time you motor east on Interstate 70, check out the low-lying expanse of ground just west of the Missouri River and Boonville. You own most of that. For years, row crops were planted there. But the flood of ‘93 dumped a huge load of sand on this bottomland, rendering agriculture much more difficult.

The Army Corps of Engineers purchased 5,000 acres of the area, which is known as Overton Bottoms. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 300 acres. Between them, they own all of the land north of the highway, and a portion of that to the south.

Exciting developments are afoot. The Corps has broken the levee on the north, so that the river will inundate it periodically. They hope to reopen two old river channels that were closed by previous Corps management actions. They also hope to construct a third channel. The Corps is currently working on a comprehensive plan to develop the area into wetland habitat. Construction is not likely to begin until 1999.

Farther north, adjacent top Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., the Corps owns another patch of low-lying ground along the Missouri River known as Benedictine Bottoms. Because the 2,000 acres lie on the dry side of the levee, they have installed three wells so they can keep some of the area wet. They recently planted 300,000 trees and shrubs. Soon, they will sign an agreement with the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks, which will then manage the area.

Two professors from Benedictine College have surveyed the area and found a great increase in the number of species living there. A dedication is likely in the spring.

Good things are happening along the Big Muddy!

If you would like to contribute to the momentum, you can join the Missouri River Coalition, a group of environmentalists and others who are working to restore the river’s natural attributes, and to create more wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

(See field trip and meeting listings below for events.)

The Coalition also has a 40-minute slide show about the river’s history and current challenges. We would like to show it to interested audiences such as civic groups, churches, school classes. If you know of a group that might be interested, please call Karen Uhlenhuth in K.C. at 816-561-1371.

Field trip and meeting listings:

Sat-Sun, Oct. 4-5 - meeting of the Missouri River Coalition in Sioux City, Iowa. Members from throughout the river basin and professional staff from the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington D.C. will discuss efforts to improve management and habitat along the river. For details, call Karen Uhlenhuth at 561-1371.

Saturday, Oct. 11 - Big Muddy Field Trip Series. Guided tour of Benedictine Bottoms, a newly created wetland habitat along the Missouri River near Atchison, Kan. For details, call Karen Uhlenhuth at 561-1371.

Saturday, Oct. 18 - Big Muddy Field Trip Series. Canoe a stretch of the Missouri River near Jefferson City, accompanied by Missouri Department of Conservation staffers. Bring your own boat, or use one of a limited number supplied by MDC. Eight hours on the water. Trip hinges on river conditions. For details, call Karen Uhlenhuth at 561-1371.

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Body Awakening/Earth Awakening

By Diane Tegtmeier

"It may be that the new ‘environmental ethic’...will come into existence...through a rejuvenation of our carnal, sensorial empathy with the living land that sustains us." - David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous

After a decade of full-time environmental activism, my lower back alerted me to the imbalance in my own inner ecology. I was trying to create on the outside what I failed to see was needed in my own body. My love for the Earth hovered somewhere between my heart and my head, with my mouth often in overdrive. The part of me that was "right on the issues" was all I knew, and of course I knew who was wrong and why. The sensuous and spiritual components of environmentalism occupied fragmented and marginal regions of my consciousness.

During the last 15 years, I’ve gradually come to experience my home - my body and the Earth - in ways I never thought possible. My body home reveals a rich complexity of stories, each calling attention to parts of me that formerly lay hidden, alienated and often at war with each other. As I awakened to my body, I could see, hear, touch, smell and taste the Earth with an intimacy unavailable in the textbooks that guided my undergraduate study of science. The Earth reciprocated with stories of her own. To experience ourselves as beings of the Earth, to feel that intimacy, placed environmental awareness in a perspective that is at once mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

In David Abram’s new book, I found an eloquent voice for part of what I have been experiencing. "To touch the coarse skin of a tree is thus, at the same time, to experience one’s own tactility, to feel oneself touched by the tree." He goes on to say, "We might as well say that we are organs of the world, flesh of its flesh, and that the world is perceiving itself through us". The sensory reciprocity he writes of is what I believe grounds our spirituality and our activism. It takes us out of ego-based activism to act as "an organ of the world".

Work in subtle energy practice, which is "the knowledgeable and purposeful use of the energy field that surrounds and penetrates the human body for healing and growth of consciousness", facilitated this awakening for me. By bringing our awareness to the human energy field, we contact that which connects us to all life. The practice includes a number of activities that bring higher vibrations of energy deep into the body: touch, color, sound, meditation, movement, and ceremony. I’ve been studying this healing practice for over seven years and integrating it with my private social work practice.

I’ve designed a series of workshops, entitled Body Awakening/Earth Awakening to bring my study and work in physiology, ecology, psychology and spirituality together to assist others in discovering the wilderness within. I believe that our continued evolution depends on healing the rifts within ourselves and bridging the gap between humans and the Earth.

Part One of this series is called "Our Story: Humans and the Earth" in which we will trace the relationship between humans and the earth during our co-evolution to embrace the choices we face as a species of the Earth. We will do this with stories from our body and from the Earth revealed through individual and group exercises in a natural setting. Readings from people like Duane Elgin (Awakening Earth: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness) and David Abram will offer a context for our experience. The workshop invites participants to enter into the history of their bodies and the Earth to discover parts of themselves that ask for attention and can energize growth and healing. We will discover how humans and the Earth have evolved together to the point where we can now more fully appreciate the mysteries of science and spirit. We hope to cultivate a more sensuous relationship with all of nature as our shared story unfolds. We will explore how personal healing and environmental protection are part of the same interconnected process.

The woods, stream and meadows of The Lighthouse near Baldwin, KS offer a peaceful environment for retreat and study. There will be time allotted for private reflection. The dates are Friday evening, October 17, and all day Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 and 19. A remodeled 100-year old barn provides workshop space and limited lodging. Participants may also camp on the grounds or commute. Continuing Education Units are available for mental health professionals.

I hope to see old environmental friends and meet new ones as we prepare ourselves for the next stage of our evolution. For more information, please call me at (913) 432-5995.

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Johnson County Citizens' Visioning Committee Report

by Diane Stewart, Kanza Group

I represented the Sierra Club on the Johnson County Citizens' Visioning Committee (JCCVC) which developed a twenty-year vision for the county. We covered ten priority issues including education; public safety; land use; transportation; economic development; natural resources and environment; human services; culture, arts and humanities; county relationships; and financing and taxation. Local growth and development issues are important because appropriate planning is essential to environmental protection.

Since Johnson County is now the largest and fastest growing county in Kansas, the JCCVC report to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) was significant. The report has received a great deal of support as well as good publicity. However, our committee could only make recommendations to the BOCC, and it's up to the County Commissioners to follow through on our suggestions! I believe they need some prodding from their constituents to make the report a reality, so I'm asking county residents to contact their Commissioners.

Most Sierra Club members are concerned about growth and development, air and water quality, transportation and land use planning. We believe that the best way to protect our natural resources is to slow down the suburban sprawl that eats up our countryside. These concerns are interwoven as much as possible throughout the JCCVC report. Following is the text of the committee's recommendations relating to natural resources:

Natural Resources And Environment

Issue Analysis Summary

Current Situation

Johnson County and its cities are cooperating well in the development and maintenance of parks, and the provision of recreational programs. Demand continues to increase with the growing population. Rapid population growth and development have contributed to a decline in the metropolitan area's air quality, largely through auto emissions. Environmental groups have played an important educational role, although public understanding of these issues remains limited.

Approximately 20 percent of our solid waste is being recycled, with significant amounts of lawn waste still going into landfill. Current urban development has an adverse impact on water quality, which is compromised by runoff from parking areas/roads and agricultural/lawn chemicals going into storm sewers, lakes, and streams. According to our survey, open space and parks are one of the three things Johnson Countians like best about living here. Ninety-three percent of survey respondents believe these will be important to the quality of life in 2020.

Opportunities/Threats

A well-educated public makes wise choices, offering the opportunity to maintain a quality environment through strong educational initiatives. Environmental issues are regional in nature, requiring more partnerships with neighboring counties. Additional opportunities include: planning for green space and parkland in advance of development and/or annexation; ensuring clean air by enforcing auto and industrial standards which meet or exceed EPA requirements; implementing a county/metro alternate transportation system; and exploring alternatives to additional landfill. Decreasing federal/state funding in the environmental area is also a threat.

Desired Future

Public transportation options connect Johnson County with the metropolitan area. Several large parks and expanded greenspace/walkways within city boundaries have significantly increased parklands. Natural greenspace is valued and protected. The Johnson County Conservation District, together with Planning, Public Works, and the Environmental Department, are assisting the County and cities in making the development community and citizens aware of the need to protect and enhance natural resources for future generations.

Future County Role

Johnson County should model environmental education and air quality standards for the metropolitan area. The County should also take the lead in design and implementation of a county/metro public transportation system. The County can support research and public education efforts of the Johnson County Conservation District, and encourage cooperation among the District, the County Environmental Department, the Cooperative Extension Service, and all county departments working in areas that impact the environment. The Cooperative Extension Service can also provide public education about natural farming, gardening, and lawn care methods. An Environmental Advisory Council could be created to bring citizens and staff together to work in partnership toward common goals. The County can also be a positive role model by increasing efforts to recycle, use recycled materials, increase energy efficiency, and limit chemical use.

ATTENTION JOHNSON COUNTY CITIZENS

Please contact your County Commissioner!!! They need to hear from you. They're getting feedback from county residents on our recommendations. Let them know that you support the visioning report. Now we need your help to bring it to fruition. Call 764-8484 x 5500 to find out who your Commissioner is.

Mail comments to: Board of County Commissioners, Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry, Suite 3300, Olathe, KS 66061. FAX : 791-8913

District 1: David Wysong, x 5503 or 384-9700District 2: Johnna Harris-Lingle, Chairman, x 5502 or 268-8468District 3: Annabeth Surbaugh, x 5504 or 897-4408District 4: George Gross, x 5501 or 599-5110

District 5: Bruce Craig, x 5505 or 764-2185

The complete report "Living Our Vision, Johnson County 2020", are available at all county libraries and can be viewed on the county's web page at www.jocoks.com under the Citizen Link button. An executive summary of the report may be obtained at no cost by calling 764-8484 x 5500. You may also purchase a complete copy, including the results of our survey, from the County for $10.00.

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Flint Hills Group Doings

By James E. Sherow

Rolling Down the River

Your group members have been involved in several local projects and issues. T.J. Hittle, Scott Smith, and Bonnie Lynn-Sherow have worked to co-sponsor the Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance’s "Rolling Down the River" activities. Hittle has been especially active in the planning of these activities throughout the entire Kaw River Valley. The festival begins at Junction City at the Territorial Capitol Museum on September 19 and concludes at Kansas City in October . Hopefully the canoe floats, public speakers, newspaper articles and community events organized by "Rolling Down the River" will raise public awareness of the beauty of the Kaw River Valley, and of the pressing environmental issues challenging its health.

Colbert Hills Golf Course

Kansas State University and Jim Colbert, a KSU alumna and golf pro, are working together with the PGA and others to bring to Manhattan a "world-class, environmental" golf course in keeping with the tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills. We have some concerns about this development, and we will use this space to give more details as we research the issues. Some of the more important issues revolve around the development of retention dams and their effects on the quality and quantity of downstream flows on two creeks. Wildlife issues may be crucial in terms of an Environmental Impact Statement if the American Burying Beetle is in the area. As currently planned, some highway development is to cut directly through a prairie chicken booming ground. The aquatic research of the creeks is not complete, but these may be the habitat of some threatened species like the Topeka Snail Darter.

The golf course architect is working to have his plans approved by Audubon International, not affiliated with Audubon National. One of Audubon International’s means of funding is to certify golf course as "environmental." At last report, the developers of the course will be paying AI $9,500 to receive its certification. The principles of AI look good on paper, but we have little information on the track record of AI and its certified courses. One redeeming feature of AI certification procedures is the inclusion the of a citizen’s advisory group. The local Audubon Society will have representation as will our Sierra Flint Hills Group. The representatives from these two organizations will certainly work hard to make sure that the course lives up to its environmental billing. If it doesn’t, then we will certainly refuse our imprimatur to the developer’s plans.

There are other issues surrounding the golf course. The land is owned by KSU’s Vice-President of Academic affairs’ father-in-law. Ethical questions of conflict of interest in Bob Krause’s promotion of this course seem relevant even if the legal questions have been carefully handled. KSU is establishing a foundation to own and fund the course. KSU scientists are conducting the environmental research associated with the course. The land around the course will be zoned for high-priced single family homes. Also included in the planning is the creation of a university golf course management program. Obviously, there are many environmental and social questions about this development, and we will seek answers to as many of them as we can.

Manhattan Parks

Group members have been active in promoting the idea of prairie parks in the Manhattan area. The group has enjoyed some relative success in maintaining Warner Park as a prairie park. The group has also been involved in the planning of two other parks with great potential—

Northview and Fairmont Parks.

Please call any member of our executive committee if you have any questions about these issues or our calendar of events.

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Missouri River Coalition Meets with Army Corps of Engineers

By Bill Griffith and Greg Bryant

Representatives of the Missouri River Coalition met recently with members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers committee charged with Missouri River flow management.

Background:

The Missouri River Coalition, of which Kansas Sierra is a member, is a group of recreational, environmental, and land management agencies working to restore the river’s natural structure and characteristics, and to develop its recreational potential. All these features have been disturbed by 50 years of management by the Corps (since the Pick-Sloan Act) to benefit barge transportation, often at the expense of all other interests. The Corps’ management policy is under review to accommodate new obligations, and our Coalition encourages a management approach that emphasizes wildness, biodiversity, wetlands, and better accessibility. We think recreational uses of the river are healthier for the environment and for human dwellers in the basin. Since these interests appear to conflict with the tiny industry of barge navigation, we support eliminating channel maintenance as a federal subsidy.

Bill Griffith and Greg Bryant, representing the Coalition, met with Corps representatives Friday, August 15 at 1 p.m. at the Missouri River Division offices in Omaha. Griffith and Bryant questioned the Corps about the current status of the project to draft the revised "Master Manual," the Corps’ guidebook of flow rate management.

Recent developments:

The Master Manual revision committee reached a consensus in August to formally acknowledge their obligations under the Endangered Species Act. This may seem like acknowledging the obvious, but until recently the committee had been unclear about its duty to honor its ESA mandate. We don’t know how this policy will translate into action.

The Corps committee expressed hopes that new technical analyses, due to be completed September 30, will throw important new light on possible engineering solutions that may reconcile ESA and wetland-reconstruction needs with maintenance of the navigation channel. The Corps’ position:

Wait for the new studies. If we can make everybody happy and still keep the navigation channel, why not? The Coalition's position: Show us the data.

For more information, contact Bill Griffith at (913) 651-1480 or Greg Bryant at (913) 544-7735.

Also call us:

• if you want to learn how you can promote a wilder, healthier Missouri River
• if you know of a group that could benefit from a slideshow presentation and discussion of this issue (river recreation groups, sporting groups, hiking/biking groups, environmental groups)
• if you have (or know someone who has) expertise in biology, riparian ecosystems, river management, and other technical areas, and would volunteer help in assessing any new data the Corps produces

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Surface Transportation In the 21st Century: Let's Rally Around Light Rail!

by Wayne Sangster

This installment deals with the Missouri, not Kansas, side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, but since metropolitan area public transit should be coordinated, what goes on in Missouri affects the Kansas side, too; this is the justification for putting a Missouri-oriented article in Planet Kansas. Recently Mayor Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, Missouri dropped a bombshell when he called the proposed light rail in that city "touristy froufrou" and said he would not support it. Obviously it was a big setback for the project, but it is not dead yet. E. Thomas McClanahan of the Editorial Board of the Kansas City Star put a different slant on the idea in the lead article of the Opinion section of the Star for Sunday, September 7. He called this "a pivotal moment in the history of a city which has mutilated its future at virtually every turn" and gave a solid analysis of why light rail would be good for the city. Also under consideration is the so-called "Power and Light District" renewal plan for the south part of the downtown area; a new "Science City" project for the historic Union Station a bit farther south is already underway. These three projects mean megabucks but would be a tremendous boost to a downtown that some say is slowly dying. It certainly has dead areas already.

McClanahan pointed out that the downtown area has a proliferation of parking garages which crowd out amenities, both current and prospective, which might draw people there. The infrastructure requirements of the car are so large that it makes a healthy, varied central business district nearly impossible without light rail. A recent study by the Mid-America Regional Council showed a vehicle occupancy rate of only 1.05 on Ward Parkway at 63rd Street during the morning rush hour. A lot of those driver-only cars end up parked downtown during the day. One would hope that if light rail with feeder bus lines were to eventually reach as far south as 85th Street or so a significant number of the people who drive alone on Ward Parkway would shift to mass transit. Similar things could happen elsewhere.

Another point made by McClanahan is that rail systems, unlike bus routes, are permanent and they influence markets for property, homes and businesses adjacent to the routes and transfer points. Opponents of light rail point to the $200 million or so it would cost and say it isn't worth it. A case can be made that it is worth it by referring to a publication entitled Dollars and Sense: The Economic Case for Public Transportation in America, by Donald H. Camph (written for The Campaign for Efficient Passenger Transportation and dated June 11, 1997). Camph says, "The bottom line is this: investment in public transportation makes dollars, and it makes sense. The benefits to motorists, to businesses, to transit riders, and to American society as a whole far outweigh the costs." He estimates that the mobility and efficiency benefits of transit amount to between $46 and $62 billion, compared to the 1995 public expenditures on transit of only $15 billion -- a ratio of 3 or 4 of benefit to public cost. And public transit benefits not only those who use it but also motorists because it relieves congestion. In Kansas City 2.85 times as many hours were spent stuck in congestion in 1993 as in 1982. In KC it would take 75 additional lane miles of freeway to replace the existing transit.

Camph thinks the "transit vs. highways" debate should be shifted to a public discourse on what mix of transportation investments can best meet Americans' mobility needs in the 21st century. He says that what most people don't know is that public transit systems play an essential part in making the overall transportation system work. In cities like Portland, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Chicago new rail systems have had synergistic effects, often increasing bus ridership (with feeder buses) in the areas they serve. Nearly one-third of our nation's population (over 80 million) either cannot or choose not to drive a motor vehicle and transit is a critical means of mobility for them. KC is not alone in seeking light rail -- 69 out of 90 metropolitan areas studied by Camph either have rail or are building, designing, planning, or studying it.

The following quote from Camph's paper is offered as a conclusion to this installment:

"Businesses that make the strategic investments needed to offer quality products and services to the marketplace will tend to prosper; those that don't will lose market share and fail. Public transit is no different: in those areas where such investments have been made, ridership has grown, and the economic benefits to those communities have risen accordingly. In other areas, where systems and services have been allowed to deteriorate, transit use has declined. The market for transit is there, but the Nation's transportation strategies must be geared up to tap into that market."

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On the Phrase "Sustainable Development"

By Wayne Sangster

A 1981 book by Lester Brown is entitled Building A Sustainable Society. Since the mid-1980s we have heard a lot about "sustainable development." The trouble with this phrase is that it can easily become "sustainable growth" (indeed, one of the definitions of "develop" is "to expand by the process of growth"), which is nonsense, since any positive growth of human population will eventually overtax our planet. At the recent meeting at UN headquarters in New York to review progress (or lack thereof) since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the U.S. wanted to substitute the word "sustained" for "sustainable." This switches the goal from "sustainable development" to "sustained development." The former implies that we can go on indefinitely with appropriate development, but the latter guarantees no such thing. For example, if development of the wrong kind is sustained long enough there will eventually come a time when Johnson County will run out of land to develop.

I rather wish Brown had written a book entitled Building A Durable Society. My dictionary defines "durable" as "able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration." Somehow I don't think "durable development" would get changed to "durable growth," and I feel the word is harder for negotiators to tinker with than "sustainable."

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Utility Deregulation comes to Kansas

By Bill Griffith

The 1998 Kansas Legislature is taking up the issue of utility deregulation. A legislative task force has been taking testimony this summer and has hired a consulting firm to advise them on various aspects of this issue.

The utilities are following in the footsteps of the airline and phone industries and are moving to deregulation all across the country. This deregulation is also known as "retail wheeling" because generators will be able to "wheel" their power to any customer who wants to buy it, no matter where the customer is located. Just like your phone, local utilities will still maintain the delivery lines, but suppliers can compete to sell the energy that moves down the lines.

The push for deregulation came from big electricity users that want to negotiate for the cheapest power they can obtain. One potential problem is that the big guys will grab the good deals and brave the rest of the ratepayers holding the higher utility bills.

Also, cheap electricity means hydropower and dirty coal. Ratepayers who also enjoy sunbathing have a vested interest in preventing coal from dominating the marketplace.

Deregulation may be the final coffin nail for nuclear, the most expensive source of electricity. But owners of nuclear plants are saddled with enormous debt and are yelping to anyone in earshot about "stranded costs". These costs will make their shareholders incur financial setbacks because of all the money they have sunk into these plants. Of course if the utility in question does not pay for stranded costs that "guess who" is going to pay for. The ratepayer of course.

To prevent "ecological deregulation" in the deregulation that is looming ahead of us, the Sierra Club is looking at recommendations that include the following possibilities:

1. Net metering for solar, wind, and biomass (excluding municipal waste).

2. A systems benefit charge will be applied to all electrical suppliers of not more than 4 % which will fund an independent non-profit agency for low-income assistance, energy efficiency programs, and assist renewable energy proliferation.

3. Renewable projects may be bundled to lower cost and red tape.

4. Energy producers must reveal the source of their power and the amount of pollution released.

5. Energy producers shall provide customers a free energy audit and educational material on consumer options.

6. Energy producers shall accurately portray any "Green" advertising.

7. Stranded costs should be absorbed by the utility that has the debt.

8. Utilities will divest themselves in areas where there may be a conflict of interest.

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Public Invited to Offer Suggestions

By Iralee Barnard

Two open house public meetings are scheduled for October 28 and 30 to give the interested public an opportunity to offer suggestions and information on possible issues to be addressed in the General Management Plan for Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County. It is important that environmental minded people participate and express ideas regarding preservation of the natural prairie ecosystem. There is great concern that some individuals and interest groups will push to have it remain an intensively grazed cattle pasture. There has been much pressure by those who want this property to be managed as a monument to the cattle industry. This is our chance to express our views in management.

The open houses will be held Tues, October 28 at the Flint Hills Mall in Emporia AND Thurs, October 30 at the Council Grove Christian Church. Usually these are late afternoon and evening, but call 316-273-6034 for times.

Congress established the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve to 1) preserve, protect, and interpret for the public an example of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem; and 2) preserve and interepret for the public the historic and cultural values represented on the preserve property. Now is the time for your input to insure that management is what we as Sierrans would like to have happen. If you are not able to attend either of these meetings, you can send written comments to Superintendent, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, P.O. Box 585, 226 Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845. For more information, contact Iralee Barnard 913-949-2857

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Kanza Newza

by Tom Thompson

Kanza Group Chair

The Kanza Group is the local Sierra Club on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It primarily serves members living in Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Johnson, and Miami Counties. At the General Kanza Group meeting on October 9 we will be having our New Member Fair. This is the meeting when new and continuing members or their friends can come to find out what the Sierra Club is all about and how a member can get involved in protecting and enjoying the environment. Hope to see you all then.

As we move into the last quarter of 1997 the Executive Committee is working with great enthusiasm. At the September Ex-Comm meeting 120% of the members arrived to plan for the next few months. A number of none Ex-Comm members joined the meeting to add to our creative juices. This is the time of year we look for new activists not only to help the Ex-Comm but to run for the Ex-Comm. If anyone is interested in running please call Janice McIntyre, Kanza Group Vice Chair, at 384-5911 and let her know.

The Leadership of the Kanza Group and all its members owes a debt of gratitude to Diane Stewart. Diane represented the Sierra Club and the environment on the Johnson County Visioning Committee. Diane worked exhaustingly for several months to help the committee come up with a report that reflects many ideals supported by environmentalists. Neighborhood preservation, greenspace, and viable mass transit are now concepts written in a report to help County Commissioners make policies that will effect Johnson County well into the 21st Century. Congratulations Diane!

1998 Calendars will soon be for sale. Watch for them, buy some, sell some. Profits will be used to help keep us on top of environmental issues in Kansas. They make great Holiday presents too!!

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Group Officers

Flint Hills Group (Manhattan Area)

Kanza Group (Kansas City)

Prairie Oaks Group

(Southern Sedgwick County)

Prairie Rattlers Group (Hays area)

Southwind Group (Wichita)

Wakarusa Group (Lawrence)

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