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Chesapeake Bay |
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Chesapeake Bay |
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SIERRAThe Newsletter Of | |||||||||
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We are pleased to have as our presenter the local director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Dr. Rob Brumbaugh. We are particularly interested in the condition of the Bay and what we can do as a group and as individuals to improve the situation. We are hopeful that our follow up outing will be some meaningful activity for the Bay. There are many regulations that pertain to the Bay. We are requesting that Rob give us an overview of their purpose and effectiveness. The Chesapeake Bay is a huge watershed and the treatment of its condition is dependent on the actions of all who life int he entire watershed. Unfortunately, Virginia is one of the least responsible of all the states involved with regard to commiting itself to making a difference. There has been considerable talk, but when put to the test, Virginia has failed. I think Rob is one of the people who can put this situation into its proper context. He has a Ph.D in oceanography from ODU and has spent considerable time in Richmond during the most recent legislative session. He is intelligent, objective and very cool under fire. We highly recommend this presentation. The date is the 3rd of April, at 7PM at the Virginia Beach Central Library. |
| What is "wine fest"? It is a fun way to raise funds for our group. All the funds will stay in the local group. The time of day is ideal: 12 - 6PM. The location is at the beach at the 24th street park. The date is Sunday 16 April. We will pour the wine, listen to music, and do something good for Sierra Club. |
The club will put these funds to good use by acquiring a display system for events. We plan to include all ages, young and old. For the young, we are working on developing an interactive display. Our contact person is Chuck Timney at 428-4504. Come join us!! |
| We are looking forward to participating in not one but two Earth Day Celebrations. The first of the celebrations will be at the Norfolk Branch of the Tidewater Community College. This will be on April the 26th, from 11 AM to 2 PM. We are planning to provide the young people with interesting information about Sierra Club and its college program. The second event will be the annual celebration sponsored by Norfolk and Virginia Beach. This year it will be at Mt. Trashmore. We plan to participate in the Sunday activities on May the 7th. We have not participated in an Earth Day event for a couple of years for a couple of reasons. One of the key reasons has been that our display system is way, way out of date. This is the key reasons for our participation in the fund raising activites, as well as having a lot of fun. We already have a display committee consisting of Dotty Lavadiere, Jim Speckhart, John Lewenthal, coordinated by Chuck Timney. The committee has already met a couple of times and has several interesting ideas including an interctive display for youngsters. We will be looking for volunteers for these activities as exlained in other articles in this newsletter. |
| Recycling and SPSA are the subject and the presenter for May. SPSA is the public agency responsible for handling every kind of waste. Private landfills get to pick and choose, but SPSA must be able to handle every thing no matter how small or how large the amount. This makes it difficult for SPSA to be competitive with private landfills. THe handling of solid waste and the treatment of solid waste as interstate commerce are all about politics in Virginia. As the political storms rage around it SPSA just keeps doing it's job of handling and recycling all forms of waste. Come and be informed of what and how SPSA does its job with an emphasis on recycling. It is our plan to meet at the SPSA office in order that we may see some of the operation. The date is 1 May and the time is 7 PM. The location is SPSA at 4 Victory Blvd. For excellent directions call Chuck Timney at 440-0874. |
| One of the state's finest, if not the very best, "butterfly" garden is the Bristow Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. The designer is the local expert: Holly Cruser. She has done considerable work at the Norfolk Experimental Station and teaches horticulture at TCC Chesapeake. The Virginia Butterfly Society can attest to the effectiveness of the garden. Our outing will be to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. The |
Bristow Gardens will be just one of the features we will be enjoying. Many things will be in bloom and there will also be good birding. We will begin the walk at 9 AM; the date will be the 20th of May, and we will meet next to the rose garden. Bring something to drink and a little lunch for afterward. The walk will be about 3 miles. |
| If you want to see OpSail 2000, this is one great way to do. You can have fun and at the same time make a contribution to improving the environment. We plan on helping out the fest events people by assisting in what's called a "beer pull." I've done it once and had a great time. The pulling consisted of pulling the cap on a beer can. Listening to the music and watching people were great fun. Not only for the fun and comaraderie, but to raise funds are our objectives. We have not been participating in some events because we do not have a good display arrangement. For many events involving young people, the events often request an interactive display. It is our plan with the funds we earn from OpSail 2000 to acquire an up-to-date display system and to obtain an interactive arrangement to go with it. The date is June the 18th, a Sunday. We will be taking shifts from 12 to whenever. Our leader for this event is Chuck Timney. This is a big undertaking, it is suggested that we spread the services of 40 people over the afternoon. Please consider signing up for whatever time you can spare. Chuck's number is 428-4504. |