SIERRA

     We are greeting the Spring with a new program: Backyard Wildlife Habitats. The February meeting was the kickoff. There were presentations by Fran Adams and by Donna Barnet from Wild Birds Unlimited. Fran has recently received certification for having a backyard wildlife habitat by the Wild Bird Federation. We are inviting all our members to develop backyard wildlife habitats.

     Donna gave an excellent presentation on inviting birds to your yard. She had slides and several demonstration items. She had a lot of great ideas for getting started with inviting birds into your yard.

     During the coming months we will have presentations on butterfly gardens and fish ponds. So come and join us and learn how to develop a backyard wildlife habitat and hopefully your yard can be certified as a backyard wildlife habitat.

     By the time you receive this newsletter the Virginia Legislative session for 2005 will have been completed. You can read about our successes and not so great successes in an excellent piece by Bill Prattin this issue.

     In addition, we have a new voice. Ellis James is our conservation chair. Ellis is a voracious reader and we have asked Ellis to give us a piece on the major environmental issues facing all of us. We think you will find this overview interesting and very comprehensive.

     We are also planning several service outings this Spring. We have a couple of butterfly gardens to service at Camp Young and at the Back Bay NWR Education Center. We are also going to be doing several interesting maintenance projects at the Great Dismal Swamp NWR. Finally we have an opportunity for a project at Nike Park in Isle of Wight. If you are interested call Fred 467-2775.

     Nancy McAdoo is leading our outings. Information about the March outing is in this issue. Following Spring outings will be announced on our web site: www.virginia.sierraclub.org/cbg or you can call Nancy at 464-4483.

Fred Adams Click to email comments, or call 467-2775.

     We are proud to honor Scott Harper as our "Environmental Journalist". The Chesapeake Bay Group invites all of our members and friends to come to this meeting to pay a special thanks to Scott for his major contribution to the local environment and our quality of life. The award will be presented at out March meeting.

     In addition, we will have a presentation in keeping with our new theme of Backyard Habitats. Jamerson Hook will discuss how to raise koi fish in a backyard pond. Jim has three ponds with fish of varying sizes from very big to big to very small. We think this is a great way to provide wildlife with water and at the same time have a lot of fun.

     The meeting is at the Virginia Beach Central Library on March the 7th at 7 PM.

     A hike on the beach along the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge is our outing for March.

     The date is 26th March, the time is 9:30 AM,and the location is the refuge visitors center at Back Bay NWR.

     Bring a plastic bag in the event there is some trash on the beach. Also dress warmly, the breeze off the ocean can be very "fresh".

     Also bring a lunch. The walk and fresh air will create a healthy appetite. For further details, call Nancy at 464-4483.

     In a world distracted by narrow special interests, keeping our human habitat healthy is a matter of finding a common voice.

     The Chesapeake Bay Group resolved to be a strong voice this year in articulating the backlog of needs for Virginia's environment.

     The major environmental issues before the General Assembly were 1) Air Quality, 2) Water Resources, 3) Land Use and Agricultural Vitality, 4) Smart Growth, 5) Transportation, and 6) Funding for Open Space and Natural Resources.

     The Chapter chose to focus on three issues that have been among the most ignored in recent years: adequate funding for State Parks, cleaner emissions from power plants, and cleaning up waterways.

     The goal was to remind legislators of commitments made in the past and we did this with a sense of urgency: a lobbying trip to Richmond, letters, emails and phone calls. the Chapter web site was the effective information center of the campaign.

     The results aren't all in yet, but we know that we were heard. That felt pretty good. Along the way we also struck a rewarding alliance with the Virginia Association of Parks, which we will continue.

     So far, the bright spots for State Parks are consideration of 30 new full-time positions and onetime increase in park funding of at least $15.5 million.

     The good news for cleaner water is the support for dedicated funding, $50 million a year, for waterways and the Bay.

     Next year we will draw on our experiences to again demand clean air emissions for power plants, defeated as legislators succumbed to industry pressure.