Join us for our Annual Awards Banquet

Meet the Environmental Committee--formerly known as Pollution & Conservation--and its new chair, Dave Rockwood!

May 2008

Despite considerable efforts, a lot of preparation, and good intentions, the Earth Day Westside Bike Ride was not to be this year. The bike event, like the Earth Day Celebration organized by the Wesselman Nature Society, was cancelled due to rain. It was a “wetting rain” that morning (April 19) – one that would help douse a forest fire - and it was a bit too cool for riding in the rain. April has perhaps the most fickle weather of any month of the year, and rain is a staple of the month here in mid-America. The flowers blooming all around us now were aided by that rain though, and we’re not counting the days left on our water supply, as are cities from Georgia to North Carolina, so I won’t complain about the rain, just the timing of it.

I would like to thank our Bike Ride food sponsor, the River City Food Co-op (116 Washington Avenue in the "white house") for preparing and loading the food and beverages that we requested. The staff at the Co-op were really good about the whole endeavor, I only regret that they’re efforts were in vain. DeAnna Outlaw also was a great help in preparing for the Bike Ride. If we attempt to do this again next year the preparation will be easier since we have figured out so many facets of the planning this year.

I was really disappointed with the lack of acknowledgement of Earth Day by the local and national media. It seems odd to me that the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, which for many people is a secular holiday in which wearing green and drinking Irish beverages is the celebration, gets more recognition than Earth Day. Maybe wearing green and drinking beer and whiskey need to be incorporated into Earth Day for adults, at least the green fits, and beer is good for what ales you. On the other hand it seems that almost every week I see another corporate commitment to green business practices, so maybe while we are tuning out Earth Day we are getting closer to “every day is earth day.”

Green Tip of the Month:
Incorporate organic foods into your budget as you can, particularly locally-grown organics. Organic foods are generally raised without toxic, petroleum-based herbicides and pesticides, so have a much less harmful impact on surface water, groundwater, soils, and the people who eat them. Because they don’t get toxic growth treatments, organic foods are much healthier than foods grown on typical “industrial” farms. The prices of most organics are competitive with conventional foods, and if they cost a bit more consider it an investment in your health. There are thousands of food products that are organic, not just produce, and many can be found at the River City Food Co-op and other stores.

April 2008
(Note: if you are reading this prior to April 19, please join us for the Earth Day Bike Ride!)

By the time you read this the first Earth Day Westside Bike Ride will be history. And the 38th observance of the April 22 Earth Day will likely have passed as well. Next month I’ll report on the bike ride, and this month I would like to delve into the purpose and some history of Earth Day. There are really two important Earth Day dates and events, the first of which occurs on the vernal (spring) equinox in the northern hemisphere, about March 21 each year. That is the date that the United Nations recognizes Earth Day as a global holiday by the ringing of the Peace Bell, a tradition begun in 1971 when U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signed a stirring Proclamation for the celebration of Earth Day.

John McConnell was the driving force behind the “International Earth Day” and was the author of the Earth Day Proclamation. He is credited as having said “The nurture and renewal of Earth is the most urgent task. Singly, and with the help of others, we must act as trustees. We must seek in our jobs, buying habits, travel, land use and other activities at home, work and play, to respect and protect Earth's amazing web of life -- its soil, water, air, plants and living creatures.”

The Earth Day that we most recently celebrated has been said to mark the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. In 1969 U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide, grassroots demonstration to thrust the environment onto the national agenda and establish that there was a large constituency for environmental improvement. At the time, Americans were burning leaded gas in their huge cars, while heavy industries released toxic sludge and smoke with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. But Earth Day 1970 turned that all around.

On April 22, 20 million Americans gathered in parks, streets, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

Mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of environmental issues onto the world stage, Earth Day on April 22 in 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Earth Day 2000 focused on global warming and a push for clean energy, involving 5,000 environmental groups and reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Hundreds of thousands of people assembled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities.
Now there is debate in the environmental community as to whether Earth Day has outlived its usefulness. As we become increasingly aware of the breadth and depth of our increasing environmental challenges, many “greens” are advocating for radical political and economic changes in the operation of society in order to achieve environmental sustainability. Although major changes seem to be needed to stabilize and reduce our impact on the planet, I still think that an Earth Day anniversary is useful for assessing our progress or regress and for rededicating ourselves to the cause that is the maintenance and improvement of our planetary life-support systems.
 

March 2008

Arrangements for a bike ride that would begin and end at Howell Park during the scheduled Earth Day events on April 19 have been advancing, almost everything is coming together. I would feel good about this if at least one person, preferably two, would step up to help with this project. The time commitment would be just two or three hours on the day of the event, and no heavy lifting is required, just physical mobility and good communication skills. Please send me an e-mail if you are interested in helping: daverockwood@yahoo.com. I think it’s fair to say that this event may not happen if another volunteer doesn’t come forward, so please help out if you can.

Green Tip of the Month: Skip a trip. Transportation by personal vehicles is responsible for about thirty percent of the carbon dioxide (CO²) output to the atmosphere in North America. CO² is a greenhouse gas, one of several harmful chemicals that are produced by the combustion of transportation and other fuels. Short trips are particularly hard on the atmosphere, as internal combustion engines do not run efficiently until they are “warm”, and thus belch out a large load of pollutants during the first few miles of a trip.

So, if you can put off a short trip until it can be combined with other travel needs, you’ll be doing the right thing for the atmosphere. If you can get in the habit of this you may find you can do without that second or third family car, something that would save you lots of money and stress. And when you can’t skip the trip, think about alternative modes of travel, such as transit, walking, and biking.
 

LOCUST CREEK WATERSHED FUNDED

The Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) recently announced that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has funded their request for a cost share program in the amount of $30,000 with potential for an additional $60,000 over the next three years. This program is called Lake and River Enhancement (LARE), which is designed to cost share on traditional conservation projects as well as many non-traditional water quality enhancement projects. Landowners and farm operators in the Locust Creek Watershed may be eligible to benefit from this program. The SWCD is planning two public meetings, the first will be on the evening of December 5th and the second will be on the morning of December 6th. A mass mailing will be made in advance of those meetings to inform you of the meeting locations. If you wish more information, you can contact the SWCD at (812) 867-0729. (October 2006)

Indiana’s Polluted Waterways

Nearly 1,600 streams and lakes are unsafe to fish or swim in because of pollution ranging from animal waste to chemicals, a state report concludes.

The report classifies 30 percent—or more than 9,500 miles –of the state’s 31,844 miles of streams, and 93 of Indiana’s lakes as too polluted for swimming, fishing or both because of pollutants such as bacteria, fertilizer, chemicals, mercury and sediment.

Improvements to the Pigeon Creek/ Highland Watershed

Rob Brown, the Pigeon/Highland watershed coordinator tells us they have established
• 31 filter strips (96.6 acres) CP210. These filter strips help to prevent silt and chemical contamination from entering Pigeon Creek.
• 28 grade stabilization structures as a component of CP21.
• Cp22 1 riparian buffer, 2.1 acres
• CP3A 3 tree plantings, 5.2 acres.

Congratulations to the Soil and Water Conservation Districts on making progress cleaning the Pigeon Creek Watershed. (August 2006)

Carpentier Creek, the major watershed on Evansville's west side, is in a sorry condition.  Click here for more information.

Want to Recycle?  Dates are posted here.

March 2004 Committee Report

The Westside Improvement Association has received the following invitation to participate in the upcoming “Pickin’ on the Pigeon – Music Festival”. I have included all the information that I received for the event. Please contact Tommy, if you will be able to volunteer, or me, if you would like to help with a WIA booth at the event. This sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

 

I have also been involved with Brenda Jeffers in a community task force known as WAVE (Water Awareness for the Vanderburgh Environment). WAVE is a partnership between the Soil and Water Conservation District, Vanderburgh County Surveyor, and the Westside Improvement Association. The purpose of the taskforce is to create awareness and prevent non-point source pollution. Non-point source pollution results in contamination of our streams, lakes, and eventually the Ohio River from unknown sources. The contamination may be the result of water runoff from parking lots, streets, yards, and fields that contain pollutants such as antifreeze, oil, gasoline, fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The Surveyor’s Office has created a Web site at www.riverfriendly.com, which is aimed at helping everybody from educators to builders learn more about the issue. As the WAVE project moves forward, we will keep you informed of its progress and ways in which you might be able to participate in this very worthwhile cause.
 

Trena Roedel, Chair

January 2002 Committee Report

In January, Fred Padget and I attended the first meeting on the study of the Carpentier Creek and Bayou Creek drainage and pollution issues. In attendance, along with WIA, was Mike Wathen of the Soil and Water Conservation District; John Stoll, County Engineer; Jack Lashenik, American Consulting, Inc.; and Jack’s co-worker. Everyone expressed concern about the various problems with Carpentier Creek. John Stoll and the engineers from American Consulting, Inc. were very interested in hearing everything WIA had to say about our issues with the drainage and pollution along the creek. Mike Wathen helped to add validity to our concerns. We believe the study will be far enough along to conduct another tour around the first part of April. Hopefully, we can have various politicians and media involved with this tour. The Westside Improvement Association needs to make known the urgency of addressing these issues for the residents of the west side.

Also of interest are some facts about the changing Indiana Wetlands and an article that appeared in the Muncie Star Press on Friday, February 7, 2003. After reading the wetland facts, please read the news article realize how important it is to voice your concerns on Senate Bill 491.

First the facts:

A Changing Indiana and Changing Wetlands -
Total surface area of the state of Indiana (acres) = 23,310,000
Estimate of wetland acreage in Indiana circa 1700 = 5,600,000
Wetland acreage in Indiana circa 1986 (National Wetland Inventory) = 813,000
Percent of surface area of Indiana covered by wetlands circa 1700 = 24.1%
Percent of surface area of Indiana covered by wetlands circa 1986 = 3.5%

Size Distribution of Wetlands
Percent of Indiana’s total wetlands that are 0.25 acres or less in size = 11.6%
Percent of Indiana’s total wetlands that are 0.50 acres or less in size = 29.5%
Percent of Indiana’s total wetlands that are 1.00 acres or less in size = 46.9%

Now the article:

Smallest wetlands targeted by bill
By Seth Slabaugh, seths@thestarpress.com

MUNCIE - The Izaak Walton League claims proposed legislation to protect Indiana's isolated wetlands was written by an industry lawyer and authorizes the destruction of the state's smallest wetlands. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management also has "pretty big concerns" about Sen. Beverly Gard's Senate Bill 491, in part because it likely would exempt most of Indiana's isolated wetlands from regulation.

Jane Dustin, chairman of water quality for the Indiana division of Izaak Walton League, said the bill was backed by "people with big machinery who want massive-lot developments and big malls and don't want to be concerned with small wetlands."

According to Dustin, the bill was written by Indianapolis attorney Larry Kane, who represents The Coalition on Wetland Issues, members of which include Indiana Builders Association, Waste Management of Indiana, Bethlehem Steel, Indiana Coal Council and American Electric Power.

Kane didn't deny his involvement.

"It's true I did have some input into the bill," Kane said in an interview. "All I've done is write a proposed draft bill, and I can't do anything with it beyond that. Whatever is done with it beyond that takes someone from the Legislature."

He added: "It's fair to say what we put together reflects the perspective of the regulated community. I represent a coalition that involves a number of companies and entities that form a broad cross section of the economic life of the state."

The coalition has been instrumental in halting IDEM's attempts to adopt new rules to protect isolated wetlands, which the U.S. Supreme Court decided 2 years ago no longer merited federal protection.

'A starting point'
Gard, a Republican from Greenfield who is chairman of the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee, plans to conduct a hearing Monday on SB 491. She said the bill was not written by any single person.  "I've made it very clear from the beginning that this bill is a starting point for our discussion," Gard said. "And we can start these discussions in civil tones on Monday and work through issues and be productive, or we can have them sit there in a shouting match. It's up to them."

Gard's bill creates three categories of isolated wetlands. Class 1 wetlands are those that have had at least 30 percent of their area disturbed by human activity. Class 2 wetlands are those that have had less than 30 percent of their area disturbed by human activity. Class 3 wetlands are those that remain undisturbed, rare and ecologically important.

Three classes of wetlands
As the bill is now written, Class 1 wetlands that are 1 acre or smaller and class 2 wetlands that are one-quarter acre or smaller could be filled without a permit.

Because about half of Indiana's wetlands are half an acre or less in size, the proposed exemptions are "huge," said Laura Arnold, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club and Izaak Walton League.

Tim Method, deputy commissioner of IDEM, said most of Indiana's isolated wetlands probably would be put in the lowest category, which has the least protection.  "Because there are some pretty big exemptions in that category, we have some pretty big concerns," Method said.

"We don't think there was much scientific consensus on how you go about categorizing wetlands right now," he added, "so we felt that issue should be set aside for further scientific discussion and debate instead of jumping into a categorization system right off the bat."

Contact news reporter Seth Slabaugh at 213-5834.
Wetland news electronically
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana Department of Natural Resources have teamed up to provide news about wetlands - including legislative updates - online at http://www.IN.gov/wetlands/
 

December 2002 Committee Report

Last year was very busy for our committee. We attended various Area Plan, City Council, Soil and Water Conservation, Natural Resources Commission, and Evansville Parks board meetings, made a trip to Indianapolis for a wetlands conference, toured Carpentier Creek, and wrote letters and spoke to many city, county, and state officials about the issues pertaining to Carpentier Creek.

As a result of this work the following has occurred:
1. The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners left Carpentier Creek in the 2003 budget and contracted a consulting firm to do a study of the Carpentier Creek and Bayou Creek drainage and pollution issues.
2. Carpentier Creek was left in the Parks and Recreation Department Master Plan.
3. The Jerry David and Dorothy Drive issues are in the process of being resolved.

Hopefully 2003 will allow us to see some positive results from the Carpentier Creek study and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. We also hope to expand our committee and WIA membership and look forward to continuing our fight to improve the quality of life for all residents of the west side.
 

October 2002 Committee Report

The Westside Improvement Association would like to thank the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners for including Carpentier Creek in the 2003 budget.  In addition, we were happy to find out that a consulting firm has already been contracted to do a study of the Carpentier Creek and Bayou Creek drainage and pollution issues.  After contacting John Stoll, County Engineer, and volunteering our help with the study, he said our names would be presented to the commissioners for consideration as members of the study committee.  We should know whether or not we have been selected as members by November 11.

We would also like to thank the Parks and Recreation Department for leaving Carpentier Creek in the new master plan.  Their vision plan proposes, “viewing the entire watercourse as a natural resource corridor.”  The plan further states, “improvement to wildlife habitat, bio-filtration of storm run-off, run-off retention/detention, and recreational access, where appropriate, are the broad goals.  A partnership with neighborhoods, land-owners, the Levee Authority, and DNR could turn this degraded watercourse into an important amenity.”

July 2002 COMMITTEE REPORT

We have been very busy gathering information on Carpentier Creek issues. As a result of the data collected, we believe the best course of action for the Westside Improvement Association at this time would be to try to increase public awareness concerning these issues. The main reason for this is the pending 2004 Environmental Protection Agency’s Storm Water Phase II Final Rule that was briefly mentioned by County Surveyor, Bill Jeffers, at the Soil and Water Conservation board meeting.

The Phase II Storm Water Program requires a NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit coverage for storm water discharges from:

• Certain regulated small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4S); and
• Construction activity disturbing between 1 and 5 acres of land (i.e., small construction activities.)

According to the rule, small MS4 owners/operators must reduce pollutants in storm water to the maximum extent practicable to protect water quality. This means that all discharge from storm sewer systems will be strictly monitored for pollutants. Therefore, the EPA, through local governments, will actually be helping us find out if any pollutants are present in Carpentier Creek.

At the last board meeting, we indicated we would like to contact property owners living along Carpentier Creek and try to find out if they knew of any dumping problems. We now believe that the concerns of Fred Padget, and Bill Jeffers about the possibility of antagonizing some residents before the fact may be warranted. We therefore would like to take the position of sending out educational fliers, or newsletters, with environmental protection information to lay groundwork for the Phase II Rule. Once we have the flier developed, we will pass it before the board for approval.

We would also like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to help by becoming a member of the Pollution and Conservation Committee. Please contact Martha Peak or Trena Roedel at 422-2827.

© 2008 Westside Improvement Association, Inc.