Dallas Sierra Club News - November 2018

Great Trinity Forest
Picture of the Great Trinity Forest Dallas' Great Trinity Forest is the largest urban hardwood bottomland forest in the United States. Ben Sandifer will tell us about the history, geology, flora, fauna, and recreational opportunities of this public land.

Ben Sandifer is an author, photographer, and environmental advocate for the Great Trinity Forest where he can often be found with camera in hand. His award winning nature photographs have been featured in local, state, and national publications. He is a Certified Master Birder through the Audubon Dallas sponsored North Central Texas Master Birder Program. In addition, Ben serves as naturalist at the Dallas Hunting and Fishing Club.

Ben also holds the position of treasurer on the Board of Directors of Groundwork Dallas a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Groundwork Dallas mission is to regenerate, sustain, and improve the Dallas Elm Fork Greenbelt and Great Trinity Forest by developing community-based partnerships that educate and empower people, businesses, and organizations to promote environmental stewardship.

In the Great Trinity Forest, Ben is an EPA and TCEQ certified Texas Stream Team volunteer who monitors the water at Big Spring - one of the last free flowing springs in Dallas. For his volunteer efforts, he was named the 2015 DFW Sustainable Leadership Volunteer of the Year and was nominated for the 2016 Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. In 2016, he was named an Honorary Lifetime North Texas Master Naturalist for his substantial contributions to the furtherance of the activities of the chapter.

Ben is a finalist in the GreenSourceDFW Sustainable Leadership Awards. For details click here.

Liveable Arlington
Logo of Liveable Arlington The citizens group Liveable Arlington advocates for and organizes toward a healthy, environmentally conscious, sustainable city. The group won the 2017 GreenSourceDFW Sustainable Leadership Award for Small Nonprofit. They led a successful grassroots effort to stop a disposal well from being installed next to Lake Arlington, a drinking water source for a half-million people. The victory was hailed as a regional milestone. Liveable Arlington's founder, Ranjana Bhandari, will talk about past successes and future projects.

Everyone is welcome. FREE! You don't have to be a Sierra Club member. Just show up. We'd love to meet you.

Our General Meeting starts at 7:00 pm, but come at 6:30 for snacks, information and fellowship. The meeting takes place at Brookhaven College. Click over to our General Meeting page for more information and a map.

Get your 2019 Sierra Club wall calendar or planner at the General Meeting or at our Holiday Party. The Sierra Club calendar is the best selling calendar in the country. They make excellent gifts. We know of one of our members who has given his brother a Sierra Club Wilderness wall calendar for Christmas every year for the past 20+ years and it has always been his favorite gift.

We also have Dallas Sierra Club T-shirts and polo shirts for sale. Calendars are $15, T-shirts $10 and polo shirts $15. Cash, check or credit cards accepted.

Holly holly Our annual Holiday Party will be held at El Fenix Restaurant at 255 Casa Linda Plaza. We'll party on Sunday, December 9 from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Here is a Google map.

Club members and guests will share the holiday spirit, some great Mexican food, and the company of others at this annual event. Join us for some camaraderie, raffle prizes, and perhaps some surprise speakers, you never know. We'll celebrate some of our outstanding volunteers and have plenty of time to mingle. There's bound to be talk about issues of the day -- air, water, fracking, coal, the election, whatever strikes your green fancy. The entire menu will be available so you can order whatever you want to eat or drink, including liquid spirits. We'll provide a free round of margaritas (or the beverage of your choice). Support the Club by getting a 2019 Sierra Club Calendar or Planner!. Invite your family and friends. So, come on out for a great party, low price, no clean up, and lots of like minded people. What could be better? See you there, and bring your appetite. Happy Holidays!!

Full details of the Dallas Sierra Club’s annual bus trip to Big Bend National Park are now online at this PDF and we’re accepting registrations. Our 2019 trip departs Dallas at 9 p.m. Wednesday, February 27 and returns by 5 a.m. Monday, March 4. We’ll travel in a new coach with 56 seats (not the buses used on previous trips), allocating two seats per person. We’ll sell a maximum of 28 places.

Boot Rock The 2019 itinerary offers four hike options:
(1) backpacking in the Chisos Mountains, (2) base camping at the Chisos Basin Campground for three nights, with days hiking, (3) base camping at Rio Grande Village Campground one night and the Chisos Basin Campground for two nights, with day hiking and (4) backpacking from the Chisos Basin to Mule Ears Overlook. All trippers will enjoy four days of hikes. Trips 1, 2 and 3 will bus to Santa Elena Canyon on Sunday for a full day of short hikes into the canyon, a stop at the Castolon Visitor Center, a short hike into Tuff Canyon and hikes to either The Chimneys or Mule Ears Spring. Day hikes slated for the base camping options include Lost Mine, Hot Springs, South Rim, Boquillas Canyon, Ore Terminal and the RGV Nature Trail.

In recent years, the Big Bend trip has sold out weeks before departure. Early registration is consequently advised, although recent history suggests we will probably accommodate multiple people from a wait list. All hikes have maximum and minimum limits for number of participants, making early registrants more likely to get top preferences.

(replace this text with a short description of the image) We need new outings leaders, whether to lead day hikes, weekend camping trips, or multi-day adventures. We’ve set Saturday morning, December 1 and Sunday afternoon, December 2 as respective dates for the requisite Outdoor Leader Training 101 class (required every four years for all outings leaders) and a basic first aid class for day hike leaders.

Here’s what’s required to become a leader for Sierra Club day hikes:

Complete an Outdoor Leader Training 101 (“OLT 101”) class, offered Dec. 1. There’s no fee to participate.
Complete a basic first aid class that meets American Red Cross or American Heart Association standards. We’ve scheduled a licensed instructor to teach a Basic First Aid and CPR class on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2. Participants pay a $65 fee, but the Club will reimburse 100% of cost after a leader candidate leads their first outing.
Participate in one or more Dallas Sierra Club outings.
Lead a day hike accompanied by a mentor leader.

To lead an overnight outing or a day outing beyond the range of cell phones, the requirements are the same except that:

An advanced “OLT 201” class is required in addition to OLT 101. There’s no fee.
A Wilderness First Aid class is substituted for the basic first aid class requirement. These two-day classes are usually offered about six times a year in the Dallas area for a fee of $225 to $255. Candidates pay for their own WFA class, but the Club will reimburse 100% of cost when a leader has organized and led their first overnight outing.

If you’re interested, contact our Dallas Training Coordinator Liz Wheelan at 214.368.2306 or LizWICO@aol.com.

We have an important openings we need to fill starting next year. We need a Club Secretary. The job involves coming to the monthly Executive Committee meeting and taking notes. It is a great way to learn about the inner working of the Dallas Sierra Club and make a important contribution to our group. Contact John Lingenfelder at chair@dallassierraclub.org if you are interested or would like more information.

The Dallas Sierra Club has started a Outreach Speakers Program to provide outdoor and environmental education in the form of entertaining and informative presentations. To find out how the Dallas Sierra Club can provide a speaker for your group, please follow this link.

The Dallas Sierra Club has a great recycling guide on our website. Visit this recycling guide link to find out where to recycle just about anything, including Styrofoam. (You can find it anytime on the Conservation menu on our website.)

If you would like to know more about what happens when you recycle, click here for a 5-minute video called The Journey of Recyclable Materials, that the City of Richardson created. Even though Richardson uses blue bags and most other municipalities use bins, the process is the same.

We have started posting videos of selected General Meetings on YouTube. Visit our General Meeting Page to find links.

December 11 - Trinity Park Conservancy
Brent Brown, chief executive officer and president of the Trinity Park Conservancy, will provide a comprehensive overview of the vision for the Harold Simmons Park and the Trinity River area.

Trinity Park Conservancy created a survey that will provide a better understanding of how Harold Simmons Park can enrich our lives and be an inclusive space. It helps supplement the efforts of our 10 city wide workshops and learn the recreational and environmental appeal of natural spaces for residents in Dallas. The survey will be active until mid-November, at which point the questions will be updated to reflect the upcoming phase of engagement. Please click here to take the survey.

January 8 - Wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Journey to uninhabited Laysan Island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

We were told that the campsite's immense,
But it isn't. The space is real dense.
The reaction's severe;
We're in trouble I fear.
Situation is really in tents.

By Kirk Miller

If you would like to submit an environmental limerick for our Limerick of the Month feature, send it to editors@dallassierraclub.org.

Nov 10 (Sat) White Rock Lake Cleanup
Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables at the Sierra Club`s adopted section of White Rock Lake Park. Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you. Brunch afterwards. Leader: Carol Nash Send Email 214-824-0244

Nov 13 (Tue) Dallas Sierra Club General Meeting
Ben Sandifer will tell us about The Great Trinity Forest and Ranjana Bhandari will talk about Liveable Arlington, a grassroots organization advocating for a healthier city. Full details will be provided soon. Everyone is invited. Full details will be on our home page soon.

Nov 17 (Sat) Trail Maintenance at Cedar Ridge Preserve
Come to the hilly terrain of Cedar Ridge Preserve to help maintain one of the better trail networks in Dallas. The Sierra Club is responsible for the Possum Haw Trail. We work here on third Saturdays, starting at 9:00 AM, working until about noon. The Preserve's address is 7171 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas. For directions and general information about Cedar Ridge Preserve, click this link. If you need information or want to carpool, contact Ginger. The trail maintenance event is conducted by Audubon Dallas. Contact: Ginger Bradley Send Email 469-223-7902

Dec 1 (Sat) Become an Outings Leader
The Dallas Sierra Club needs Outings Leaders. We've scheduled Outings Leader Training 101 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 1. This is the class every Sierra Club Outings Leader takes every four years to get and maintain certification. Other leader requirements are (1) a first aid class appropriate for the type of outings a leader intends, (2) participation in some Dallas Sierra Club outings and (3) planning and leading an outing accompanied by another leader. We've arranged a first aid class for day hike leaders on the afternoon of December 2. For leaders who would like to lead overnight trips, we will schedule a sequel class (OLT 201) and require Wilderness First Aid training instead of the basic first aid class for day hike leaders. Inquiries are invited and encouraged. Coordinator: Liz Wheelan Send Email 214-368-2306

Dec 2 (Sun) Basic First Aid for Day Hike Leaders
We've arranged this basic first aid and CPR class for new day hike leaders who don't require Wilderness First Aid training. Time is 1:00 to approximately 4:30. Reservations are required. Inquiries are invited. Coordinator: Liz Wheelan Send Email 214-368-2306

Dec 5 (Wed) Dallas Sierra Club Executive Committee Meeting
The Executive Committee (or Excom) is the elected governing body of the Dallas Sierra Club and meets upstairs at Whole Foods Market, southeast corner of Preston Road and Forest Lane, in Dallas at 6:30 pm. Contact the Dallas Group Chair for more information.

Dec 8 (Sat) White Rock Lake Cleanup
Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables at the Sierra Club`s adopted section of White Rock Lake Park. Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you. Brunch afterwards. Leader: Carol Nash Send Email 214-824-0244

Dec 9 (Sun) Sierra Club Holiday Party
Our annual Holiday Party will be held at El Fenix Restaurant at 255 Casa Linda Plaza. We'll party on Sunday, December 9 from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Here is a Google map. Club members and guests will share the holiday spirit, some great Mexican food, and the company of others at this annual event. Join us for some camaraderie, raffle prizes, and perhaps some surprise speakers, you never know. We'll celebrate some of our outstanding volunteers and have plenty of time to mingle. There's bound to be talk about issues of the day -- air, water, fracking, coal, nuclear, whatever strikes your green fancy. The entire menu will be available so you can order whatever you want to eat or drink, including liquid spirits. We'll provide a free round of margaritas. Invite your family and friends. So come on out for a great party, low price, no clean up, and lots of like minded people. What could be better? See you there, and bring your appetite. Happy Holidays!!

Dec 11 (Tue) Dallas Sierra Club General Meeting
Brent Brown will give a vision of the Harold Simmons Park and the Trinity river area. Everyone is invited. Full details are on our home page now.

Dec 15 (Sat) Trail Maintenance at Cedar Ridge Preserve
Come to the hilly terrain of Cedar Ridge Preserve to help maintain one of the better trail networks in Dallas. The Sierra Club is responsible for the Possum Haw Trail. We work here on third Saturdays from 9:00 AM until about noon. The Preserve's address is 7171 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas. For directions and general information about Cedar Ridge Preserve, click this link. If you want information or want to carpool, contact Ginger. The trail maintenance event is conducted by Audubon Dallas. Contact: Ginger Bradley Send Email 469-223-7902