VOLUME 35, NUMBER 3 NOVEMBER 2003

FIELD TRIP: None scheduled

We will hold the annual potluck dinner in the fellowship hall at the Hilldale United Methodist Church at 1751 Madison Street (entrance to the fellowship hall and additional parking around back). Please bring plenty of food to share with others. We need main dishes, salads and desserts. We begin at 6:00 p.m.

After the meal, Mr. Ed Warr, a Wildlife Biologist with TWRA, will present a program on Homing Pigeons. See the information below.

Once again Congress will soon be debating the merits and dismerits of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We have heard the arguments before. Some will say that we must become independent of the volatile Middle Eastern oil, and that drilling can be done without interfering with wildlife. Others will defend some of the last truly remote and unscathed wilderness in the US and indeed in the world. Both sides have some valid points, but neither express one of my prime concerns. I wonder if the U.S. is going to end up on the wrong side of history in the future of energy. Someone had to be the last investor in the typewriter as the blueprints for the word processor were drying, but I would not want to be that person. Throughout history, there are many examples of people and civilizations gazing one direction while the momentum of progress passed by them. Oil has certainly served an important, although at times controversial, role in the history of energy technologies. Oil will provide energy needs for years to come. However, make no mistake, oil will not be the energy giant of the future. Making great strides are the technologies of wind and solar power, energy conservation, fuel cells and many others still on the drawing boards. Drilling in ANWR will not make the US energy independent. It has and will distract us from seeing the bright energy future ahead. For certain, if the U.S. does not lead the world into the next generation of energy technologies, some other country will.

Our November program will be provided by Ed Warr, Wildlife Biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. His topic will be Homing Pigeons. He will present a mixed media program including live birds. His presentation has been highly recommended by Polly Rooker as well as the Nashville TOS Chapter.

Dr. Joe Schiller’s October program on energy conservation, "Razing Appalachia: A Look at the Alternatives" highlighted the link between energy consumption and environmental destruction, especially from surface mining of coal. Discussions of energy conservation often focus on slowing the usage of a limited resource, but Joe illustrated the inextricable linkage to extensive environmental destruction in Appalachia. To reach coal seams, the tops of mountains, overburden, is removed and dumped into adjacent valleys. This not only destroys the mountaintop environment, but it destroys the valleys and their streams as well. Additional dangers are associated with the processing and transport of coal were illustrated. So much for "clean coal!"

November: no field trip scheduled.

December: annual Christmas Bird Count, date to be announced.

January: no field trip scheduled.

February: all day trip to see the eagles at Reelfoot Lake, tentative date, Saturday, Feb. 7.

On Sunday, October 12, Dr. Wayne Chester and Daniel Moss led a wonderfully informative field trip to the barrens at Fort Campbell. Located within the post are approximately 8,000 acres of "true" barrens with a typical field averaging about 20 acres in size.

The fall weather was terrific as we visited various historic remnants of the Pennyroyal Plain. Rolling vistas of characteristic vegetation such as Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem (Turkey Foot) and Indian Grass greeted us at each stop. Other unique plants seen included Elliott’s Broomsedge, Plume Grass, New England Aster, *Western Sunflower, Downy Sunflower, Earleaf False Foxglove, *Barbed Rattlesnake Root, Bluecurls, Carolina Rose, Hairy Mountain Mint, Narrow-Leaf Mount Mint, Headed Lespedeza, Goldenrods and Asters (several species), Blazing Star, Hairy Lobelia and Big-Tooth Aspen, (*state-listed endangered species).

Along with all the beauty of the barrens observed, there was considerable discussion of certain invasive species. Loblolly pine, sericea lespedeza, bicolor lespedeza (shrub) and fescue continue to pose serious problems for the plants of the plains

In addition to the myriad of botanical information dispersed, Dr. Chester shared some fascinating historical tidbits about the area. Side trips were made to visit the old Jordan Springs community site as well as the Jordan Springs cemetery. Our afternoon concluded with a visit to an historic U. S. Geologic Survey marker officially designating the Tennessee/Kentucky state boundary in 1858. Reportedly this is one of only a very few still in existence.

A great time was had by all. Much thanks are extended to both Daniel Moss for making it happen and to Dr. Chester for lending his time and expertise. Thanks!!

The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is being considered by a House-Senate Conference committee. Any final bill passed by the Conference Committee must still be approved by both the full U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Anti-drilling leaders in the Senate will filibuster the bill - a procedural tactic that stops a bill from moving forward and if the pro-drillers cannot get 60 votes to end the filibuster, the energy bill goes back to the drawing table, and the Arctic Refuge is safe from drilling for another year! Other problems with the proposed energy legislation include no increase in the fuel efficiency standards of cars and trucks, and many appliances. It rolls back existing environmental safeguards for oil and gas drilling on public lands and expands development to areas currently off-limits due to their environmental fragility. It does not include measures to diversify America's energy supplies with renewable power sources, nor does it address meaningful ways to reduce global warming pollution. Neither Tennessee Senator is on the conference committee, but of course Senator Frist is majority leader and will manage the vote on any bill coming from committee. Senator Alexander has commented frequently on the need to clean up Tennessee’s dirty TVA power plants, so perhaps he would be receptive to comments critical of the bills lack of energy conservation and alternative energy provisions. In any case, it is important to keep the pressure on. Unfortunately, as long as Americans consider driving gas guzzlers a basic human right, and ignore energy conservation in other parts of the economy as well, ANWR and many other national treasures will remain at risk.

The U.S. Senate is getting closer to a compromise on legislation aimed at protecting at-risk communities from forest fires. Unfortunately, the compromise advances parts of the House-passed Healthy Forest Restoration Act (H.R.1904) that weakens environmental safeguards and limits public input and court appeals that might otherwise be a last line of defense in protecting pristine areas of national forest lands. A better Senate bill, S.1453, is pending in the Senate. It focuses on protecting people and communities located near national forests, as well as the forests themselves. Help encourage your two U.S. Senators to oppose the House-passed H.R.1904 or any similar version of it, and support S.1453!

Encourage your congressional representative to reinstate the protections of the Clean Water Act protections by signing on as a co-sponsor to the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act, bill S.473 in the Senate, and bill H.R.962 in the House of Representatives. The Act reaffirms the original intent of the Clean Water Act to restore, maintain and provide clean, safe, swimmable and fishable water; and it reinstates protection of isolated wetlands that provide habitat for fish and wildlife, flood control, and filtering of pollutants. The original Clean Water Act has been under continual administrative attack by the Bush administration. This legislation reaffirms congressional protections of the nations waters that the Bush administration has undermined through administrative rule making and interpretation. The more co-sponsors a bill has, the better chance it has to move through the legislative process!