Y E S - Sierra Club · $1.2 million to fight Amendment 24, and their spurious claims regarding the...

The statewide petition drive to get the ResponsibleGrowth Initiative onto the November ballot ended August7, when proponents submitted 103,422 signatures to theSecretary of State’s office. A week later, the signatureshad been officially counted, and it was announced that weare on the ballot as Amendment 24. Coloradans forResponsible Growth and its supporting organizations(including the Sierra Club) can now begin educating thepublic about what the Initiative will do to reduce sprawl,promote better planning, and help ensure that the futuregrowth that does occur is truly in our communities’ bestinterest.

Why Is this Initiative Needed?According to recent agricultural census statistics, we

are losing farm and ranch land in Colorado at a rate of 10acres per hour or more. The land encompassed by theDenver Metropolitan area is growing four times fasterthan its population growth rate. Throughout Colorado,sprawling development is paving over the natural ameni-ties that draw people here – open spaces, clean air, accessto wildlands and wildlife, and fresh water. Instead, resi-dents are rewarded with the consequences of poorlyplanned growth – terrible traffic congestion, rising taxes,strip malls and subdivisions.

Growth and sprawl related issues top the list asColoradans’ number one concern, yet our elected repre-sentatives have failed over the past two years to pass anymeaningful legislation to control sprawl and uncheckeddevelopment in Colorado. It’s time for citizens to act.

What will Amendment 24 do? It will:- Give Voters Approval Over New Growth Areas.

Cities and counties must prepare maps of where they wantfuture growth to occur, outlining the location, generaldensities and uses of the new growth, then submit thesemaps to local voters for approval. Already developed or

approved areas would be unaffected.

- Provide the Public with Information on GrowthImpacts. When submitting new Growth Area Maps forvoter approval, cities and counties must also describe tovoters the projected impacts of new development, includ-ing its immediate and projected long-term costs, and itseffect on schools, open space, traffic, air quality, andwater supplies.

- Promote Responsible, Affordable Growth. Growthareas are limited to places where localities can afford tobuild roads and central water and sewer systems within aten-year period. Cities must draw their new growth areasadjacent to existing developed areas.

- Require Regional Cooperation. Counties and citiesmust consult with each other when drawing their growtharea maps, and may not conflict with or overlap theirneighbor’s growth areas.

In short, the Responsible Growth Initiative is designedto help growing communities plan for and accommodategrowth in the most efficient, cost-effective, and responsi-ble ways possible, without breaking the bank. T h eInitiative gives citizens both the power to decide what’sbest for their local communities and the knowledge nec-essary to make informed decisions.

The Responsible Growth Initiative will enhance thelong-term planning already being done by cities acrossthe state. Existing comprehensive plans will continue toserve as the planning backbone for each local govern-ment.

The Initiative was written by a broad cross-section ofColoradans – the steering group included planners,farmers, community activists, environmentalists, busi-nesspeople, attorneys, state legislators, and many others.The primary sponsors of the initiative are renownedColorado photographer John Fielder, and Elise Jones,Director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition. It hasbeen endorsed by more than a dozen statewide civic andcommunity organizations already, including the AmericanPlanning Association, The League of Women Voters, andthe Western Colorado Congress. A Talmey-Drake pollcommissioned by the Rocky Mountain News in July indi-cated that 78% of Coloradans support the initiative.

What will Amendment 24 NOT do?Developers and home builders have raised more than

$1.2 million to fight Amendment 24, and their spuriousclaims regarding the Initiative’s consequences havealready begun appearing in the local media. In attempt toset the record straight, the Responsible Growth Initiativewill:

- Not stop growth- Not prevent approved subdivisions from being completed- Not enable any individual to challenge development- Not a ffect constitutionally recognized property rights.

What can you do?To read the Responsible Growth Initiative language, or

to learn more about the costs of growth in Colorado, visitthe web site: www.voteyes24.com. If you would like tolearn how you can help with the Initiative campaign,please contact the Sierra Club at 303-861-8819, [email protected].

WE CAN reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.WE CAN protect agricultural land and wildlife habitat.WE CAN avoid becoming another Los Angeles basin.WE CAN grow more responsibly – but WE MUST ACTNOW!

Rocky MountainChapter of the

Sierra Club

Volume XXXIV—No. 5 October/November 2000

V o t eY E Son 24!

Colorado Ballot InitiativesAmendment 21 NOAmendment 24 YES

State House Rep. District Phone E-mailFran Coleman (D) HD 01 303-866-2966 [email protected] Veiga (D) HD 03 303-866-2921 [email protected] Chavez (D) HD 05 303-866-2925 [email protected] Grossman (D) HD 06 303-866-2015 [email protected] Saliman (D) HD 11 303-866-2583 [email protected] Plant (D) HD 13 303-866-2938 [email protected] Zimmerman (D) HD 31 303-866-2918 [email protected] Tochtrop (D) HD 34 303-866-2931 [email protected] Ragsdale (D) HD 35 303-866-2843 [email protected] Busey (D) HD 37 [email protected] Bacon (D) HD 53 303-866-2917 [email protected] Gagliardi (D) HD 60 303-866-2963 [email protected]

Sierra Club Election 2000 EndorsementsAl Gore (D) PresidentJoe Lieberman (D) Vice-President

U.S. House Rep. District Phone WebsiteDiana DeGette (D) CO 01 303-844-4988 www.house.gov/degette/ Mark Udall (D) CO 02 303-457-4500 www.house.gov/markudall/Ken Toltz (D) CO 06 303-703-1734 www.toltz2000.com/

Colorado Races (www.leg.state.co.us/, Legislature, Contact Info)

State Senator District Phone E-mailTerry Phillips (D) SD 17 303-866-5291 [email protected] Ron Tupa (D) SD 18 303-866-2915 [email protected] Takis (D) SD 25 303-866-2912 [email protected] Linkhart (D) SD 31 303-866-4861Penfield Tate (D) SD 33 303-866-2959 [email protected] Gordon (D) SD 35 303-866-5523 [email protected]

Why Coloradans Should Support the Responsible Growth Initiative

by Janna Six & Ramon AjeroChair & Vice Chair Poudre Canyon Group

Peak & Prairie 2

Peak & PrairieEditorial Staff

EditorSandy [email protected]@rmc.sierraclub.orgHigh Plains Group

Conservation Editor/ExCom ContactKirk Cunningham303-939-8519 (H)[email protected]: Indian Peaks, UncompahgreArea: Conservation, National Forests,Public Lands, Mining

Wire EditorCharlie [email protected]

Photo EditorMatt [email protected]

LayoutChris [email protected]

Circulation/MailingAngela Medbery303-433-2608 (H)[email protected] Uren303-504-9657 (H)

Advertising ManagerMike [email protected]

View from the Chair

SubmissionsDeadline for

December/January issueFriday, October 27, 2000.

Email submissions as MS Word, Wordperfect,Appleworks attachments

to the editor [email protected].

Drop disks or photographs offat the Sierra Club RMC Office,The Peak & Prairie is printed

by The Colorado Daily on recycled paper.

Greg CasiniRMC Chair

Why Vo t e ?Pivotal election for enviro n m e n t

The priority of the office, of course,has been the Responsible GrowthInitiative (RGI). In July, we focussed ongetting signatures on petitions, buildingour coalition and planning for the fallcampaign. More than 100 Sierra Clubvolunteers hit the streets to get signa-tures to get the initiative on theNovember ballot.

On August 7, the Campaign turnedin 103,000 signatures to the Secretary ofS t a t e ’s office. The Sierra Club commit-ted to getting 5,000 signatures, but inthe end, our volunteers turned in morethan 7,000 signatures! Way to Go!O ffice folks have been talking to themedia and answering questions from thepublic about the effects of the initiative.

We hired a Sprawl EducationO rg a n i z e r, Nichole Goodman. For herfirst event, Nichole organized a demon-stration at the Parade of Homes – wecalled it the “Charade of Homes.” T h e s eare million-dollar model homes, built onthe east side of E-470, that are open fortouring to the public. On the day of thehome builders’“media party” the SierraClub and a local group called Coalitionof Northeastern Douglas CountyAgainst Annexation showed up withpicket signs and handouts talking aboutsprawl. High Plains Group ChairDianna VanderDoes did a fantastic jobof talking to the T V cameras, and was

featured that night on Channel 2 News’Cover Story (see page 5 photo).

Nichole also helped organize a suc-cessful set of Sprawl events in A u g u s t .First up, 75 people turned out for ashowing of “Subdivide and Conquer” inFort Collins with Special Guest speakerBrett Hulsey, the Club’s NationalChallenge to Sprawl Director. A s h o w-ing at the Denver Public Library fol-lowed that with 45 people attending.Janna Six, Mike Doten, Ramon A j e r o ,Mark Easter, Jolynn Jarboe, Tr i s hO’Neill, Bert Melcher and many morehelped to make these events a success.This program is being funded by a gen-erous grant from the national SierraClub Sprawl Campaign.

While Brett was here, we also puttogether a radio ad, played over theLabor Day weekend on KOSI, K99, andTRI 102. The ad told the story of ourstate parks being endangered by UrbanSprawl, and asked listeners to call theGovernor to protect state parks withurban growth boundaries. (See page 15for ad text.)

Now we’re into full campaign mode.Between the Campaign, CEC, SierraClub and CoPIRG, we have 10 org a n i z-ers working around the state to get theRGI passed. Though the opposition hasthe war chest, we have a committedcrew of volunteers. Oh yeah, and we’rer i g h t !

Susan worked with the coalition that

is putting together this year’s ColoradoLegislative Environmental Scorecard,which was released in August. You cansee how your representative did bygoing to www. l c v. o rg and going to theColorado scorecard page. (Hint – it wasdisappointing). But there are someheroes at the state house, as you can seein other parts of this newsletter. And weneed to support them when we can.

On August 15, Ross Vincent andSusan LeFever spoke before the Boardof the Denver area RTD (RegionalTransportation District) as part of acoalition of labor (multiple unions), reli-gious and environmental groups, in sup-port of a resolution submitted by four ofthe seventeen RTD Board members thatwould result in a formal hearing on thequalifications of companies that mightbe considered to provide rail for anexpanded Denver-area light rail system.

S t a ff Changes – Robyn Fugett hasbeen managing the office while we lookfor a new Chapter Coordinator. ForLabor Day weekend, Robyn org a n i z e dvolunteers from EMG, HPG and theChapter to staff tables at the GrandOpening of EMS on Colorado Blvd inD e n v e r. Aimee Cartier has started work-ing out of the Denver office as ano rganizer for the 6th CD. And Nicholehas started working full time on org a n-izing for the ballot initiative.

And you thought the summer wass l o w !

by Susan LeFeverRMC Director

“This is an important election.” Youhear that every four years, but thisNovember it’s especially true. All threebranches of the federal government areup for grabs for the first time since 1952,and the outcome of this election couldtake us in one of two profoundly differentdirections.

What’s at stake?The fate of our wildlands, progress on

reducing air and water pollution, and pro-tection for our national forests, for sure.But perhaps much more – possibly every-thing that we have worked for andachieved over the last thirty years is atstake in this election.

The Good NewsWe can win this election, and a switch

in a handful of seats could restore a pro-environment majority to Congress. Witha new leadership that would work withenvironmentalists of both parties,Congress could once again pass proactivelegislation. And with a sympathetic pres-ident and Congress, we might finally getsome environmental voices on theSupreme Court.

The Bad News If voters give the election to Bush,

they will be throwing away the opportu-nity of a lifetime – and worse.

As president, Bush says that he wouldreverse President Clinton’s wild-forest

initiative and open up the last roadlessareas in our national forests to logging.Bush’s Texas appointees are lobbying toweaken federal enforcement of the CleanAir Act and Bush also wants to eliminatepolluters’responsibility to clean up toxicwaste sites. In short, Bush could beexpected to manage the nation’s environ-ment much as he has managed that ofTexas, which leads the nation in industri-al toxic air pollution and in the number offacilities that violate clean-water stan-dards.

The next president will also shape theSupreme Court for decades to come. IfBush wins, Chief Justice WilliamRehnquist is likely to retire, leavingJustice Antonin Scalia – the most anti-environmental voice on the court – likelyto replace him.

In addition, should anti-environmen-talists retain control of Congress, Bushcould wield power not experienced by aRepublican president since Eisenhower.How might he use it? Already thisMarch, Representative John Doolittle (R-Calif.) was sending a letter around toconservative think tanks and industryassociations soliciting items that “a newpresident can enact immediately upontaking office to go on the offensiveagainst the ‘extreme’environmentalists.”

“What I’m looking to do,” wroteDoolittle, “is not merely reverse the dam-age done but to enable the executivebranch to counter that entire movement.”

With that agenda in mind, imagine ourenvironment’s future in George Bush’shands – and see if you don’t wake upscreaming at night.

The Bottom LineThis election offers us a historic

opportunity to clean up our air and water,protect our wildlands and improve ourquality of life. It also offers our adver-saries the opportunity to take away all theprogress we’ve made in the last thirtyyears restoring and safeguarding ourenvironment. The Sierra Club – with16,000 members in Colorado and650,000 members nationwide – can playa critical role in a close election.

Our people and our environment willbe significantly better or worse offdepending on what happens in votingbooths on November 7.

Be there!

* And while you’re in the votingbooth, be sure to vote in state and localraces. There’s plenty at stake in theColorado General Assembly.Environmental bills are often decided byas few as one or two votes in both cham-bers of the state legislature. We need toelect pro-environment state lawmakers ifwe are to achieve our conservation goalsfor Colorado. (Take the Sierra ClubEndorsements with you to vote – oncover page.)

Peak & PrairieOctober/November 2000 issue

Vol 34 Number 5“Peak & Prairie” is

published bimonthly by the Rocky Mountain Chapter

of the Sierra Club, 1410 Grant Street, Suite B205

Denver, CO 80203303-861-8819

303-861-2436 (FAX)[email protected]

http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org

What’s Happening at the Chapter Office

3 October/November 2000

by Andy SchultheissLeague of Conservation VotersRegional Director, Southwest

The League of Conservation Vo t e r sreleased its annual grade sheet for theColorado legislature on August 23.Overall, scores were up slightly from pre-vious years, but only because members ofthe House and Senate once again refusedto fully consider the major issues facingthe state.

As can be seen on the vote charts, nomajor pieces of legislation dealing withgrowth and sprawl made it to a final vote.Poll after poll indicates that these twinissues are the most important facingColorado citizens – not just the mostimportant environmental issues, the mostimportant, period – and yet once again thelegislature failed to address them. As aresult, the Responsible Growth Initiative,

sponsored by a citizens’ coalition thatincludes the Sierra Club, has beenapproved for the ballot this November. Ifthe leaders won’t lead, the people must!

On other important issues, the legisla-ture’s record was decidedly mixed. Whilebeneficial bills related to conservationeasements, open space acquisition, andalternative fuel use did pass into law, theledger was more than balanced by thelarge dustbin of pro-environment legisla-tion that went down to defeat.Conservationists were unable to perma-nently rectify the funding shortfall at theDepartment of Wildlife, include a “Rightto a Clean and Healthy Environment” inthe state constitution, correct industry biason the Oil and Gas Commission, or pushforward a monorail project for the I-70corridor. It was yet another legislative ses-sion in which the conservation communi-ty’s biggest victories were all bad bills and

defeated: not a single idea that originatedwith conservationists passed.

Overall, scores ranged from a perfect100% (18 House members and three sena-tors) down to a paltry 10%, with an aver-age of 58%. Most of the highest scorerswere from the Denver- B o u l d e r- F o r tCollins area, while many of the worst per-formers were from Colorado Springs andthe East. Unlike in past years, there werenone that scored zero percent.

The scorecard is intended as an educa-tion tool for citizen environmentalists. Usethe charts to find out how your representa-tive and senator performed on the issuesthat are important to you. These are allimportant environmental votes, butremember that they are only the tip of theiceberg. For every environmental bill thatmade it to a final vote (the only ones wecan score), there may be three or four crit-ical ones that died in committee, or were

simply extinguished by the leadership. In this and every year, it is up to the cit-

izens of Colorado to demand of their elect-ed officials that they represent all of thepeople whenever they appear publicly –not just the powerful, anti-environmentallobbies. To vote against a pro-environmentbill is one thing, but to fail to even consid-er the most important issues facing ourstate is worse. For ideas on what kinds ofquestions to ask of your representatives,check the League of Conservation VotersEducation Fund website,www.VoteEnvironment.org.

The entire Colorado LegislativeEnvironmental Scorecard can also befound on the web. It includes full descrip-tions of each of the scored votes, as well asa summary of some of the other environ-mental bills that failed to make it that far.You can find it at www. l c v. o rg / s c o r e-cards/colorado2000.

2000 Colorado Environmental Scorecard Released

Peak & Prairie 4

by Peggy MalchowRMC 2000 Political Committee

The Rocky Mountain Chapter andthe national Sierra Club PoliticalCommittee has once again endorsedU.S. Representative Diana DeGette inher race for another term in Congress.The Sierra Club has endorsed DeGetteeach time she has run for Congress,beginning in 1996, when she first ran forthe seat vacated by Pat Schroeder. “Rep.DeGette has a record as a strong andconsistent advocate for the environment,and we’re proud to endorse her,” saysGreg Casini, RMC Chair.

DeGette represents the 1stCongressional District, which encom-passes all of Denver County and parts ofAdams and Arapahoe counties andincludes the cities of Denver,

Commerce City,and part ofAurora. As anurban legislator,DeGette will con-tinue to focus herenergies on urbanland use and sub-urban sprawl. Shesponsored a suc-cessful amend-ment to increase

funding for the EPA’s Brownfields pro-gram to cleanup and rehabilitate aban-doned urban spaces.

In 1999, she introduced legislation topreserve and protect Colorado’s uniqueopen spaces and wilderness. Rep.DeGette’s legislation, HR 829, calls forprotection of 49 areas throughout thestate with strong wilderness characteris-tics. The legislation designates 1.4 mil-lion acres as wilderness to ensure thelands are preserved in natural conditionfor future generations. “We should notjeopardize more than one million acresof Colorado to the threats of growth andoveruse by failing to protect them now,”says DeGette. “If we wait to act on eachof the areas individually, many of theseunique and beautiful areas will be lostfor future generations.”

Congresswoman DeGette is a fourthgeneration Denverite. She was educatedat Denver ’s South High School, earnedher undergraduate degree at ColoradoCollege and graduated NYU LawSchool. DeGette practiced civil rightsand employment law in Denver until sheran for public office. She served twoterms in the Colorado House ofRepresentatives before running forCongress.

DianaDeGette1st C o n g re s s i o n a lD i s t r i c t


The Sierra Club has endorsed MarkUdall’s candidacy for a second term rep-resenting Colorado’s 2nd CongressionalDistrict in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives. The second district,located north of Denver, includes all ofBoulder, Gilpin, and Clear Creek coun-ties and parts of both Jefferson andAdams counties.

Udall has a 100% rating from theLeague of Conservation Voters. “Butmore than just voting our way on issues,Udall has taken active leadership onenvironmental legislation, even as a first-term representative,” says Greg Casini,RMC Chair. “He has more than earnedour support.”

Last year Udall introduced the RockyMountain National Park Wilderness Act(HR 2178) and the James PeakWilderness Act (HR 2177). Both of thesebills would designate lands in Coloradoas wilderness and ensure that these natu-ral treasures will remain in perpetuity.With Rep. Diana DeGette, he co-spon-sored a bill to designate certain BLMlands in Colorado as wilderness. Thisyear Udall won approval for a $40 mil-lion increase for renewable energ yresearch as an amendment to the Energy

and Water Appropriations Bill, and hewas able to win a $30 million increase infunding for solar and renewable energyin last year’s Energy and Water bill. Healso introduced the Rocky Flats OpenSpace Act (HR 2179), which would pre-serve more than 6,000 acres of the closedRocky Flats weapons facility’s bufferzone as open space.

During his first term in Congress,Udall was elected by his Democratic col-leagues to serve as Democratic DeputyRegional Whip for the western UnitedStates and as the Democratic freshmanclass vice-president. He is also a co-chairof the Renewable Energy caucus. Amember of the House ResourcesCommittee, Udall sits on theSubcommittee on National Parks andPublic Lands and the Subcommittee onForests and Forests Health. He is also amember of the House Small BusinessCommittee, the House ScienceCommittee, and of its subcommittees onTechnology and on Space andAeronautics.

Before running for Congress, heserved one term in the Colorado legisla-ture. During his term in the legislature,Udall passed important legislation tostrengthen Colorado’s oversight ofradioactive waste and to increase finesfor poaching of trophy-sized wildlife.

Prior to entering public service, Udallhad a long and successful career with theColorado Outward Bound School, as acourse director and educator from 1975-85 and as the organization’s ExecutiveDirector from 1985-95. His experiencewith environmental education led him tointroduce the Stewardship Education,Recreation, and Volunteers for theEnvironment Act (the S.E.R.V.E. Act).The S.E.R.V.E. Act would make it easierfor federal land agencies to use volun-teers for natural resource projects.

Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona,and has spent all his adult life inColorado. He graduated from WilliamsCollege in 1972 with a bachelor’s degreein American Civilization. An avid moun-tain climber, he has climbed or attemptedsome of the world’s most challengingpeaks, including Mt. Everest. He and hiswife, attorney and conservationistMaggie Fox, have two children. “One ofthe reasons I decided to run for office isthat I wanted to make sure my childrencan grow up in a place with clean air,clean water, and where they can go hik-ing and experience the incredible beautyof the Rocky Mountains,” Udall says. “InCongress I will continue to fight to pro-tect our natural treasures and ensure thatfuture generations will be able to enjoyall Colorado has to offer.”

Mark Udall

by Peggy MalchowRMC 2000 PoliticalCommittee

The Rocky MountainChapter and the nationalSierra Club PoliticalCommittee have endorsedKen Toltz, who is challengingincumbent Tom Tancredo tobe the next U.S.Representative for Colorado’s6th Congressional District.

Toltz understands the needfor cleaning up our air andwater, protecting open space,and preserving wilderness.“The members of the ChapterPolitical Committee who par-ticipated in interviews withhim were impressed with hiswillingness to learn and hiscommitment to listen to theenvironmental community, ”reports Linda Stanley, co-chair of the PoliticalCommittee. “He intends totake a leadership role on envi-ronmental protection, and hewants our input.”

Toltz has stated thatgrowth would be one of thetop three issues on which hecampaigns, and because heviews supporting public trans-portation as key to changinggrowth patterns and traff i ccongestion, he vows to workto secure funding for alterna-tive transportation and he sup-

ported the light rail initiative.He also supports the acquisi-tion of open space and theimplementation of smartgrowth plans.

Toltz has shown his com-mitment to clean air by beingactive in business organiza-tions to reduce pollution. Forthree years he has served onthe board of the CorporateAlliance for Better Air, and hewas appointed to the CitizensAdvisory Panel for theColorado Department ofHealth and Environment, aposition mandated by theClean Air Act. Even more sig-nificantly, Toltz has activelytestified in favor of stricter airquality standards, appearingat a recent EPA hearing inDenver to testify in favor ofproposed regulations thatwould impose stricter controlson emissions from buses andheavy trucks.

He also testified againstlowering water quality stan-dards at a hearing of theDenver Regional Council ofGovernments (DRCOG). TheCherry Creek Basin Wa t e rQuality Authority has request-ed DRCOG’s approval of a10-year treatment and facili-ties proposal that would per-mit increased amounts ofphosphorous, which promotesthe growth of algae and

decreases oxygen levels. “Thechallenge before the boardshould be to propose alterna-tive plans to meet currentstandards. Therefore, weshould be discussing propos-als to ensure the current stan-dard is met, not decreasing thestandards so compliance ismore easily achieved,” statedToltz in his testimony.

“I’m impressed that he’staking time to testify for cleanair and water like this,” saysMike Mueller, a Chaptermember and liaison to theToltz campaign from the envi-ronmental community.“ Testifying isn’t campaign-ing, but he does it eventhough it takes time duringthe campaign season.”

To l t z ’s district, the 6th,encompasses portions ofJefferson and Arapahoe coun-ties in Denver’s eastern,southern, and western sub-urbs, including Cherry Hills,Greenwood Vi l l a g e ,Lakewood, Littleton,Englewood, and parts ofAurora. Of the voters in thedistrict, 38% are registered asRepublicans, 34% as inde-pendents, and 28% asDemocrats. In spite of the dis-tict’s composition, moderateDemocrats like Toltz havesuccessfully carried the dis-trict in many past elections.

Dan Weiss, political directorfor the Sierra Club, has char-acterized Tancredo as politi-cally vulnerable.

Although he has not previ-ously run for office, Toltz isnot a political novice. Heworked on Gary Hart’s 1984presidential campaign, onCarlos Lucero’s campaign forthe Senate, and on several ofDavid Skaggs’ c a m p a i g n s .His own campaign has raiseda substantial amount for hisrun against Tancredo. A num-ber of political action com-mittees, including NARAL,C E A and NEA, the localAFL-CIO, and SAFEColorado, have joined inendorsing Toltz.

Ken Toltz is a thirdgeneration Colorado native.He is currently an executivefor his family’s 70- year-olddry cleaning business,Dependable Cleaners. Helives in Littleton, and is mar-ried with 2 children. He has aB.A. from CU and an MBAfrom DU.

Toltz Takes on Tancredo

RMC Endorsements 2000

Ken Toltz

Diana DeGette

2nd Congressional District


by Catherine WorsterSondermann E-Squared Partners

On the surface, Amendment 21 mightalmost sound like a good plan. But take acloser look and you’ll find it’s actually toogood to be true. Amendment 21 claims tobe about tax cuts, but it is really about cutsin important services. The impacts ofAmendment 21 would be far-reaching –and potentially devastating.

Under Amendment 21, each individualincome tax bill, utility tax, motor vehicletax, and property tax (city, county, school,each special district, urban drainage)would be reduced by $25. And every year,each tax bill would be reduced by an addi-tional $25. And so on, year after year($50, $75, $100, $125, $150, …).

What does that mean for us? We’ll lose funding for special districts

such as the Elk Creek Fire ProtectionDistrict. In June, Coloradans watched asfirefighters from the Elk Creek Fire

Protection District battled the devastatingHi Meadow Fire, often with miraculousresults.

That fire protection district – and oth-ers like it – is almost wholly dependent onproperty taxes. If Amendment 21 were topass, the majority of the Elk Creek’s prop-erty tax revenue would disappear.O b v i o u s l y, the high level of servicedemonstrated in fighting the Hi MeadowFire would not be possible underAmendment 21.

This is just one example of howAmendment 21 would impact Colorado.And the cuts listed above would be appli-cable to every special district in the state –libraries, emergency services, water andsanitation districts, parks and recreationalopportunities, and other essential and pop-ular services.

Protect our communities. Vote NO onAmendment 21.

Sierra Club OpposesAmendment 21It cuts important services

September 5th, Coloradans forResponsible Growth, the citizen cam-paign working to pass Amendment 24,filed their financial reports with theSecretary of State. The opposition to thecitizen-backed Responsible GrowthInitiative had already reported theirAugust contribution and expenditurereport to the Secretary of State. Thedeveloper-funded opposition committee,Coloradoans For Responsible Reform,

reported contributions forAugust of nearly $1.4 mil-

lion bringing the totalraised to date to $2.6

million. The bulk ofthis total is com-

posed of large con-tributions fromdevelopers. 76%of the contribu-tions of a $1,000

or more came fromdevelopment interests.

All of the top 5 contributors weredevelopers:

1. Castle Rock DevelopmentCompany $100,000

2. Continental Homes, Inc. $60,0003. Oakwood Homes, Inc. $60,0004. Ryland homes – Denver Division

$50,0005. Colorado Association of Realtors

$50,000

Over $100,000 was raised by the pro-ponents this cycle bringing theColoradans For Responsible Growth total

to over $270,000. The ratio of fundsraised to date is over ten to one ($2.6million to $210,000).

“It’s very clear that the developershave bought the development process andnow they’re trying to buy the voters,”said Monica Piergrossi, CampaignDirector for the Coloradans forResponsible Growth. “The developers areoutspending citizens by more than ten toone to try to convince voters that out ofcontrol growth is a figment of our imagi-nation.”

“This is going to be a classic Davidversus Goliath fight,” said John Fielder,nature photographer and initiative propo-nent. “Despite what voters will hearfrom big money developers, Amendment24 is a reasonable step forward to protectColorado’s future and give citizen’s amuch needed voice on how and wheretheir communities will grow.”

The Responsible Growth Initiativetakes a bottom up, local control approachto addressing the problem of sprawl bygiving citizens the deciding vote on howtheir communities will grow into thefuture. The initiative is supported by adiverse and growing coalition of support-ers, ranging from citizen organizationslike the League of Women Voters ofColorado, to planning groups such as theAmerican Planning Association’sColorado Chapter, to local land usegroups such as the Estes Park Associationfor Responsible Development, to sports-men groups such as Colorado TroutUnlimited.

Developers are TopBankrollers ofAmendment 24 Opposition

Election 2000 Voting InfoIf you have moved or are not registered to vote, contact your local county

election commission to register to be an eligible voter in this year’s election.

Tuesday, October 10 – Last day to make a change of address Tuesday, October 10 – Last day to register to vote in electionFriday, November 3* – Last day to request an Absentee Ballot

(vote by mail)October 23 to Nov 3* – Early VotingTuesday, November 7 – Election Day!

* Date may vary from county to county in Colorado

Sierra Club members demonstrate at the Parade of Homes-”Charade of Homes”.L to R Nichole Goodman, Kirk Cunningham, Dianna VanderDoes.

Photo courtesy of [email protected]

Sprawl –The great wilds of our country once held to be boundless and

inexhaustible are being rapidly invaded and overrun in every direction, and everything destructible in them is being destroyed. How far destructionmay go is not easy to guess. Every landscape low and high seems doomed to be trampled and harried.

– John MuirIn His Own Words

Peak & Prairie 6

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Pledging to stand up to “rogue special interests” indefense of the environment, Vice President Al Goreaccepted the endorsement of the Sierra Club. “Today, weare joining forces for an enduring cause: to protect the air,the water and the planet God gave us,” Gore said. “I’mextremely grateful to the Sierra Club for its endorsement.”

The group announced this weekend that it would backGore over Republican rival George W. Bush, as well asGreen Party candidate Ralph Nader, the long-time con-sumer rights advocate who has also earned a reputation asan environmentalist.

Sierra Club officials said endorsing the presumptiveDemocratic presidential nominee against Bush was aneasy decision. Gore – author of the controversial environ-mental manifesto, “Earth in the Balance” – has strong tiesto the movement, while Gov. Bush has come under firefor lax environmental protections in his home state ofTexas.

Gore pledged Monday that as president he wouldstrengthen clean air health standards, speed cleanup of

Superfund toxic waste sites, reduce automobile tailpipepollution, and protect America’s spectacular landscapes.“We’re going to fight to beat back the rogue special inter-ests who want to mine and drill and clear-cut our nation-al heritage into oblivion,” Gore said. “This Earth is not ina liquidation sale, America is going to lead the new waytoward a new day of hope and health for all of our peo-ple.”

“When the Sierra Club asked our local chapters andthousands of volunteer leaders whether to endorse aPresidential candidate, the response was overwhelming:They want Al Gore in the White House, protectingAmerica’s environment,” said Dr. Robert Cox, Presidentof the Sierra Club. “Our members believe that a vote forGore is the best way to protect our families from pollutionand safeguard our nation’s landscapes for future genera-tions to enjoy.”

The Sierra Club Board of Directors recognized con-sumer-advocate Ralph Nader’s record of work for theenvironment, but emphasized the urgency of defeatingTexas Governor George Bush as an additional reason forendorsing Vice-President Gore.

The Sierra Club also applauded Vice President Al

Gore’s choice of Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) as hisVice Presidential candidate. Throughout his 12 years inthe U.S. Senate, Sen. Lieberman has shown a consistentcommitment to protecting the environment as a memberof the Environment and Public Works committee. “Theaddition of Senator Lieberman makes a strong environ-mental ticket even stronger – the most pro-environmentalticket in history,” said Cox. “Senator Lieberman has con-sistently voted to protect the environment.”

A Gore-Lieberman ticket would stand in stark contrastto the Bush-Cheney ticket that has roundly been criticizedas one of the worst environmental tickets ever.

On the Senate environment committee, Liebermanhelped champion the Clean Air Act of 1990, and hassince worked diligently to ensure it is implemented prop-erly and has fought off efforts to weaken that act. In con-trast to the GOP platform, which supports drilling for oilin the fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Liebermanco-sponsored the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Act (S.867) to designate the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge aswilderness, permanently protecting this rich wildlife habi-tat from destruction.

National Sierra Club Endorses Gore/Lieberman

by Kirk CunninghamRMC Conservation Chair

Why Gore? “The Sierra Club endors-es Vice President Gore because he iscommitted to cutting air and water pollu-tion and protecting our nation’s treasuredforests and wild lands,” said Robert(Robbie) Cox, Sierra Club President.“As Vice President, Al Gore helpedstrengthen clean air health standards,sped clean-up of Superfund toxic wastesites, reduced automobile tailpipe pollu-tion, and protected America’s spectacu-

lar landscapes. This is the kind of leader-ship the American people are seeking inour next President.”

“Governor Bush, on the other hand,has said that if he’s elected, he willweaken toxic waste clean-up standards,allow oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge,and increase logging in National Forests.When it comes to protecting our envi-ronment, Al Gore is by far our best shotat a President committed to a sustainablefuture, tested as a political leader, andqualified to lead America into the nextcentury,” Cox said. The Club has run

controversial TV ads in Texas criticizingBush’s environmental performance.

In addition to discussions within theboard and staff, the Gore endorsementcapped a six-month process in which theClub surveyed each of its chapters andthousands of its volunteer leaders.T h i r t y-nine chapters, representing413,000 members, favored a Goreendorsement; one chapter, with 3,000members, supported an endorsement forRalph Nader; and 16 chapters, with138,000 members, did not respond.

Gore vs. Bush

TOXIC POLLUTIONGORE• Expanded Community Right-to-Know program requiring

that companies report toxic chemical emissions.

• Sped up and increased Superfund cleanups.

BUSH• Sought to weaken Superfund clean-ups.

• Texas leads the nation in injecting toxic waste into underground wells.

CLEAN AIR GORE• Strengthened soot and smog clean-air health standards,

fighting legal challenges to these protections.

• Adopted the strictest emissions standards ever for cars, SUVs and light trucks.

• Required elimination of 90% of sulfur from gasoline.• Called on electric power companies to cut air

pollution and global warming emissions from power plants.

• Proposed slashing sulfur levels in diesel fuel.

BUSH• Texas leads the U.S. in toxic industrial air pollution,

but Bush chose not to require outdated facilities to clean up.

• Texas state officials sought to weaken Clean Air Act.

• Has done nothing to improve air pollution in Texas; Houston passed Los Angeles last year as America’ssmoggiest city.

• When he came to office in 1995, canceled auto emissionstesting program in Houston.

CLEAN WATERGORE• Expanded funding for clean water programs.

• Proposed slashing arsenic levels in drinking water.

BUSH• Proposed weakening Texas clean water standards.

• Has done nothing to improve Texas’s record of leading the U.S. in violating clean water discharge standards.

WILD LANDS PROTECTIONGORE• Has a stronger position than the Administration on

protecting roadless, wild areas of our national forests. Called for an end to all logging in those unspoiled places and immediate protection for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

• Supporting enactment of California Desert Protection Act, largest public lands protection bill ever in the Lower 48 states.

• Opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

• Created or expanded 10 new national monuments to protect landscapes threatened by development.

• Reduced logging in national forests by 80% since 1993.

• Extended offshore oil leasing moratorium in California and Florida for 10 years.

• Proposed Lands Legacy Initiative.

• Supports expanding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is used to buy wild lands and national park lands.

BUSH• Seeks to increase logging in National Forests.

• Would allow oil companies to drill in Arctic Refuge.

• Would reverse President Clinton’s plan to protect wild, roadless national forest areas.

• Opposes newly created national monuments.

• Supports funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM GORE• Supports McCain-Feingold bill to ban soft-money

donations to political parties.

• Supports quasi-public financing of congressional elections.

BUSH• Opposes McCain-Feingold reforms.

• Opposes public financing of elections.

On Activism –When considering a

problem as large as the degradation of the global environment, itis easy to feel over -whelmed, utterly helpless to effect anychange whatsoever.But we must resist that

response, because thiscrisis will be resolvedonly if individuals takesome responsibility for it.

– Al GoreEarth in the Balance


by Janna Six and Susan LeFever

What do you get when you combine conservation action withmembership development? The Poudre Canyon Group (PCG) gotnew members, increased activism, and won a national award.

PCG is one of the recipients of this year’s Sierra Club WilcherAward with a prize of $1,500. The Wilcher Award is given to aSierra Club entity to recognize work in either membership devel-opment or fundraising, particularly for conservation projects.Criteria for the award include success in recruitment and reten-tion of members; efficiency in fundraising; the use of techniquesthat can be broadly applied to other Club activities; and originalincentives.

The initial conservation goal of PCG’s Challenge to SprawlCampaign was to provide citizens, as well as activists and com-munity leaders, with an easy-to-read, comprehensive land-useresource outlining the social, environmental and economic costsof sprawl and growth. By understanding and curbing sprawl, theGroup realizes, the more likely that critical wildlife habitat andimportant migration corridors throughout Larimer and WeldCounties will be protected. Intending to empower citizens toadvocate for stronger growth management, in 17 months thePCG:

- Recruited 55 new members locally- Gave more than 1,000 volunteer hours to the campaign- Distributed over 300 copies of its “Sprawl Costs Us All”

report- Passed the ballot measure renewing the Countywide Open-

Space tax- Encouraged ten Sierra Club members to apply for county

and city boards and commissions having to do with land use andnatural resources protection

- Gave interviews for at least 15 newspaper articles, 3 TVnews programs, and 2 radio programs

- Starred in a 30-minute video production for the City of FortCollins

- Represented the environmental viewpoint on a League ofWomen Voters panel discussion on sprawl

- Completed a marketing survey on sprawl messages thatappeal to the public.

The Group’s goal for 2000 is to continue to educate citizensabout growth and sprawl while seeing that the local cities, coun-ty, and the state of Colorado implement growth managementtools such as a county-wide transfer of development units pro-gram and passage of growth management ballot initiative. Anadded goal for 2001 is to facilitate the establishment of regionalgovernmental planning entities.

The Poudre Canyon Group hopes to send a representative toreceive the award in person at the Club’s annual dinner in SanFrancisco on Saturday, September 23rd.

Congratulations to PCG volunteers, and thanks to PeggyMalchow and Greg Casini for nominating this creative campaign!

You can view the Sprawl Costs Us All report on line at:http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org/pcg/Sprawl

Poudre Canyon Group WinsNational Award

Call forA w a r d s

N o m i n a t i o n sKnow someone who has saved ameadow or a mouse? Cleanedup a power plant or hog farm orkilled a sprawling development?Organized your Sierra Clubgroup or chapter work in newand amazing ways?

Honor their achievements bynominating them for an award,and see the results at the Rocky Mountain Chapter 35th Anniversary CelebrationSunday, December 3rd.

The Chapter gives awards for:

• Professional Conservationist of the year

• Volunteer & Chapter Conservationists Chapter Leader (for administrative work)

• Distinguished Service Over the Years

• Outstanding Legislators and Freshman Legislators

• Someone who has renderedExtraordinary Service to theColorado environment gets theColumbine Award every fewyears - such as past winnerFormer U.S. Rep. DavidSkaggs.

•And the Cowchip Award –know anyone who has done special harm to the Coloradoenvironment in the past year ortwo?

Send nominations by October 31st to Awards Chair Barry Satlow,[email protected] (h) 303-442-3535 (w).

Photo by Matt Lancaster

O N LY$ 1 1 . 5 0 !

O N LY$ 1 2 . 5 0 !

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EngagementCalendarmember* $12.50non-member $13.90 _______ _____

WildernessCalendarmember* $11.50non-member $12.80 _______ _____

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$1.00 each additional

Total _____(Check or money order)

NAME______________________________________________

ADDRESS __________________________________________

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Please mail your order to: For further information:Sierra Club RMC/Calendars Phone 303-861-88191410 Grant St Ste B205 Fax 303-861-2436Denver CO 80203 e-mail [email protected]

Please allow two weeks for delive ry.Thank you for supporting the Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter.

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Peak & Prairie 8

LIFESTYLES EDUCATION PRESENTS

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First Unitarian Church1400 Lafayette

Call Betty Jo Page at 303-232-9105to demonstrate

or for more information

by Doris CellariusSierra Club Conservation Governance Committee

The writings of early American nature writers, espe-cially John Muir, have inspired Akio Shoji, President ofAleph, Inc., a corporation based in Sapporo, Japan, tooperate his businesses in ways that protect and restorethe environment. Akio Shoji has read all the writingsof Muir that have been translated into Japanese.

This June he brought fifty of his franchise operatorsto the United States to learn more about American envi-ronmentalism and to visit Yosemite. On this trip, oneof their annual retreats, he hoped to inspire his associ-ates with the spirit of caring for the earth that hasshaped his own innovative work in the corporate world.To assist in this, he contacted the Sierra Club and askedfor a speaker. International Vice President, RichardCellarius prepared a presentation on John Muir and thestory of how the Sierra Club has been protecting naturefor over 100 years. Before the actual talk, which wassimultaneously translated and also displayed on screenwith historical pictures, Richard and I talked for severalhours with Mr. Shoji about his concern for the environ-ment.

Akio Shoji’s business is a chain of restaurants andrelated food and beverage businesses. His vision per-meates the operation. He believes food is extremelyimportant because it makes people feel better and is ahealing force. His basic tenets are that customers havefour basic rights: the right to food that is safe, the rightto know how it is produced, the right to choose, and theright to get their opinions heard. He hopes his cus-tomers will become the “advertisers” for his business,which he considers his “investment in the future.” Hehopes ultimately for a “commercial revolution” wherethe role of business goes beyond immediate profit.

All the food served is produced with great care. Heis affiliated with organic orchards in Germany wheretheir apple juice is produced. Beef is the safest he canfind; it comes from New Zealand and Australia. Mr.Shoji is opposed to genetically engineered foods andhas been talking with CEOs of other Japanese business-es, urging them to also reject this technology. Heknows that in addition to its dangers, it is not a panaceaand can never keep up with population growth.Concern about energy and global warming ledthe company to cut its energy consumption inhalf. Water is conserved and water and sewage

are recycled. Food waste from the restaurants is takento his Eco-farm, where it is used as compost to restorethe soil and also to make methane (bio-gas) to produceelectrictiy. Used oil from the restaurant’s fryers is usedto run the tractors and trucks on the Eco-farm.

In addition to operating his businesses as “sustain-ably” as he can, Mr. Shoji funds many important proj-ects in Japan. Birds are his great love, and he funds thepurchase of habitat for some of Japan’s threatenedsmaller, less-known species. He has also been organiz-ing and funding the translation of indigenous Japaneselore and language, which is being lost in Japan as it isin the United States.

Businesses in the United States could learn a lotfrom the environmental leadership of Aleph, Inc. I wasvery inspired by what Akio Shoji is doing. And I wasamazed at how John Muir’s message extends acrosstime and around the world: the beauty of nature calls usto protect it.

The Vision of Akio ShojiLeading the way in corporate environmentalism

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion

or cultural system. I am not from the Eastor the West, not out of the ocean or up

from the ground, not natural or ethereal, notcomposed of elements at all. I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or the next,did not descend from Adam and Eve or any

origin story. My place is placeless, and traceof the traceless. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only thatbreath breathing human being.

~There is a way between voice and presencewhere information flows.

In disciplined silence it opens.With wandering talk it closes.

Only Breathby Rumi

On Change –

By educating

ourselves and others,by doing our part tominimize our use and waste of resources,by becoming moreactive politically anddemanding change –in these ways and manyothers, each one of uscan make a difference.

– Al GoreEarth in the Balance


SHOP TO SAVE THE PLANET

This November you can buy wonderful earthy gifts and 100%of your money will go to Global Response,

an international network for environmental action and education, based in Boulder!

Roy Young, owner of Nature’s Own stores in 5 Colorado cities, will give 100% of your purchase price to

Global Response if you just say “Global Response” before you pay your bill. This fabulous opportunity

to support international environmental activism is good for the first 3 weeks of November

at Nature’s Own stores in Boulder (Crossroads Mall),Nederland, Ft. Collins, Estes Park and Breckenridge.

NOTE: pay by check only at all stores except Crossroads Mall, where credit cards will be accepted.

Do your holiday shopping at Nature’s Own in November – andsupport Global Response 100%!

Through Global Response, people of all ages and nationalities jointogether to protect the planet through international letter campaigns.Check out their website: www.globalresponse.org, or call 303-444-

0306 for more information.

by Fred ElbelRMC Population Committee Chair

Worldwatch Institute recently presented a State ofthe World 2000 Conference at the Aspen Institute. Anumber of speakers discussed the current environmen-tal state of the world and steps that are being taken toaddress environmental issues.

One of the initial statements was that efforts must beexpended to stop population growth. World population(the sum of the population of all countries in the world)is projected to increase from our current six billion tonine billion, an increase of three billion people.However, there is the possibility that with concertedeffort, population can be made to stabilize near sevenbillion. The difference between increasing one billionversus three billion is of tremendous importance.

The second issue that discussed was that of globalwarming and the impact this will have on the environ-ment. In fact the two priority issues identified at theconference, as well as in Worldwatch 2000 report, arepopulation and climate.

Chris Flaven of Worldwatch discussed micropowerin terms of photovoltaic advances and wind technology.Japan is already using photovoltaic roofing tiles. RoyalDutch Shell is transitioning from a petroleum extrac-tion company to an energy company, presumablybecause they understand that within 10 years, we willhave exhausted half of all discovered and undiscoveredpetroleum reserves. Iceland is now the focal point of aproject to become self-sufficient in renewable energy.

Lester Brown discussed food and water. The over-use of wells and lowering of water tables in order toprovide more water for cities is seen as a major contrib-utor to water scarcity. This shortage will probably bethe major constraining factor in food productivity andsustainability in upcoming years.

Amory Lovins gave an excellent presentation onnatural capitalism. He focused on how it is advanta-geous for corporations to implement sustainable, envi-ronmentally friendly technologies. If they don’t, thecompetition will, and in doing so, will become moreprofitable.

In all, the conference was optimistic. We have thepotential to curtail our population and to implementnew technologies, economic approaches and socialstructures which will foster sustainability and environ-mental protection.

All these advances are absolutely necessary, but arenot sufficient without population reduction and stabi-lization.

For more information contact me [email protected].

Human Impact on Earth’s Environment

by Tina ArapkilesSierra Club Southwest Office Staff

Claiming the species is nolonger near extinction, the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) in June proposed lessen-ing protections for the gray underthe Endangered Species Act(ESA). In 21 states all federal pro-tections for the gray wolf would beeliminated, and in 18 states protec-tions would be weakened. The pro-posal leaves ill-equipped statewildlife agencies responsible formost of the species’managementand reduces chances for wolfrecovery across the country.

The USFWS touts this as a success story – proof theESA works. But Sierra Club activists argue that it is afalse victory. “Although the wolf populations havegrown in some areas, that good news could be shortlived without continued federal protection under theESA,” said Bart Semcer, chair of the Club’s Wildlifeand Endangered Species Committee. “A level of killingwould be allowed not seen since the days wolves werehunted for a bounty because the USFWS plans to bevery lenient in defining circumstances under whichwolves can be killed.”

In Colorado and 20 other states, the USFWS plansto eliminate federal gray wolf protections. Activists fearthis will doom efforts to reintroduce wolves to theirnative ranges – without ESA protection there is norequirement for a recovery program.“If gray wolvesaren’t fully protected under the ESA in these states,”said Bart Semcer, “a successful reintroduction programwill be almost impossible because there are no legalincentives to conserve habitat, prevent killing, or evenreintroduce them at all.”

“None of the state agencies have expressed eager-ness to reintroduce the wolf and some state legislatureshave even passed laws prohibiting reintroduction,” saidSemcer. “While the government plans to give theauthority to manage wolves to state agencies, it doesnot require them to implement the reintroduction plan.”

We need the federal ESAto continue to protect vul-

nerable gray wolf populations. Reintroducing largepredators in the Southern Rockies, for example, is keyto restoring a balanced, diverse ecosystem – wolveskeep elk and deer herds strong by weeding out theweak and old.

We have the opportunity to push the USFWS to con-sider the Southern Rockies as a recovery area for thewolves. Their own study indicates that over 1,000wolves can exist in Colorado alone on the basis ofavailable habitat.

To Take Action: The USFWS has set a public com-ment period for the new proposal.

Tell them you oppose their plan because it willdestroy the progress made so far on wolf recovery anddoom efforts to reintroduce wolves to their nativeranges. Tell them to establish a recovery area in theSouthern Rockies.

For more information, contact Bart Semcer [email protected] and Tina Arapkiles at 303-449-5595 or [email protected].

Wolves May Lose Protections Under theEndangered Species Act

Photo courtesy of [email protected]

Peak & Prairie 10

by Brett HulseyDirector of Sierra Club Challengeto Sprawl Campaign

In August, Sierra Club warned thepublic about the danger of flooding thatrecently killed a Denver firefighter. Thegroup released a report showing thatflood plain sprawl and wetland destruc-tion are causing more flood deaths anddamage in Colorado and across the coun-try. The report, Permitting Disaster inColorado: How Smart Growth CanProtect Your Family from More FloodRisks, shows that the federal and stateagencies gave developers 99% of the wet-land destruction permits requestedbetween 1988 and 1996.

“Permitting Disaster shows that devel-opers and agribusiness continue todestroy wetlands and build in floodplains. The recent approval of a SuperWalmart in the 100-year flood plain ofthe Poudre River is an invitation for dis-aster. We need to make these areas offlimits to development for our own good,”said Janna Six of Ft. Collins, Sierra ClubPoudre Canyon Group Chair.“Developers have already destroyed halfof our wetlands and are filling more eachday. Our current flood plain land useplans are just speed bumps for the devel-opers’bulldozers.”

The report shows that from 1988-96,Colorado developers were given almostall the wetland destruction permits theyrequested, even in Larimer, Weld, and 11other counties that were declared FloodDisasters by the President. Floods killed9 in Colorado and 957 in the countryfrom 1989-98. Floods destroyed $390million in Colorado homes and property,and $45 billion in the country during thatsame time.

Federal taxpayers paid more than $500million to move more than 17,000American homes and businesses out ofthe flood plains after floods from 1988-98. We are allowing developers to build

in flood plains, at the same time we arepaying billions to move people out offlood plains and for flood damage. Thestate should not allow development inflood plains in the first place.

“You can protect yourself from worseflooding by restoring wetlands upstreamand slowing flood plain sprawl,” saidChicago hydrologic engineer DonaldHey, who has studied wetlands and flood-

ing. “Our studies show that watershedswith more wetlands have less severeflooding.”

Wetlands, prairies, and other naturalhabitat soak up floodwater like sponges,filter our drinking water, and providehomes for fish and wildlife. One studyshowed that floods increase by 7% forevery 1% of wetlands destroyed.“Disaster by Design,” a recent NationalScience Foundation report headed up byCU Professor Dennis Mileti shows thatflood plain sprawl and flood control proj-ects often increase flood risk and dam-ages.

The Sierra Club is calling onGovernor Owens to help protect peoplefrom floods by limiting flood plainsprawl before it happens, and movingpeople out of flood plains after the floodshappen.

To protect yourself, your family, andhome from increasing risk of flooding:

1. Make sure you don’t buy a housenear a flood plain or wetland. Protectwetlands and flood plains near your homeand upstream that protect you fromfloods.

2. Ask Governor Owens and other pol-icy makers to:

Support Smart Growth efforts to pur-chase more parks, wetlands, flood plains,

critical habitatDevelop statewide uni-

form storm water rules toprotect all people from wet-land destruction, newsprawl development, and100 year floods

Don’t allow wetlandmitigation projects unlessdevelopers prove the newwetlands have the sameflood protection and habitatvalue

Support more flooddamage mitigation programs that havemoved more than 17,000 homes and busi-nesses out of flood prone areas across thecountry since 1988.

3. Ask President Clinton, VicePresident Gore, FEMA, and the ArmyCorps to:

Update 100 year flood maps to takeinto account new sprawl and increasedrainfall

Support protecting and restoring 40million acres of wetlands by expandingthe National Wildlife Refuge System andthe Wetland Reserve Program to helpfarmers and landowners restore and pro-tect wetlands

Charge developers the full costs forwetland destruction and fill permits, nowover $120 million per year.

For copies of Permitting Disaster, seewww.sierraclub.org/wetlands or send $10to the Sierra Club at 214 N. Henry St.,Suite 203, Madison, WI 53703. The

Sierra Club has over 400 local groupsworking to protect America’s environ-ment, for our families, and for our future.The Sierra Club was recently awardedFEMA Distinguished Public Serviceaward for its efforts to move people outof flood plains and reduce flood damages.

Permitting Disaster in Colorado—Key Facts

Wetlands are marshes, forests, andbogs that are in low-lying areas that arewet for at least two weeks in the summer.Wetlands filter our drinking water, soakup floodwater, clean our river and lakes,and provide homes for fish and wildlife.

Colorado developers got 5,500 permitsto drain and fill Colorado’s wetlands from1988 to 1996. State and Federal regula-tors rejected only 28 permits. Developersand agribusinesses have drained anddestroyed almost half or 49% ofAmerica’s and 50% of Colorado’s wet-lands through 1985, according to the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service estimates. Thatis 1,000,000 acres of drained wetlandswhich is like losing 300,000 small floodcontrol dams, which assumes 3 acre-feetstorage for wetlands and 10 acre-feet perdam.

There are 276 Colorado cities with65,000 homes, businesses and other struc-tures in flood plains and many more inunmapped high hazard areas, accordingto state data.

An acre of wetlands can store up to1.6 million gallons of floodwater, accord-ing researchers, depending on the type ofwetland. Prairie pothole wetlands canstore more. Restoring prairie, wetlands,and soil conservation practices can reduce100-year floods by up to 40%, accordingto USDA studies.

Flood Damage Made Worse by WetlandsDrainage & Flood Plain Development

by Kirk CunninghamChapter Conservation Chair

As is true in the business world, spe-cialization and collaboration is becomingmore common in the environmental com-munity in Colorado, with considerablebenefits for the collaborators and theirmembers. For example, the High CountryCitizens Alliance, a small organizationheadquartered in Crested Butte with anissue focus on the Gunnison River water-shed, and the Rocky Mountain Chapter ofthe Sierra Club, an organization of 16,000members active throughout Colorado,have combined forces on the issues ofwater quality and water resources.

The High Country Citizens Alliance(HCCA) has been struggling for years tokeep inappropriate development out ofthe Gunnison River watershed. First, theymanaged to defeat a proposal by ClimaxMolybdenum Inc. to create a gigantic,landscape-altering moly mine in theirbackyard. More recently, the organization

has been fighting attempts (so far withsuccess) by Arapahoe County to divertwater from the Gunnison basin to fuelsprawl development on the Front Range.They have ongoing concerns about in-stream gravel mining on the North Forkof the Gunnison River and theUncompahgre River. HCCA is also activeon public lands issues in the watershed.

Though HCCA’s membership is small,it is intensely loyal and generous, and theorganization has also been successful ingetting grants to support some of itsadvocacy work. However, money andloyalty do not make up for the lack ofshear number of members outside of theirgeographic area that could influence poli-cies affecting HCCA interests. This iswhere a large, general-purpose environ-mental organization like the Club comesin. HCCA has for several years been ableto get a grant to support the work of part-time staff person, Steve Glazer, who is alayman by formal education on waterissues but has become a self-taught, and

respected, expert on these issues. TheSierra Club has never had a volunteerleader on water resources, but it hasmembers in every major river basin, andhas nation-wide activists and contacts onissues involving both clean water and theColorado River system.

For these reasons, the Chapter askedSteve to be its Water Resources Chairseveral years ago, and he consented.Since then, he has played a key role inthe Club’s campaigns against ArapahoeCounty’s Gunnison Basin water diversionproject, against the Animas La PlataProject (near Durango), and for thenational Club’s controversial proposal todrain Lake Powell and generally reformthe management of the Colorado River.

As Conservation Chair on theChapter’s behalf, I would like to thankthe High Country Citizens Alliance forsharing their staff time with the SierraClub. It has been a very fruitful collabo-ration for both of us!

Water Issues Collaboration Proves Fruitful

RMC DropsAmazonBookstoreby Charlie OriezChapter Webmaster

Those of you browsing ourRocky Mountain Chapter websitein recent days may have noticedthat we are no longer sellingenvironmental books throughamazon.com. At the end ofAugust, Amazon changed its pri-vacy policy, and announced theirintention to sell or trade informa-tion about their customers to thirdparties. This was contrary to theprivacy policy in place at thetime we signed the associationagreement with Amazon, and notin the interest of Sierra Clubmembers. Therefor, we chose tocancel the agreement and removeour Amazon bookstore from ourweb page.


by Charlie OriezRMC Wire Editor

Though visitors to state parks equalthat of national parks, the well-being andvery existence of state parks across thecountry is in jeopardy, according toLegacy: The Crisis in Our Parks, a reportby the National Park Trust released on theanniversary of the National Park System.The report identified the most threatenedstate parks in the U.S. and ranked the topten states with the most severely threat-ened parks.

Georgia topped the list, with severalparks including the Etowah IndianMounds. It is followed by North Carolina,Minnesota, Nevada, West Vi rg i n i a ,Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Ohio andMontana. Colorado parks listed as threat-ened in the report were Roxborough, BarrLake, Chatfield, and Cherry Creek. Acomplete copy of the report can be foundat http://www.parktrust.org/.

Barr Lake State Park, near Brighton, isknown as an exceptional wildlife habitat,with over 300 species of birds at the park.It is home to the Colorado BirdObservatory. Chatfield and Cherry Creekparks, south of Denver, surround lakescreated by Corps of Engineers flood con-trol dams, and are heavily used for recre-ation but are also critical wildlife habitat.Roxborough is southwest of Denver. Thered-rock formations and the resultingecosystem make it the only state park des-ignated by the U.S. Department of theInterior as a National Natural Landmark,and it is a National Archeological District.

Cherry Creek dodged a bullet lastmonth when DRCOG (Denver RegionalCouncil of Governments) turned back anattempt led by Aurora and Parker toweaken the rules on how much phospho-rus pollution could enter the reservoir.Phosphorus, commonly found in fertiliz-ers and other household and commercialproducts, causes excessive algae growthin the lake, kills fish, makes the waterstink and may promote dangerous bacte-ria. Cherry Creek lake already containsmore phosphorus than existing rulesallow, and the problem likely will worsenas suburban sprawl consumes more landupstream.

The Cherry Creek Basin Water QualityA u t h o r i t y, charged with managing thewater quality of the basin, has never beenin compliance with the phosphorus stan-dard. Rather than slow down develop-ment or take other reasonable steps toreduce the amount of pollution in CherryCreek, they proposed instead to add alumto the water. Alum, another chemical pol-lutant, poses a threat to the food supply ofsome fish in the lake. Wisely, DRCOGsoundly defeated the plan, with only 13 of49 DRCOG representatives supporting itdespite the ‘best’ efforts of Aurora’s rep-resentative, Edna Mosely, and Parker’srepresentative, Lance Wright.

ColoradoParks atRisk fromSprawl

Is Colorado’sWildlife Once Again theVictim ofPolitics?New State Wildlife Dire c t o r-Friend or Foe?

by Mike SmithRMC Wildlife Chair

What may well be the latest body blow toColorado’s hard-pressed wildlife came onAugust18, when Russell George (R-Rifle), theterm-limited Speaker of the Colorado House ofRepresentatives, was named to be the nextDirector of the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW).George, a Harvard-educated lawyer, was the preferredchoice of the Owens administration and most Coloradolegislators. When he takes over on September 18, he willbecome the first CDOW Director with no training or pro-fessional experience in wildlife management.

Although George gets high marks from legislators onboth sides of the aisle for his ability to build consensus ondifficult issues, his legislative record and expressed viewson wildlife are troubling. While Speaker of the ColoradoHouse, George voted for successful bills to limit endan-gered species reintroduction to those species pre-approvedby the Legislature (HB99-1229), and to require approvalof the local county commission before relocating prairiedogs across county lines (SB99-111). He also voted for asuccessful bill that eliminated one of the three public-at-large seats on the Colorado Wildlife Commission andreplaced it with an additional seat for sportsmen. The billadded the Commissioner of Agriculture as a member ofthe Wildlife Commission and placed it under direct opera-tional control of Department of Natural Resources (DNR)Executive Director (and ex-Club20 President) GregWalcher (HB99-1313).

Probably most troubling in George’s legislative record,however, is sponsorship in the House of SB96-167.Written by then-Commissioner of Agriculture TomKourlis, that special-interest bill granted “exclusive juris-diction” of some 14 species (bears, lions, coyotes, all fourspecies of foxes, badgers, beavers, etc.) to theCommissioner of Agriculture. While George recently

acknowledged that that bill was a “political mistake” – itprompted a citizen ballot initiative that eliminated mosttrapping in Colorado – it is not clear how he feels aboutthe fact that it was also a severe weakening of the wildlifeagency that he will now lead.

Nor do George’s initial public pronouncements inspireconfidence about his knowledge of wildlife or his inclina-tion to learn on the job from the experts in his new agency.For example, concerning Colorado’s declining mule deerpopulation, George says, “The old-time ranchers say theproblem is predation . . . I have a tendency to listen tothese old-timers . . . I’ve heard the DOW say it’s the lossof habitat and the population growth, but that doesn’tstrike a realistic note with me. Deer don’t mind people;they’re in virtually everyone’s backyard. I know I seethem in my backyard. So I’m not necessarily buying thatfrom a layman’s point of view.”

So much for history. What of the future? Will RussellGeorge re-invent himself to become a strong advocate forwildlife at a time when the critters desperately need all thehelp they can get? Will he use his considerable politicalclout to work to restore some autonomy to a dispiritedDOW that has been micromanaged by the Legislature,DNR, and a Wildlife Commission grotesquely overloadedwith special interests? Or, when push comes to shove, willhe simply fall back and listen to his old buddies inLegislature, the special-interest lobbyists, and to his pro-development boss at DNR?

The next few months should give us a good idea.

Nature –How lavish is Nature, building, pulling down, creating, destroying, chasing every

material particle from form to form, ever changing, ever beautiful.– John Muir

In His Own Words


The Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) is pleased toannounce the creation of its new Natural History andEnvironmental Issues School. This September, CMC willkick off the new school with three intensive coursesfocused on public lands, water, biodiversity, growth, andrecreation in the Southern Rocky Mountain region. Thepurpose of the school is to strengthen CMC members andothers’understanding of Colorado’s natural history, andto prepare participants to work with others to address thecritical environmental issues facing our region.

Martha Ketelle, Forest Supervisor of the White RiverNational Forest, and Terry Minger, President of theCenter for Resource Management, will open the secondcourse, “Recreation in the Rockies: Enjoying andProtecting the High Country,” with an address at theCMC Auditorium on Wednesday, October 18, at 7:00pm.In addition to this keynote address, the course will consistof an intensive weekend field trip to the Vail Valley,October 20-22.

Nature Photographer John Fielder will commence thethird course, “Managing Growth and Sprawl in the NewWest,” with his slide show Colorado 1870-2000, W.H.Jackson/John Fielder, at the CMC Auditorium onThursday, October 26, at 7:00pm. Other classes in thiscourse include: Growth Trends and Impacts (November2, 6:30 – 8:30pm), Growth in Mountain Communities(November 4, all day fieldtrip), and Strategies forManaging Growth and Sprawl (November 9, 6:30 –8:30pm).

“We are thrilled to be offering the Natural History andEnvironmental Issues School to Colorado citizens whowant to know more about their natural environment andhow their voice can make a difference” states Vera Smith,CMC’s Conservation Director. “CMC is committed toinsuring that Colorado’s natural legacy is conserved, aproud tradition within the Club.” Mike Foster, founder ofCMC’s Natural History Program adds, “The alpine envi-ronment, so precious to all Coloradans, is increasinglybeing impacted by growth in the region. This series ofcourses is the first that we’re aware of that will informand empower citizens of the state to learn more aboutColorado’s natural history and environmental issues andwork together to make a positive impact.”

All keynote addresses and courses will be held at theColorado Mountain Club offices in the AmericanMountaineering Center at 710 10th Street in Golden. TheColorado Mountain Club invites, welcomes, and encour-ages the general public to attend the course keynoteaddresses made by Ed Marston, Martha Ketelle and TerryMinger, and John Fielder. To register or for more infor-mation on the speakers highlighted, call the ColoradoMountain Club at 303-279-3080. To receive more infor-mation about the courses, please contact Kirstin Pack orSean Pack via e-mail at [email protected], or at303-279-3080 ext. 6. Enrollment is limited. Some partialscholarships are available.

Colorado Mountain Club Launches New Natural History and Environmental Issues School

by Ross VincentE nvironmental Quality S t rategy Team Chair

Along with a diverse coalition ofl a b o r, environmental and religiousgroups, the Sierra Club has insisted thatgovernment agencies check out the com-pliance and performance records ofpotential government contractors beforeawarding taxpayer-funded contracts.

Responsible contracting has emergedas a major issue in recent months, as thefederal General Services Administrationconsiders beefing up federal “responsi-ble contractor” requirements, and asunions and public interest groups turn upthe heat on Pueblo’s Rocky MountainSteel Mills because of the company’shistory of violations of environmentaland labor laws at its Pueblo facility.

The Sierra Club and others, includingthe AFL-CIO, which is providing muchof the national leadership on theseissues, have filed formal comments sup-porting stronger oversight of federal con-tractors. At the same time, the UnitedSteelworkers of America (USWA) areraising responsible contractor issues in ahalf dozen or so places around the coun-try, driven by a 3-year lockout of unionworkers at Rocky Mountain Steel Millsin Pueblo.

In Pueblo, the Sierra Club’s Sangrede Cristo Group is supporting theS t e e l w o r k e r s ’ e fforts to pressure thecompany to improve its environmentalperformance, both in the community andin the workplace. The company has arecord of numerous violations in bothareas. On April 27th of this year, theunion sued Oregon Steel Mills andCF&I, the corporate owners of RockyMountain Steel, alleging multiple viola-tions of federal and state air pollutionlaws at the Pueblo steel mill.

Embarrassed by the union’s notice ofintent to sue, the State of Colorado fileda narrow enforcement action againstCF&I, and later amended its complaintalleging additional violations, after theunion filed its much more comprehen-sive lawsuit in an attempt to preempt theunion’s initiative.

The Steelworkers are now organizingin communities around the country,based on responsible contracting con-cerns, encouraging local transit districtsto refuse to buy rail from RockyMountain Steel because of the compa-ny’s history of disregard for environmen-tal and worker health and safety laws.The Sierra Club strongly supports theunion’s initiatives.

On Tu e s d a y, August 15th, SusanL e F e v e r, Rocky Mountain ChapterDirector, and Ross Vincent, Chair of theClub’s national Environmental QualityStrategy Team and Pollution PreventionChair of the Sangre de Cristo Group,spoke before the Board of the Denverarea Regional Transportation District(RTD) along with a number of labor,religious and environmental leaders.They spoke in support of a resolutionsubmitted by three of the fifteen RTDBoard members. If approved, the resolu-tion would result in a formal hearing onthe qualifications of all companies thatwant the contract to provide steel rail foran expanded Denver-area light rail sys-tem. After taking public comment, theBoard postponed action on the resolu-tion.

C o i n c i d e n t a l l y, on August 23rd,Colorado news media reported on feder-al inspections of the Rocky MountainSteel facility that found more than 1000violations of occupational health andsafety laws. The inspections resulted incitations for only 107 of those violationsand proposed fines of $487,000. If his-

tory is any indication, those proposedfines will probably be negotiated down.

“This growing cooperation amongdiverse groups with a common interest inprotecting human health and the environ-ment is really exciting,” said JimTrujillo, Chair of the Sangre de CristoGroup. “These alliances have real possi-bilities for making our communities andour workplaces better, safer places in thefuture.”

Copies of relevant documents areavailable on the Sierra Club’s web site.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Sierra Club letter to Congress:http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org/sdcg/Files/RespContr0007CP.pdf

Sierra Club comments to GSA:http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org/sdcg/Files/RespContrComments.pdf

Sierra Club comments to RTD:Susan LeFever http://www.rmc.sierra-club.org/sdcg/Files/RTD000815SL.PDF

Ross Vincent http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org/sdcg/Files/RTD000815RV.PDF

USWA Report: “Who’s BlowingSmoke – What You Should KnowAbout Rocky Mountain

Steel Mills’Environmental Record”http://www.rmc.sierraclub.org/sdcg/Files/USWASmoke.pdf

Proposed Federal Rule: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/

cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2000_register&docid=f:30jnp2.pdf

Sierra Club Supports Responsible Government Contracting in Denver and DC

Wa t e r, Wildlife & Wilderness Classes

Ed Marston, Publisher of High CountryNews, will launch the first course, “Water,Wildlife and Wilderness in the SouthernRockies,” at the CMC Auditorium onTuesday, September 19, at 7:00pm. Otherclasses in this course will include: Wildlifeand Mountain Ecosystems (September 26,6:30 – 8:30pm), Water in the SouthernRockies (September 30, all day fieldtrip), andPublic Lands Issues and Management(October 3, 6:30 – 8:30pm).

For over 90 years, the Colorado MountainClub has worked steadily to help preserveand make accessible the alpine attractions ofthe region. The Natural History andEnvironmental Issues School represents anew facet of this commitment. Courses pre-sented by the school will offer participantsunique access to experts in the fields of nat-ural history and environmental issues.Furthermore, the courses will illustrate themany ways that Coloradans can becomeinvolved in helping to protect our region’slandscapes and resources.

Peak & Prairie 13

Chapter ContactsRocky Mountain Chapter Officers and ExCom Members

Greg Casini* - Chair 303-861-2844Peggy Malchow* - Vice Chair 303-744-1684Mark Collier – Treasurer 303-443-5482David Mastronarde* – Secretary 303-440-0253Bill Myers* - Council Delegate 303-935-6810Steve Glazer* 970-349-6646Mike Mueller* 303-850-7883Ramon Ajero* 970-226-4126*At-Large ExCom Members

Group Delegate ExCom Members

Blue River – Kevin Knappmiller 970-668-8972Enos Mills – JoLynn Jarboe 303-753-0470High Plains – RogerJ.Wendell 303-693-4244Indian Peaks – Kirk Cunningham 303-939-8519Mt Evans – Lyn Yarroll 303-838-8117Mt Sopris – OpenPikes Peak – Larry Skiffington 719-685-9365Poudre Canyon – Janna Six 970-493-5034Rachel Carson – Roger Davenport 303-278-2926Sangre de Cristo – Alan Urban 719-783-9755South Platte – Trish O’Neill 303-797-3025Trappers Lake – Joan Hoffman – 970-879-2021Uncompahgre – Eric Rechel 970-242-4863Weminuche – Jan Holt 970-382-8840

Chapter Conservation Chair–Kirk Cunningham 303-939-8519

ECOSYSTEMS CLUSTERConvenor – Don Pyle 303-238-8817Aquatic Resources – Steve Glazer 970-349-6646Mining – Rob Corkran 970-225-3713National Forests – Marty Walter 303-447-2059

Public Lands – Clee Seeling 970-858-9659Wilderness – Mark Pearson 970-259-6181Wildlife – Mike Smith 303-530-2646

POLLUTION CLUSTERConvenor – Joan Seeman 303-738-8407Air Quality – Bill Myers 303-935-6810Environmental Justice – Kathy Glatz 303-922-3425Federal Facilities – Ross Vincent 719-561-3117Lowry AFB – Betty Jo Page 303-232-9105Pueblo Depot – Alan Urban 719-983-9755Rocky Flats – Eugene DeMayo 303-642-3117Rocky Mtn Arsenal – Sandy Horrocks 303-470-1352Hazardous Materials – Joan Seeman 303-738-8407Pesticides – Angela Medbury 303-433-2608Water Quality – Kirk Cunningham 303-939-8519

PUBLIC POLICY/PERSONAL CHOICES CLUSTERAgriculture – John Wade 303-399-2887Energy – Linda Berti 303-320-6925International Affairs – John Wade 303-399-2887Lifestyles Education – OpenPopulation – Fred Elbel 303-220-7499Transportation – Don Thompson 303-320-4895Urban Land Use – Allyn Feinberg 303-447-8513Urban Open Space – Bob Bers 303-369-3981

Other CommitteesWebmaster/Listmaster – Charlie Oriez 303-789-3236Legislative –

Merry Havens 303-448-9697, Mike Mueller 303-850-7883

Membership – OpenOutings – RogerJ.Wendell 303-693-4244Political – Linda Stanley 970-493-7225Volunteer Development – LibbyTart 303-861-8819

Campaign toBan CyanideGold Miningstallsby Rob CorkranChapter Mining Issues Chair

Unfortunately, the Alliance forResponsible Mining, a grassrootsorganization based in the San LuisValley, was unsuccessful at building aneffective enough organization to get theproposed ban on cyanide gold mining inColorado on the November ballot.Expect a stronger signatures campaigneffort in 2002. And by the time youread this column, there will have been ameeting sponsored by a national miningissues organization to discuss how tobetter organize the next try.

Internationally, interest in banningcyanide gold mining continues to growsince the Summitville-like disaster atthe Aurul gold mine in Romania in lateJanuary. Three and a half million cubicfeet of mine waste contaminated withcyanide and toxic heavy metals wasreleased into the Tisza and Danuberivers. The spill killed an estimated1,240 tons of fish and all aquatic lifeover a 250 mile stretch of the Danubewatershed. In response, the Czech sen-ate appears on its way to banningcyanide gold mining there. Cyanidegold mining was also banned in thePergamon region of Turkey to stop aproposed mine.

Here in the US, five Wisconsingroups are organizing a campaign tosupport legislation banning cyanidegold mining – the second state toattempt a ban – following Montana,which did so through an initiative in1998. As a political scientist, I haveresearched how new policies diffuseamong the states. Although what hap-pens in other states does not assure anoutcome in another, it does increase thepolitical pressure on laggard states asmore states adopt the new policy.

Meanwhile in Colorado, our state’sone operating cyanide gold mine, theCresson mine at Cripple Creek contin-ues to raise concern about what leaksfrom the site into Fourmile and CrippleCreeks. The Club is considering a CleanWater Act lawsuit against this facility.

More news on all of the above infuture columns. Interested in helpingwith mining issues or need more infor-mation? Contact me at 303-628-5589(days), or at anytime.

Every day opens and closes like a flower,noiseless, effortless. Divine peace glows on all the majestic landscape, like the silententhusiastic joy that sometimes transfigures anoble human face.

– John MuirIn His Own Words

EXECUTIVE BRANCHGovernorOwens (R) 303.866.2471

Lt. GovernorRogers (R) 303.866.2087

Secretary of State Davidson (R) 303.894.2200

TreasurerCoffman (R) 303.866.2441

Attorney General Salazar(D) 303.866.4500

LEGISLATIVE BRANCHColorado SenateSenate President Powers 303.866.3342

President ProTem Lamborn 303.866.4835

Majority LeaderBlickensderfer 303.866.3341

Minority LeaderFeeley 303.866.2318

Colorado House of RepresentativesSpeakerof the House George 303.866.2346

SpeakerProTem Kaufman 303.866.2947

Majority LeaderDean 303.866.2348

Minority LeaderGordon 303.866.5523

CAPITOLMAILING ADDRESSColorado State Capitol200 East ColfaxDenver CO 80203

LET YOUR LEGISLATORS KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

District 3Rep. Scott McInnis (R)320 Cannon BuildingWashington, DC 20515202.225.4761202.226.0622 (fax)719.543.8200

District 4Rep. Bob Schaffer (R)212 Cannon BuildingWashington, DC 20515202.225.4676202.225.5870 (fax)970.493.9132

District 5Rep. Joel Hefley (R)2230 Longworth BuildingWashington, DC 20515202.225.4422202.225.1942 (fax)719.520.0055

District 6Rep. Thomas Tancredo (R)1123 Longworth BuildingWashington, DC 2051202.225.7882202.225.7885 (fax)720.283.9772

U.S.CONGRESSUnited States SenateA. Wayne Allard (R)513 Hart Senate Office Bldg.Washington, DC 20510202.224.5941202.224.6471 (fax)970.351.7582

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R)380 Russell Senate Office Bldg.Washington, DC 20510202.224.5852202.224.1933 (fax)303.843.4100United States House ofRepresentativesDistrict 1Rep. Diana DeGette (D)1339 Longworth BuildingWashington, DC 20515202.225.4431202.225.5657 (fax)303.844.4988District 2Rep. Mark Udall (D)128 Cannon BuildingWashington, DC 20515202.225.2161202.226.7840 (fax)303.457.4500

If you would like to list your outings, meetings, or events in this calendar please send them [email protected] fax to the Chapter office at 303-861-2436. The deadline for the next issue is August 30. Latesubmissions may be included in theonline edition. Please follow theformat below and send informationas an attached document, ratherthan including it in the body of anemail.

All Club members and interestednon-members are welcome to signup for any outings, anywhere in the state. There is no cost, unlessindicated, except for sharing gasexpenses with a driver. Call the outings leader for car-pool andmeeting information. In some cases,participants must have appropriateequipment or experience. To postoutings information in the onlineedition, email to [email protected].

Sunday, September 24, 2:00amIndian Peaks Group. Difficult hiketo Longs Peak in Rocky MountainNational Park. Our best known14’er requires peak performance butis worth the effort. 16 miles RT,5,000’gain. 2:00am start, Boulder.Jennifer Petrick, 303-258-0133.

Sunday, October 8Indian Peaks Group. Parents andbabies hike on White Ranch OpenSpace near Golden. 2.3-mileRawhide/Wrangler loop trail, 300’gain. Susan Jones, 303-444-6821.

Wednesday, October 18, 6:00pmHigh Plains GroupEZ Wednesday Walks resume. Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29. Meet at Peoria & Parker Rd. Park& Ride. Group drives to the HighLine Canal - approx. 10 minutes.By November 1st, after DaylightTime ends, this will become anevening walk. Call Dennis Cochranfor more information, 720-870-0465.

Friday–Sunday, October 20 – 22:Commanche National GrasslandsCar Camping. Spend a weekendexploring Southeast Colorado. Wewill hike to a dinosaur tracksitewhich extends a 1/4 mile and contains over 1300 visible tracks. Sunday we will explore theremnants of an ancient people wholeft ruins and petroglyphs on thecanyon walls. We may be joined bythe Archeologist for CommancheNational Grasslands on Sunday togive us an overview of the rock art. Saturday we will hike 10.6 milesround trip with a 500 foot elevationgain that is at the end of the day.Must be a strong hiker in good condition. Contact Patricia Berman,303-691-9255 or [email protected] sign-ups after Tues., October 17.

Sunday, October 22Indian Peaks Group. Moderate butlong day hike to Thunder Lake inWild Basin, Rocky Mtn. NationalPark, 14 miles RT, 2,500 ‘ gain. Kirk Cunningham, 303-939-8519.

Sunday, October 29Indian Peaks Group. Easy day hiketo Mills Lake in Rocky Mtn. Nat.Park. 6 miles RT, 1,500’gain.Possible continuation to Black

Lake. Help leader celebrate 41st

birthday! Steve Bortz, 303-440-5459.

Saturday, November 11Indian Peaks Group. Moderatehike to several historic sites inHomestead Meadows. 10 miles RT,1,500’ gain. Shorter hike in case ofinclement weather. Bev Baker,303-447-8390 (call before8:00pm!).

Sunday, November 12Indian Peaks Group. AssumingIndian Summer conditions, a moderate day hike to Forest Lakesand others, in the James PeakRoadless Area, another wildernesscandidate. May involve someoff-trail hiking. 12 miles RT, 2,500’gain. Kirk Cunningham,303-939-8519.

Saturday, November 18, 9:30amHigh Plains Group EZ day hike.Meet at Peoria & Parker Rd. Park& Ride. Location to be chosen byparticipants when we meet. Not too long, not too hard, as is our philosophy. Call Dennis Cochranfor more info, 720-870-0465.

Indian Peaks GroupIf you want to lead an outing or would like more information,contact Susan Jones, IPG outingscoordinator, 303-444-6821.

Saturday, Nov. 18, 8:00 – 11:00amHenzell Park CleanupThe park is near Yale and Havana i nD e n v e r. Call Angela, 303-433-2608.

Tuesday, November 21P&P mailing party. Please callAngela to volunteer, and for timeand location, 303-433-2608.

Saturday, Dec. 16, 8:00 – 11:00amHenzell Park CleanupThe park is near Yale and Havanain D e n v e r. Call Angela, 303-433-2608.

Wed., Oct. 18, 6:45 – 9:30pmSponsored by The OutreachRoundtableJoin Rabbi Zalman and Dr. RobertRabinowitz of CLAL for a Sukkotevent held at The Rocky MountainPeace and Justice Center. Theevening will focus on the ethicaland spiritual aspects of the manypractical environmental challengeswe face today. Local environmental,spiritual and community leaderswill facilitate participatory workshops. Enjoy Klezmer musicand refreshments. The event is free.For more information, call TheOutreach Roundtable, 303-321-3399.

Sunday, October 22, 6:00pmNew Volunteer Orientation.Healthy Habits restaurant onColorado Blvd., Denver, at Ohio(next to King Soopers) Come to thisorientation for food, fun, and up-to-the minute volunteer information.Please RSVP to the Chapter office,303-861-8819 or [email protected].

Wed., Oct. 25, 7:00 – 8:00pmWho Me Guilty? A hilarious lookat Jewish guilt performed by EllySzapiro at the Boulder JCC. Comelaugh your guilt away from 7:00 –8:00pm during the comedy routinefeaturing your Jewish mother andthe Jewish Guilt-O-Meter. Thisevent is free and is sponsored byYoung Jews in Boulder, anOutreach Roundtable Group. Formore information call Amy at 303-321-3399.

Saturday, Nov. 11, 1:00 – 5:00pmAlternatives to Buying: GiftMaking Demonstrations. FirstUnitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette,Denver. Presented by the LifestylesEducation Committee. Give a giftmade with love this holiday season.Come participate in workshopsdemonstrating hand made gifts foryour loved ones. See announcementon Lifestyles page.

Sunday, November 12, 6:00pmNew Volunteer Orientation.Healthy Habits restaurant onColorado Blvd., Denver, at Ohio(next to King Soopers) Come to thisorientation for food, fun, and up-to-the minute volunteer information.Please RSVP to the Chapter office,303-861-8819 or [email protected].

All Sierra Club Meetings are open to the public. New and oldmembers who would like to becomemore active are urged to attend. It’s a good way to meet people and share concerns about localenvironmental issues.

Gay and Lesbian SierransTuesday, October 24, 7:00pmPotluck supper – bring a favoritedish & help plan the Fall Calendar.The GLS Committee is a great way to join in our concern for ournatural environment. We balanceour members’ environmental,social, and political objectives. Formore information and location, call Trude French at 303-455-5916.

Inner City OutingsICO’s outreach program introducesdisadvantaged urban young peopleto wilderness and outdoor activities.Meeting dates and times vary – Suite 205B, 1410 Grant St., Denver.Call ICO hotline for info and tolearn more, 303-512-8331.

Lifestyles Education CommitteeMonday Oct. 16 & Nov. 20,6:00pm potluck/social time. Please bring dish to share and ownservice. Meeting 6:30 to 8:00.Centro Bienestar, 623 Fox St. Thiscommittee seeks to inform our community about living an ecofriendly lifestyle. For further information call Mary Romano 3 0 3 - 3 8 8 - 0 9 11, [email protected] JoLynn Jarboe 303-753-0470,[email protected].

Pesticides Committee meetingsFriday, October 13, 6:00pm andFriday, November 10, 6:00pmFor more information call AngelaMedbery at 303-433-2608.

Political CommitteeMeets about once or twice a monthuntil the election. Contact Chair,Barry Satlow, 303-442-1006 (h),303-442-3535(w),[email protected].

Population Committee Wednesday, Oct 18, 7:00-9:00pmSierra Club Office 1410 Grant St.Join us for a discussion of howrapid population growth contributesto urban sprawl, U.S. populationdoubling, and world-wide resourcedepletion. For more informationcontact Fred Elbel, 303-220-7499or [email protected].

Rocky Mountain Arsenal meetingsMonday, October 2, 7:00pm2205 Meade St., Denver.

Monday, November 6, 7:00pm1410 Grant St, B205 Denver.Call Sandy Horrocks for moreinformation, 303-470-1352.

Monday, December 4, 7:00pmHighlands Ranch area. Call Sandy Horrocks for location andinformation, 303-470-1352.

Chapter Meetings

E v e n t s

Service Projects

O u t i n g s

Peak & Prairie 14

Transportation CommitteeFirst Tuesdays of each month inconjunction with SustainableTransportation Committee.CoPIRG office, 1520 Blake

(above Las Delicious, across 16th

St. from RTD Market St. station)Don Thompson, 303-320-4895.

Urban Land Use Committee(ULUC) Third Mondays;Oct. 16, Nov. 20, 7:00pmLocation TBA. The ULUC coversissues in the incorporated areas ofBoulder County. Contact Chair MattAppelbaum for agenda items andmeeting location, 303-499-5139,[email protected].

Water Quality CommitteeSecond Wednesdays of each month.October 11, November 8.Contact Chair, Kirk Cunninghamfor details and agenda items, 303-939-8519, [email protected].

Blue River Group (Summit, Grand, & Eagle Counties)Kevin Knappmiller for more infoabout meetings, 970-668-8972 [email protected].

Enos Mills Group (Denver)– Ex-comm meetingsTues., October 10 & November 14Second Tuesdays of each month.6:00pm potluck, 6:30pm meeting.

1410 Grant St., 3rd floor conf.room.Join us in planning upcoming activities and determining official group policy. Contact Don Thompson 303-320-4895 or JoLynn Jarboe 303-753-0470.

– General meetingTuesday, October 17, 7:00-9:00pmREI Flagship, 1460 Platte StAll welcome to discuss and askquestions about Amendment 24 and the Denver De-TaboringAmendment as it relates to affordable housing and transportation. Contact DonThompson 303-320-4895 or JoLynn Jarboe 303-753-0470.

– Pre-Election Kick-off and Holiday Party

Sunday, October 29, 4:30-8:00pmFirst Univeralist Church, 4101 E Hampden Ave., DenverAs a thank you for your efforts inwalking, phoning, mailing for ourendorsed candidates and initiatives,come join us to celebrate theupcoming election victories. Alsocelebrate the upcoming HolidaySeason with light refreshments andtake advantage of the opportunity topurchase your Sierra Club calendarsand Holiday Cards. Contact Don Thompson 303-320-4895 orJoLynn Jarboe 303-753-0470.

High Plains Group (Eastern Denver Suburbs)– Ex-comm meetingsThurs., October 12 & November 9Second Thursdays of the month. All are welcome to attend. Anexcellent way to hear about envi-ronmental issues affecting the eastern plains and to meet fellowactivists. Dianna VanderDoes infoon time and place, 303-699-2036.

– General meetingThursday, October 19, 7:00pmReclaim Democracy will be speaking. Reclaim Democracyteaches individuals and groupsabout how the WTO and corporatepower affects environmental issues.7:00pm , Aurora Central PublicLibrary. Call Dianna VanderDoesfor more info, 303-699-2036.

Indian Peaks Group (Boulder County)– Conservation CommitteeFirst Wednesdays; Oct. 4, Nov. 1, Dec. 4, 7:00pmLAW Fund office, 2260 Baseline Rd., Boulder.The Conservation Committee discusses issues facing the Group inthe rural areas of Boulder Countyand tries to respond to them.Contact Chair, Kirk Cunninghamfor details and agenda items, 303-939-8519,[email protected].

– Ex-comm meetingsFourth Wednesdays, 7:00pm October 25: 2300 Iris Ave., 303-440-3827November 22: The Atrium, Iris Ave. & 30th St.The administrative work of the localSierra Club. Call Perry Rosensweigfor details & agenda items, 303-554-8122,[email protected].

– Fundraising CommitteeMeets irregularly to raise money for conservation activities.Contact Chair Barry Satlow,303-442-1006(h), 303-442-3535(w),[email protected].

– Bugle Editorial StaffMeets quarterly before Bugle deadline. Contact Interim EditorBarry Satlow, 303-442-1006 (h),303-442-3535(w),[email protected].

Mt. Evans Group (SW Jefferson, Northern Park, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties)Second Thursdays of the month,Evergreen Recreation Center.We are continuing to promote ouralternative to the proposed paving of Guanella Pass Road and arewatching for the SDEIS due out inOctober. We are also helping to puttogether the Pike/ San IsabelNational Forest Citizens’Management Alternative, and keeping an eye on the YMCA prop-erty in Conifer for possible additionto Open Space. We are looking for individuals who are ready toactively make a difference on ourplanet. For more info, please callBetsy or Greg, 303-674-7236 orLynn, 303-838-8117.

Pikes Peak Group (El Paso & Teller Counties)For information contact Judy Bolinat 303-592-0963

Poudre Canyon Group (Larimer & Weld Counties)– Ex-comm meetings Second Mondays, 6:30pm,Poudre Fire Authority ConferenceRoom, 102 Remmington Street, Fort Collins. Janna Six for moreinfo 970-493-5034.

– Conservation Committee meetingsFourth Mondays, 6:30pm.Mark Easter for location and info,970-224-9214.

– Singles meetingsThird Thursdays, 5:30pm,County Cork Pub, 313 W. Drake, Fort Collins. Mr. Fred for info, 970-223-4926.

Rachel Carson Group (Eastern Jefferson County)Third Wednesday of each month. Business meetings usually held inodd-numbered months, and allmembers are welcome. Program or Conservation Issuemeetings are usually held in even-numbered months. Meetingsstart at 7:00 p.m., go as late as 8:30p.m. and are held at one of threelocations: Standley Lake Library,Lakewood Public Library, or So.Lakewood Elementary School. Bill Kossack

Sangre de Cristo Group (Arkansas River & San Louis Valley)– Ex-comm meetings First Thursdays, 6:30pm,Meeting Room at McClellandLibrary, 100 E. Abriendo Ave.,Pueblo. Confirmation and details,Jim Trujillo, 719-948-4129.

South Platte Group (Parts of Arapahoe, Douglas &Jefferson Counties)Fourth Wednesdays of the month. 7:00pm. For meeting location,Trish O’Neill 303-797-3025.

Uncompahgre Group (Mesa, Delta & Gunnison Counties)Our general meeting is a potluckdinner meeting at 2215 DriftwoodLane. Come join us to discussSierra Club issues, concerns,upcoming meetings, and events. Contact Shelly, 970-243-5239.

Weminuche Group (Durango area)First and third Wednesdays, informal meetings at Carver ’sRestaurant, 1022 Main Ave.,Durango. For details,Jim Decker, 970-259-7658.

Group Meetings


SAVE THE DATE - NEW DATESunday, December 3, 2000

C h a p t e r’s 35th A n n i v e r s a ry / Holiday Part y2 – 6pm

First Unitarian Church1400 Lafayette Street, Denver, CO 80210

Sierra Club Launches Sprawl Radio Campaignby Susan LeFeverRMC Director

Sierra Club launched the radioad campaign over Labor Day tohighlight the threat to Colorado’sparks and open space. The ads callon the Governor to support UrbanGrowth Boundaries to keep thedevelopment near existing citiesand communities rather than nearparks and critical habitat. Theyhighlight that Colorado’s parks aretoo important to pave for develop-ment. The Denver Post said our“Parks are under siege” from irre-sponsible development.

For more info, www.rmc-sierraclub.org.

“CO Parks”Sierra Club60 second radio ad

Chirping birds.

Female: Time to get up kids, let’sgo for a picnic in the state parktoday.

Construction sounds.

Kids: Mom, what is all that build-ing next to the park? It wasn’t herelast year.

Mom: I don’t know but there arehouses all around the park.

Announcer: Our Colorado parksare under attack from out of con-trol, irresponsible development,according to a recent National ParkTrust report. “The Colorado StatePark system is under siege,”according to the Denver Post.

Out-of-state developers are destroy-ing 130,000 acres of our open spaceand potential parkland each year.That is like losing Rocky MountainNational Parks every 2 years.

But there is hope. Call GovernorOwens and ask him to keep hispromise to protect our parks andopen space.

Call Governor Owens today at 303-866-2471. Tell him to supportgrowth boundaries to protect parksand open space from out of controldevelopment.

This message paid for by the RockyMountain Chapter of the SierraClub.

1-6 Seirra Club Endorsements8 Japanese Vision: Recycle All10 Groups Join on Water Issues

Rocky Mountain ChapterMember Interest Survey

Please clip out this form and mail it to:Volunteer Development Committee, SierraClub, 1410 Grant Street, Suite B- 205,Denver, CO 80203

Name

Phone (daytime)

Address

Phone (evening)

City

ZIP(+ four)

E-mail

Occupation/ Educational background

October/November ‘2000

Yes, I’d like to participate in the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club! In order for us to best utilize your time and talents,please check your top four priorities only.

___ Accounting/Bookkeeping – Budget/Finance ___ Outings/Outdoor Service Projects___ Air Quality ___ Outreach/Program Development___ Chapter/Group Newsletter ___ Pesticides___ Environmental Education ___ Phone Banking___ Event Planning ___ Population___ Fundraising/Grant Writing ___ Recycling/Simplicity/Sustainability ___ Gay and Lesbian Sierrans – a social/outings group ___ Speakers Bureau/Public Speaking___ General office work, data entry, mailing parties ___ Urban Land Use/Sprawl___ Hazardous Materials/Toxics ___ Transportation___ Information Technology – Computers/Web ___ Water Quality___ Inner City Outings ___ Water Resources– professionals & experts ___ Legislative – Contacting legislators/hearings/review ___ Media Relations/Publicity ___ Wilderness/Forests/BLM/Public Lands___ Merchandise Sales ___ Wildlife/Endangered Species___ Membership/Volunteer Welcome Wagon ___ Writing letters to legislators/newspapers___ Mining

Inactive – These Issues/Committees are currently inactive due to eithera lack of a facilitator or activity withinthe committee. Your indication of interest in them will be maintained on our database for future reference.

___ Agriculture ___ Federal Facilities Monitoring___ Energy ___ Environmental Justice

If you are a college/graduate student that has any interest in Sierra Club Student Coalition activitiesor involvement, please state the name of your college/university below:

I have special skills, knowledge or experience I am able to contribute as a Sierra Club volunteer:

If you wish to receive email alerts and announcements (the easiest way to get involved!), please log onto our website to register for them. The address is: www.rmc.sierraclub.org/listserv.html

Fold this form with the pre-printed return address of the Volunteer Development Committee on theoutside (your address label on the inside), staple or tape closed, and mail with a first class stamp.

Thanks so much for participating!

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