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Are you concerned about our environment? If so, this is a good time to get educated about the issues and to get involved. Right here in Central Illinois we have a number of very informed and active groups who have one goal in mind......preserving our earth. It's also a good time to get involved here in Illinois, as we have a sympathetic majority in Springfield for the first time in many years.

The Prairie Group of the Sierra Club is gaining new enthusiasm for tackling the many environmental solutions we need to face. This year we are focusing on clean water, urban sprawl, and preserving the Shawnee National Forest. These are in keeping with the Illinois Chapter's areas of concern, so we have lots of people pulling in the same direction.

Locally the Prairie Group is working with several other environmental organizations such as the newly formed Champaign Conservation Committee or CCC, which reminds some of us of the New Deal days. This group has recently started meeting every few months, and I can see that working together will build a strong coalition and give a stronger voice in the future development of our communities.

Clean water issues, which have benefited from this unified approach, include ways to prevent toxic leakage in the Saline Branch of the Urbana land fill and getting the City of Urbana, IEPA, and other agencies active in solving the problem. Much attention was also raised on the ammonia spill into the Saline Branch this past summer. The watchful eye of local environmentalists was instrumental in getting governments and agencies to address this problem and help prevent future such accidents. See the article by Marc Miller of the Prairie River's Network on National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) fees bill now being discussed in Springfield as an example of how to help.

The Prairie Group has a history of focusing on Urban Sprawl issues, and in March we, together with the Illinois State Chapter and the Illinois Student Environmental Network (ISEN) co-sponsored two workshops featuring Ellen Shubart of the Campaign for Sensible Growth, who described how planning is conducted in our governmental entities; and Laura Huth, Urbana City Council Representation and Executive Director of the ``Illinois Student Environment Network,'' who discussed how to take action to solve urban sprawl issues. Other speakers were Rob Kowalki, Lindsay Robinson, Bruce Knight, Mary DeBacker, and Parson Brinckenhoff. To continue the focus of sprawl issues in this area, our April general meeting is a bus tour of Champaign-Urbana area to see first hand the ``good and bad'' in urban planning. See also the General Meetings notices in this issue.

The Champaign County Board is also showing interest in planning for the future with environmental issues in mind by establishing a County Board Blue Ribbon Environmental Panel in which input is solicited from concerned and knowledgeable citizens. This is a great time for citizens and activists to get familiar with the issues and build a sound plan towards smart growth.

Another major focus of the Sierra Club is to sponsor outings. This is a good way to introduce people to the natural world, and therefore help them learn to appreciate the treasure we have in our wild places. This year outings are keeping in mind the focus areas of Clean Water, Urban Sprawl, and the Shawnee National Forest. Last fall Jack Kuehn, our Outings Chair, led a backpacking trip to the Hutchins Creek in the Shawnee National Forest with the idea that the Prairie Group might adopt this area. Look for more fun trips to the Shawnee to continue this effort. What we really need are interested participants. To keep in touch with the latest events on local outings, sign up for the outings listerv at Outings.

So this is a great time to get involved. The community has many promising activities to help us build a quality sustainable lifestyle. I think the Prairie Group of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club is in an excellent position to have a positive impact in East Central Illinois. Come join us at one of our meetings or outings and enjoy the experience of making a difference.

Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club

National Sierra Club

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