Our latest edition of the Sierran is now available here !

Inside, find stories about the Green Swamp: its wealth of natural resources, threats to its ecological integrity, and how you can visit it. There's also more, including our upcoming outings, fun educational programs, and info about Sierra's outreach in the Central Florida community. 

Take a look today!

The Florida Sierra Club Waste Minimization Committee wishes you a Happy Holiday season. Please remember to Bring Your Own Bags every time you shop as your gift to the Earth. Be an environmental trendsetter - the more places you use your own bag and the more people who see, the more it will inspire others to do the same!

The ubiquitous plastic shopping bag, often used once & thrown away, uses up natural resources, consumes energy to manufacture, creates litter, endangers wildlife, adds to landfill waste, impacts human health and takes forever to disappear. Plastic is accumulating at an alarming rate in our oceans - wreaking havoc on wildlife, polluting our beaches and entering our food chain. Our addiction to use-and-toss items such as plastic bags and plastic bottles are a significant contributor to this growing problem. Of the 43 items tracked during Ocean Conservancy’s 2008 International Coastal Cleanup, the top three items of trash found were cigarette butts, plastic bags, and food wrappers/containers.

The cost of manufacturing, transporting, dispensing & disposing of plastic bags is not apparent to the public who think they are getting something for free, and when something is free we tend to take it whether we need it or not.  

(see below for more)

If you love the great outdoors and want to be a good steward of the environment, you can experience Florida State Parks in a whole new way! 
 
Sign-up now, new projects will launch in the New Year.  Volunteer USA Vacations provides unique and meaningful opportunities for you to make a difference to Florida’s natural environment while enjoying high-quality outdoor activities. Projects are short-term adventures, a week or less, that focus on conserving the best outdoor recreational areas for families. 

(click below for more)

One of America's most unique folksingers, Walkin' Jim Stoltz, will bring his powerful multi-media show, Forever Wild, to the Sierra Club meeting at 7:00pm on November 18th. A stirring journey in song, slides, stories and poetry across the wide-open spaces and through the windows of time with a man who has walked over 23,000 miles through North American wildlands.

Tickets are $8.00 per person, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Central FL Sierra Club.

Walkin' Jim gets his name from nearly 27,000 miles he has walked through the wild country of North America.  Carrying a guitar and writing his songs along the way, his lyrics express a great love for the wild places he knows so well.  The Forever Wild show combines live music with stunning multi-image slides to create a celebration of the natural world.  He will be sharing images and songs from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, his Yellowstone to Yukon walk, the Utah canyon country, the Northern Rockies, and wild places all across America.

To buy tickets, contact Mary-Slater at 407-481-4398 or 

We hope to see you there!

orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-easements-111009-20091109,0,6033720.story

OrlandoSentinel.com
Meaningful conservation
The gist: St. Johns water managers should resist Orange County's threats on easements
November 10, 2009

In Orange County, as in other counties throughout Central Florida, all's not necessarily lost when the regional water management authority issues a permit to a developer or local government.

That's because the permit issued by the St. Johns River Water Management District often comes with sensible strings attached that require lands of environmental value to be placed under a protective environmental easement, which the district will enforce.

Our November/December edition of the Central Florida Sierran is now available.

CORRECTION! The Walkin' Jim concert date in the pdf file of the newsletter is incorrect! The correct date for the concert is Wednesday, November 18th. We apologize for the error.

In this issue:

• Wildlife landscaping, part 2
• Tips for green construction
• Upcoming special programs: Walkin' Jim on Nov. 18 and Holiday Potluck on Dec. 16
• Take a stand against sprawl in East Orange County!

Click here to view the newsletter:

http://www.centralfloridasierra.org/uploads/2009_11_sierra.pdf

Have a break from too much holiday fun with us! Everyone is welcome- members and non-members- just be sure to RSVP beforehand.

• Dec. 5th: Holiday bike ride through Conway
• Dec. 13th: Kayak, Hike and Picnic on Makinson Island in Lake Tohopekaliga near Kissimmee

(more below)

Come join us this month for fun activities!  All participants should RSVP by contacting the trip leader.  Non-members are welcome.

• Nov 14th: Bike/Walk in Oakland Nature Preserve
• Nov. 15th: Bike Seminole-Wekiva trail

More below...

WALKIN’ JIM STOLTZ Forever Wild: A Multimedia Celebration of Wilderness With One of America’s Most Unique Folksingers And Backcountry Travelers

One of America's most unique folksingers, Walkin' Jim Stoltz, on tour from the mountains of Montana, will bring his powerful multi-media show, Forever Wild, to the Sierra Club meeting at 7:00pm on November 18th. A stirring journey in song, slides, stories and poetry across the wide-open spaces and through the windows of time with a man who has walked over 23,000 miles through North American wildlands. Tickets are $8.00 per person, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Central FL Sierra Club.

Walkin' Jim gets his name from nearly 27,000 miles he has walked through the wild country of North America.  Carrying a guitar and writing his songs along the way, his lyrics express a great love for the wild places he knows so well.  The Forever Wild show combines live music with stunning, multi-image slides to create a celebration of the natural world.  He will be sharing images and songs from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, his Yellowstone to Yukon walk, the Utah canyon country, the Northern Rockies, and wild places all across America.

Wednesday, October 21: Creating a Sustainable Tourism Income so Locals will Protect Their Ecology

Over the past number of years, Charles Motley of Los Tambos Chachapoyanos has been creating an ecological trail in Peru through a program of volunteers.  More volunteers are needed.  The trail, intended for tourists, leads to the highest waterfall in Peru, which is about three times as high as the Eiffel Tower.  He invites us to learn more about his project of creating a sustainable tourism income for local people.  Creating this infrastructure enables locals to become caretakers and also gives them the financial ability, as sole benefactors, to protect and share this treasure with visitors into the future.  “This talk will plant a seed on how you, as one person” can make a major difference in the world,” assures Charles, a retired engineer from Orange County Development Engineering Department.

All programs are held at Harry P. Leu Gardens. 1920 N Forest Avenue, Orlando Florida. For directions to Leu Gardens visit: http://centralfloridasierra.org.
Door opens at 6:15 PM with light snacks and socializing. Programs are from 7:00 – 8:45 PM
A brief discussion of environmental issues preceeds the program. Admission is free and the public is welcome!

For more information contact Jackie at  407-637-2461, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or go to: http://www.centralfloridasierra.org