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White Pine Needle 2017 AUTUMN UPDATE (September, October, November, December; & Feb. ’18) White Pine Group, Northeast Iowa Sierra Club (Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette, Clayton, Delaware,
Dubuque, and Jackson Counties.) “Explore, Enjoy and Protect”
[Volume 37, No. 2] 9/06/17
Newsletter/Membership: This 2017 Autumn Update Needle is being
emailed to memberships for whom we have an
email address and mailed to the remaining of our
current (8/17) roster of 487 memberships (572
members (more due to Joint memberships.) If you
receive this Autumn Update only by regular mail
but are willing to receive it and occasional email-
only updates, in full color, by email please send an
email to Dick Worm including your name, mailing
address, and complete Zip Code (ex: 52031-9557)
for helpful, membership list identification.
([email protected]). Saves $’s.
Membership in the Sierra Club and renewal is
through the national office. Our White Pine Group
receives monthly updates listing new and expiring
memberships for our identified, 8 county region.
Membership is to be renewed on a yearly basis.
Some mailing labels include a “reminder” regarding
when a renewal is due. For example, a “1017”
indicates expiration in October of 2017. An
“M/A17” on a SIERRA magazine label “reports” a
March/April, 2017, final issue. Your membership
is vital to helping carry out Sierra Club goals.
In this 2017, FALL UPDATE:
Program/Meetings and Outings.
Other events and opportunities.
Turkey Dinner Fundraiser: 10/21.
Attend, Donate &/or Volunteer.
Backbone Cabin Outing: 2/16-18, ‘18.
WHITE PINE GROUP FALL - PROGRAM/MEETINGS: Time and Location: 7:00 PM Meet/Greet;
7:15 Program; by 8:15 EXCOM and membership
meeting; by 8:30 PM Adjourn/Social. (4th Tues.)
St. Peter Lutheran Church, 3200 Asbury Rd.,
Dubuque. Enter walk-in basement meeting room at
rear of brick home to the right in parking lot.
(No December Program/Meeting.)
EXPLORE, ENJOY, SHARE
September 26 (Tues.): “Two Colorado
Fourteeners and a Wilderness Volunteers Trail
Project in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, CO.
July 21-29, 2017; Dick Worm
Mt. Sherman Quandary Peak Maroon Bells
14,036 ft. 14,265 ft. Cross Over Trail
October 24 (Tues.): “Superior Hiking Trail
(SHT) Southern Sections.” Since the 10/24, 2009,
Fundraiser Dinner program, the SHT has expanded
south through Duluth and Jay Cooke State Park.
This program features easy sections including Jay
Cooke SP; Ely’s Peak in Duluth; and West Branch
Knife River and Silver Creek north of Duluth.
EXPLORE and ENJOY… and SHARE.
------------------------------------------------------------
November 28 (Tues.): “Hi-Lites from some 2017
White Pine Group Outings” EXPLORE/ENJOY
Jan. 20: Ignorguration Hike, Eden Valley;
Jan. 21: Bald Eagle Watch Table/Exhibit;
Feb. 5: Super Bowl Warm-Up Hike (MOS);
Feb. 10-12: Backbone Park Cabin/Hikes;
April 8: White Pine Hollow Hike;
April 29: Catfish Creek/MOS Clean-Up;
June 3: Howard County Day-Trip;
June 23-24: Heritage Valley Camp & Hike;
(MOS = Mines of Spain)
OUTINGS & EVENTS Calendar (P. 2)
FALL 2017 White Pine Group hosted OUTINGS are open
to the general public, friends, and family. An RSVP to an Outing’s CONTACT person
facilitates outing details and any change updates.
An outing may be cancelled or altered at times due
to a variety of potential reasons.
Participants will be asked to sign a liability
waiver which can be previewed at
http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms
September 9 (Sat.): 9 AM- Noon, “Electric Cars
at Dubuque’s Farmers Market” partially
sponsored nation-wide by the National Sierra Club.
Heartland Parking Lot, 13th & Iowa St.
Electric Car info from Sierra Club Fact Sheets:
(www.sierraclub.org/evguide/) Benefits of Driving
Electric: Cheaper, Cleaner, Convenient (at home
and as public chargers become available.) National
and State tax credits and rebate incentives.
100% Clean Transportation in cities by 2035:
Programs include Pedestrian, Biking, Municipal EV
Fleet, Zero Emission Bus, Transit Oriented
Development, Robust Public Transit Systems, EV
Charging Installation. Explore, Enjoy, PROTECT!
September 9 (Sat.): Climate Action with IA State
Senator Bob Hogg and former Maryland Gov.,
Martin O’Malley, 4 PM Maquoketa Timber Lanes;
and, 6 PM Dubuque Hall of Fame, Diamond Jo.
September 12 (Tues.): “Hamilton Prairie Hike”
5:30PM. To celebrate Iowa Prairie Heritage Week,
Ray will give land history and highlight rare species
on the property. From US 61, take IA Rt. 64 east
through Maquoketa, turning north onto IA Rt. 62 at
the east edge of town. After about 1 mile, turn east
onto 35th St. (Codfish Hollow Rd.) Go 4 miles; turn
left on 288th Ave. and park there near outbuildings.
September 24 (Sun): 1-2 PM “Joyful Stewardship”
Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, Dubuque
Chapter, is hosting this presentation about climate-
related energy at the Sisters of the Presentation,
2360 Carter Road in Dubuque. Dr. James Martin-
Schramm is a religion professor at Luther College
and the author of several books including Climate
Justice: Ethics, Energy, and Public Policy. He has
helped Luther College transition to renewable
energy with wind and solar and was a longtime
Chair of the Board of IIPL. Explore and Protect!
Sept. 26, Tuesday: Program/Meeting. See p. 1.
September 27-October 6: (Wed. – Fri.): “Kekekabic Trail Backpack Trip” Boundary Waters,
N. Minnesota. Sept. 27: Drive to Ely, MN.
Sept. 28 - Oct. 1 (4 days): Pick up Permit and Backpack
from Snowbank Lake TH about 24.6 miles to Harness Lake.
Oct. 2: Day-hike 8.4 mile round trip to Agamok Gorge.
Oct. 3-5 (3 days): Return to Snowbank Lake Rd. trailhead.
Oct. 6: Drive back to Dubuque.
Some added, short distances to lake shore campsites will
occur along the way. The itinerary is flexible depending on
weather, trail conditions, and stamina! A permit for 2 had to
be purchased because free, overnight permits at trailheads do
not begin until Oct. 1. (Additional permits, if needed,
should be easy to obtain.) So, 1 extra space is available. If
interested, CONTACT Dick Worm, 563-582-2580.
Last fall, the Kek was attacked from the east end and the
below description seemed pretty accurate as only 10.4 miles
were backpacked and an additional 2.6 miles to Agamok
Gorge was day-hiked--- as trail clearing (with only a Swiss
Army Knife saw blade, which eventually broke off), rock
cairn rebuilding, and general trail demarcation, plus a rain
storm caused slow going! The west end of the trail has now,
apparently, been cleared of the July, 2016, wind storm down
fall that had even more severely blocked that end of the trail.
A bit bigger saw will be taken this year, just in case!
The order form for the trail maps
described the trail this way (yiminy): “It is one of the toughest, meanest rabbit tracks in North
America. The Trail struggles its way through swamps,
around cliffs, up the sides of bluffs, and across rocky ridges.
It is choked with night-marish patches of clinging brush. It
is blocked with tangles of windfalls and standing timber. It
is pressed, in places, on all sides by outcroppings of rock;
sometimes it snakes its way over riverbeds, slippery, rocky
and treacherous. In other areas, it is a peaceful path loping
through open stands of timber with a soft, mossy carpet
underfoot. It is the kind of trail that would break the heart
of a person who didn’t have what it takes to go into the
wilderness and try to ‘smooth it’.”
EXPLORE and ENJOY!! Que Serra, Serra!
More Sept. OUTINGS & EVENTS (P. 3)
September 30 (Sat.): 9 AM – Noon. “Seeds and
Cider at Heritage Valley” is an opportunity to hand
harvest native seed from hillside prairies, which
will be used to diversify and expand prairie. End
the day with apple cider. This Iowa Natural
Heritage Foundation, 1200 acre preserve between
Waukon and Decorah along Ellingson Bridge Dr.,
meeting just north of the intersection with Red Bud
Dr., encompasses more than three miles of the
Upper Iowa River and boasts a diverse mixture of
habitats: woodland, prairie and flood plains
managed primarily for native plants and wildlife.
The terrain is steep and uneven. Bring water. Wear
beat up clothes, gloves, and sturdy shoes. Hiking
poles will help. You will sign a liability waiver.
An RSVP is requested, so also CONTACT
Melanie Louis at [email protected] or 515-288-
1846 x35 for directions and other details.
Watch our www.facebook.com/whitepinegroup
page for a possible short-notice outing yet this
Fall (October) to hike the route taken at our June 24
Outing… in order to compare leaf coloration!!
September through Oct. 20: “Raffle Ticket
Fundraiser” by Friends of Jackson County
Conservation as the final push to complete Prairie
Creek Pavilion, for which the White Pine Group
last year contributed $100. $5/ticket of 5 for $20.
Three Prizes: $300 cash, WaterQuest Canoe with
trolling motor, Sun Cruiser Bike. Drawing Oct. 23.
Purchase Tickets: at Hurstville Center, or at
www.mycountyparks.com/county/Jackson/Events.a
spx; or mail check to: Friends of JCC,
18670 63rd St., Maquoketa, IA 52060. ENJOY!
October 13 (Friday): Desired deadline for
making reservations for the October 21, Turkey
Dinner Fundraiser. Volunteers donate many of
the buffet style meal items so advance reservations
help assure reasonable provisions for Fundraising.
TURKEY DINNER FUNDRAISER
WHITE PINE GROUP
Northeast Iowa Sierra Club Traditional Turkey Dinner
Saturday, October 21, 2017
First Congregational Church Corner of 10th and Locust Streets Downtown Dubuque, Iowa
General Public Is Welcome
*Advance Reservations Required* 5:30 PM: Social, Cider, Calendar Sales, Displays
6:15 PM: Buffet-Style Turkey Dinner
7:00 PM: Welcome, Door Prize Drawings
7:30 PM: Program “State High Points”
8:30 PM: Clean-Up (Volunteers Welcome!)
PROGRAM: During Hempstead High
School Club trips and other travels, Dick
Worm managed to reach 46 of the U.S. State
High Elevation Points (and Jane 25 of those.)
Other high points may be added to reach 50!
From 345 ft. Florida to 14,500 ft. California
to 22,840 ft. Argentina. Been a FUN project!
Guide Book High Pointers Club IOWA
VOLUNTEERS and DONATIONS make
this event the fundraiser it is intended to be.
Make reservations and report or seek
donation plans by Fri., Oct. 13, 2017:
Jane Worm, 3680 Echo Hills Dr.,
Bellevue, IA 52031; 563-582-2580;
[email protected]. (Can pay at door.) Checks payable to White Pine Group, Sierra Club.
Volunteer & Donate: _Pies, _Cake,
_Cranberries, _Milk, _Potato recipe, _Door
Prizes, $__; _Fri. Set-up 4 PM; _Kitchen help
4:30 PM Saturday. Give: name, phone, and
# _Adults $12; _Students $8; _Age 5-12 $5. TOTAL: $______ Saved Iowa for Dick’s last!
2017 Autumn Update Needle (9/06/17) (P. 4)
Oct. 24, Tuesday: Program/Meeting (See page 1)
October 28 (Sat.): Iowa Chapter Annual
Dinner/Fundraiser. Madrid, Iowa, Iowa
Arboretum. Program: “Reptiles and Amphibians”
Hike before; Climate Change and Water Quality
Workshop after. Additionally, the nearby, 25-mile,
High Trestle Trail passes through Madrid and goes
across a spectacular, 130 ft. high bridge over the
Des Moines River. This bridge is lighted at night
and a waxing gibbous moon will also help light the
bridge! Make a weekend of it and stay overnight!
Cost for the Fundraiser Dinner may be $30/person.
Dinner details: Pam Mackey-Taylor. Cell: 319-
213-1120; [email protected] .
Google “High Trestle Trail.”
October 31 (Tues): “Halloween Night Hike and
Bonfire Snacks” Outing, at Dick and Jane Worm’s
Faraway Farm/Echo Valley Pond. 7 PM (or earlier.)
Waxing Gibbous (nearly Full) Moon will help light
the way. But, bring a light. Tell or read aloud
creepy stories by the fire. If you have no Party to
attend, check out the “night life” in the deep, dark
woods along Faraway Farm’s Mississippi River
bluff and in prairies just 8 miles south of Dubuque.
(U.S. 52 to St. Catherine Road; turn east past the
cemetery/church; at 2 miles turn left into Echo
Hills; take the center gravel lane straight on down
the hill over a cattle guard and through a gate to the
Benglari Center and Echo Valley Pond. Leave by 9
PM or whenever… or primitive camp on dam
overnight! RSVP is appreciated: 563-582-2580.
Visitors are always welcome. Just phone ahead.
Pond shelter/fire ring Echo Valley Pond
River Bluff Trail Benglari
November 5 (Sun.) OUTING:
“Indian Bluffs Hike” Carpool at 12:30 from
Banworth-Udelhoven Furniture (corner of 151/61
and 52 at south edge of Dubuque) or meet at Indian
Bluffs by 1:15 PM. Take Butterfield Road south
from US151 just west of Cascade. It then continues
to the right at the intersection with 88 Ave. where
Richland Rd. goes to the left. Pretty rugged terrain
mostly on trails, but with some off-trail to certain
attractions (like up to a cliff face cave with fossils!)
So, wear sturdy shoes, dress accordingly, and bring
insect repellant, water, and maybe a snack.
CONTACT: Dick Worm (563-582-2580), Cell
563-590-2557; or Charlie Winterwood (563-588-
2783.) Weather could cause a cancellation.
NOVEMBER 7, 2017, VOTE! Yes, there are elections in 2017. Mayors, City Councils, etc. need your attention and
votes just as much as Presidents and Members of
Congress. Keep your voting skills sharp and fine-
tuned for 2018! Make it a HABIT to VOTE!
For Dubuque, the Sierra Club has endorsed
incumbent mayor Roy D. Buol. He writes, “I am
very honored to be endorsed by the Iowa Chapter
of the Sierra Club for re-election as Mayor of
Dubuque. Thank you for all the Sierra Club does
to protect our environment and create a
sustainable future for our grandchildren.
Best regards, Roy”
Except due to the Electoral College…..
Nov. 9 (Thurs.):
“Responding to Abuse of Power”
7 PM, First Congregational Church, 10th and
Locust, Dubuque. (Children of Abraham.
CONTACT: John Eby, 563-588-4929)
MORE Autumn, 2017, Activity (P. 5)
November 23, 2017
November 28 (Tues.):Program/Meeting;see p.1
OUTING: December 16 (Saturday):
“WELCOME TO WINTER”
Platteville, WI, Round Tree Trail
From Dubuque, 9 A.M.
Carpool from Mystique Community Ice Center,
16th St. to Admiral Sheehy Drive on Schmitt Island
(First right after crossing Kerper Blvd.)
In Platteville, meet at Visitor Center on old 151
after taking first exit to Platteville from US151.
For details and better directions, CONTACT
Charlie Winterwood, 563-588-2783
--------------------------------------------------------------
NO Program/Meeting in December.
The Crevice Its Top Inside Look Up
Crevice Slide at 2017 Backbone Cabin Outing.
SOME 2018 PLANS A 2018 White Pine Needle newsletter will be
distributed by email or mail to all members in
January, 2018. It will include program/meeting,
outings, and other events through August of 2018 as
well as a few predictable activities beyond August--
- such as the October 13, 2018, (probably)Turkey
Dinner Fundraiser. (An AWAY Iowa Hawkeye
FB game that day and also away from Halloween.)
The 2018 NEEDLE will also include a ballot for
the 2018 EXCOM election. Two EXCOM
positions will be open. The Sierra Club, uniquely,
requires grass-root member elections for all of its
leadership positions from the National Board of
Directors to Chapter and Group EXCOMS. To have
a real election, it would be GREAT to have more
than two candidates! PLEASE consider offering
the Sierra Club your new blood to help provide
inspired and creative leadership for the coming
years as we old-timers continue to fade! Contact an
EXCOM member.
Spring and Summer 2018 and other Updates may be produced during 2018 but will only be
emailed. An Autumn 2018 Update, with a
completed Autumn schedule of activities, will be
distributed to all members. Just two newsletters per
year also saves printing and mailing expenses.
Anyone interested can record activities on a 2018
wall or electronic calendar for future reference. (In that regard, we already have the 2018 Sierra
Club Engagement and Wilderness Wall Calendars
on hand for sale NOW. Call me! 563-582-2580.)
They will also be 10% off at the Turkey Dinner!)
Assuming the same schedule is maintained in
2018, Program/Meetings will be held monthly on
the 4th Tuesday evening (except we skip June,
July, August, and December.) The August, 2018,
Autumn planning picnic will likely be held at
Faraway Farm, again, on August 25, 2018.
If you have suggestions for White Pine Group
Programs, Outings, &/or Projects please give us a
holler. However, even MORE supportive, would
be for you to join us on some activities we host…
primarily for our membership. We’d very much
enjoy meeting more of our membership. INDEED!
EXPLORE ENJOY
PROTECT
White Pine Group, N.E. Iowa EXCOM (*Expires 2017) Chair: Charlie Winterwood, Dubuque, 563-588-2783
Member/Newsletter: Dick Worm, Bellevue, 563-582-2580
563-590-2557 [email protected]
Jim Fahrion, Dubuque, [email protected]
* “Buck” Schultz, Dubuque, [email protected]
*Dave Hansen, Masonville, [email protected] Appointed: Fund Raiser/Secretary: Jane Worm
Treasurer: Mike Muir
Conservation: Charlie Winterwood
Publicity: (available)
Lots more: (available)
White Pine Group, N.E. Iowa Sierra Club “The Needle” Newsletter Editor 2017 Autumn Update Needle
Richard Worm September - December
3680 Echo Hills Dr. Volume 37, #2
Bellevue, IA 52031 – 9557 9/06/17
2017 Autumn Calendar of Events
2017 Turkey Dinner Fundraiser, October 21
Backbone Cabin Outing, Feb. 16-18, 2018
Record Events on Your Personal Calendars
“Trumpery” Look it up! Surrealistic.
16th ANNUAL BACKBONE State Park
CABIN OUTING: FEB. 16-18, 2018.
Cedar-Wapsie Group (Cedar Rapids) may share the Outing.
Cabin A is our Owl’s Nest: 2 bedrooms with double bed;
futon; floor & porch. First reserved; first served. Even
NOW. Day-Use is welcome including Sat. Potluck Dinner.
Cabins have kitchen/dining area; bathroom with shower.
Bedding is by participants: sheets, pillow, sleeping bag.
Hikes, snow shoeing, x-country skiing, and crevice slide
fill the daytime. Table games and chatter fill the evenings.
Cabin available 4 PM, Friday, to 11 AM lunch Sunday. Cost range: $15-$25/person/night to $10/person for day-
use. Details in 2018 Needle. Additional cabins: phone
1-877-427-2757. Walk-ins by concessionaire MAY work
on short notice, if available. (1-563-933-2273).
QUESTIONS or reserve space: Phone/Email Dick Worm
Sierra Club Membership
For a new member brochure, CONTACT Dick Worm
Or, Membership Brochures are in the SIERRA magazine.
Or, go to: www.sierraclub.org Our Group’s Code # is 3707.
Membership renewals are made through
national headquarters. No funds from
national dues come to our Local Group.
A “Wilderness Guardian” membership reduces mail.
www.facebook.com/whitepinegroup
“Nearly all railroads are bordered by belts of desolation.”
“Every feature of Nature’s big face is beautiful… ”
JOHN MUIR
Sierra Club/John Muir Resources
To receive environmental news and green living tips twice
monthly, you can subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider at
www.sierraclub.org/sierra-club-email/insider . In general,
www.sierraclub.org has a plethora of information for your
reading enjoyment. One item I procrastinated with this
week was a year-by-year listing of John Muir’s life and
influence from his birth in Scotland to the present. I didn’t
know that Muir had twin sisters. I didn’t know that he had
tried several times during his life to purchase and preserve
property around his Wisconsin childhood home, Fountain
Lake Farm near Montello, WI. The area is now a John Muir
Memorial Park. I gotta go there sometime soon. And, if I
can get to Scotland, since I am ¼ Scottish, I intend to visit
his birthplace museum at 128 High St. in Dunbar and check
out parts of the 105-mile John Muir Way trail from Dunbar
through the Highlands to Helensburgh. EXPLORE/ENJOY.
