Sierra Club Huron Valley Group

Grassroots Opposition to a New Landfill, and a Path to Zero Waste

Thu, Feb 26 · 6:00 PM EST

Location not specified yet

This month we have two speakers, Leslie Evans and Stephen Brown.

Grass Roots Opposition to a Proposed Landfill in Salem Township
Presented by Leslie Evans
The Arbor Hills landfill is quickly filling and is expected to reach the end of its permitted capacity in or around 2028. The Canadian company that owns Arbor Hills, Green for Life, has a very poor record for regulatory compliance. Nonetheless, they now want to create a new landfill in Washtenaw's Salem Township. Opposition to the new landfill is led by The Conservancy Initiative (TCI), a nonprofit made up of volunteers.

Our speaker, Leslie Evans, is a retired organizational consultant and bird/outdoor enthusiast who serves on the Board of TCI.
Leslie will talk about the issues, what actions have been done and need to be done to stop this new landfill from being approved by the Washtenaw County Commissioners. TCI needs support and ideas on how to address this with Washtenaw County leaders. Money from the landfill is heavily relied on by the Washtenaw County’s Water Resources-Public Works Division and is a primary factor why support for stopping any new landfill is lacking.

The Path to Zero Waste
Presented by Stephen Brown
Stephen Brown is a member of the City of Ann Arbor's Sustainability Commission and the Washtenaw Zero Waste Coalition. He has been involved in solid waste issues since 1970, and will present local opportunities for households to become zero waste generators.

The first step is "precycling", or buying items with minimal or recyclable packaging. The next step is segregation of organic waste, including all food scraps, for weekly collection. Secondly, shopping at re-use outlets can lead to significant budget savings with minimal packaging. Some attention must be paid to "recyclability" by whatever organization has been granted the contract by local governments. Simple changes of habit can result in only 96 gallons of waste each year for households of 2-4 persons. Some dedicated people can fit their entire annual waste in one Mason jar. Several states have already passed "Extended Producer Responsibility" Laws, which are necessary to achieve further progress society-wide.

Nichols Arboretum Hike (Washtenaw County)

Sat, Mar 14 · 9:30 AM EDT

Riverview Ct, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Riverview Ct, ANN ARBOR, MI, US

Join the Huron Valley Group of the Sierra Club for a scenic group hike through the beautiful Nichols Arboretum, a 123-acre riverfront preserve operated by the University of Michigan. Nearly 3.5 miles of interconnected trails wind through rolling terrain, linking the Arb’s three entrances at Nichols Drive, Geddes Road, and Washington Heights.
Affectionately known as “The Arb,” this landscape features extensive collections of native trees and shrubs, specialty gardens, thematic areas, culturally significant spaces, and active ecosystem restoration zones. As we explore its Gardens & Collections, you’ll experience the rich connection between people and nature and discover how landscape, history, and ecology come together to tell the story of this remarkable place.

Register at: https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=701Po00001M3mEGIAZ

Come enjoy fresh air, natural beauty, and great company on one of Ann Arbor’s most beloved trails.

Meeting Time and Location:

We’ll meet at 9:15am at parking lot 28 with the hike beginning promptly at 9:30 AM. Address: 5000 Riverview Ct, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Hike Leader:
The leaders of this hike is Ken from the Southeast Michigan Group and Steve from Huron Valley Group. For questions, email sierra.club.semg@gmail.com.

Participation Details:
For all our hikes, please remember to bring comfortable hiking shoes, a water bottle, food, and the season’s weather appropriate clothing. Participation in Sierra Club activities requires registration and acceptance of a waiver, which you can complete online at the link above. Electronic copies of the required waiver are available online or by request and will be accepted automatically by signing-in to the event.

All hikes are free and open to everyone, but donations are gratefully accepted to help support ongoing stewardship and programming.

Cancellation Policy:
The hike will proceed rain, snow, or shine. However, if an Extreme Weather Warning is issued by the National Weather Service, the hike will be canceled for safety reasons.

Park Pass Information:
When visiting a Michigan State Park, a Recreation Passport is required. The cost per vehicle is $14 when purchased during license plate registration renewal through the Secretary of State. Entrance to Metroparks requires a $40 annual pass or a $10 day pass. You may be able to purchase a day or annual pass at the park entrance booth.

Waterloo Recreation Area Hike (Washtenaw County)

Sat, Apr 25 · 9:30 AM EDT

17030 Bush Rd, Chelsea, MI 48118, USA, 17030 Bush Rd, Chelsea, MI, US

Join the Huron Valley Group of the Sierra Club as we explore the forests and lakes of the Waterloo Recreation Area on a 4.2-mile hike. At more than 20,000 acres, Waterloo is the largest state recreation area in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and is known for its rolling hills, glacial lakes, mature hardwood forests, wetlands, and a rich variety of habitats. We’ll hike the Hickory Hills Trail, passing through scenic woodlands and along quiet lakes. This area supports a wide variety of wildlife, including deer, fox, waterfowl, and songbirds, making it a rewarding destination for both hikers and nature watchers.

Register at: https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=701Po00001NL47ZIAT

This hike offers a wonderful opportunity to experience one of southeast Michigan’s most ecologically diverse landscapes while enjoying fresh air, gentle terrain, and good company.
Meeting Time and Location:

We’ll meet at 9:15am at parking lot 28 with the hike beginning promptly at 9:30 AM. Address: Waterloo - Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center, 17030 Bush Rd, Chelsea, MI
Hike Leader:
The leader of this hike is Ken from the Southeast Michigan Group and Steve from Huron Valley Group. For questions, email sierra.club.semg@gmail.com.
Participation Details:
For all our hikes, please remember to bring comfortable hiking shoes, a water bottle, food, and the season’s weather appropriate clothing. Participation in Sierra Club activities requires registration and acceptance of a waiver, which you can complete online at the link above. Electronic copies of the required waiver are available online or by request and will be accepted automatically by signing-in to the event.

All hikes are free and open to everyone, but donations are gratefully accepted to help support ongoing stewardship and programming.
Cancellation Policy:
The hike will proceed rain, snow, or shine. However, if an Extreme Weather Warning is issued by the National Weather Service, the hike will be canceled for safety reasons.
Park Pass Information:
When visiting a Michigan State Park, a Recreation Passport is required. The cost per vehicle is $14 when purchased during license plate registration renewal through the Secretary of State. Entrance to Metroparks requires a $40 annual pass or a $10 day pass. You may be able to purchase a day or annual pass at the park entrance booth.

Nature in Michigan - Photo tours of SE Michigan parks and nature areas

Tue, Jun 30 · 12:01 AM EDT

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Online

Online

A chronological listing of older hikes: Click here

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We present an ongoing series of photo-tours of parks and natural areas in SE Michigan.

See below for some instructions on using some of the features of the photo galleries, including how to zoom on pictures, see camera-settings, and so on.

This Event Page is a way for you to sign up to be notified whenever a new photo tour is posted. If you RSVP to "attend" this outing, every time a new photo tour is posted, you will receive an e-mail telling you about the posting. You will only receive these e-mails if you RSVP to attend this event and have your Meetup account set to notify you about comments in your upcoming Events.

Make sure you look through the Comments section - many of the photo tours are linked there and all future additions will be added via "Comments".

If you have or want to create photo tours of hikes you'd like to share, contact John via messaging on here. If you have photos from any of the parks for which we have posted Exercise Guides, please RSVP to the Exercise Guide and post some photos on those "events" as well.

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Instructions for viewing pictures on Smugmug:
To view photo tour, simply click the link below. It should open a new tab on your browser, showing the gallery. Click the first picture and it will enlarge to nearly fill your screen.
On the far right of the screen, on the horizontal centerline, is a right-arrow; click it to move to the next picture. A similar arrow is on the far left, to move to the previous picture.
Along the upper left side of the screen is a series of icons; the 3rd from the top is 3 horizontal lines; click it and the info about the picture will display - Title indicates the park where it was taken, the Caption identifies the plant or might have a "Mystery plant #"), then a bunch of photographer-geek information about lens, shutter speeds, etc. In some galleries, there will be a map showing where the picture was taken.
If you have clicked the Info icon, click the picture once and the information section of the screen (the stuff to the left of the picture that showed when you clicked the Info icon) disappears. Click the picture again and it will load a higher-resolution version (zoomed in) that you can click-and-drag to move around and view details of the picture.
When the icons are showing on the left side of the screen, the next to the bottom icon is a down arrow - click it to download a full-resolution copy of the picture.
NOTE: The photos on John's Smugmug account are available for download for your own, NON-COMMERCIAL USE, free of charge. If you want prints, feel free to download and print at home, at your favorite print shop, or use Smugmug's printing service (their service and quality are excellent).