26. February 2011 by admin.

Greetings River Lovers ~ Happy Pre-Spring!

Upcoming Save Maumee Events ~ Working to improve your waterways all year long!

TODAY ~ Saturday February 26, 2011 Save Maumee Presents another FUN & educational evening!

Enjoy yourself at Dash-In with us and live entertainment to celebrate awareness and forward progress coupled with great LIVE MUSIC and delicious FOOD & DRINKS and door prizes!

Who is playing:     Sounds of Saturn      9pm-11pm -  cosmic vibrations & instrumental jazz
Les Nester               11:30pm- 2 am-ish - scintillating sound

Location: Dash-In (814 Calhoun Street, downtown Fort Wayne, IN 46802)
Time: 9pm-2am (ish)
Age: 21+,
Cost to improve your waterways: $3 cover OR $5 gets you in the door AND in the raffle for door-prizes:
What door prize?: Neuhouser Nursery Gift Basket, The Green Dog-dog bathing, and Fort Wayne Outfitters/Bike Depot compostable water bottle/t-shirt and free canoe/kayak rental for 2, Save Maumee T-Shirts, $25 GAS Gift Certificate, Hall’s Gift Certificates! ~Drawing throughout the evening…Must be present to win.
Check out Facebook Invitation HERE

All proceeds go to riverbank restoration materials for Save Maumee’s 6th Annual Earth Day 2011!

Other Upcoming Events for 2011

• Sunday April 17, 2011 ~ Save Maumee’s 6th Annual Earth Day!  11am-4pm on Niagara Dr. on the north side of the Maumee River.
  Fun includes clean-up and planting, Soaring Hawk presentation, Horse Tours, river and environmental education, and so much more!
  Click here for more Earth Day Details
• Date (?weekend after Earth Day?) TBA - Mother Bed Planting - at the Save Maumee / Top Notch Tree Service Greenhouse
• September 17, 2011-  4th Annual Canoe Clean Up, Can YOU Clean Up?  11am- 4pm Free canoes from Fort Wayne Outfitters Bike Depot with ID.  Spend a fun day with family and friends on the river cleaning up and educating yourself!  Canoe Clean-Up Details HERE
• October 4 OR 24, 2011- 3rd Annual Seed Harvest at Fox Island Nature Preserve 1pm - 4pm, exact date to be announced depending harvesting availability.   Seed Harvest Details HERE

We have also discussed having ACTION MEETINGS.  We meet and discuss our plan of what to do in a time frame of 1 month.

Suggestions have included so far:

• “I will go with a friend of mine and pick up trash and record it and put it on YouTube by next month.”
• “My plan of action is to make a poster board with all the water related issues locally, so people can understand through cartoons.”
• “I will write an article of how I feel about our waterways for Save Maumee Blog by next month.”
• “My band will play for a Save Maumee Benefit.”
• “I will go to represent northeast Indiana and Save Maumee in Washington D.C. for Clean Water Week the first week in March.”
• “I will write my views about pollution in my water and send it to my Congressman, Senators and House of Representatives.”

THIS is how grassroots organizing does it! Everyone just does one thing with their talents… and 30 goals can be accomplished in one month!  We all have different talents and Save Maumee is willing and able to put them to good use to benefit our rivers.  Since we are all unpaid volunteers it takes a community to improve WATER QUALITY.  We are looking for input (and action) on our non-traditional ways to move forward and progress towards cleaner water!

Posted in Save Maumee Update | Print | No Comments »

17. February 2011 by admin.

These amendments have no place in a spending bill and they effectively aim to “handcuff” EPA and other federal agencies from enforcing current law or help to relax current law:

Amendment No. 10 from Rep. Cliff Stearns (FL-6) would prevent EPA from developing or issuing standards that list coal ash as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Amendment No. 13 from Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) would stop EPA from using its funding to implement, administer or enforce new water quality standards for Florida’s lakes and flowing waters, which were issued in November.

Amendment No. 109 from Griffith (VA-9)  would block EPA from using its funding to implement or enforce new guidance for the review of water pollution from proposed coal-mining projects, including mountain-top removal mining.

Amendment No. 216 from Rep. David McKinley (WV-1) would stop EPA from administering or enforcing section 404 (c) of the Clean Water Act, which governs dredge-and-fill permits.

Amendment No. 217 from McKinley (WV-1) would also block the EPA coal ash rules.

Amendment No. 218 from Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-6) would prevent EPA from issuing new rules for the circumstances under which mining may be conducted near streams or from conducting an environmental impact statement on the impact of the rules.

Amendment No. 230 from Rep. Goodlatte (VA-6) would block EPA from implementing the federally-mandated water pollution “diet” for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Amendment No. 279 from Rep. Aaron Schock (IL-18) would stop EPA from using its funding to re-evaluate health effects of the approved herbicide atrazine, a known endocrine-disruptor.

Amendment No. 289 from McClintock (CA-4) would block the Department of the Interior from issuing grants under the WaterSMART program. This conservation initiative, which was created by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last year, is intended to find solutions for the water crisis in West.  [Water should be used for needs, but not move so much water that it is displaced to areas of greed. (i.e. Las Vegas or water intensive plants in desert agriculture)]

Posted in WRITE NOW!, Lobby for Clean Water Act | Print | No Comments »

5. February 2011 by admin.

Indiana Wildlife sent me their bill watch.  Keeping laws transparent and legislators honest should be demanded by the we the people.

Posted in WRITE NOW!, Lobby for Clean Water Act, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

1. February 2011 by admin.

Several bills are being voted-on right now.
SB72, eminent domain for CO2 pipelines,
SB71, hydrofracking, remains on 2nd reading in the Senate.
SB102, tracker bill, remains on 2nd reading in the Senate.

DUKE ENERGY is a large electric utility service for Indiana and has been in the news several times over the past few weeks for a range of issues: including Contractor says Duke took risks at plant and Utilities Back Bill to Cut Regulation and of course the newest report Dirty Energy’s Assault on Our Health: Mercury

Citizens Action Coalition’s fact sheet (below) is about Indiana General Assembly pro-consumer voting records thus far.  It is important to note that legislators need to know what YOU think.  Please take this opportunity to send them your views, whether it is through email, personal letter or a phone call.
FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR CLICK HERE:

A few things to remember when writing or speaking to your legislator:

1) Be SPECIFIC on what you want to happen or your view on an issue - short and concise
2) Be nice yet firmly held in your beliefs - respect will get you further than a personal attack
3) Ask for their stance on the issue and/or how they will vote - urge a response to your views
4) Personalize, let them know how their decisions in this matter will affect you, your family or business.
5) Tell them you are one of their constituents
6) Conclude your letter by urging the legislator to take action in support of your position and thank them for taking the time to consider your view.

***Do not forget your return address (or you are not considered a real person).

It says (at the bottom) that this information was collected by Follow the Money.  The campaign contributions are a total of contributions that the legislators accepted from Utility, Coal, Oil and Railroad Corporations

Posted in Coal's Contribution to Water Probs., Lobby for Clean Water Act | Print | No Comments »