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The Massachusetts Sierran keeps our members informed about
the work we're doing, progress on key issues, and provides
opportunities to get involved with many of our efforts. Click on
the image to view the issue
 March
2010 • Volume 16 • Number
1
- 40 Years of Protecting Our Commonwealth - Director’s Letter
- Proctor and Woolley on the Thoreau Group’s History
- Proctor on the Club’s Activist Structure
- Campbell Summarizes the Chapter’s First Two Decades
- Sego Endorses Political Action
- Murphy Brings Faith and Ecology Together
- Appeal To Our Members
- Dow on Efforts to Keep Fish in the Sea
- Greater Boston Group Elections, Candidate Statements, and Ballots
- Oldham Describes New Organizing Initiatives
- McCaffrey Summarizes the Chapter’s Biomass Position
- Sign up for the E-Sierran
 Fall
2009 • Volume 15 • Number
1
- Sorry, the content for this issue is not available online at the
current time. We are hoping to make this available in the coming
weeks.
 Winter 08-09
• Volume 14 • Number 4
- Director's
Letter -Transportation reforms.
- Our Legislative Agenda
-
Sego reviews our priorities.
- Energy Enlightenment
-
Murphy calls for equity.
- The Sierran's Future -Dowds explains our move from paper.
- We Mourn Barbara Fegan
- Political Corruptions? - Sego encourages us to follow the money.
- End of the Wild- Marien reviews Meyer's important book.
- Our Chapter's Accomplishments - McCaffrey sums up 2008 and looks ahead.
- A Power Plant in Billerica? - Not so fast, say opponents.
- Belmont Uplands - Mass updates us on the continuing fight.
- Chapter Election Calendar for 2009
- Perchlorate Cleanup - Dow describes trial method.
- Fishing on Cape Cod - Dizard reviews Budryk's guide.
 Fall 08 • Volume 14 • Number 3
- Director's
Letter -McCaffrey summarizes our successes.
- Emergency
-
Recognize and stop the ALB.
- Where does your electricity come from?
- Vote! -Check out our endorsements.
- No More Waste
- Burning debris threatens air quality
- Help save our environment
- Plastic bags are everywhere - Yikes!
- Beth Daley wins Sierra Club award
- Going green - Massachusetts public forests set high goals.
- Sierra Club elections - Candidates statements and ballots.
- Wildlands and Woodlands - Forests give us clean water, clean air, and more!
 Summer 08
• Volume 14 • Number 2
-
Director's
Letter - McCaffrey advocates for keeping our public lands.
-
Hemlocks - Orwig on the habitat we're losing.
-
Beaches - Getting there by public transportation.
-
Arnold Arborteum Battles HWA
- Fight
Global Poverty
-
Peace Work - Murphy describes the Cape and Island Group's efforts.
-
Reducing our Wastes - Pledger and Sego call for Zero Waste.
-
Local Safaris - Take the bus to the beach.
-
Want to Walk a Beach - Be careful where you go!
-
Two Activists Pass On - Louise Lewis and John Deacon will be missed.
-
Listening in the Summer - Campbell reviews "The Songs of Insects".
 Spring 08
• Volume 14 • Number 1
- Director's
Letter -The Environmental Bond.
- Cape Wind
-
Phil Dowds reviews the draft impact report.
- Power Shift - Join up for clean energy!
- Preserving Public Lands - Contact your legislators to protect parks.
- Belmont Uplands Hosts Interesting Wildlife
- Green Colleges - Harvard and Tufts are honored by the Club.
- Attacking Problems in the Gulf of Mexico - David Dow contributes his expertise.
- Elections for Greater Boston Group
- David Heimann urges us to get involved
- Energy, Peace, Justice - The Cape Cod and Islands Group leads the way.
- Taking up the Fight - Walsh reviews McKibben's Handbook.
- Green Investing - MacKay offers guidance.
- Don't Move Firewood
 Winter 07/08
• Volume 13 • Number 4
-
Director's
Letter - Victory in Fall River.
-
AltWheels - The Chapter advocates for public transit.
-
Decorating Sustainably
-Avoid those nasty invasives!
-
We've Been Busy -The Chapter chair keeps us involved.
- Water Policy Again - Letters to the Editor.
-
Water Crisis -Billions lack sanitation and drinking water.
-
UMass Buys Local -Students dine well on local products.
-
Suburban Wood - Donahue describes "wildlands and woodlands" in Weston.
-
Hope for Ocean Life? - Marien reviews "The Unnatural History of the Sea".
-
Save Energy Now - Tips for space heating.
-
Wind Considered - Report from the Energy Conference.
 Fall 07 • Volume 13 • Number 3
- Director's
Letter -State says no to citizens.
- ATVs, ORVs, OHMs
-
Bad news for children and land.
- Students in our midst - The Sierra Student Coalition shows the way.
- Connecting the next generation - Getting inspired by teens and inspiring others.
- Quabbin watershed - New plan, changing forestry.
- Protecting public lands - Saunders encourages further action.
- Cape Wind - Dowds explores the book and its message to all of us.
- Green energy - Cohen-Rosenthal describes some opportunities.
- Chair's Column -David Heimann on the chapter's activities.
- Belmont Uplands - You can still help!
- Water, water -- everywhere? - Schwalbaum explains water issues in Massachusetts.
- Gardening for justice - A community garden means more than food.
- Taking action - MacLeod helps us reduce our carbon footprints.
 Summer 07
• Volume 13 • Number 2
-
Director's
Letter - State Setting Energy Policy.
-
Forest Management - The chapter comments on state plans.
-
Permitting too much? -Dawson explains changes to state protections.
-
Cape Wind receives permit
- Taxing carbon - The chapter endorses the concept and a bill.
-
Protecting our parks -Support the chapter's legislative agenda.
-
A victory in Essex County -Peters tells how the Essex group protected turtle habitat.
-
Lobbying 101 - Moore guides us through the process.
-
Protecting urban rivers - Delpapa inspires us to work locally.
-
Overpumping ground water - Frye reviews "Water Follies".
-
Forests not sprawl - Ferrare describes the Keystone Program for forest preservation.
 Spring 07
• Volume 13 • Number 1
- Director's
Letter - A new governor brings a big change.
-
Past and Future - The chapter's accomplishments and plans.
-
Birds Need our Help - Some birds don't thrive in forests.
-
Energy as a Human Rights Issue - The Cape Group tackles both.
-
Old Growth Hemlocks - The threat to this important species.
-
Fighting Climate Change - The Un Climate Conference.
-
Congratulations ICO!
-
Cool Cities
-
Surviving Winter and other Challenges
- Natural History books by Heinrich.
-
MA Environmental Policy Act - Dawson on using this law.
-
Rethinking Zoning - Why we are car dependent.
-
Green Maps - Visualize our Communities.
 Winter
06/07 •
Volume 12 •
Number 4
- Director's
Letter -Supporting sustainable harvesting of trees.
- Cape Wind
-
A dissenting letter and the chapter's response.
- Can We Be Friends? - Dizard shows why environmentalists and hunters need each other.
- Changing Our Weather - Ekel reviews "The Weather Makers".
- LIving Long and Well - A wilderness advocate turns 100.
- Family Planning in the World - How you can help.
- Belmont Uplands - What you can do.
- Plus- An article calling all South Shore members to get involved in community
environmental issues and Chapter and Group elections.
 Fall
06 •
Volume 12 •
Number 3
- Director's
Letter -Two gifts to developers: faster permitting, spotted turtles delisted.
- Eating Well at Work and School
-
Institutions are buying locally-grown food.
- Climate Change and Weather - Are recent severe storms a result of climate change?
- Old Growth Forests - Carlisle begins a series of articles on our special forests.
- Saving Energy Easily - Change your light bulbs! Utility companies want to help you save money and energy.
- Watch What you Eat - Marien reviews "Hooked" about fishing for "Chilean Sea Bass".
- Can Wetlands be Banked Successfully? - Chapman on the Taunton experimental "wetlands bank".
- Departing Staff - Jeremy Marin and Yi Ching Fedkenheuer.
 Summer
06 •
Volume 12 •
Number 2
- Director's Letter - Rewarded for Bad Behavior? State revisits ORV/ATV Policies on Public Lands.
- Quabbin Water - Alexandra Dawson poses the question - Should the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority sell water from the Quabbin Reservoir?
- Cool Cities Initiative - A look at how Massachusetts is saving energy city by city, by Michael Blouin.
- Hull Reduces CO2 - Judeth Van Hamm shares how Hull selectmen endorsed the US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and how Hull is leading the fight to reduce CO2 emissions.
- How Much Perchlorate is Too Much? - An in-depth discussion of water standards and the effects of perchlorate on the human body, by David Dow.
- Greylock Glen - The state selects the town of Adams as Provisional Developer for Greylock Glen, reported by Elisa Campbell.
- Book Review - Gil Woolley reviews Michael McCloskey's In the Thick of It: My Life in the Sierra Club.
- Protecting our Parks - Philip Saunders gives an update of the Parks Protection Package and explains how to get involved.
- Kerry Leaves Clean Cars in the Dust - Jeremy Marin reports on Senator Kerry's refusal to sign onto a bi-partisan joint letter urging the EPA to grant a waiver that would allow stricter emission standards.
- Hybrids vs. Ethanol - A report on Massachusetts' current fleet of vehicles and its lack of hybrid cars, by Jeremy Marin.
- Plus - Taking action on global warming, Earth Day reports, an update on the advance of the Forest Reserves process, fall membership meeting featuring Dr. Kirk R. Smith who will speak about petroleum in developing countries, call for nominations, call for volunteers for the Political Committee and Energy Committee.
 Spring
06 •
Volume 12 •
Number 1
- Director's
Letter - Barely
holding ground - ups and downs for our parks
- Wetlands
Loss at Blue Hills -
Sue Bass reports on the state's authorization for wetlands destruction
at Blue Hills Reservation to accommodate emergency drinking water reserve
tanks for Quincy residents.
- Inner
City Outings - Connecting Boston-area youth
with the outdoors. William K. Hart reports.
- Book
Review - Elisa Campbell reviews Chris Mooney's
The Republican War on Science.
- Conference
of the Parties, Montreal - Blossom Hoag reports
on the Sierra Club presence at the COP 11/MOP 1 conference in December
addressing global warming and the Climate Change treaty.
- Wastewater
Treatment on Cape Cod - A closer look by David
Dow at current treatment and how to take responsibility at a local level.
- Sierra
Club Outer Harbor Island LNG Voyage - Description
and registration for our Sunday May 21 educational cruise, sponsored
by the Chapter's Greater Boston Group.
- Sierra-Endorsed
Candidates Make Big Gains! - Phillip Sego
shares the outcome of municipal and town elections in Boston, Newburyport,
Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown.
- Update
on the Parks Protection Package - With our
public lands under siege, Philip Saunders, Jr. outlines the PPP's three
bills, locates what committees they are in as of March 2006, explains
how you can take action.
- Population
Program Co-Sponsors Speaker on Young Women's Experiences
- Elisa Campbell tells us about Ann M. Moore'sSmith College lecture
last November entitled, "Sexual Rights of Young Women: Coercion
in Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa."
- Plus
- A call for hikers and photographers, Spectacle Island as newest addition
to Boston Harbor Islands National Recreational Area, tips on spring
cleaning, and a call to save the Belmont Uplands
 Winter
2005/6 •
Volume 11 •
Number 4
- Director's
Letter -
Liquefied Natural Gold: The Rush for LNG in New England
- Safe?
Or Not? -
David
Dow asks questions about the PAVE PAWS Radar facility and if it might
be adversely affecting human health.
- Ware
River Needs Us -
Elisa Campbell is recruiting volunteers to serve on the Ware River Watershed
Advisory Committee.
- Cambridge
Takes On Global Warming -
Rosalie Anders sheds light on the city's efforts to fight for cleaner
air and water, healthier forests and wetlands, more walkable communities,
more comfortable living spaces and a stronger economy.
- Two Views from the Summit
- Phil Dowds and Blossom Hoag describe their experiences and highlights
from the Sierra Summit last September in San Francisco.
- A
Long Strange Story -
The Silver Line saga as told by John Kyper, chair of the Transportation
Committee, and the recent removal of Phase III from the Federal Transit
Administration's list of projects vying for federal funding.
- Generating
Your Own Energy -
Linda Raven recommends energy independence by installing a renewable
energy system in your own home.
- Follow
the Leaders -
In November, government officials from all around the world will be
convening in Montreal, Canada for the COP 11, the eleventh meeting of
the Committee of the Parties which developed the Kyoto Protocols.
- Plus
-
A report on heartening Forest Reserves meetings, Chapter and Group Elections,
and an article on conscientious holiday shopping.
 Fall
2005 •
Volume 11 •
Number 3
- Director's
Letter -
Wind turbines on Wachusett? A dangerous precedent would be set.
- Wachusett's
Old Growth -
Joe
Choiniere identifies new sites of old growth on Wachusett Mountain.
- News
Brief - Transportation bill authorizes funds for North South Rail Link.
- Buying
Green Power -
David Beavers reports on who's buying, and how you can too.
- Saving
Farms - How supporting local healthy agriculture will cut sprawl and pollution.
- Update
the Bottle Bill -
Phillip Sego clarifies the battle lines between those wanting to update
the Bottle Bill to include single-serve containers that were not available
when the Bottle Bill legislation was passed 22 years ago, and bottlers,
beverage distributors and grocers behind the "Litter Tax"
who want the Bottle Bill abolished entirely.
- Lowell
Dracut Tyngsboro -
Illegal use of ATVs threaten wildlife, trails, and the serenity of the
state forest.
- Book
Review -
John Kyper reviews Highway Robbery: Transportation Racism & New
Routes to Equity.
- The
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- An outline of the "cap and trade' program by Blossom Hoag and
Marc Breslow.
- Plus
-
Forest Reserves meetings for public input, a report on a Cape Cod tide
pools outing, the Population Committee's April lecture with Robert Engelman,
and more on how to help the Chapter.
 Summer
2005 •
Volume 11 •
Number 2
- Director's
Letter -
New Bedford Airport Expansion Cancelled!
- Cape
Cod Wind Farm -
The
Massachusetts Chapter's position
- Help
Protect Natural Spaces
- Leslie Doyle, Legislative Action Committee Chair, outlines the Parks
Protection Package and how you can help.
- Belmont
Uplands -
Development is far from a done deal - it's not too late to protect them.
Deborah Holt reports.
- Fighting
Development - Environmental attorney Alexandra Dawson gives us tips and tools for
fighting unwanted development in our communities.
- Environmental
Justice -
Reverend Robert Murphy explains the history of environmental justice
as a human rights movement inspired and supported by organized religion.
- Climate
Change -
Elizabeth May calls for action and promoting the Montreal COP meeting
this fall as a means for pushing the Bush administration.
- Liquid
Natural Gas -
Two proposed terminals in Fall River and offshore near Gloucester spur
Gil Woolley and Blossom Hoag to explain why LNG is not a good neighbor.
- Breathing
Easier - Cement company withdraws plans to build a plant on the banks of the
Hudson River.
- Middlesex
Fells Threatened by Development -
Elisa Campbell reports on the newest proposal for a huge housing and
office development that will cause excessive traffic and incalculable
environmental impact.
- Forest
Reserves -
The EOEA is proposing to create a system of
Forest Reserves in the state in which no commercial timbering would
be done.
Elisa Campbell, chair of the chapter's Public
Lands and Open Spaces Committee, tells us more.
- Plus -
Hiking near home, and a spotlight on John Holdren, Director of the Woods
Hole Research Center.
 Spring
2005 •
Volume 11 •
Number 1
- Director's
Letter -
Senate sells out the Arctic National Refuge.
- Whither
our Parks -
Parks
Commissioner Kathy Abbott is fired in controversial move by Governor
Mitt Romney.
- Is
Spectacle Island a Park? -
John Lewis exposes another broken Big Dig mitigation promise.
- Poison
in Your Deck? -
Gil Woolley helps you protect your children and pets from arsenic poisoning
this summer.
- Forest
Guardians - Elisa Campbell is looking for forest guardians to help protect our
irreplaceable state forests and parks system.
- Northern
Right Whales -
Cindy Delpapa asks...is extinction imminent? These whales suffer losses
from fishing gear entanglement, habitat losses and ship strikes.
- Green
Power Options -
Ethan Hoag explains how choosing green
power sends a strong message to the market and to political leaders:
that we care about the sources of our electricity.
- Book
Review -
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond.
Reviewed by Diana Muir.
- Silver
Line -
Jeremy Marin exposes the truth about the MBTA's Silver Line:
Taxpayers pay the price.
- Plus -
Vernal pools, how to volunteer for the chapter and groups, and efforts
to keep options open for the Rail Link.
 Winter
2004/5 •
Volume 10 •
Number 4
- A
Breath of Fresh Air-
Review of 2004 chapter outings
- Saving
the Parkways (Again)- Handing
over the parkways to the highway department seems to be an idea that
just won't die.
- Any
Way You Spin It, the Silver Line is a Bust
-
The MBTA's proposed Silver Line bus tunnel is expensive, inconvenient
- and won't give riders what they need.
- Grounded
Plan Attempts Take-Off -
Why is the city of New Bedford reviving a questionable expansion plan
that will destroy acres of wetlands?
- Energy
and Environmental Justice
- Cape Cod group leads effort to keep needy families warm this winter.
- Hot
Enough for Us? -
Ross Gelbspan says we are all to blame for heating up the planet. Book
review by Gil Woolley.
- Weaver's
Cove is No Place for an LNG Terminal!!
- Plus -
Massachusetts Chapter and Group Elections
 Fall
2004 •
Volume 10 •
Number 3
- The
Return of the Ring -
Craig Kelley on why the MBTA's proposed bus transit system is a bad
idea.
- It's
Time to Change Our Transportation Priorities - Former
Governor Mike Dukakis on why we should expand the state's rail system
instead of building two Boston mega-projects that will cost billions
and benefit few.
- You
Can't Have Smart Growth Without Land Protection
-
Slashing funding for open space is no way to control urban sprawl, protect
our resources, and promote sustainable development.
- Proposed
Regulations Threaten Wetlands -
Rumors are going around about the DEP proposed changes to the regulations
for administering the state Wetlands Protection Act.
- Bring
Renewable Energy to the Commonwealth!
- A public/private agency helps towns develop wind energy.
- Sierra
Club 2004 Election Endorsements
- Protecting
Public Health on Cape Cod -
Local Sierra Club volunteers have gained a reputation as faithful watchdogs
for community health and environmental justice.
- Wars
and Stratagems -
How the Bush administration and anti-environmentalists have waged war
on the environment. Book review by Diana Muir.
 Spring
2004 • Volume 10 • Number 1
- News
Briefs - Cape Cod toasts the coast in 2004; the Pioneer
Valley group rides again; North/South Rail Link garners legislator support.
- Environmental
Injustice and Our City Parks - Cities and towns that
are most in need of open space are losing their parks. Gil Woolley tells
us why.
- In
My Opinion - State Senator Pam Resor calls for a renewed
commitment to preserving our open space.
- Local
Residents Strive for Compromise - Dedicated citizens
lessen the environmental impacts of Pittsfield’s airport expansion.
- Outside
Interests Push to Hijack Sierra Club - As fewer and
fewer members vote in national Sierra Club elections, the club has become
vulnerable to a takeover by a radical minority.
- Hiking
Close to Home - One of a series of occasional articles
on less-known, short hikes in eastern Massachusetts.
- A
Tragedy of the Commons - The decimation of our fisheries:
book review by Diana Muir.
- Department
of Defense Wages War - How the DoD excused itself from
the Endangered Species Act.
 Winter
2003/4 • Volume 9 • Number 4
- News
Briefs - Joint
Harvard-Sierra Club study on grassroots organization; our favorite Dirty
Dozen 2003 award.
-
Bird Meets Wind Turbine
- Wind power is one of the most promising sources of clean, renewable
energy today. But is it safe?
-
Everything Old is New Again
- Peter Roudebush explores recent developments in wind and water technology.
-
Rare Forest in Alewife Reservation Threatened
- At the heart of the Alewife Reservation, a rare silver
maple forest may be sacrificed for a new housing development.
- Waiting
on the Orange Line - John Kyper recounts a decade-long
tale of MBTA neglect.
- The
Politics of Caspian Oil - Book Review by Diana Muir.
 Fall
2003 •
Volume 9 •
Number 3
- The
World in a Grain of Sand - Alexandra
Dohan explores our fragile coastline and tells us how one Cape Cod community
plans to restore its beaches and dunes.
- Profit
Before Parks - A private developer succeeds
in a decade-long bid to clear-cut a large swath of Wachusett's majestic
forests for new ski trails.
- Greylock
Glen, Revisited -
Two years after Swift called off a development project at Greylock Glen,
the fate of one of Massachusetts' most beautiful areas remains up in
the air.
- Still
Going Strong -
The Sierra Club keeps the pressure on Ford to give consumers what they
want: cars that go farther on less gas.
- The
Gutting of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection
Act - The
Bush administration takes a swipe at environmental safeguards in the
name of military readiness.
- The
Myth of the Peaceful, Noble Savage -
Simpler societies live in harmony with nature, right? Wrong! Book review
by Diana Muir.
 Summer 2003 • Volume 9 • Number
2
-
Putting the Lid on CO2 –
Second in a continuing series on energy and the environment.
-
The JP Cohousing Story – The
nuts and bolts of developing an energy-efficient residence.
-
Reinventing Government in Massachusetts
– Despite some promising reforms, Governor Romney’s proposal
to streamline government disappoints.
-
A Short History of the MDC –
Can you guess what well-known parks agency used to be in charge of Boston’s
sewage system? Gil Woolley tells the story.
-
Saving Women’s Lives – Thoraya
Obaid on women and world population.
-
Carl Pope Takes On the Skeptical Environmentalist
– Sierra Club’s executive director scores a few points for the
environmental movement.
-
How to Get Rid of Noisy Airplanes
– Book Review by Diana Muir.
-
Plus - Bottle Bill Expansion, Preserving
Our Roadways, Call for Chapter Nominations
 Spring
2003 • Volume
9 •
Number 1
- Transportation
News –
How much we hate Boston traffic, how little we use public transportation,
and how Representative Patrick is making the case for hybrid cars.
- The Mortaring of Massachusetts – A 25-acre parcel
of land in the city of Waltham raises questions about sustainable development,
open space, and affordable housing.
- Energy: a Primer – First in a series of articles about the
source, use, and conservation of energy.
- A Reprieve for Glendale Park – Can Glendale Park
be saved? Gil Woolley tells the story of residents’ fight to preserve
Everett’s only significant open space.
- Strange Bedfellows
–
Global warming meets anti-terrorism. Diana Muir reviews Bill Maher’s
proposal to fight terrorism by reducing gas consumption.
- Plus
– Cape Cod Group
News, Cape Cod Group Election
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