Dallas Sierra Club News - December 2013
In This Issue. . .
Solar
Power for Homeowners
 Do you think it's finally time to go solar at your house?
Are your neighbors jealous of the sleek new solar system on
your roof and constantly pestering you with questions about
how they can get one too?
Chris Guldi will share the results of leasing a solar power
system on her house. And Plano Solar Advocates
(www.planosolar.org) will tell us about their Solarize Plano
Project, a pilot program that aims to demystify the process
for homeowners of getting a PV system installed on their roof.
After holding information sessions this summer and signing up
Plano homeowners ready to install solar, the group selected a
qualified installer, negotiated a group deal, and are moving
into the installation phase for participants.
Let's make the DFW area a leader in solar power in Texas!
Bring a friend and learn how to organize a group to Solarize
your city! Plano Solar Advocates is a volunteer grass
roots group with the mission to increase awareness and use of
solar energy for electricity generation in Plano.
Here is a link to a July 21, 2013, Dallas Morning News
article about Plano Solar Advocates.
Everyone is
welcome. You don't have to be a Sierra Club member. Just
show up. We'd love to meet you.
Our General
Meeting starts at 7:00 pm but come at 6:30 for snacks,
information and fellowship. Our meeting takes place at REI, 4515 Lyndon B Johnson Freeway,
Dallas, TX 75244. Click over to our
General Meeting
page of our website for more information and a map.
  Our
annual Holiday Party will be held at El Fenix Restaurant at
255 Casa Linda Plaza. We'll party on Sunday, December 15
from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Here is a
Google map.
Club members and guests will share the holiday spirit, some
great Mexican food, and the company of others at this annual
event. Join us for some camaraderie, door prizes, silent
auction, and perhaps some surprise speakers, you never know.
We'll celebrate some of our outstanding volunteers and have
plenty of time to mingle. There's bound to be talk about
issues of the day -- air, water, veganism, fracking, coal,
nuclear, whatever strikes your green fancy. The entire menu
will be available so you can order whatever you want to eat or
drink, including liquid spirits. We'll provide a free round of
margaritas. Support the Club by getting a 2014 Sierra Club
Calendar or Planner!. Invite your family and friends. So
come on out for a great party, low price, no clean up, and
lots of like minded people. What could be better? See you
there, and bring your appetite. Happy Holidays!!
.jpg) Mark
your calendar now for our annual trip to the winter beauty of
northern New Mexico. Leave Dallas on our sleeper bus in the
evening of Thursday, Feb. 27 and return early on Monday, March
3, staying two nights at the wonderful El Pueblo Lodge, near
the Taos Plaza. Activity options include snowshoeing (for
beginners and those more experienced), downhill skiing,
snowboarding, snow tubing (it's a blast!), hikes (shorter and
longer) in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area and - new this year
– plans for hiking the Orilla Verde section of Rio Grande del
Norte National Monument. You can join the group to tour
historical sites or spend time on your own to experience the
galleries, museums, shops, food and beauty of this scenic and
historical town. A Saturday wine and cheese social is
included. Activity ratings range from easy to strenuous.
Rental snowshoes and skis are available. Trip includes
transportation to/from Taos, Taos Ski Valley and trailheads.
Details and cost will be posted in December. To be notified
when the trip write-up becomes available and reservations
open, send an email to the trip coordinator. Coordinator: Liz
Wheelan
Send Email 214-368-2306
Please take a few hours out of your busy holiday schedule to
help clean up one of our favorite parks. Our White Rock Lake
cleanup weekends need your help.
Dec
14 (Sat) White Rock Lake Cleanup
Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables
at the Sierra Club's adopted section of White Rock Lake Park.
Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the
Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a
crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash
bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful
prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and
wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you.
Brunch afterwards. Leader: Carol Nash
Send Email 214-824-0244
Dec 14 (Sat) Birding Trip to Hagerman National
Wildlife Refuge
What is a NARD? Come find out! Fall and winter are great times
of the year to see birds migrating through areas providing
stopover habitat. With the recent rains, the ponds and
wetlands at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge should be full,
providing essential stopover habitat for not only waterfowl
and wetland birds, but various raptors and songbirds alike.
Things you might see include: large flocks of snow geese and
several other species of waterfowl and wetland birds along
with a smattering of raptors. Some of the waterfowl seen on
our last trip included NARDS-North American Ruddy Ducks,
American Wigeon, Common Shovellers, Gadwall, and Northern
Pintail ducks. Sign-up required, cost and other details to
follow. Transportation from the Dallas area provided. Limited
to 9 people, so sign up early to save a spot! Leaving early
morning. For only $25 you can enjoy transportation and a
guided tour of this unique area. Full details on how to sign
up are in
this pdf. Leaders: Sue Greer
Send Email 972-247-0446 and Bill Greer
Send Email
Here is our calendar for the next two months. For complete listings, visit us at
www.dallassierraclub.org.
 Dec
10 (Tue) Dallas Sierra Club General Meeting
Solar Power for Homeowners Learn about adding
a solar energy power system to your home. Plano Solar
Advocates will demystify getting a PV system installed on a
homeowner's roof. Chris Guldi will share the results of
leasing a solar power system for her house. Everyone is
invited to the Dallas Sierra Club's General Meeting.
Full details are on our
home page now.
 Dec
12-15 (Thu-Sun) Backpack the Buffalo River Trail 25 Miles from
Ponca to Pruitt
We will meet Thursday morning at the Gordon Motel in Jasper
Arkansas at 8:30 AM. We will shuttle cars to the
trailheads and start hiking by 11:00. Our route will
take us thru many lovely hollows and up across high bluffs.
Along the route we will visit several homesteads and other
historical sights. Weather this time of year can range
from highs in the 50s to snow and freezing temperatures.
However, with the leaves off the trees, the vistas are unique.
I plan to drive up the day before and spent the night in
Jasper. Carpooling is encouraged. Leader approval in
advance of the the rendezvous date is required.
Leader: Bill Beach
Send Email 214-662-3224
 Dec
14 (Sat) White Rock Lake Cleanup
Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables
at the Sierra Club's adopted section of White Rock Lake Park.
Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the
Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a
crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash
bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful
prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and
wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you.
Brunch afterwards. Leader: Carol Nash
Send Email 214-824-0244
 Dec
14 (Sat) Birding Trip to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
What is a NARD? Come find out! Fall and winter are great times
of the year to see birds migrating through areas providing
stopover habitat. With the recent rains, the ponds and
wetlands at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge should be full,
providing essential stopover habitat for not only waterfowl
and wetland birds, but various raptors and songbirds alike.
Things you might see include: large flocks of snow geese and
several other species of waterfowl and wetland birds along
with a smattering of raptors. Some of the waterfowl seen on
our last trip included NARDS-North American Ruddy Ducks,
American Wigeon, Common Shovellers, Gadwall, and Northern
Pintail ducks. Sign-up required, cost and other details to
follow. Transportation from the Dallas area provided. Limited
to 9 people, so sign up early to save a spot! Leaving early
morning. For only $25 you can enjoy transportation and a
guided tour of this unique area. Full details on how to
sign up are in
this pdf. Leaders: Sue Greer
Send Email 972-247-0446 and Bill Greer
Send Email
 Dec
15 (Sun) Sierra Club Holiday Party
Our annual Holiday Party will be held at El Fenix Restaurant
at 255 Casa Linda Plaza. We'll party on Sunday, December
15 from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm.
Here is a
Google map. Club members and guests will share the holiday
spirit, some great Mexican food, and the company of others at
this annual event. Join us for some camaraderie, door prizes,
silent auction, and perhaps some surprise speakers, you never
know. We'll celebrate some of our outstanding volunteers and
have plenty of time to mingle. There's bound to be talk about
issues of the day -- air, water, fracking, coal, nuclear,
whatever strikes your green fancy. The entire menu will be
available so you can order whatever you want to eat or drink,
including liquid spirits. We'll provide a free round of
margaritas. Support the Club by getting a 2014 Sierra Club
Calendar or Planner!. Invite your family and friends. So
come on out for a great party, low price, no clean up, and
lots of like minded people. What could be better? See you
there, and bring your appetite. Happy Holidays!!
Dec
21 (Sat) Upgrading Trails at Cedar Ridge Preserve
Its fun and its helpful to get out to the Cedar Ridge Preserve
to help upgrade some of the beautiful walking trails just
south of Dallas. The address is 7171 Mountain Creek Pkwy,
Dallas, TX 75249. Its a great morning workout, and the scenery
is exceptional. No tools are required, (maybe gloves) just
show up and be ready to lend a hand or two. We'll work from 9
AM to 12 or earlier, and then walk around the preserve and
admire the wildflowers and fauna! Its on Saturday the 21st of
December, and please see their website at
www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html for directions and
info. Their number is 972-709-7784 See you then! If you wish
to carpool, then let me know, and we'll arrange a meeting
spot. Come on out and stay green, people! Contact: Ginger
Bradley
Send Email 469-223-7902
Jan
8 (Wed) Dallas Sierra Club Executive Committee Meeting
The Executive Committee (or Excom) is the elected governing
body of the Dallas Sierra Club and meets at REI, 4515 LBJ
Freeway, Farmers Branch, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between
Midway and Welch) at 6:30 pm. Contact the
Dallas Group Chair for more information.
Jan
11 (Sat) White Rock Lake Cleanup
Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables
at the Sierra Club's adopted section of White Rock Lake Park.
Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the
Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a
crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash
bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful
prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and
wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you.
Brunch afterwards. Leader: Carol Nash
Send Email 214-824-0244
Jan
14 (Tue) Dallas Sierra Club General Meeting
Movie Night! John Muir movie Watch a movie
about John Muir, the legendary explorer and writer who
inspired people to protect wilderness areas and helped
establish national parks. Everyone is invited to the
Dallas Sierra Club's General Meeting. Full details will
be on our home page
about a month before the meeting.
Jan
15 (Wed) Outings Committee Meeting
Meet upstairs at REI (north side of LBJ between Midway and
Welch), at 6:30 PM. Bring your ideas for future outings. We'll
be planning local outings and bus trips. Outings leaders,
future leaders, and people interested in outings are welcome.
Ask Mark to be placed on the email list for an agenda.
Organizer: Mark Stein
Send Email 214-526-3733
Jan
18 (Sat) Trails Upgrading at Cedar Ridge Preserve
Happy New Year everyone! Its fun and its helpful to get
out to the Cedar Ridge Preserve to help upgrade some of the
beautiful walking trails just south of Dallas. The address is
7171 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75249. Its a great
morning workout, and the scenery is exceptional. No tools are
required, (maybe gloves) just show up and be ready to lend a
hand or two. We'll work from 9 AM to 12 or earlier, and then
walk around the preserve and admire the wildflowers and fauna!
Bring a friend or two. Its on Saturday the 18th of January,
2014, and please see their website at
www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html for directions and
info. Their number is 972-709-7784 See you then! If you wish
to carpool, then let me know, and we'll arrange a meeting
spot. Come on out and stay green, people! Organizer: Ginger
Bradley
Send Email 469-223-7902
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