IAT NEWSLETTERMay 2003
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Calendar of Events | Environmental News | For Sale | Fundraisers |
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Letter from the President | Letters | Newsletter News | Organization Information |
This issue of the IAT newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Norma Brown, John
Denver fan extraordinaire.
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"IT'S ABOUT TIME WE BEGIN IT,
TO TURN THE WORLD AROUND . . . "
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ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
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Co-Founder/Former President - Marcelle Orswell
(notmartha2@yahoo.com)
Co-Founder and Secretary -- Theresa Shea (Tree1A@aol.com)
Co-Founder/Webpage Designer-Sandy Clark (tybrenn@attbi.com)
Co-Presidents -- Ann Schnitz (aerie01@sprynet.com)
and
Mary Ledford (eagleshorses@yahoo.com)
Web Site -- -- http://home.attbi.com/~tybrenn/iat/
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT - ANN
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Dear Friends,
The news coming from Colorado isn't quite as good as was hoped. Windstar is
in deep trouble, folks. They simply haven't gotten the membership they need
to be fully operational. This may well be their last year if things don't
turn around. But you should know that they're trying as hard as they can --
and we need to also be doing our part.
Annual membership dues for Windstar are $35. That's less than 10 cents a
day for that year, if you think about it. You probably have more change
than that in your wallets right now. And yes -- I know that many of you are
experiencing financial hardships, and Windstar understands that. Whatever
you can send -- even if it's not the full membership -- would be gratefully
accepted. It really, truly is up to us to set the course of the future for
this organization that meant so much to John.
Please note that there is a letter from Debbie Murphy below (at the bottom
of the Letters column) that speaks to what the "new" Windstar is trying
to
accomplish. It was written this past October but is still very relevant.
I
invite you all to read it and see if this sounds like something you would
like to participate in.
So please consider becoming a member and helping to keep John's dream alive.
You can find out more about Windstar at www.wstar.org.
Thanks, you guys!
My heart to yours,
Ann
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LETTER FROM PRESIDENT - MARY
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As most of you know, two of our family members (Eve
and Paris Saizan) lost a
loved one ... her name is Laci Peterson. Her loss has affected us deeply.
When I posted the address to send cards to her family, Frank DeLaMarre
e-mailed me saying he was going to send them a box of his CD singles, "Take
Them Home" and if you saw the memorial service, you know they used his
beautiful song along with a photo collage of Laci. Frank has graciously sent
me a box of his beautiful CDs, and I would like to offer this as a
fundraiser for The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation
(www.carolesundfoundation.com). The foundation offered support and
resources in the search for Laci and I have come to really admire their
work. I know that if I lost someone, I would certainly want their help.
This beautiful CD was produced by Kris O'Connor and features Jeff Cox on
bass, Pete Huttlinger on guitars and Chris Nole on piano. For a minimum
donation of $5.00 made payable to the Foundation, you will receive a copy
of this CD. If you are interested, please e-mail me and I'll let you know
where to send your check.
Peace-Mary
eagleshorses@yahoo.com
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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"The truth is not what you see. The truth is
what you think about what you
see."
- John Denver (circa 1986)
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FUNDRAISER
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The deadline for submissions is now over; please stay tuned for information on how to order this special cyberbook when it is complete.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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(Will those of you who have had events in the recent
past please send us your reviews for the next newsletter? Thanks -- AS)
June 6, 2003 Frank DeLaMarre & Chris Nole in Concert, Salem United Church of
Christ - Doylestown, PA 8:00 PM $10 refreshments included. Details at
http://www.frankdelamarre.com/schedule/
June 7, 2003 Colorado Friends of John Denver Highway Cleanup. Please
contact Evelyn Pinney at evepin@colorado.net for more
information.
REMINDER::: The John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth is available for all JD-related
events. Please email peaceclothinfo@yahoogroups.com for more information, or
see our website at www.johndenverpeacecloth.com
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LETTERS
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Greetings ~~
This is a site with information about the upcoming publication in late August or
early September called "Sunshine on My Shoulders", the first of a series
of children's books to be written using John's environmental messages from his
songs!
http://www.dawnpub.com/2DetailLinks/UpcomingBooks.html
The official Press Release is this one......and it appears that this company's production
is in affiliation with Cherry Lane Publishers, too!
http://www.dawnpub.com/OnlineHTMLNewsletter/DenverPR.pdf
This is supposed to be sold in Aspen this year, as well as online.......nice tribute
for John's upcoming 60th birthday year!
Linda Wolverton
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From Judith Gabriel (judithgabriel@comcast.net):
Hi Everyone,
Earth Day 2003 in City Park, Reading, PA, found a magnificent, sunny day,
a large crowd, and a non-stop stream of people to The John Denver Memorial Foundation
table. Ruth Williams, from Fleetwood, PA, made a beautiful double tri-fold
display of text and pictures, informing the public not only of the foundation's purposes
but also those of Windstar as well. Interestingly, we found ourselves next to the
Kittatinny Association who is lobbying for the state to stop logging this sensitive
area, and the gentleman manning the table asked if we were the ones who had the concerts
at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
Thinking we would be in the shade, I brought no hat or sunscreen and was there from
9:30 to 5, and we were in full sun the whole time. I got fried. What was nice
is that there was absolutely no time to go anywhere else. Every time I thought I
could escape to the shade, people were there asking about the foundation and Windstar,
so I eventually ran to my car and got an umbrella. We had a great day amid
the bellydancers from the Lebanese restaurant, The Safari, whose owner helps organize
Earth Day, the rock band, and the country/folk singers, singing Freight Train for
all you old folkies. It was a wonderful ethnic, racial, gender-bending, and age-indifferent
blend of folks with their dogs and ferrets and kids, enjoying the sun, music, and
the information. Come join us next year. I'm going to suggest strongly they
be playing some John Denver music, especially Earth Day.
Although we only made about $48 on the memorabilia and items of last year's concert,
we collected over a solid page of names of people who are interested in participating.
Even when people didn't sign up to participate, the ooh's and ahh's about John and
how much they loved his music were non-stop. Many stopped to bend down and
read the texts and many wanted to know more about Windstar.
The foundation is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity, and although we will not have
a concert this year, we will be congealing as a service organization. We are a member
of the Berks County Chamber of Commerce. I'm feeling that it will be good to
have a year to organize. I need a recording secretary--YESTERDAY. If
anyone in PA is reading this and wants that position, please contact me (www.judithgabriel.com).
I will need a resume and letter of intent. Anyone who wants to participate
on committees also feel free to contact me as well.
I still am working on getting the JDMF web page separate from my own business page,
but at least it is looking nicer due to the help of Wayne Bealer who crossed the
music lines to be webmaster of my site. He is also webmaster for the Reading
Symphony Orchestra. Check the webpage for mission statement and for news and
links. Also our next highway clean-up is Sunday, June 29. Time will depend
on when the majority of folks can get there. Just remember that morning or late afternoon
may be better because of sun and heat, and please let me know if you plan to attend.
Peace To All,
Judith Gabriel
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From Pat Liddic (tigersnwolves@comcast.net):
The spring retreat for the PA Friends of John Denver was so wonderful! Simply
a great time of friendship and laughter, smiles and hugs and sharing and singing.
It is always nice to join together and share memories of John and just talk among
friends who understand. "The stories and the laughter, they should never,
ever end..." We all had a wonderful, healing time that even included some
massage, some reflexology and some Reiki! Next spring promises to be even better!
I invite you all to consider joining us for our fall retreat, scheduled October 3
- 5, 2003. This time around we will check out a new place out in Cassville, PA called
The Bitter Goose Lodge. The cost is 45.00 per person for the weekend. Payment is
due before August 30, 2003. For more information please contact: Pat Liddic at tigersnwolves@comcast.net.
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From Judy Therrien (jtherrien@pacbell.net):
PACIFIC GROVE 2003
We will be holding the 6th Annual John Denver Memorial Beach Cleanup and Tribute
events in Pacific Grove this October 11-12. Here's the event schedule:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2003
Chris Westfall will appear in concert at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the
Monterey Peninsula (490 Aguajito Road, Carmel) at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10.00.
There will be a charity benefit raffle during intermission, to benefit Friends of
the Monarchs, and Equipe Cousteau for their restoration of Calypso. For more
info about the concert, email jtherrien@pacbell.net.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2003
Noon
Beach Cleanup, starting this year at John Denver Beach (the turnout at Ocean View
Blvd. and Acropolis, across from the golf course) and going 1.2 miles along the ocean
walk to Lovers Point Park.
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Singalong in the park with Chris Westfall in Lovers Point Park, Pacific Grove.
Bring your instruments, songbooks, and lunch!
5:00pm - 6:00pm
Candlelight Tribute at John Denver Beach.
For Event Information: Contact Debra at PixieDmyr@aol.com,
or at 310-393-8346. If you're interested in possibly sharing a room with others
attending the event, we're looking into buying out about 8 rooms at the Butterfly
Grove Inn for Saturday night. Contact Debra for details - deadline is June
30.
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From Debbie Murphy (DMurphy570@aol.com):
Good morning to all of you!
I thought I would add just a few thoughts pertaining to the education portion of
the Windstar mission and reiterate some ways this list has and can continue
to provide forward growth in that area.
EARTHcamp: I have read with great interest the numerous education discussions
that have taken place here. Ideas that have been presented from this list have served
as launching boards for the kids curriculum. For example: According to the votes
taken back in a poll you held in March, peace education for schools had 11 votes
from this group. We have started to included a peace day in our camp. Biodiversity
was another strong theme for the list. We stressed biodiversity a lot in this years
camp. We have written three years of curriculum for the Snowmass camps , currently
working on year four. We have one traveling EARTHcamp written and are in the process
of writing year number two. The fun thing about this curriculum is that it is ever
changing and ever growing.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Continue your discussion of timely global issues. We are listening!
EARTHcamp LEADERS WORKSHOP: The most important area of growth in terms of the educational
mission of Windstar was the Boards approval of the Leaders Workshop. It is a direct,
concrete way each of you can contribute to the work of the Foundation. And we need
your help to make it succeed. Obviously, environmental education is important to
this group...it is to me too! Through attending this workshop, you make a commitment
to hold an EARTHcamp in your local area, thus spreading the work of Windstar but
more importantly, educating kids to the wonders of the world around them. For
those of you who aren't real sure what EARTHcamp is all about, I will share with
you our mission and goal statement:
Mission
It is our intent that every child who attends Windstar Foundation's EARTHcamp will
develop a love and respect for the Earth that will last a lifetime.
Goals
EARTHcamp for KIDS was designed to inspire children to care for our world:
By presenting nature in an active, fun, creative and hands-on manner
By highlighting the necessity for biodiversity
By demonstrating that changing one part of our environment affects many other parts
By offering a correlated curriculum of science, games, art, drama and music.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Please consider attending the workshop.
Now, if hands-on work with kids is not your area of interest, we provide other forms
of educational outreach.... WINDSTAR VISIONS: There is a note in each and every
Visions that make a request for ideas and articles to be submitted to the editor.
Out of 6 issues, I have had one person come forward with outside materials. As we
discuss expanding the Visions from 4 pages to 8, we will need an influx of ideas
to fill the pages with things that are of interest to our members.. HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Please contribute to the Visions, with topic ideas, articles, book reviews, stories
of what you are doing in your community, etc.
WINDSTAR WEBSITE: There is an enormous amount of growth that will take place on the
Windstar website over the coming months and much of that has to do with expanding
its use for educational purposes. There is a page called Living Lightly, where we
try to expand on environmental topics each month. We have worked up models for kids
pages and educators pages but are slow to get all these things launched due to time
constraints. HOW CAN YOU HELP? Again, submit ideas and research, directly to those
involved.
You know, there really are no "old Windstar" attitudes in today's Windstar's
structure. I hope someday that this phrase will be put to rest. We are all working
toward the same goals. Those directly involved in Windstar, from the Board to the
staff and to the volunteers, are doing our best in the amount of hours we have in
a day to accomplish what is needed to make this Foundation grow. If communication
is not as forthcoming as it could be, it's not that we're not listening. It's just
that we working to put so many ideas into practice. We don't work alone! What we
need from you is your support of what we currently have in place, your continued
input and your patience for what is still on the drawing board. As is said over and
over again...the work continues!
Please know how very important each of you is in getting the work of Windstar on
track and growing....what ONE MAN can do is change the world and make it work again..but
what MANY men (and women of course!) can do is bring it about a little quicker! :)
Debbie
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WEBSITES OF INTEREST
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Water for People
Water For People helps impoverished people worldwide improve their quality of life
by supporting locally sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene education
projects
http://www.water4people.org/
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FOR SALE
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Peace Cloth Items!
Don't forget to check out www.johndenverpeacecloth.com
(Peace Cloth Store) for exclusive John Denver items. All proceeds benefit The
John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth. Also -- if you shop online, please visit
our virtual mall: www.johndenverpeacecloth.onecause.com -- every sale at a store in the mall returns a donation to the Cloth.
The Peace Cloth now has eScrip -- please see our website for more information.
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For sale: JD tapes. Will ship worldwide. For list or more info, please contact amazonjd@aol.com.
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If you're looking for something special for a special someone, come check out what
Wildlife Creations (http://www.geocities.com/wldlifecreation) has
to offer!! We have many items relating to John Denver and other items that would
make fantastic gifts for people you know and love! Or gift someone who is hard to
buy for, something that they will talk about for years! From keychains, snowglobes,
t-shirts, potpourri jars and more!!! We're sure you'll find something! And remember,
whenever you purchase from Wildlife Creations, you're not only giving a gift to someone
you know, but to the Windstar Foundation and also the National Wildlife Federation,
in John's memory, for wolf education as all proceeds are given to them. Wildlife
Creations is now offering a feature product. Checkout the website for the current
featured product! For more information, you can email us at wldlifecreation@wildmail.com.
Diana and Susan
Wildlife Creations
http://www.geocities.com/wldlifecreation
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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1. ETHICS PROBE: Top Interior official under investigation
for conflicts of
interest
Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles came under investigation this week by
his department's inspector general for his cozy relationship with the oil, gas and
mining industries that he's supposed to regulate. Griles was a lobbyist for those
same industries before he was appointed by Interior Secretary Gale Norton as her
second-in-command, and he hasn't stopped his extensive contacts with his former clients,
the news media reported. Griles took part in meetings about oil leases off Florida
and California, even though his former clients had huge financial stakes in those
issues. Before Griles was confirmed by the Senate in 2001, he agreed to refrain for
a year from participating in such issues.
2. TIMBERRRRRRRRRR: Wildfire legislation is giveaway to logging industry
Under the guise of reducing the threat of wildfires, anti-environmental congressmen
are pushing legislation that calls for logging 20 million acres of federal lands,
often far from any community. The bill, which has whisked through both the House
Resources and Agriculture committees, could reach the floor this week. Among its
many bad provisions, it would allow the Bush administration to authorize clear-cutting
sites of up to 1,000 acres in the name of controlling insects. Defenders of Wildlife
and a broad coalition of environmental groups are warning that the bill actually
would leave Western communities at risk from wildfire. We have made our own proposal
that would focus aid on communities at risk.
To urge your representative to vote against this legislation, go to www.denaction.org
and respond to Alert # 231.
3. NO REFUGE: Arctic photographer feels political heat
Secretary Norton derides the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as "an area of
vast nothingness." Subhankar Banerjee proved her wrong, spending 14 months in
the refuge to photograph America's greatest wildlife preserve in all seasons. His
pictures are on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural
History in Washington, D.C. But when Sen. Barbara Boxer showed Banerjee's photos
on the Senate floor in March to make the case against drilling in the refuge, the
Smithsonian moved his exhibit to the basement and replaced photo captions with one-line
descriptions. One caption by Banerjee read: "The refuge has the most beautiful
landscape I have ever seen and is so remote and untamed that many peaks, valleys
and lakes are still without names." It was changed to read: "Unnamed Peak,
Romanzof Mountains." Smithsonian officials deny they caved in to political pressure.
But Banerjee said he was told by a museum official "there was pressure to even
cancel the show."
4. FULL SPEED AHEAD: Careless boaters could doom manatees to extinction
Florida's manatees could face extinction unless law officers crack down on careless
boaters, a new federal report says. If deaths from boat collisions continue at their
present rate, there won't be enough manatees left within 100 years to sustain the
population, according to the report by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. A record
95 manatees were killed last year by boats and their slicing propellers. That's 15
more than the average number of deaths for each of the previous three years and 46
more than the average from 1992-98. "If you want to save the manatee, you have
got to bring that watercraft-related mortality under control. If not, it's a prescription
for disaster," said Eric Glitzenstein, an attorney who has helped Defenders
of Wildlife and other environmental groups force the government to establish more
sanctuaries for manatees.
Because of this study, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided against relaxing
some protections against manatees. But more action is needed to save these gentle
sea cows. To send a message to the government, go to http://www.helpmanatees.org.
5. COUNTDOWN TO SAVE AMERICA'S WOLVES
Defenders of Wildlife needs to raise $150,000 to go to court and block Interior Secretary
Gale Norton's lifting of essential federal protections for wolves. Already DEN readers
have contributed $29,677. Thank you! Norton's actions will take us back to the days
when certain state governments actively promoted the wolf's extermination. Please
help with an online gift.. When you make a donation of $25 or more we'll send you
a Defenders of Wildlife backpack with our thanks. Go to http://defenders.spacely.com/contribute/contribute.cfm?ORGID=WDN2
6. RISING DEATH TOLL: Record number of sea otters washing ashore
Dramatically increasing numbers of dead sea otters are washing ashore up and down
the California coast, and scientists don't know why. Since January, 91 otters have
been found -- a record 44 in April alone. There are many possible causes: parasites,
drownings in fishing nets, a shortage of sea urchins and abalone (staples of the
sea otter's diet), and infectious diseases, such as one spread by cat litter dumped
into sewage systems. The rise in deaths underscores the desperate need for the government
to allocate money to research how to save this important wildlife species.
To urge the government to seek more research funding, go to http://www.saveseaotters.org.
7. UNDERMINING THE LAW: Administration targets key environmental statute
In an analysis of court cases, Defenders of Wildlife has found that the Bush administration
is systematically trying to undermine the National Environmental Policy Act, one
of the nation's fundamental environmental laws. In only two years, the administration
has argued in court nearly 100 times for weakening that law, according to our report.
The administration has lost more than three-quarters of these cases, largely because
its arguments clearly violate established judicial opinion, the study concluded.
As Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen pointed out, the study shows the administration
"is hell-bent on weakening our environmental protections."
8. SAVE DOLPHINS: Judge bars tuna kingpins from lawsuit
In a legal victory last week for Defenders of Wildlife, a federal judge barred Mexican
and Venezuelan tuna industry millionaires from intervening in our lawsuit to prevent
the Bush administration from weakening "dolphin-safe" tuna labels. These
countries want to ship cans labeled "dolphin safe" to the United States,
even though their fishing fleets chase, net and kill dolphins in the process of catching
tuna. The judge should decide our lawsuit sometime this summer or fall. As part of
an essay contest sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife, more than 7,000 schoolchildren
have written President Bush urging him to protect dolphins from this ruthless fishing
method. Thanks to all those who wrote letters to the president.
To send your own message to the president, go to www.savedolphins.org.
Defenders of Wildlife
1101 14th Street, N.W.
Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20005
Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2003
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POETRY
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None this month
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NEWSLETTER NEWS
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If you would like to submit articles, news items, stories, poetry, or any other pertinent
information to IT'S ABOUT TIME, please e-mail any of the IAT staff. The submission
deadline for the next edition is 19, 2003. Please be sure to include any
contact information so that members can e-mail or snail-mail for further details.
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The content of this newsletter is entirely at the discretion of the "It's About
Time" staff. Contributions, as always, are welcomed, although inclusion
is not guaranteed. All contributed material may be subject to editing for content
and length.
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". . . IT'S ABOUT TIME WE START TO LIVE
IT,
THE FAMILY OF MAN,
IT'S ABOUT TIME
AND IT'S ABOUT CHANGES . . .
AND IT'S ABOUT TIME."
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