Lecture Series: SPECIAL GUEST - DR. RIKI OTT

Dr. Riki Ott

Riki Ott, a former commercial fisherwoman, trained marine toxicologist and "accidental activist" since the Exxon Valdez disaster on issues of concern to coastal communities and democracy will be the guest speaker for Acadian Group of the Sierra Club on Wednesday May 21, 2014.

Ott visits the Gulf Coast this month to meet with community organizations to discuss upcoming proposed revisions to the National Contingency Plan, what this means to people who live in areas impacted by these activities, and how to make an official public comment. The Federal Government is preparing revisions to the NCP to direct future disaster response efforts relating to all forms of oil and energy extraction contamination.

Ott will discuss the petitioning drive to Ban the Use of Corexit as an oil remediation tool and her effort to organize communities for a new program called ALERT -A Locally Empowered Response Team - that will gather baseline data to be compared with data after a disaster, and will provide treatment to people who have been chemically exposed.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Please contact us to RSVP so we may plan an appropriate sized room at the church meeting hall to accommodate everyone.

Meeting begins at 6:30pm located at First United Methodist Church, 703 Lee Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Entry to the church hall faces the rear parking lot visible from Johnston Street. Meeting room upstairs on the right. Share this update, and please bring a friend!

Herbicide Spraying in Louisiana Water Bodies - June 19th Conservation Meeting

A staff person from Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries' Noxious Plant Program, an $8 million program to control water hyacinth and giant salvinia, will be a guest speaker at the next Conservation Meeting of the Acadian Group of the Sierra Club on Wednesday June 19.  We have invited the department to send a representative to listen to community concerns on this issue and present information on their program.

Citizens have expressed concerns regarding the use of herbicides on aquatic and shoreline plants in and around public bodies of water in the state.  Some expressed concerns include human health impacts, impacts to wildlife especially birds, as well as total habitat availability along the shoreline and systemic ecological effects.  Our organization recently was made aware of a concern at Lake Martin where shorelines have been sprayed on an ongoing basis.  Our recreational outing for the month of May to the Lake followed on a member's presentation so that we could investigate further.

We will also be hosting a special visit from the young people of Ride for the Future who are traveling exclusively by bicycle from New Orleans to Houston to explore and highlight stories of the effects, challenges and solutions stemming from use of fossil fuels, environmental justice, and sustainable strategies for development and clean energy.

Our meeting starts promptly at 6:30pm.  All members, friends of the Sierra Club, and the general public are welcomed to attend, listen, and participate.

Location: First Methodist Church - Lafayette, Louisiana, corner of Lee/Main/Johnston downtown.  Meeting Hall upstairs, enter through rear doors facing parking lot. http://goo.gl/maps/IiXfB

To Sign up for this event and follow the Acadian Group through Facebook, click here.

Rabbi Weinstein Visits the Acadian Sierra Club

Acadian Group of the Sierra Club is pleased to be hosting a talk on the Jewish thoughts on Ecology.  Rabbi Barry Weinstein of Temple Shalom will be joining us on this WEDNESDAY June 12th to make a short presentation and receive your questions as we engage in a stimulating discussion.
 

Rabbi Weinstein will be driving in from Baton Rouge to talk with us about Jewish views towards approaching Ecology. A 15-20 minute talk followed by time for an inspired Question and Discussion on Jewish views of honoring land and water.

Our meeting starts promptly at 6:30pm.  All members, friends of the Sierra Club, and the general public are welcomed to attend, listen, and participate.

Location: First Methodist Church - Lafayette, Louisiana, corner of Lee/Main/Johnston downtown.  Meeting Hall upstairs, enter through rear doors facing parking lot. http://goo.gl/maps/IiXfB

To Sign up for this event and follow the Acadian Group through Facebook, click here.