Heartwood celebrates 20 years of forest protection
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[For the past 19 years Heartwood, a midwest collective of grassroots environmental groups, has spent Memorial Day weekend celebrating its successes in protecting forests.
For its 20th year Heartwood's Forest Council returns where it began at Camp Ondessonk in Ozark for four days of speakers, meetings, hikes, music and food.
Every year the Heartwood Forest Council has met in a different spot.
"This is the first time in Illinois since the founding of the Heartwood Forest Council. Ondessonk was the first big meeting we had for Heartwood," Sam Stearns, education coordinator of Friends of Bell Smith Springs, said.
At that time timber sales were the hot-button issue. The various environment groups sought to end clear cutting in the central hardwood region, and they did. Since then Heartwood has spread into 18 states and is addressing other complex forest issues.
"Twenty years ago the primary focus was stopping clear cutting on public land. Today there are still huge, ongoing threats like mountaintop removal mining and nuclear waste disposal issues," Stearns said.
The groups are concerned about other issues on the Shawnee National Forest and surrounding forests that fall under the description ecological restoration such as large-scale prescribed burning and large-scale application of herbicides.
But Stearns stressed the Friday through Monday weekend is not all about telling people about problems on public lands. It is also a celebration of those lands and the people who love it.
There will be folk music in the evenings and hiking to Bell Smith Springs Sunday.
Jeff Biggers', author of "Reckoning at Eagle Creek: Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland," will present his traveling multimedia production "Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal" on coal, mountaintop removal, climate change and clean energy options.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and former Green Party Presidential candidate of Atlanta, Ga., will be speaking on environmental and human rights issues.
Scott Silver, founder of Wild Wilderness, and opponent of fees charged on public lands and privatization of public lands will give a talk called "Trust Nature."
Green Party candidate for Illinois Governor Rich Whitney will speak arriving at Ondessonk at the end of a statewide bicycling tour.
One highlight of the event is 11 vegetarian meals prepared by chef Shane McElwee.
There is a registration charge for meals and lodging. Meals for the entire weekend are $55 per person and there are varying fees for shorter stays.
For those who would simply like to stop in to listen to the speakers or go on the hikes there is no fee, according to Stearns.
More on the event, registration for meals and lodging information and biographies of the speakers is at the Web site http://www.heartwood.org/forest-council
For more information people may contact Andy Mahler at (812) 723-2430 or e-mail http://andy@blueriver.net; Amanda Moore at (615) 358-8898 or e-mail http://info@heartwood.org; or Mark Donham at (618) 564-3367.
The schedule for Friday is:
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3 p.m. -- Registration opens</li>
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4 to 5:30 p.m. -- "Coal Country" documentary film screening</li>
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5:30 to 7 p.m. -- Dinner of vegetarian shepherds' pie, kale, salad with beets and radishes, cornbread, no-cook tofu cheesecake with granola crust</li>
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6:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. -- Music by Mark Donham and Kristi Hanson</li>
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7 to 7:20 p.m. -- Welcome and Introduction to the 20th Heartwood Forest Council with "Introduction to the Camp" by Evan Coulson and "Children of the Movement: 20 Years Later"</li>
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8 to 8:40 -- "A Short Introduction" to the hardwood forest of Southern Illinois by Duane and Phil Short</li>
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8:50 to 9:10 p.m. -- Regional History, Ecology and Culture by Professor Emeritus Paul Yambert</li>
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9:30 to 10 p.m. -- The World According to John Muir around the campfire</li>
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10:00 -- Carter and Connelley at the Campfire </li>
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Saturday
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6:30 to 7:30 a.m. -- Bird Watching, Yoga, and other early riser activities</li>
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7:30 to 9 a.m. -- Breakfast of egg/tofu scramble with kale, potatoes and golden gravy, biscuits, fruit and yogurt</li>
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8:45 to 9 a.m. -- Music of Tom Neilson, Morning Announcements, Welcome for new arrivals</li>
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9 to 9:15 a.m. -- Nurturing Body and Spirit by Chef Shane McElwee</li>
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9:15 to 10:45 a.m. -- Shawnee National Forest activism panel of Kay Ripplemeyer, Mark Donham, Corina Lang, Sam Stearns, John Wallace, Tom Buchele</li>
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10:45 to 11 a.m. -- Break</li>
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11 a.m. to 12 p.m. -- Jeff Biggers presents "Welcome to the Saudi Arabia of Coal"</li>
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Noon to 12:15 p.m. -- Honoring the Torchbearers: Corinne Whitehead</li>
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12:15 to 1:30 p.m. -- Lunch of tempeh sloppy joes, tahini cole slaw, blue corn chips</li>
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1:30 to 2:15 p.m. -- Scott Silver, Wild Wilderness: TRUST NATURE</li>
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2:15 to 2:30 p.m. -- Break</li>
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2:45 to p.m. -- BIOMASS Panel of Mike Ewall, Scot Quaranda, Rachel Smolker, Denny Haldeman, Joy Towles Ezell, Cara Beth Jones</li>
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4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. -- Biomass strategy session or Coal Country screening or Home Solar Energy workshop by Jeff Auxier, Ryan Zaricki</li>
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5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. -- Music of Anchor in the Valley</li>
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6 to 7:30 p.m. -- Dinner of spaghetti with spicy chard, walnuts and parmesan, Greek salad with tofu, garlic bread, basil-lime fruit salad</li>
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7:30 to 8:15 p.m. -- Keynote Cynthia McKinney</li>
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8:15 to 8:30 p.m. -- Mini-Grant Awards involving Concerned Citizens of Scott County, Allegheny Defense Project, Kentucky Mountain Justice, Virginia Forest Watch</li>
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8:30 to 9:15 p.m. -- Keynote "Celebrating 20 Years of Heartwood" by Andy Mahler</li>
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9:30 to 12:30 -- Music and Dancing with Ivas John Band </li>
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Sunday
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6:30 to 7:30 a.m. -- Bird Watching, yoga and other early riser activities</li>
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8 to 9:30 a.m. -- Breakfast of banana-cornmeal pancakes with maple syrup, scrambled eggs with pesto, roasted sweet potatoes, fruit and yogurt; morning announcements</li>
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9:15 to 10 a.m. -- Music of Hannah Nickell and Keynote: David Nickell "Between the Rivers: Preserving Community and Culture"</li>
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10:15 to 10:30 a.m. -- Music of Tom Neilson</li>
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10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. -- Energy Panel on Illinois Coal, Biomass, Nukes and Sustainable Alternatives: Cathy Edmiston, John Blair, Ron Lamb, Jeff Auxier, Joy Towles Ezell, Dana Kuhnline</li>
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12:15 to 1:30 p.m. -- Lunch of curried chick pea mash with mango chutney, sauteed spinach with basil, salad greens, naan</li>
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1:30 to 1:45 p.m. -- Hugh Muldoon</li>
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1:45 to 5:30 p.m. -- Hikes and Field Trips including Shawnee National Forest, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Integrated Forest Management, Water Fauna of Southern Illinois and more</li>
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5 to 6 p.m. -- grand premiere of "Coal Country: 1year later"</li>
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6 to 7:30 p.m. -- Dinner of black beans and Chinese greens with brown rice, salad greens with miso dressing, Mexican chocolate cake</li>
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7:30 p.m. -- Libations</li>
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7:30 to 9 p.m. -- Heartwood Benefit Auction directed by Col. Clyde Canaveral Kennedy</li>
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9:15 p.m. -- Heartwood Talent Show!</li>
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Monday
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7:30 to 9 a.m. -- Breakfast of scrambled eggs with leeks, fruit and nut hot cereal, roasted rosemary red skinned potatoes</li>
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9 to 9:45 a.m. -- Hugh Muldoon presents Gaia Awakening</li>
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10 to 11:45 a.m. -- "The Next Twenty Years: Heartwood Strategy, Vision And Planning"</li>
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11:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. -- Closing Circle</li>
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Noon to 1 p.m. -- Lunch of highlights from the weekend's culinary delights </li>
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DeNeal receives e-mail at http://bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.</li>
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