SIERRA CLUB ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER INVITATION
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Sierra Club's Eagle View Group will host the Iowa Chapter's Annual meeting
and Dinner on October 20, 2001.  Departing from tradition, this year's
meeting will be open to the public, and a fundraiser for Chad Pregracke.
Chad has won worldwide acclaim for his tireless efforts in cleaning up trash
from the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio Rivers.  In addition to his work of
picking everything out of the river from cans to refrigerators to cars, Chad
organized the "Adopt a River Mile" Campaign to utilize citizens of river
communities to carry on what he began.

The Annual Meeting will be at the Holiday Inn at 5202 Brady St. (Hwy. 61)
in Davenport, Iowa. Take I-80 Exit #295 - Brady St., head south one mile -
the hotel will be on your left at 53rd and Brady.

Social hour begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m.. Chad will be the
featured speaker and awards will be given to those who have done outstanding
work in the environmental community. The cost to attend is $25. per person.
A great evening is planned with a very nice meal, an opportunity to hear
Chad and a time to socialize. All proceeds go to help clean up our rivers.

Again, this is the Iowa Chapter's Annual Meeting - but the public is invited
and welcome to attend - including our Illinois members and friends. Come
early and bring your bike, roller blades or enjoy a walk on the Quad Cities'
recreational trails which cover more than 30 miles.

The $25. cost is payable to the Sierra Club and should be sent no later than
Oct. 13th to:

Jerry Neff
P.O. Box 239
Pleasant Valley, IA 52767

A block of rooms has been reserved for Saturday night at the Holiday Inn at
a special rate of $69.00 each. Please call (563) 391-1230 for reservations.
Out-of-towners may call toll-free to reserve a room - (800) 465-4329.

See you in Davenport on Oct. 20th!
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Here is more on our guest speaker from the Iowa Sierran fall issue:

ANNUAL DINNER IN DAVENPORT OCTOBER 20TH
Chad Pregracke Keynote Speaker

By Sheila Bosworth

The Eagle View Group is hosting the Iowa Chapter Annual Dinner this year.
It will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2001 in Davenport, Iowa.  In
addition to the dinner and awards ceremony, Chad Pregracke, founder of the
Mississippi River Beautification and Restoration Project, will be the
keynote speaker.

Chad, a 26-year-old from East Moline, IL nicknamed "Young Man River", grew
up on the Mississippi River.  He was a commercial shell diver, fisherman and
barge hand.  During the time he spent on the River he was continually
noticing the amount of garbage on the islands and shorelines of the River.
He searched to find out who was responsible for cleaning it up.  When he
found out that no one was, he took it upon himself to begin the chore of
cleaning up the Mississippi River.

Chad's story is both interesting and inspiring.  He has grown from a
one-man, one-boat operation in 1997 to a full time crew of five people,
three workboats, two tugboats, three barges and the houseboat they all live
on.  He has cleaned up a 435-mile stretch of the Mississippi River several
times, has worked on the Illinois River and is presently cleaning the entire
length, 981 miles, of the Ohio River.  Cleaning a portion of the Missouri
Rivers is also in his plans for this year.

According to the Associated Press, Chad now has 16 cleanup operations under
way in communities along a 370-mile stretch from Dubuque to St. Louis and
heads a $307,000 organization with 25 corporate sponsors.  His crew has
picked up 4,870 car tires, 1,133 steel drums, 450 propane tanks, 287
refrigerators, 75 water heaters, one barge, one school bus top, one truck,
among tons of other garbage.

Mark October 20th on your calendar.  You don't want to miss this
awe-inspiring young man who has been featured in many national publications
such as Time, People, Harper's, Reader's Digest, Life and Biography and on
ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, PBS and public radio.  You can check out his website at
http://www.cleanrivers.com.

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