To: Water Quality and CAFO activists
From: Debbie Neustadt
The following message is from national. Let me know if you apply for a
scholarship.
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As one of its four major national campaigns, the Sierra Club plans to stop
the virtually unregulated pollution from enormous animal feedlots (called
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs). Big River/Clean Water Week
(June 11-14 in Washington DC) will provide a great opportunity to receive CAFO
training and to learn about this campaign.
We especially want to use this event to identify new CAFO activists and to
involve them in this campaign. If you are not the appropriate person in
your state to attend, or if you have a conflict, PLEASE help us to involve
other people in your Chapter who would benefit from this training and would
like to work on this issue.
Some of the nation's top CAFO experts will attend this event, and training
will be available for people with all levels of expertise. It will be a
great opportunity to find out about successful work that some Chapters have
done and to access the resources the Sierra Club can offer Chapters and
Groups who want to take on CAFOs.
Sierra Club's Clean Water Campaign has substantial scholarships available to
cover travel and expenses, and we plan to distribute these funds to encourage
participation from as many states as possible.
A registration form (including contact information for scholarships) and a
survey to help us identify training needs are below and attached as a file.
For more information contact Ed Hopkins (202-675-7908m email -
[log in to unmask]) or Ken Midkiff (573-815-9250, email -
[log in to unmask]). Thanks your help in making this event a success.
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COME TO BIG RIVER/ CLEAN WATER WEEK
JUNE 11-14, 1999
WASHINGTON, DC
Help launch the Sierra Club's Clean Water Campaign to stop giant factory
farms!
Big River Week 1999 will feature three days of training -- introductory,
intermediate, and advanced -- on how Sierra Club Chapters and Groups can
participate in the Sierra Club's major campaign to stop factory farms. An
additional day will focus on other Mississippi River Basin issues.
Featured speakers include:
- Rick Dove, Riverkeeper, Neuse River (North Carolina)
- John Ikerd, University of Missouri agricultural economist
- Kendall Thu (invited), University of Iowa, author of Pigs, Politics and
Rural Communities
Scholarships for those interested in training on factory farm issues are
available from the Sierra Club Clean Water Campaign - contact Ed Hopkins at
202-675-7908 or email [log in to unmask]
Big River Week will take place at Days Inn Premier Hotel, 1201 K Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (202) 842-1020. The Clean Water Network has
reserved a block of rooms at the hotel at a rate of $119 per night (tax
additional). Contact the hotel directly for reservations - call soon, rooms
are limited. The hotel is in downtown Washington, close to the Metro Center
metro stop.
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BIG RIVER WEEK 1999 REGISTRATION FORM - RETURN BY MAY 10
Mail this registration (and a check for $50 payable to Midwest MRCC) to Judy
Hofrichter Midwest MRCC, 214 North Henry Street, Suite 203, Madison, Wisconsin
53703. The registration fee of $50 includes two lunches and one dinner.
Registrants will receive additional Big River/Clean Water Week information,
including an agenda, shortly.
Name __________________________________________________________
Organization ____________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
City State Zip
________________________________________________________________
Phone Fax Email
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BIG RIVER/ CLEAN WATER WEEK TRAINING NEEDS SURVEY
Big River/ Clean Water Week will provide Chapters and Groups with training
to participate in the Sierra Club's Water Campaign to stop giant factory
farms (called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, CAFOs). We need your
help to design these training sessions to meet your needs. Please check
all of the topics that you would like to learn more about. If we omitted a
subject that interests you, write it in.
___ What's wrong with CAFOs?
___ Winning county and state moratoria on CAFOs
___ The elements of a good state CAFO regulatory program; state
legislation/ regulations/ ballot initiatives that we have won
___ How to create alliances with farm groups and others
___ How to establish a citizen water monitoring program to watchdog
CAFOs
___ Litigation strategies for CAFOs
___ How to stop a CAFO from coming to a place near you
___ Federal requirements for CAFOs; EPA and USDA's new strategy for
CAFOs
___ What needs to be included in a comprehensive nutrient management
plan
___ Environmentally acceptable methods of livestock production
___ What should a CAFO permit include?
___ How to increase consumer opposition to CAFO-produced meat and
increase demand for organic meat
___ CAFO's secret drug problem: overuse of antibiotics at CAFOs
___ Political accountability: increasing the visibility of CAFOs as
an electoral issue
___ Corporate subsidies for CAFOs
I would like to learn more about a topic not listed above (please describe)
Tell us about yourself and your Chapter/Group involvement with CAFO/
citizen water monitoring issues:
___ I am new to CAFO issues
___ I have done some work on CAFOs
___ I know a lot about CAFOs
___ My chapter/group actively works on CAFOs
___ My state/area has a CAFO problem. Our Chapter/Group wants to
take on the issue, but has not yet.
The CAFO problem in my state is (circle one): _severe_ _moderate_ _not
too bad_
I think people in my state are (circle one): _very aware_ _moderately
aware_ _ignorant about_ CAFOs
___ I don't know if we have a CAFO problem
Yes/No/Don't know (circle one) - There is a citizens water quality
monitoring program in my state
Yes/No/Don't know (circle one) - My Sierra Club Chapter participates in
this water monitoring program
Briefly describe how the data generated by the water monitoring program are
used. Are they being gathered and used in connection with CAFOs?
Yes/No/Don't know (circle one) - There is a need for additional water
quality data in my state to document CAFO problems
Yes/No (circle one) -My Sierra Club Chapter might be interested in
participating in a citizens water monitoring program designed to document
CAFO pollution
Name __________________________________________________________
Organization ____________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
City State Zip
________________________________________________________________
Phone Fax Email
___ I would like to be considered for scholarship assistance to come to Big
River/Clean Water Week. Please contact me. (Note that assistance is
available only to those who plan to take part in Sierra Club's CAFO
campaign.)
Thanks for responding to this survey. Please send the completed form to Ed
Hopkins. Sierra Club, 408 C Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. Fax:
202-547-6009.
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