Fall 2016 Planet Kansas

Go to page 3 for Table of Contents with active Links Fall - 2016 vol. 40 no. 4 Voice of the Kansas Sierra Club The View from Standing Changing Kansas, One Rock Election At A By Brian Koon Time First night in the camp of the Rosebud Sioux on the south bank of the Cannonball River. I arrive just before midnight. We must not let this opportunity Pitch black surrounds the camp. A few fires offer some light. pass us by!! So much in our natural No road but a dry dirt lane packed hard by hundreds of cars world is being subjugated by the dic- and pickups traveling here over the months of the protest. I tates of Big Fossil Fuels and Corporate park, climb out, stretch from the long drive, and as I look America. Go to page 6 to learn who to upwards. It’s as if the sky has exploded into stars. The Milky vote for and, importantly, how YOU See Elect on page 6 See Standing Rock page 8 can help. inside Frackquakes Migrating to Northwest Kansas ...... pg 4 The Climate Crisis and the Food We Eat ............ pg 5 Endorsements and Political Information ............ pg 6 Thank You, Yvonne! ....................................... pg 12 “Burn, Prairie, Burn” say KSU Researchers ...... pg 14 www.kansas.sierraclub.org 1 Back to Table of Contents Sierra Club info Chapter Office Director of Development Communications Director Sierra Club, Kansas Chapter Bob Sommer Craig Wolfe c/o Craig Wolfe 816-898-1100 Planet Kansas Newsletter Editor & 9844 Georgia [email protected] Webmaster Kansas City, KS 66109-4326 913-299-4474 913-299-4474 Chapter Members Holding [email protected] [email protected] National Positions Yvonne Cather Planet Kansas and Website National Headquarters • Secretary for the Council of Club Submissions: Sierra Club Leaders Executive Committee Send articles, events, outings and 85 Second St., 2nd Floor • Chapter-National Relationship Task updates to Craig Wolfe at Force (sunsetted for implementation) San Francisco, CA 94105-3441 [email protected] • Former Co-Lead Volunteer on the 415-977-5500 Chapter Capacity Implementation Team Legislative Director • Former Co-Lead Volunteer on the Zach Pistora, Chapter Leadership Training Team 785-865-6503 [email protected] www.kansas.sierraclub.org 2 Click anywhere on the above membership application to join Kansas Sierra Club!! Fall - 2016 Back to Table of Contents contents ViewPoint The View from Standing Rock Cover Changing Kansas, One Election Cover At a Time Vote “NO” on Proposed Vote “NO” on Proposed KS Constitutional 3 Amendment about Wildlife KS Constitutional Frackquakes Migrating to Northwest 4 Kansas Amendment about The Climate Crisis and the Food We Eat 5 Endorsements and Political Information 6 Wildlife I’m Not Asking for Your Money...Really 7 By Elaine Giessel, Conservation Chair, Kansas Chapter Join Us for a Day Hike in the Beautiful 10 Gyp Hills Proposed Amendment §21. It’s All About You! (from the DD) 11 Right of public to hunt, fish and Thank You, Yvonne! 12 trap wildlife. The people have the right to hunt, fish and trap, includ- Kansas Sierra Club Grant Recipient 13 Makes National News ing by the use of traditional meth- ods, subject to reasonable laws and Sierra Club Offers New Credit Card 13 regulations that promote wildlife “Burn, Prairie, Burn,” say KSU 14 conservation and management and Researchers that preserve the future of hunting Range Management Practices Are 16 and fishing. Public hunting and Biggest Threat to Grassland Birds fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. Southwind Recycling Activists Celebrate 17 This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating 75th Wedding Anniversary to trespass, property rights or water resources. Eating As Though the Earth Matters 18 Butterflies and Big Macs During the last legislative session in Topeka, our lawmakers approved putting proposed Constitutional Amendment 21 on the Volunteerism is Recognized by Jackson `20 County Parks November 8 ballot. If approved by a simple majority of eligible Kansas voters, the right to hunt, fish and trap will be added to the Kansas Chapter & Group Leaders 21 Bill of Rights, along with such notable entitlements as equality, free General Meetings 22 speech and prohibition of slavery. The Kansas Sierra Club opposes this constitutional Sierra Club Outings 23 amendment. Calendar of All Events 24 The proposed amendment would appear to be a case of a solution in search of a problem. If the amendment passes, current laws Planet Kansas, the official publication of the Kansas and regulations governing hunting, fishing and trapping of wildlife Chapter of the Sierra Club, is published quarterly. Sub- would still apply, as the proposed right is subject to reasonable laws scription is included in membership dues or is $10 per year. Advertising rates are available upon request at info@ and regulations. If the amendment fails, there would be no changes kansas.sierraclub.org. We reserve the right to refuse adver- to current laws and regulations. tising which conflicts with the tastes of our readers. Con- However, one sentence in the proposed amendment is of special tributions of articles, letters to the editor, poems, original concern: “Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of cartoons and photos are welcomed. All items must be managing and controlling wildlife.” The use of the verb “shall” implies sent electronically by email to [email protected] legal obligation and “wildlife” includes both game and nongame or disk to Craig Wolfe, 9844 Georgia, Kansas City, KS, species. 66109. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and Wildlife “control” issues are complex and often have to be ad- taste. The Kansas Chapter of Sierra Club does not dis- criminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnic origin, religious dressed case by case. Management decisions should be based on creed or sexual orientation. Views expressed herein reflect the best available science and on recommendations made by expert the opinions of the authors and are not wildlife biologists. All reasonable alternatives for maintaining healthy necessarily those of Sierra Club, its staff or ecosystems must be considered and evaluated. Public hunting, fishing officers. All articles copyright by Kansas and trapping remain options but cannot be required as a preferred Chapter of Sierra Club unless other- 3 solution. wise indicated and may be reprinted as long as credit is given. Next deadline See Wildlife on page 9 for submissions is September 10. Fall - 2016 Back to Table of Contents Frackquakes Migrating to Northwest Kansas By Joe Spease, Chairman, Hydraulic Fracturing Committee Earthquakes believed to be attributed to disposal of oil and gas waste fluids into injection wells in Northwest Kansas are occurring more frequently. In recent weeks there have been 4 quakes registering a magnitude of 3.0 and higher near Ellis County. 8 quakes have been registered overall. The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) believes it is possible that disposal into injection wells is causing the quakes. More buildings, and more. It is important that people contact their study will be needed, but the quakes are similar to those that state representatives and senators, and the commissioners at have caused serious damage to property in South Central Kansas the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) which is the over the last 4 years. Like South Central Kansas quakes, the regulatory agency for oil and gas in Kansas. Anyone can call ones in Northwest Kansas have occurred at shallow depths or email the Kansas Sierra Club for guidance. ranging from 1-5 kilometers. Natural quakes usually occur The KCC has taken action to bring some relief to Kansans at depths far greater, usually at 50 km and deeper. in the central part of the state where frackquakes have been Like South Central Kansas, in Northwest Kansas, especially severe and frequent. The KCC passed an Order which reduced around Ellis County, there are fault lines that, when affected by the amount of fracking waste fluids that could be disposed into the disposal of fracking fluids into injection wells near the fault injection wells in South Central Kansas. Since that Order was lines, will result in quakes. In an interview with KSN-TV, Fort passed, the number of frackquakes has decreased. So, we should Hays State University professor of geology, Dr. Hendratta Ali take care to learn from that experience before the damages from said, “We’re used to tornadoes around here, but definitely not frackquakes in Northwest Kansas climb higher. used to earthquakes.” She went on to say that there is no way We are fairly certain that we know the cause of the newest to tell, without more study, if larger quakes can be expected. quakes. Now we need the support of the legislature and the She then confirmed that there are fault lines underground KCC to protect Kansans from brutal damages to property from beneath Ellis County. frackquakes. To begin with we are starting a petition to bring to One question that many citizens in Ellis County are ask- the KCC calling for another Order to stop the use of problem ing is, “What insurance is available to protect our property?” injection wells in Northwest Kansas. The Sierra Club will work Now that earthquakes are established, it will be harder to find hard to protect people from this environmental threat. affordable insurance. The issue of insurance and compensation for damages to property is sure to be raised in the next legislative session in Topeka. Historically, Kansas has averaged about 1 earthquake per year and those were typically small. With frackquakes over Go Digital the last 4 years now increasing to hundreds per year the damages to property are skyrocketing.

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