"It's About Time" Newsletter
Spring 2012

". . . It's about time we start to live it, the family of man,
It's about time and it's about changes . . .
and it's about time."



IN THIS ISSUE...


DEDICATION
This edition of the IAT Newsletter is dedicated to Ann's mom, Bernice, and all the moms who have passed.

NEWSLETTER THEME
OUR SPRING 2012 THEME - "What I Did to Share In Earth Day 2012"

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“The Earth is our mother just turning around
With her trees in the forest and roots underground”
  ~ from The Flower That Shattered the Stone







POETRY

"Merle"
(by Carole Romanowski - whispjesse@aol.com)

Merle
It seems to me
There appears to be
This tiny little squirrel
Who sits upon my back step
So often I've named him Merle!

He especially stays
On longer days
When John's music is playing!
He must like the CD's
Since his departure is delaying!

To relocate him in a tree
So he could live squirrel-like at ease
I bought Merle his own player
And a bunch of John's CDs!


  (copyright by Carole Romanowski - whispjesse@aol.com)

"WHAT I DID TO SHARE IN EARTH DAY 2012"


From Judith Therrien (jht2008@pacbell. net)

1) 6 mornings per week, during my 25 minute walk to and from the beach, I pick up trash. Around here, I guess many people don't know how to take good care of mother earth, so I jump in.

2) 5 days per week, I bike to work and back unless it's really raining. On the way down hill, I zip fast: on the way up, I stop and pick up trash, every time I see some, which is almost every day.

3) Just in the last 3 months, I've made the big change to putting up a retractable clothesline and drying my clothes outside. . first time since I was little and would be asked to go out and take them off the line if a thunderstorm might be approaching. Today's clothes were up for two whole days and one night; that's OK.

4) Every piece of paper gets recycled and most paper I print on, is used paper, on one side. A lot of companies will give you paper that has been written on, on one side. RE-using is one step better than recycling.

5) All plastic that is not usable, gets recycled so it can get turned into new plastic products.

6) Cereal box liners are used for garbage that can't be buried into our yard. No one should use NEW plastic bags for garbage; too many do.

7) I am careful that No food is wasted. I eat what I cook, and don't throw any food away and don't leave food on my plate, even though dieters say I should . I eat what's in the fridge, and don't let it get old. (no, I'm not fat, I weigh 141 and that's OK at my age).

8) Plastic bags are rinsed out and used a few times, and taken to the store to use for holding broccoli, carrots, celery stalks, beans, etc.

9) For 13 years now, I've brought my own bags to the store for shopping, no matter what kind of a store it is. One learns FAST when living in Yurp that you bring your own bags, as the equivalent of 25 cents is charged to buy each bag in the food stores, as it should be ! People learn FAST when they have to pay for bags!

Happy EARTH DAY to everyone ! May it last all year, with YOUR good ideas, to HELP MOM EARTH be as healthy as she CAN BE !

Love and hugs from Gizmo!

***

From – Carolyn Churchill (the_family_churchill@msn. com) Lake Villa, Illinois

For Earth Day 2012 I participated in "Picnic for the Planet" hosted byThe Nature Conservancy. Picnics were held all over the world as part of a Guinness World Recordattempt to set the record for the largest multi-venue picnic in a 24-hour period. Our picnic was held in the Chiwaukee Prairie Nature Area, half-way between Chicago and Milwaukee, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

This prairie of gently undulating ridge and swale topography was created when the level of glacial Lake Michigan was lowered in stages over thousands of years. It is one of the largest prairie complexes in the state and the most intact coastal wetland in southeastern Wisconsin. The prairie contains an exceptional diversity of plants and animals.

Over 50 people (young, old, families, vigorous and physically challenged people too) turned out on a very windy and chilly spring day, all quite excited to be there. Dem. Senator Bob Wirch joined us as well (he was one of the 14 senators who left WI for a time in Feb to block the passage of an anti-union budget). We were provided with a sack lunch, a water bottle, sodas and a packet of seeds. To document the event we all had to be seated and photographed eating together and we eagerly complied.

Following our feast of PBJ and Ham & Swiss sandwiches, we broke into groups, learning about various aspects of the prairie from experts on hand from the University of Wisconsin, The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin and the Chiwaukee Prairie Foundation. I learned that regular burns are necessary for the health of native plants and that there have been more than 400 species of vascular plants found there. My good friend Dr. Joy Wolf showed us the tools she uses during her classes for testing the soil's health (99% of it's content is sand) and she explained why the swampy areas are in parallel alignment with each other. Later I joined a group hunting wild flowers and learned why volunteers work so hard at ridding the area of invasive species.

Later that afternoon I took a walk along Lake Michigan with a friend and was awed by the power of the water, crashing 4-foot wave after wave onto the polished smooth rocks of the shoreline. My Earth Day experience served to realign my senses . . . I could almost say that it filled up my senses to be on the prairie by the big lake. ;>)

***

From - Hollie (holliecwoodstock@aol. com)

Peaceful Blue Planet Foundation Celebrates Earth Day with a Photo-Essay Contest They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It turns out that five hundred words and a photograph are worth five hundred dollars if you are the winner of the Peaceful Blue Planet Photo-Essay Contest.

Your photo will be judged on photo quality, content, and relevance. Your essay will be judged on awareness of an environmental condition, and suggestions to make improvements.

To enter the contest you must be enrolled in a college or university, in environmental studies.

Please see the website for a complete list of rules and how to enter. www.peacefulblueplanet.org

***

From Carole Romanowski (whispjesse@aol.com)

Sharing on Earth Day

On Earth Day this year, my husband and I, along with a few other volunteers, helped clean up Redmond Park near us. We cut vines and tied up dead branches and bramble on grassy areas and those in the narrow creek in the park and took the bales to a nearby green recycle center.

Also, since our next door neighbor is in his 80's and quite ill, we cleaned up his yard raking leftover leaves on his lawn, and wearing gardening gloves pulled out poison ivy in his hedges instead of using a chemical poison.

We also bought a new mulch lawnmower and left the mulch on thinning areas of the lawn to avoid using chemical fertilizers. Clover's also good to use.

Lastly, with the change of seasons, we took unwanted clothes from our closets and donated them to Good Will instead of putting them in the garbage to wind up in landfills.

***

From Lori Syme (flyingforme@hotmail. com) Montrose, Colorado

"What I Did to Share In Earth Day 2012. "

After attending Telluride Mountain Film Festival last year, and many other things along the way, I decided IT IS TIME for me to STEP FORWARD!!!

I have started a campaign to help put an end to the crazy addiction our country has to single use plastics. 60,000 plastic bags are used in our country every 5 minutes, and remain an environmental burden for centuries! They are causing great harm to our oceans, killing at least 100,000 ocean species every year, most notably the laysan albatross and every species of sea turtles. I organized about 20 volunteers for Earth Day to stand in front of our community's large grocery stores, and with the over 1,000 reusable bags that were donated, we encouraged shoppers to pick up the habit of reusable bags, stop drinking BOTTLED WATER, and start using REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS!! I got our Alpine Bank and Wal-Mart and Safeway, and City Market to donate bags, our local Electric Association donated money to offset the cost of reusable produce bags (3B Bags), and sold them at BELOW COST. I invited people with flyers to come to a showing of the MULTI AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILM "BAG IT" (www. bagitmovie. com), with free tote and free pizza at the screening. We also sold at cost CHICO BAGS.

The bag monster (my daughter, Shanna) was also in attendance. To see go to:
http://www. facebook. com/BagItMontrose

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REFUSE SINGLE USE PLASTICS!!

At the end of the day the volunteers gathered at my house and planted a blue spruce in the open space park adjacent to my house.

Please join the effort and watch the film: www. bagitmovie. com (available live stream on netflix and on amazon. com)and consider becoming a BAG IT TOWN!!! Together we can make a difference.

"Only one thing can make me sorry: Something that needs to be said and itnever gets said". John Denver

***

From Sandy Clark (tybrenn@comcast. net)

My contribution isn't necessarily a "What I did to share in Earth Day 2012," specifically, but more of an every day Earth Day.

We are a family of geocachers who try our best to practice the CITO mentality – Cache-In-Trash-Out. Geocaching is a treasure hunt using a handheld GPS. You obtain coordinates from the geocaching. org website and use them to find a treasure hidden somewhere in the world. Unfortunately, we run into a lot of trash in some areas, including deep in the woods. Sadly some hikers and mountain bikers think it's ok to discard their water bottles, soda cans and energy bar wrappers along the paths. As a result, many of our geocaching adventures result in us carting a little extra back from the hike. We once rolled a used automobile tire out of the woods and took it home with us!

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS / LETTERS

Cities Turn Green!
(by Rich Romanowski – wrangellmtns@aol. com)

A recent survey calls San Francisco "greenest" as ecological efforts are blossoming nationwide. On trash day in San Francisco, bins in three colors line the streets, each with a different purpose.

The city requires residents to put recyclable materials into a blue bin, compostables into a green one and regular garbage into a black one.

"We even recycle batteries," says Johanna Partin, the mayor's director of climate protection initiatives, adding they can be placed in a clear bag on top of any bin.

Since San Francisco launched the mandatory program in October 2009, it's keeping 77% of discarded materials out of landfills – the highest such diversion rate in the USA, Partin says. She expects the city, which exceeded its 75% goal by 2010, to hit 90%!

The recycling program is one reason why San Francisco, a pioneer in the environmental movement, ranks as the greenest of 27 large cities in North America in a survey released by Siemens Corp. The research ranks large cities on 31 indicators such as water and air quality and finds not only cities on the West Coast, long known for environmentalism, doing well. New York, Boston and Washington make the top 10, as do Denver and Minneapolis.

"There's a real trend in these cities to pay attention to environmental sustainability for economic reasons" that include cutting energy costs, says Eric Spiegel, Siemens president and CEO.

Other US cities are blazing eco-trails of their own, according to the survey compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit:

Seattle is using $20 million from the US Department of Energy to launch an energy program for 2,200 buildings, including 2,000 single-family homes.

Jill Simmons, director of the city's Office of Sustainability and Environment, says families will get rebates but likely will pay 75% of the costs to make their homes more energy efficient.

Los Angeles has expanded its water and power department's use of renewable energy and hopes to hit 33% by 2020.

The switch hasn't raised utility rates, says Romel Pascual, the city's Deputy Mayor of Environment. He says Los Angeles gets about 40% of its power from coal but aims to reduce that to zero by 2030. "We want to be the cleanest and greenest big city," he says.

To see the complete rankings, go to usatoday. com

***

The World Wildlife Federation and Climate Change
(by Carole Romanowski-whispjesse@aol. com)

The World Wildlife Federation reports mangrove forests, John Denver's tropic retreat when he went "a little further North each year", are the guardians of tropical coastlines, as well as the people and wildlife that live along them. They are also under serious threat.

Jonathan Cook from the WWF Climate Change Adaptation Program, points out the roots of mangroves help the trees flourish in a salty environment and act as nurseries for crabs, other invertebrate species and fish – from barnacles to sharks. Mangroves also provide food, fuel, and other services to human communities, as well as serving as a critical and cost-effective buffer against coastal storms and floods.

During the 2004 Asian tsunami, areas with intact mangroves suffered significantly less damage than areas where they had been cleared.

Yet more than 50 percent of the world's mangroves have been destroyed during the last two decades, stripped by unsustainable fishing and harvesting of wood, and choked by sediment and salinity levels due to upstream pollution. Less than one percent of the remaining mangrove forests are adequately protected.

In many places, sea-level rise linked to climate change threatens to make the situation even worse. That's why in 2005, with support from the Global Environment Facility, WWF began a project to develop tools that assess the vulnerability of mangrove forests to climate change, and to test strategies that will help those forests better adapt in the future.

Through pilot activities in Cameroon, Tanzania and Fiji, WWF sought to better understand how sea-level rise will affect mangrove ecosystems and to protect mangrove areas of high ecological value. To do this, WWF identified and monitored sample mangrove plots to track changes over time, analyzed the elevation of mangrove areas to assess their vulnerability to rising waters, reconstructed past sea-level trends to better understand the history of each site, and worked closely with local communities to involve them in monitoring activities.

They also tested approaches to help mangroves, and the people who depend on them, adapt to climate change. These included the expansion of coastal protected areas, reforestation of degraded areas with "climate-smart" mangrove species that better tolerate sea-level rise and changes in salinity, and coastal planning that allows mangrove ecosystems to migrate inland as sea levels rise.

WWF is developing a manual that will help conservationists and natural resource managers around the world to assess the vulnerability of mangroves to sea-level rise, and to develop effective adaptation strategies that reduce vulnerability.

While mangroves can help protest human communities from the effects of climate change, they are also threatened by climate change themselves. If we can help mangroves stay healthy and flourish, then we will actually be doing a favor for ourselves!

Furthermore, the WWF is involved with fisheries. Forty percent of the world's population lives on or near a coast, and one-sixth of the world's population gets its main source of protein from the sea.

Few human activities have as pervasive an impact on human lives and biodiversity as fisheries. They affect people and the marine environment at a massive rate, from simple subsistence fishing to industrial operations that harvest billions of fish each year. Bluefin tuna,popular in sushi, is being fished to near extinction, and six species of tuna are facing major pressures as well.

The WWF helped create the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, and are working to develop long-term solutions to secure the species' health while meeting human need.

Cyanide fishing poisons coral reefs, dynamite fishing destroys reefs, mangrove forests and other marine environments. All of these methods wreak havoc on natural habitats. Industrial fishing methods lead to the capture and discard of millions of fish and turtles.

WWF works internationally to improve fishing policy and methods, and locally to provide alternate – but equally successful – fishing options to communities in places worldwide.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MAY

May 14, 2012 - Centerville, OH - "Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver" - Jim Curry and his band 7:30 pm Centerville, PAC / 500 East Franklin / Centerville, OH * Info: anne@jimcurrymusic. com

May 19, 2012 - Eagle River, WI - "Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver" - Jim Curry and his band 7:30 pm Northland Pines High School Auditorium / 1800 Pleasure Island Road / Eagle River, WI anne@jimcurrymusic. com

May 22, 2012 - Glendive, MT - "Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver" - Jim Curry and his band 7:30 pm Dawson County High School / 900 North Merrill Ave / Glendive, MT anne@jimcurrymusic.com

JUNE

June 1, 2012 - Upland, CA - Jim & Anne Curry Perform the music of John Denver / Fundraiser for the Cooper Museum / Upland Cultural Center / 525 W. 18th St / Upland, CA * Info: anne@jimcurrymusic.com

June 2, 2012 - Lake Arrowhead, CA - "Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver" - Jim Curry and his band / anne@jimcurrymusic.com
http://lakearrowheadvillage.wordpress.com/
(909) 337-2533

June 7, 2012 - Morrison, CO - 3rd Annual John Denver Tribute at Red Rocks Amphitheater 16351 County Road 93 8:00 pm Tickets: $29 Starring Jim Curry with John Denver Band Members, featuring Lee Holdridge

June 10, 2012 - Apeldoom NL - Yearly John Denver Day organized by the World of John Denver www.tenbrug.nl/JohnDenver

June 16, 2012 - UK - The Poems, Prayers and Promises Picnic 2012
will be on June 16th at Natural England's Dersingham National
Nature Reserve, Norfolk 12:00 Noon
'An Evening with John Denver' will take place at the
Old Friendship Hall, Sunnyside Close, Heacham 5:00 pm
Info: rockymountainhigh27@virgin. net
http://www.fojd.org.uk

JULY

July 7, 2012 - Big Bear Lake, CA - Jim Curry and his band perform the music of John Denver / Bear Creek Resort Event Tent / 40210 Big Bear Blvd / Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 anne@jimcurrymusic. com

July 12, 2012 - Morrison, CO - John Denver: The Tribute with the John Adams Band and Orchestra - Red Rocks Amphitheatre 7:00 pm

July 18, 2012 - Claremont, CA - Jim Curry and his band perform the Music of John Denver 7?:30 pm / Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre / 455 West Foothill Blvd / Claremont, CA - Show only, no meal will be served. Desserts will be available to purchase.
www.candlelightpavilion.com

July 21, 2012 - Raystown Lake Seven Points Amphitheater - Christopher Westfall "Headin' to the Mountains" 7:00 PM 6145 Seven Points Road / Hesston, PA 16647 / 814-658-3405 / http://raystown.nab.usace.army.mil/ for more info : Suzanne Rose srose312@embarqmail.com or Patty Speicher pjspiker@verizon.net

July 22, 2012 - Altadena, CA - Jim and Anne Curry perform the Music of John Denver - 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm The Coffee Gallery Backstage / 2029 N. Lake / Altadena, CA (626) 798-6236
www.coffeegallery.com

July 26-27, 2012 - Belmont, MI - "Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver" - Jim Curry and his band with the Grand Rapids Symphony 7:30 pm
Cannonsburg Ski Area / Cannonsburg Road Northeast / Belmont, MI
http://www.grsymphony.org

July 26-27, 2012 - Belmont, MI - Symphony Concert - Jim Curry and his band perform the Music of John Denver with the Grand Rapids Symphony 7:30 pm Cannonsburg Ski Area / Cannonsburg Road Northeast / Belmont, MI
www.grsymphony.org

SEPTEMBER

September 1, 2012 - Estes Park, CO -
Brad Fitch and the TropiCowboy Band will present their ninth annual John Denver Concert - Stanley Park rodeo area, Estes Park, Colorado - Benefit for the Lion's Club (970) 402-7348
www.estesparklionsclub.org
www.cowboybrad.com

September 1, 2012 - Raystown Lake Seven Points Amphitheater - Chris Collins & members of the Boulder Canyon - A Tribute to the Music of John Denver 7:00 PM 6145 Seven Points Road / Hesston, PA 16647 / 814-658-3405 / http://raystown.nab.usace.army.mil/ for more info : Suzanne Rose srose312@embarqmail.com or Patty Speicher pjspiker@verizon.net

September 7, 2012 - Crownsville, MD - Hard Travelers opening for the Oakridge Boys http://www.oakridgeboys. com
Info: vernonroberts@hotmail. com

OCTOBER

October 7, 2012 - Breckenridge, CO -
Chris Collins and the Boulder Canyon Band present the music of John Denver /
Riverwalk Center / Breckenridge, CO Special Guest Star Jim Connor - John Denver's Banjo Man, Author of Grandma's Feather Bed, former Kingston Trio member, soloist on 18 gold/platinum records
Tickets: $20 from AHP, PO Box 1374, Frisco, CO 80443
Info: AHPFrisco@gmail.com * (970) 370-5726

October 10-15, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Off the Record, up close and personal show by Steve Weisberg with special guest, Chris Bannister / various times available / Tickets $65 steve@steveweisberg.net

October 11, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Celebrating the Life and Legacy of John Denver - Jeffrey Pine in Concert 2:00pm Aspen Community Church 200 E Bleeker St - Aspen, CO $18 in advance - $22 at the door
www.jeffreypine.com

October 11, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Chris Collins in Concert / Chris Collins and Boulder Canyon will pay tribute to John Denver's music / Chris Collins, Kevin Delmolino, Paul Swanton, and Kj Reimensnyder perform 6:45 PM. Doors open at 6:15 PM Aspen Community Church / 200 E Bleeker St / Aspen, CO
$20 general admission Info: Holly Carter HollieCWoodstock@aol.com

October 11, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Mollie & Bob with the band 8:45 pm Aspen Community Church / 200 E. Bleeker St / Aspen, CO $20
Tickets: SWIAspen@aol.com (860) 940-9686

October 12-13, 2012 - Aspen, CO - 15th Annual John Denver Tribute Concerts - Wheeler Opera House http://www.facebook.com/johndenver2012
Tickets go on sale April 2, 2012
(970) 920-5770 www.aspenshowtix.com

October 12, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Aspen Community Church - Steve Brook, Steve Weisberg and Chris Bannister play their favorite John Denver songs and a selection of originals
3:30 pm $25 Tickets: steve@steveweisberg.net or
Laurie Olson newspirit28@sbcglobal.net

October 12 7 PM Aspen Community Church - Jim Connor Remembers - John Denver's Banjo Man will tell stories of his 34 year friendship with John on this anniversary eve concert. Jim will also play selections from his former Kingston Trio days and from his 18 gold and platinum record solos. There will also be a special surprise guest or two! Tickets $20 Charlotte Clarke, PO Box 592, Frisco CO 80443. Info: charlottefrisco@yahoo.com.

October 12, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Reliving Annie's Song Inspiration - Drop in any time between 10 and 4 pm. Ride the chair lft at the bottom of the mountain where Annie's Song was inspired. Little Nell Chairlift ride
charlottefrisco@yahoo.com

October 12, 2012 - Aspen, CO - "A Place of Inspiration" at the Mountain Chalet - 11:30 pm to 4:00 pm Musicians showcase in the round. Musicians will play a combination of their orginal John Denver Tribute songs as well as their own versions of some of John's songs. Interested in performing? Contact Cottonwood Stone at 480-600-8924 or email cottonwoodtree27@gmail. com / Admission: donation / To benefit the nonprofit organization "Ear Candy" who provides musical instruments to children to those who cannot otherwise afford them.

October 14, 2012 - Aspen, CO - John Adams Concert - Wheeler Opera House
http://www.aspenshowtix.com
Tickets go on sale May 1, 2012

October 14, 2012 - Aspen, CO - Mack Bailey, Chris Nole and Pete Huttlinger in an afternoon show at the Aspen Chapel / Tickets: $15 at the door

October 26-28, 2012 - Germany - John Denver Weekend / Sinzig at the Rhine,
close to Bonn

Branson, MO - Monday through Saturday 10:00am "A Tribute to John Denver & Country Music Legends". James Garrett sings John Denver's best-loved hits. IMAX Little Opry Theatre / 3562 Shepherd of the Hills Expressway / Branson, MO 65616 (800) 419-4832

(thanks to Emily Parris and the Rocky Mountain High newsletter for these dates; thanks too, to Karen Tupek for keeping us up to date with Mack Bailey's schedule, Judy Therrien, PattiAnn Cutter, Pat Hough and others for information on Chris Westfall and Charlie Zahm's engagements, Patty Speicher for Chris Collins' dates, and Deb Sanderson for news of events in California)
 

NEWSLETTER NEWS

If you would like to submit articles, news items, stories, poetry, or any other pertinent information to IT'S ABOUT TIME, please e-mail any of the IAT staff.  The submission deadline for the next edition is August 19, 2012.  Please be sure to include any contact information so that members can e-mail or snail-mail for further details.

The contents of this newsletter are entirely at the discretion of the "It's About Time" staff.   Contributions, as always, are welcomed, although inclusion is not guaranteed.  All contributed material may be subject to editing for content and length.

The THEME for the next newsletter will be:
In the 14 years since John's passing, what cause(s) that John supported has/have had an influence on you? For example, have you expanded your actions of donating your time or money to charities that are related to wildlife or the environment? How has this giving made a positive impact on the earth or the world?

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Co-Founder/Former President -- Marcelle Orswell (notmartha2@yahoo.com)
Co-Founder and Secretary -- Theresa Shea (Tree1A@aol.com)
Co-Founder/Webpage Designer -- Sandy Clark (tybrenn@comcast.net)
Co-Presidents -- Ann Schnitz (aerie01@comcast.net) and Mary Ledford (eagleshorses@yahoo.com)
Web Site -- -- http://home.comcast.net/~tybrenn/iat/
Facebook -- -- IAT – John Denver: http://www. facebook. com/home. php#/group. php?gid=100472756285