IAT
NEWSLETTER
January 2005
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"IT'S ABOUT TIME WE BEGIN IT,
TO TURN THE WORLD AROUND . . . "
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ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
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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/
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Dear Friends,
Well, here we are (out of the mountains again and back in Hollywood...oops - sorry
- force of habit) in 2005. The road goes ever on and on. Please remember that this
is YOUR newsletter - are there things we include here that you hate? Love? Are there
things you'd prefer to see instead, or in addition to what we already include? I
hope you will continue to let us know, and thanks to those who have contributed to
this month's edition
My heart to yours,
Ann
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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"Things get better when enough people decide
they should get better. Things change when ordinary people come together in a common
purpose."
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, 1999.
(thanks to Barb Kilgallon for this monthÇs quote -- AS)
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FUNDRAISER
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Nothing to report this month
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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March 3, 2005 * Altadena, CA - Christopher Westfall
will be performing at the Coffee Gallery Backstage at 8:30, 2029 N. Lake St. Altadena,
CA (web site www.coffeegallery.com 626-398-7917) (www.chriswestfall.com) For information:
Judy in Monterey, jht@spamarrest.com or 831-373-7780.
March 6, 2005 *Yorba Linda, CA - Chris Westfall will be performing at the Nixon Library
Theater, 3:30, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd. 714-993-5075 (www.chriswestfall.com) For info:
Judy in Monterey, jht@spamarrest.com or 831-373-7780.
April 16, 2005 *Altadena, CA -- Phil Christie will be performing in concert at the
Coffee Gallery Backstage, on Saturday, April 16, 2005 - with Mike Valentine and Steve
Stapenhorst! (www.coffeegallery.com, www.philchristie.com) Reservations
(626) 398-7917
ALSO: Mack Bailey has just recently become a member of The Limeliters, the legendary
folk trio that originally took its name from the Limelite in Aspen, where many now
stay for the tribute week in October. Mack is performing concerts across the nation,
with dates being added all the time. His schedule is available at www.mackbailey.com/schedule.htm
. Also, Mack announces plans for his second Concert Trip to Ireland, with Kevin Brooks
and John Sommers, March 15 - 22, 2005. Includes St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, tours,
concerts, and a fabulous trip around Ireland. For details, see: http://www.mackbailey.com/Ireland.htm
(thanks to Emily Parris and the Rocky Mountain High newsletter for many of these
dates; thanks too, to Karen Tupek for keeping us up to date with Mack BaileyÇs schedule,
Donna Pinto for information on Chris WestfallÇs engagements, and Deb Sanderson for
news of events in California)
REMINDER::: The John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth is available for all JD-related
events. Please email peaceclothinfo@yahoogroups.com
for more information, or see our website at www.johndenverpeacecloth.com
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LETTERS
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From Carole Romanowski (whispjesse@aol.com):
"The Vision of Your Goodness Will Sustain Me Through the Cold..."
An article placed recently in my daily newspaper by the Elmsford Animal Shelter near
my hometown petitioned its readers for warm bedding for its animals housed outside
on shelter grounds. The Elmsford Animal Shelter has an excellent reputation for caring
for its inhabitants within a very humane environment, but overcrowding due to adoption
of pets not keeping pace with newborn or abandoned animals entering the facility
has become a problem for them. I am sure this is not the only shelter operating under
these same conditions.
I visited the shelter and found the feline inhabitants or cats were enclosed in-house,
either in large cages or in groups in heated rooms, but the older and larger dogs
were placed outside in large cages or in gated alley-shaped quarters adjacent to
each other. Many of these older animals have a slim chance of ever being adopted
due to their age or infirmity. I learned the dogs are hosed down in the summer with
cool water to keep them comfortable, but they are unfortunately subject to the winter
elements during cold weather, even though their pens are roofed or covered on top.
Therefore, the shelter has asked for the public to donate used bedding or even used
clothing free of zippers or buttons to protect the animals from getting bruised or
sick ingesting the buttons. So I donated two bags of bedding - a used blanket, a
set of faded sheets, some worn bath towels, and even old sweaters to ward off winter's
chill. I was heartened to find the front porch of the shelter had other large bags
filled with bedding from caring donors, much to the joy and relief of the volunteers
who work there.
If you are like me and are very concerned knowing one of God's creatures is uncomfortable
and shivering from the cold and you can do something about it that is so simple and
takes about fifteen minutes of your time to make such a big and positive difference,
please call your local animal shelter and either adopt a pet or contribute warm bedding
you can live without from your clothes or linen closet should there be a need. Thank
you for caring!
*****
From Deb Chilton (wilco@paclink.com):
The John Denver Peace Cloth was honored to have been invited to participate in the
first 12-hour Peace Jubilee, held in Vancouver, Washington on December 30 and 31st,
2004. You can only imagine how awesome and amazing it was to see panels of cloth
hanging down all the walls throughout the building where the Jubilee was held, each
panel representing hundreds of peopleÇs prayers for peace. I watched as crowds of
people gathered to read and admire the beauty of each and every piece, large and
small, and I recalled the stories that those pieces held. Such a gift we have given
to the world in John DenverÇs memory.
For an hour and half during the event, people gathered together at a table to create
personal panels for the Peace Cloth and to share their dreams and visions. It was
an incredible time, and as a result, we were able to make potentially exciting connections:
we were approached by the producer of a local cable station to put together a series
of programs for peace; teachers from local schools discussed using the Peace Cloth
curriculum in their classrooms and; the Abundant Life Center has requested that the
Peace Cloth present a 3-hour workshop for Church members to create their own panel
during "The Season of Non-Violence" event.
Another recent project was the collaboration between the Peace Cloth and EarthSeeds
to create a peace curriculum. EarthSeeds is a grass-roots, non-profit organization
promoting the image of Earth from Space as a healthy, harmonious, whole planet. Go
to their website, www.earthseeds.net to read more about their programs. We are thrilled
by this association and look forward to working with them in the future.
Upcoming events: the Peace Cloth will be the backdrop at the Kyle Vincent concert
being held at one of OregonÇs premier Green Schools, Lent Elementary, on Thursday,
February 24, 2005, and on March 19th, the Peace Cloth will participate in a Memorial
Peace Procession and be displayed at the Community Center in Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Also, at the request of Cassandra Delaney Denver, the Peace Cloth will be at the
Humanity Rocks Gala Benefit, February 4, 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona. Cassandra will
be performing with the 2004 LA Music Award winners. Please email me for more information
about any of these events.
It is always amazing how like-minded individuals seek out and find each other, and
in coming together, create something beautiful. In the words of John Denver, "We
have to believe that our actions matter, that they will add up to something, that
itÇs worth the time and effort to try."
*****
From Linda Wolverton:
This information was on a John Denver message group today, so I thought it would
be appropriate information for this site, too. This is truly an example of John's
creed, "what one man can do"!
Here's a little more information on the recent Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari
Maathai...found this on Yahoo News a couple of weeks back- "Rob" <taosman69@yahoo.com>
"Calling humanity a threat to the planet, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai
urged democratic reform and an end to corporate greed after becoming the first African
woman to collect the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Maathai founded a campaign that
has planted 30 million trees across Africa in a bid to slow deforestation.
Maathai collected a gold Nobel medal and a diploma to a standing ovation. (She separately
receives a check for $1.48 million).
Her tree-planting movement, led mostly by women, aims to produce firewood, building
materials and to slow deforestation. Kenya has lost about 90 percent of its forests
in the past 50 years.
The movement also works for women's rights, democracy and peace. Maathai said a stream
where she used to see frogs and tadpoles as a child 50 years ago had dried up. "The
challenge is to restore the home of the tadpoles and give back to our children a
world of beauty and wonder," she said. "I really don't know. I really don't
have any idea. I'm not an expert in this field," she said. She also denied suggesting
that scientists might have created the virus as a biological weapon against Africans.
In an interview with Reuters, Maathai brushed aside her past suggestions that the
deadly AIDS virus might have been the result of a laboratory experiment gone awry."
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WEBSITES OF INTEREST
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SUPPORT THE BEARFOREST IN THE NETHERLANDS
http://www.higherground.nl/BerenbosKavelVoorJohnDenver/index-EN.htm
Visit their website to see how you can help support the rehabilitation of bears in
a forest preserve in the Netherlands. The website has posted an audio clip of John
Denver singing "How Do You Say Hello To A Grizzly Bear?" from "Bighorn!"
too!
*
The World Peace Experiment (thanks to Theresa Shea for contributing this):
http://www.openheart.com/peace/peace.html <http://www.openheart.com/peace/peace.html
*
From Judy T in Monterey:
Tell your senators and representative to oppose oil development in the Arctic Refuge!
http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/redfordarctic/action.asp?item=52387&step=2&ms=RRM0501
*
From Linda E:
I recently read this wonderful story of how a group of kids started a no-kill shelter
in Texas (The Dalhart Animal Welfare Group and Sanctuary - DAWGS) . It's a great
to hear of children doing something so special in this day and age, that benefits
something besides themselves. It's a Feel Good story and I wanted to share it with
you....
The link to the story: http://www.bestfriends.org/allthegoodnews/magazine/dalhart_jan04.cfm
The link to the website:
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/localnmhpprograms/dawgs.cfm
*
From Yellowstone Wolf:
Dearest friends & family (which I consider you ALL FAMILY),
I couldn't sleep, that seems to be the norm over the last year, so I decided to search
the net early this morning for places to send recycled things. I was going to send
my Christmas cards to St Jude, but they are not accepting any right now (cuz they
have a backlog! How very wonderful, eh?). So I did a search about my Cambell's soup
labels that I had been saving...sure enough, found a site that does indeed recycle
them and it's also helping an Native American reservation! Right up my ally! And
it's NOT just soup labels! Check it out! Thanks!
http://www.pineridgerez.net/soup.php
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FOR SALE
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Peace Cloth Items!
Don't forget to check out www.johndenverpeacecloth.com
(Peace Cloth Store) for exclusive John Denver items. All proceeds benefit The John
Denver Memorial Peace Cloth. We now have a shopping cart to make your purchases easier!
Also -- if you shop online, please visit our virtual mall: www.johndenverpeacecloth.onecause.com -- every sale at a store in the mall returns a donation to the Cloth.
The Peace Cloth now has eScrip -- please see our website for more information.
*****
If you're looking for something special for a special someone, come check out what
Wildlife Creations
(http://www.geocities.com/wldlifecreation) has to offer!! We have many items relating to John Denver
and other items that would make fantastic gifts for people you know and love! Or
gift someone who is hard to buy for, something that they will talk about for years!
From keychains, snowglobes, t-shirts, potpourri jars and more!!! We're sure you'll
find something! And remember, whenever you purchase from Wildlife Creations, you're
not only giving a gift to someone you know, but to the Windstar Foundation and also
the National Wildlife Federation, in John's memory, for wolf education as all proceeds
are given to them. Wildlife Creations is now offering a feature product.
Checkout the website for this month's offering! For more information, you can email
us at wldlifecreation@wildmail.com.
In this healing time...
Thank you for helping to make the world
a better place in which to live,
Diana and Susan
Wildlife Creations
http://www.geocities.com/wldlifecreation
*****
From Sherry Cook <backhomagain@yahoo.com>
Hello friends!
Did you ever have a simple idea just hit you right out of the blue?! Last night while
discussing my Mary Kay business, a realization hit me just like that! For over a
year now, I have been a Mary Kay consultant, but it has been one part of my life
and carrying on John Denver's legacy has been another. The two didn't seem to harmonize,
but with this idea, they are! I have a website (www.MaryKay.com/scook2426). If you
will visit my website and place an order, I will donate a portion of my proceeds
to Windstar. That way, whatever you purchase will help my business grow, and more
importantly to me, Windstar grow! It's just the perfect time to order Christmas gifts,
too!
And don't think you guys are left out, either...no sir! Every guy who tries the shave
cream LOVES it! Also, there are several men's colonges that are wonderful...don't
forget the special lady in your life! Everyone should treat themselves to Satin Hands!
It's incredible! I hope you will "come see me" on my website!
Take care, everybody, and have a great day!
Thank you!
Peace and joy,
Sherry :)
***
For Sale to a good home - beautiful JD commemorative Taylor koa 6-string Grand Auditorium
size with revolutionary Expression Sound System and "Spirit" Windstar statue
inlay. Package includes Small Dog insulated case cover. # 143 finished April 8, 2003
(20030408143 JDCM) of the limited edition. Payment by money order or cashier's check
only. Email price / details: eagleflight@skyhigh.com
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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From The Herald and Review Online
Bald Eagles Making a Comeback; many sites offer chance to view America's symbol
By VALERIE WELLS - H&R Staff Writer
Sunday, January 2, 2005 12:21 AM CST
DECATUR - The eagles have landed.
Last year at this time, Decatur residents were surprised and delighted to spot a
few bald eagles hanging around, most notably one that landed at Scovill Zoo to visit
Zap and Abby, the eagles who have lived there since wing injuries prevented them
from being returned to the wild.
John Denver said, "I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly,"
and this year, bald eagle watching can be enjoyed by almost anyone in Illinois. The
Illinois Department of Natural Resources has released a list of likely spots, along
with the probability of actually seeing one - and your chances are pretty good.
"At one point, especially with DDT and pesticides that were affecting eagles,
we saw large declines of eagle populations throughout the country," said John
Buhnerkempe, chief of the division of wildlife for the Department of Natural Resources.
"But as we began a program to eliminate DDT and provide more habitat for eagles,
we've seen a resurgence across the country."
Eagles like fish dinners, so large bodies of water, especially the Mississippi River,
are a good bet. But lakes will do, too, and when they're hungry enough, eagles will
eat anything, even roadkill, he said. Look near dams because eagles know they can
grab an injured or dead fish near those places. A few have even been spotted in and
around Decatur.
To spot them, look up. Eagles, like other birds of prey, prefer a high vantage point
so they can spot prey easily, and they have remarkably sharp vision. With no leaves
on the trees, they'll be easier to see perched in the high branches. Adults are easy
to identify because of their snowy white heads and white tails. Youngsters don't
develop those characteristics until they're 4 or 5 years old. Even young eagles are
huge, larger than any other bird you're likely to see.
Buhnerkempe said when he began his career in the 1980s, eagles were so rare in Illinois
that having 10 nesting pairs was considered good. Now, he said, more than 100 eagles
nest in Illinois. Eagles use the same nest year after year, and their nests can weigh
as much as a ton. Both parents incubate the eggs and a pair of eagles typically produces
one to three chicks annually.
In Alton, visitors can actually watch two pairs of nesting eagles who are regular
residents of the area, said Suzanne Halbrook, public relations specialist for the
Alton Twin Rivers Convention and Visitors Bureau. The pair by the lock and dam, she
said, have a youngster who is almost as big as the parents but has yet to sprout
the white feathers on its head.
"This is probably the earliest (in the year) we've seen (eagles)," Halbrook
said. "We've had people going up and down the river road all day, and they're
seeing between 40 and 50 eagles on the tour."
Suddenly cold weather farther north that froze the waterways is probably what drove
the eagles south early this year, she said, and as long as the water stays open,
the eagles will stay.
Valerie Wells can be reached at vwells@;herald-review.com or 421-7982.
**
DENlines 1/19/05
A Biweekly Update from Defenders of Wildlife: Working to Save Wildlife and Wild Lands
More Than 100 Scientists Oppose Aerial Gunning of Alaska Wolves
Payments by Defenders for Grizzly Bear Livestock Kills Drop, Wolf Payments Rise
ConocoPhillips Abandons Group that Lobbies for Drilling in Arctic Refuge
This Valentine's Day Give a Gift From the Heart
Defenders and Others Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary of Wolf Reintroduction
Potential Good News for Sonoran Pronghorn
Moderate Senator Named to Key Wildlife Subcommittee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. More Than 100 Scientists Oppose Aerial Gunning of Alaska Wolves
Alaska-based biologist, Dr. Victor Van Ballenberghe, has drafted a report commissioned
by Defenders and supported by 123 scientists and academic wildlife professionals,
which states that Alaska's current program of killing wolves from the air is scientifically
flawed. Along with the report, the scientists sent a letter stating their opposition
to Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski and the Alaska Board of Game on January 6. At press
time, 63 wolves had already been killed by aerial gunners this season, and hundreds
more are slated to die. Defenders' Alaska office records a weekly audio message about
the aerial gunning program that can be heard online. You can also view a video about
aerial hunting of wolves (caution: it's fairly graphic) and sign a petition to Gov.
Murkowski at www.wolfcampaign.org.
2. Payments by Defenders for Grizzly Bear Livestock Kills Drop, Wolf Payments Rise
Defenders of Wildlife paid $12,795 in grizzly bear compensation funds to ranchers
in 2004 -- a 32 percent drop from 2003. Conversely, payments through The Bailey Wildlife
Foundation Wolf Compensation Trust to ranchers for wolf kills of livestock were up
in 2004 to a one-year record of more than $136,000. Since 1987, Defenders had paid
out more than $476,000 to compensate ranchers for losses due to wolves. Despite the
fact that they are often vilified, wolves are only responsible for less than one-tenth
of 1 percent of all livestock deaths on average.
3. ConocoPhillips Abandons Group that Lobbies for Drilling in Arctic Refuge
ConocoPhillips has become the latest oil company to pull out of a lobbying group
called Arctic Power, which was created to pressure lawmakers into drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The revelation indicates a lessening of corporate
interest in plans to push for drilling. BP/Amoco and ChevronTexaco had formerly removed
themselves from the group, but ExxonMobil remains a member. Despite what appears
to be wavering corporate interest, and recent polls that indicate that the majority
of Americans are opposed to drilling the refuge, leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives
and the Senate appear poised to push harder than ever for gutting the refuge à the
remaining 5 percent of land on Alaska's North Slope that isn't already open to drilling.
4. This Valentine's Day Give a Gift From the Heart
Show someone special you really care this Valentine's Day. Make a truly meaningful
gift by sending your loved one a wildlife gift adoption. It's a perfect gift for
a child or grandchild! Pass on the legacy of wildlife conservation to someone you
love by adopting a wolf, panther, snowy owl, polar bear, dolphin, sea otter, whale,
tiger or elephant. When you do, we'll send that person a plush animal toy and a certificate
of adoption suitable for framing. Visit our wildlife adoption center today to send
a Valentine's gift that will show just how much you care à for that special person
and wildlife.
5. Defenders and Others Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary of Wolf Reintroduction
Defenders and others celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the reintroduction of
wolves to Yellowstone and Idaho on January 12. In what has been described as one
of our nation's greatest wildlife conservation success stories, the population of
wolves in the northern Rockies has grown from the few that were reintroduced to nearly
800 today.
6. Potential Good News for Sonoran Pronghorn
Following a recent survey, experts estimate that there are 58 Sonoran pronghorn in
the United States. This estimate is more than double the survey from 2002, when biologists
estimated 21. Although Sonoran pronghorn still face dire threats, the new numbers
and the efforts of a captive breeding program bring hope that the animals will survive.
7. Moderate Senator Named to Key Wildlife Subcommittee
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-Rhode Island), who is generally considered to be fairly moderate
and friendly to wildlife and other environmental issues, was named chairman of the
Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee of the Environment and Public Works Committee,
a key subcommittee with regard to endangered species issues. Defenders has worked
with Sen. Chafee in the past and look forward to engaging with him on important wildlife
and environmental issues.
DENlines is a biweekly update of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation
organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife
and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues,
particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates
new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered.
Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 480,000
members and supporters.
Defenders of Wildlife
1130 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2004
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POETRY
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None this month
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NEWSLETTER NEWS
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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 February 19, 2005. Please be sure to include any
contact information so that members can e-mail or snail-mail for further details.
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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.
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". . . 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."
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