IN

INVIRONMENT | 1

HEC Turns 30 - A Look Back and a Look AheadThirty years ago this month, a group of women and men,

passionate about Indiana and its environmental condition, founded

the Hoosier Environmental Council. It’s an honor to be writing to

you, in their footsteps, as we celebrate our legacy and look to the

opportunities ahead at this great milestone in our organization’s

life. In the pages that follow, we begin a year-long celebration of

volunteers, staff members, partners, and donors who have been

central to our organization’s impact in protecting families from

pollution, safeguarding some of Indiana’s great natural treasures,

and forging environmental solutions that help both our physical

and economic well-being.

Though we will point to many areas of HEC’s impact in this issue,

I know that many supporters are anxious about Indiana’s future:

will certain politicians continue their efforts to rollback safeguards

to our air and water? Will our state be known for dirty, dated

ways of producing food and energy, or be celebrated for being at

the forefront of sustainable energy and farming? Will recognition

that there are major patterns of change happening to our crops

and forests finally overcome the denial that climate change exists

among some of our most prominent political leaders?

We have no illusions about the scale of challenges we face as

a state and as a nation. Yet we’re optimistic that HEC, on the

precipice of its fourth decade, is up to the task, especially in

collaboration with fellow environmental groups, new public interest

allies, green-minded businesses, and foresighted policymakers.

Continued on page 2

FALL 2013 | INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Newsletter of the Hoosier Environmental Council

VIRONMENT

• HEC Turns 30, 5 Pillars for the Next Decade of HECPage 1-2

• Register for HEC’s Largest Event of the Year - on November 16th!Page 3

• A Brief History of the Hoosier Environmental CouncilPage 4-5

• HEC Celebrates our Supporters, Volunteers, Allies Page 6

• A 50,000 Feet Look at HEC’s Current InitiativesPage 7

• Protecting the Wild Hardwood Forests of Southern IndianaPage 8

• Victory for Small Farmers: the Stickdorn Case and the Legislative Road AheadPage 9

• 5 Tips for Being an Effective Citizen-LobbyistPage 10

• From Lake Wawasee to Camp Tecumseh, Industrial Ag Pollution Remains an Important Issue Page 11

• HEC Launches Project to Tackle Environmental Injustice in Northwest Indiana CommunitiesPage 11

Jesse Kharbanda | Executive Director

2 | INVIRONMENT

Engage Statewide

Weekly, if not daily, we receive appeals for assistance from

across the state. As a lean organization, we wish we could

field them all, but the good news is that we can see patterns

of concern that shape our overall priorities. In focusing on

statewide concerns like coal pollution and factory farms, and

statewide opportunities like clean energy, sustainable farming,

and green transportation options, we strive to represent

Hoosiers in all parts of the state.

1

Listen and Build Bridges

HEC partners with more than a dozen environmental and

conservation allies, and that coordination strengthens our col-

lective impact. But self-identified environmentalists makeup

just a small portion of Indiana’s population. If we are to create

broad-based change, we need to build alliances whenever

possible with groups well beyond our traditional allies. HEC’s

initiatives on clean energy, mass transit, passenger rail, and

sustainable agriculture have all built bridges with business, and

we’re excited about new partnerships we’ve forged with

communities of faith on climate change, for example. We also

must continue to take every opportunity to dialogue with

groups that do not share our views.

2

minded business allies – and yes, sometimes, it comes from

litigation and delivering a strong message from a statewide

campaign. What remains constant is that HEC needs to

remain a continuing voice in the legislature, where we may

be, in some instances, the only non-profit group in the state

representing environmental issues.

Employ a Variety of Approaches

Some passionate environmental advocates subscribe to the

belief that only an aggressive push against business and

government can cause institutions to change their behavior.

We believe the answer is multi-fold: sometimes, the greatest

impact comes from steady coalition building – involving green-

4

Keep Economics in Mind

Indiana’s unemployment rate remains higher than the national

average, and our per capita income is 10th from the bottom in

the country. These sobering statistics mean that environmental

advocates have to keep economics top of mind. We’re at our

best when we can show, through good research, that our

policies emphatically improve our environment and our

community’s overall economic well-being.

3

Empower Hoosiers

Ultimately, the strongest forces for environmental change we have

are Hoosiers - empowered with the right tools to be effective

community advocates. We’ve launched one statewide

initiative, focused on factory farms, to help communities do just

that. With your ongoing support, we can replicate our technical

and legal assistance work into other issues that impact Hoosier

quality of life.

If these five ‘pillars’ remain in place – and are strengthened, thanks

to our staff and volunteers and supporters like you – HEC will be

poised to be an even stronger voice in the years ahead.

Thank you for your support,

5

I want to share five ‘pillars’ that I think will be crucial to HEC for succeeding in our next decade. If you have new

ideas or different views, write us! Share your ideas at comments@hecweb.org.

5 Pillars for the Next Decade of HEC

Get Involved!

Join the thousands of Hoosiers across the state that support HEC as we work towards a cleaner, greener more sustainable Indiana. Please renew your support or make an additional tax-deductible donation today via the enclosed envelope, go to hecweb.org/donate, or call us at 317.685.8800, ext. 109.

INVIRONMENT | 3

Last year, we held our largest ever ‘Greening the Statehouse’

Forum, which drew 330 of you from across our state. Join us on

Saturday, November 16th at IUPUI in Indianapolis for our sixth

annual policy forum. You’ll have the opportunity to meet

fellow advocates and green-minded businesses, and also to

learn about the biggest environmental issues facing Indiana.

The stakes in 2014 could not be higher. While during the 2013

legislative session the Hoosier Environmental Council and our

allies were able to prevent several damaging bills from going

forward, they will likely return. The highly controversial SJR7,

dubbed ‘Right to Harm,’ which would provide unprecedented

constitutional protections to factory farms, and ‘Ag Gag’, which

would criminalize the taking of photos and videos on factory

farms, are likely to be resurrected when the legislature returns in

January 2014.

John Tuma, a champion of sustainable agriculture and the rights of rural communities, will be our keynote speaker. We look for-ward to hearing the inspirational remarks of Tuma -- a lawyer, former Republican Minnesota legislator, who shows that these issues can truly be bi-partisan!

In addition we will again host presentations covering an array of

other topics that you care about, with a few breakout sessions

to provide more opportunities to interact.

And of course, we’ll have great sustainable food and an

awards ceremony.

• Date: Saturday, November 16, 2013

• Time: Registration begins at 8:00 AM; Event: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Location: IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN, 46202-5143

Register Today!General admission: $20. Students: $10. For those who register

early, we are currently offering an early bird discount! Register:

hecweb.sagefundraisingonline.com/greeningstatehouse6

Register for HEC’s Largest Event of the Year - on November 16th!

A Special Partner for 2013We will be announcing all of our Forum partners in the

coming weeks through facebook.com/hecweb and

twitter.com/hec_ed. This year, the Hoosier Environmental

Council is excited to partner with IndyTalks, one of the

largest collaborations in Indiana dedicated to fostering

respectful and creative civic dialogue. This year’s Indy-

Talk’s theme is kids – whose health is a major reason why

many advocates fight for stronger environmental safe-

guards. A special IndyTalks breakout session on kids and

the environment will address how to effectively advocate

to policymakers on behalf of children during this annual

event that aims to educate and empower all Hoosiers on

environmental issues.

Please make sure to be engaged with HEC on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to seeing you on November 16th!

Singer & Environmentalist Jack Johnson Chooses HEC, Offers Matching OpportunityJack Johnson, singer, songwriter and environmentalist,

has chosen HEC as one of 75 organizations – world-

wide – to participate in his 2013 From Here To Now

To You Tour. Jack Johnson’s charity will be matching

donations made to us at his Oct. 5 concert or directly

to HEC through November 1st (Up to a total of $2,500).

Please make a contribution right now at www.hecweb.

org/donate and your money will be doubled by the

Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation! You may also

mail us a check – before November 1 -- with “Jack

Johnson match” in the memo line. To learn more about

Jack’s All At Once social action network, please go to

www.AllAtOnce.org.

A small cadre of volunteer leaders used annual conservation strategy meetings convened by legendary conservationist

and Congressman Jim Jontz as a springboard to form the Hoosier Environmental Council. HEC was envisioned as a fed-

eration of local and statewide environmental groups, with professional staff who would focus on the council’s role as a

watchdog of Indiana’s environmental regulatory agencies, and as a facilitator for communication and coordination among

its member groups. As HEC grew and evolved, it expanded its advocacy and grassroots organizing efforts, and led a series

of high profile statewide environmental campaigns. A door to door canvass, started in the late 1980’s, helped HEC broaden

its membership and reach Hoosiers one on one with educational materials and action messages. Our canvass operated

from HEC offices in Indianapolis, Michigan City, and later South Bend.

4 | INVIRONMENT

A Brief History of the Hoosier Environmental Council

HEC’s history has been marked by a number of great

campaigns – campaigns to protect our forests, our

groundwater, our lakes, our air, and to advance more

sustainable agriculture, energy and transportation in our

state. That’s a lot of history to cover. Since our founding

is rooted in our successful effort to protect the Hoosier

National Forest, we begin our history with a look back

at our initiatives to protect Indiana’s wilderness.

At hecweb.org/history, you’ll be able to view emerging

histories of our other great endeavors.

Part I: HEC’s Wilderness Campaigns

HEC’s first major statewide campaign expanded a grass-

roots effort already underway at the time the council

was formed. In response to a national directive to increase

commodity production on public lands, the U.S. Forest

Service sought to triple timber harvesting on Indiana’s

Hoosier National Forest (HNF). Several HEC leaders,

who were veterans of a just-concluded wilderness cam-

paign – that resulted in establishment of the Charles

Deam Wilderness area in 1982 – came together to challenge

the Forest Service’s proposed management plan that

called for widespread clearcutting and oil and gas

extraction throughout the forest. At that time, “global

warming” was not yet a part of the national vernacular, and the

Forest Service actually used a predicted cooling climate as

one justification for its plan to greatly increase logging

on the HNF. After an eight year campaign that eventually

gained the support of then Gov. Bayh and eleven of

Indiana’s twelve member congressional delegation, the

Forest Service reversed direction and adopted in its 1991

forest management plan virtually every component of

the Conservationists’ Alternative Forest Plan formulated

by HEC and its allies.

HEC followed up its success on the Hoosier National Forest

plan with other successful campaigns to protect Indiana’s

natural spaces. We were a leading advocate for the passage

of the Indiana Heritage Trust, first proposed by Governor

Bayh at HEC’s 1990 Annual Congress. Adopted by the

Indiana General Assembly in 1992, the Heritage Trust is

Indiana’s leading public lands acquisition program, protecting

over 50,000 acres since 1992. HEC also provided valuable

support to the Indiana Dunes Coalition, which convinced

Congress in 1992 to add 1,100 acres of dunes and wetlands

to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

HEC helped a local coalition – Patoka River Individuals

Defending the Environment -- bring statewide recognition

to the Patoka River, supporting a campaign to create Indiana’s

second national wildlife refuge along the river’s bottomlands,

oxbows and wetlands. Established in 1994, the Patoka

River National Wildlife Refuge will eventually protect over

22,000 acres in Pike and Gibson counties. HEC continues

today to support land acquisition funding for the refuge.

Congress’ passage of the Base Realignment and Closure

Act in 1988 resulted in the closure of several military

facilities in Indiana, an opportunity which HEC capitalized

on to expand our state’s public lands acreage. In Indianapolis,

HEC worked with local conservationists to swiftly build a

case for protection of the high quality forest habitats at

Fort Benjamin Harrison on the city’s northeast side.

The community readily agreed with this idea, and at Gov.

Bayh’s request, in 1996 the U.S. Army transferred these

lands to Indiana for the new Ft. Harrison State Park. In

southeast Indiana, it took longer for the Army to eventually

conclude that a new national wildlife refuge was the best

outcome for the closed Jefferson Proving Ground north

of Madison. HEC’s seven year campaign, in partnership with

Save the Valley and the Indiana Wildlife Federation, resulted

in establishment, in 2000, of the Big Oaks National Wildlife

Refuge on 50,000 acres at the former munitions testing facility. A

virtual treasure house of natural diversity, Big Oaks is the largest

national wildlife refuge in the lower Midwest.

In the early 1990’s, HEC turned its attention to the proposed

Interstate 69 extension from Indianapolis to Evansville due to

its expected dramatic environmental impact on the forests

and wildlife habitats of southern Indiana. A series of studies

had dismissed the idea for a southwest Indiana interstate,

including the Donahue study in 1990. Yet highway proponents

were not deterred, and convinced Gov. Bayh to revive the

idea. Planning resumed for a Bloomington to Evansville

interstate, which later evolved into an Indianapolis to Evansville

route. HEC and its allies realized that to effectively counter

pro-highway sentiment, they needed to launch a campaign

in support of an alternative to the state’s preferred new-terrain

alternative. The “Common Sense I-69” campaign for

the I-70/U.S. 41 alternative, in partnership with Citizens for

Appropriate Rural Roads and the Environmental Law and

Policy Center, produced an outpouring of public support

for this cheaper, less environmentally-damaging alternative.

During the public comment period on the highway’s draft en-

vironmental impact statement, nearly 17,000 letters and

postcards, and over 138,000 petition signers supported

either the I-70/U.S. 41 alternative or not building a new highway

at all. The I-70/U.S. 41 alternative was also recognized as the

environmentally preferable highway route by the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service, the U.S. EPA, and the Indiana Depart-

ment of Natural Resources.

Nevertheless, HEC’s campaign and the overwhelming public

sentiment could not dissuade then Gov. Frank O’Bannon

from approving the new-terrain I-69 route in 2003. Even

then, the project would have languished had not the Daniels

Administration generated new road construction dollars by

leasing the Indiana Toll Road. It is ironic that a conservative

governor with a strong reputation as a fiscal hawk decided to

support a costly and destructive public works project when a

cheaper and practical alternative was readily available.

INVIRONMENT | 5

Learn More About HEC’s History

Go to hecweb.org/history for emerging histories of our work on groundwater protection, mercury reduction, and our quest to make Indiana’s agriculture, energy, and transportation sectors more sustainable. On these pages, you’ll have the chance to comment and share your own reflections on your involvement with HEC.

Anne and Steve Jay, Great Supporters and Advocates

“At 30, HEC has become Indiana’s leading voice -- pragmatic,

optimistic, informed and inclusive -- on the environment and

sustainability. HEC’s creative educational programs,

advocacy and policy making, have sharpened the focus on

Hoosier values regarding clean air, water, energy and

sustainable transportation, food and agriculture. In

collaboration with community leaders, business and

universities, HEC has raised awareness of the serious present

threats to the environment and public health from global

warming, degradation of forests, wetlands, and open

spaces. HEC and its many collaborators have begun a critical

dialogue on the values to our state’s economy and quality

of life in protecting and restoring Indiana’s natural places,

which Hoosiers have long treasured. It has been an exciting

privilege for our family to witness and support HEC’s good

work and wish it Godspeed in its next 30 years.”

Thanks for your great work.

Anne and Steve Jay and family

Donna McCarty, Founding Board Member & Loyal Supporter

“I’m proud to have been a member of the HEC founding board of directors. I have

watched this organization grow over the years to become the highly-respected entity

it is today. HEC has the staff, ability and expertise to tackle the complex environmental

issues affecting our state while still working in concert with traditional conservation and

citizen groups. May HEC’s good work continue long into the future.”

– Donna McCarty

HEC Celebrates our Supporters, Volunteers, Allies

Hoosier Conservationists Harry and Jeanette Hollis Honored by HEC, Hollis Daughters

Harry Hollis (1914-2012) lived a rich, full life – a beloved

father, grandfather, husband, World War II veteran, Eagle

Scout, record-setting athlete, business professional, and

civic leader. He and his wife, Jeanette (1919-2005), were

both passionate about environmental causes. The Hoosier

Environmental Council has a special connection with Harry

and Jeanette. Harry, in particular, played an instrumental

role in advancing the conservationist plan for the Hoosier

National Forest, which HEC championed. And Harry’s family

chose to reaffirm that connection with the Hoosier Environ-

mental Council when well-wishers of Harry were urged to

contribute to HEC at the time of Harry’s passing in 2012. To

celebrate the exceptional lives of Harry and Jeanette Hollis,

HEC has named one of its 2013 Research Associates, recent

law school graduate Morgan Whitacre, a “Harry and Jeanette

Hollis Memorial Fellow”. The Hollis’ daughters, Janet, Marty,

and Susan, kindly provided full funding for the honorarium

for Morgan’s important work for HEC on coal mining and

forest protection.

6 | INVIRONMENT

INVIRONMENT | 3

A 50,000 Feet Look at HEC’s Current InitiativesWe realize that you, our supporters, are remarkably diverse in your interests, and we know that you would love to see us working

on many more concerns than our resources currently support. But even if we can’t take on every issue we’d like to , we do work

on many more than you may realize. Here is a list of many of the initiatives we are currently engaged in on your behalf. (We’re

also involved in dozens of other topics in the legislature, before regulatory bodies, and informally before local government bodies.)

HEC is turning 30 and we couldn’t be prouder! Elsewhere in this issue we’ve taken a

look back over the last three decades of protecting and improving Indiana’s envi-

ronment, sharing some of our milestones and accomplishments along the way, but now

we want to hear from you! As part of our yearlong celebration, we’d like to spotlight

you, our supporters, and how you feel HEC has helped to advance the environmental

values that we all hold dear. Examples could be clean air and water, access to nature,

options for transportation, and the right to speak freely about our environment. You

could cite a specific example of something we’ve focused on, raised awareness of, a

current program, or an approach we’re taking that you like. In your words, tell us what

HEC means to you! Along with your quote, send us a photo of yourself in nature (tell us

where), and we’ll feature it one of our newsletters, Facebook, or on our website! Please

send your submissions via email, to comments@hecweb.org, or to our office at 3951

N. Meridian St., Ste 100, Indianapolis, IN 46208. You will be entered into a drawing

to win a t-shirt with our 30th anniversary logo, featured on the right! We can’t wait

to hear from you!

Calling all HEC Friends!

INVIRONMENT | 7

Stay Connected! Sign up for HEC’s monthly e-newsletter at www.hecweb.org/e-news.

How HEC Helps You Our Major Initiatives, and their Geographic Focus

• Hosting workshops to educate and empower citizens harmed by factory farm pollution (Statewide)

• Defending a community plagued by industrial contamination (North Central) -Working an initiative to inform people

of coal ash contamination risks (Statewide)

• Launching a collaboration to reduce pollution in NW Indiana, one of the state’s toxic hotspots (Northwest)

• Pursuing an educational and regulatory effort to safeguard communities from coal mining pollution (Southwest)

• Creating a statewide incentive campaign to reduce particulate-pollution from outdoor wood boilers (Statewide)

Protecting Your Health

Laying the Foundation for Jobs in Your Communities

Protecting Your Natural Resources

• Leading clean energy initiatives to expand investment for renewables and retrofits for businesses, and energy ef-

ficiency for factories (Statewide)

• Working with coalitions to create a larger mass transit system and an improved passenger rail system from Chicago

to Indianapolis (Central; Northwest Central)

• Collaborating to safeguard the Backcountry of Morgan-Monroe State Forest (South Central)

• Litigating to protect forests, wetlands, and caverns from the destruction of a controversial highway (Southwest)

• Working with community groups to highlight vulnerable areas of the Lake Michigan watershed (Northwest)

8 | INVIRONMENT

Protecting the Wild Hardwood Forests of Southern IndianaThirty-two years ago Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Director Jim Ridenour declared a new “backcountry” area within

the neighboring State Forests of Morgan-Monroe and Yellow-

wood spanning Morgan, Monroe, and Brown counties. The

backcountry would be an area “…to be enjoyed by the wilderness

seeker as a place of solitude and repose,” as described in a DNR

publication. It would provide primitive recreation experiences

such as hiking, backcountry camping, hunting, and bird watching.

Today, the backcountry is a diverse, mature forest, inhabited by

deer, turkey, owls, and endangered animals such as the Cerulean

Warbler and Indiana bat (picture at right).

Since that day in July 1981, the backcountry area has remained

free from the intensive timber management practices occurring

in other parts of Indiana’s state forest system. But this changed

in 2013, when DNR management decided to begin logging in

this area. The latest timber sale was approved in July, awarding

the logging rights to over 1,000 mature oak, hickory, ash, and

other hardwood trees to Hamilton Logging, a company with a

history of complaints about its harvesting practices.

The new backcountry logging policy conflicts with DNR’s own

State Forest timber management plan. While this plan calls for

a four to five-fold increase in logging across the state forest sys-

tem, it expressly rejected a higher intensity alternative for the

reason that “It would not allow the DoF to set aside areas for

recreational, ecological or aesthetic reasons that are free from

timber harvests.” The Morgan-Monroe/Yellowwood backcountry

area is the precise type of area that the forest plan should set aside.

The logging plans also diverge from over thirty years of back-

country tradition which was widely supported by the surrounding

communities, as demonstrated by the bipartisan sponsorship

of state legislation – introduced in three successive sessions

--that would have protected the backcountry. Unfortunately,

this legislation was unsuccessful, and the new administration

of Governor Pence has maintained the former administration’s

support for backcountry logging.

HEC and our allies are continuing our efforts to reverse this

misguided policy, including public outreach and research into

possible legal avenues to prevent logging in the backcountry area.

HEC is also continuing our efforts to protect forest lands,

wildlife habitats and karst (unique limestone formations)

features from the destructive effects of I-69 construction in

Greene and Monroe Counties. Land clearing and grading is

underway in the 27 mile stretch from Crane to Bloomington,

but has made only modest progress due to chronic problems

with erosion and sediment runoff, and engineering challenges

involved with building an interstate highway in rugged,

karst-dominated terrain. HEC is pursuing a legal challenge

to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Act permit

for this section of the highway. Our challenge seeks to limit

permanent damage to this unique and sensitive Indiana

ecosystem. For more information, please contact Tim

Maloney, at tmaloney@hecweb.org.

Join Us!

More than 40% of HEC’s revenue comes from Hoosiers like you, supporting our mission to make Indiana a better place to live, breathe, work, and play. We’re working for a brighter future in Indiana—will you join us by making a donation? Please see page 3 for an exciting matching opportunity, and visit www.hecweb.org/donate.

INVIRONMENT | 9

In 2011, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Eric and

Lisa Stickdorn, farmers who have raised grass-fed cattle hu-

manely and sustainably for more than 20 years. The decision

paved the way for the Stickdorns and other small farmers to

protect their homes and families from pollution and horrible

living conditions that can result when an industrial-scale

livestock facility is constructed nearby.

The Stickdorns’ struggle began in 2003, when a confined

feeding operation (CFO) was constructed less than 600 feet

from the Stickdorns’ home. Within months, the operation

became a constant source of noxious odors, waste spills, and

water pollution so extreme that it rendered the Stickdorns’

well-water undrinkable, and streams unfit for their cattle to

drink. Living conditions became so unbearable that the couple

fled to an apartment, returning home only to care for their

own animals. HEC’s staff attorney, Kim Ferraro, brought a lawsuit

on the Stickdorns’ behalf in 2008 and reached a settlement of

30 Years ago you helpedus save the HoosierNational Forest...

Victory for Small Farmers: the Stickdorn Case and the Legislative Road Ahead

hecweb.org/donate

the case this summer to close the polluting CFO.

The settlement allowed the Stickdorns to return home and is

a significant victory for small farmers. However, people like the

Stickdorns (who suffered for 10 years before getting justice)

face a huge uphill battle when trying to protect their property

rights when those rights are violated by a nearby polluting CFO.

To make matters worse, lobbyists for corporate agri-business are

pushing for state legislation to make it even harder.

For example, agri-business lobbyists are attempting to amend

our state constitution with a “Right to Farm” amendment (SJR7)

to give CFO operators very special constitutional rights and

protections that would make it nearly impossible for state and

local authorities to enforce existing environmental and public

health safeguards or to enact new ones.

While HEC and our partners convinced state law-makers not

to pass the dangerous SJR7 constitutional amendment in the

2013 legislative session, we expect this amendment will be

reintroduced in 2014. Please help us fight to protect the rights

of small farmers like the Stickdorns, and safeguard the water

and air of our state. To learn how, please contact Kim Ferraro

at kferraro@hecweb.org.

We set out 30 years ago to protect Indiana’s environment. One of our

landmark accomplishments was preserving the Hoosier National

Forest - an irreplaceable treasure in our state. Join us now as we focus

on protecting Indiana’s waterways from factory farm pollution.

Donate $30 or more a month in honor of our 30th Anniversary

and you will be recognized on HEC’s website and bi-annual report

as a thank you for your generosity.

DONATE $30 A MONTH TO PROTECT INDIANA’S WATERWAYS

Talking to your legislators may seem like a challenging undertaking. Some may think that legislators only listen to

high-powered lobbyists or campaign contributors. But your state representative and senator are members of the

community, just like you, and many are very interested in what their constituents have to say.

Effective citizen input from a legislator’s constituents is the only thing that can overcome the often disproportionate influence

of money in politics. In order to protect Indiana’s natural resources and environmental health, we must communicate our

concerns to our legislators – after all, they cannot represent you if they don’t know how you feel about the issues.

Keeping in mind the time-tested maxim that “all politics is local”, here are some tips to be an effective advocate for the environment:

10 | INVIRONMENT

Five Tips for Being an Effective Citizen-Lobbyist

Maintain contact with your legislators throughout

the year. Ideally, meet with them when they’re at

home in their district. Nothing is more effective than an

in-person meeting. Invite them for coffee, or for a hike in a

local park or natural area. You can also find them at many

community events.

Stay in touch with legislators during the legislative

session. Attend “meet your legislator” events

such as “Third House” meetings hosted by your Chamber

of Commerce or League of Women Voters that occur

during session. This is an opportunity to ask questions,

encourage support or opposition for particular bills, and

hear legislators’ views in a forum where citizens, other

community leaders and news reporters are present and will

hear your point of view and legislators’ responses. Provide

respectful feedback to legislators on how they voted on

bills of concern to you.

Learn more about your legislators and the community

interests that may influence them: businesses,

local government officials, or civic groups for example.

Don’t assume that a legislator supports or opposes your

views based on political labels or party affiliation. In many

instances, local politics and the preferences of constituents

trump other considerations. Don’t feel like you have to

be an expert, but make sure you can support your position on

an issue. Personal experiences are the best way to

express your views to your legislators; additional facts and

statistics – the more locally relevant, the better – can also

support your position, but the more personal the contact,

the more effective you will be.

Organize letter-writing parties with your friends –

sending letters to legislators and newspaper editors.

We’ll give you tips and sample letters if you need them!

Follow the legislative process carefully, and let us

know what you learn from your legislators; write

to Falon French at ffrench@hecweb.org. The more we

know about legislators’ concerns and questions, the

more effectively we can represent your viewpoints at

the Statehouse.

Find more resources and legislative updates on HEC’s Billwatch page at hecweb.org.

HEC Launches Project to Tackle Environmental Injustice in Northwest Indiana Communities

INVIRONMENT | 1 1

From Lake Wawasee to Camp Tecumseh, Industrial Ag Pollution Remains an Important Issue This summer there has been no lack of Concentrated Animal

Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and Confined Feeding Operations

(CFOs) cropping up across the Indiana countryside. What has

also been significant is the public outcry of citizens who live

among these operations. Indeed, Brookston area residents’

concerns about a hog operation near Indiana’s much-loved

Camp Tecumseh in White County have sparked a statewide

debate. In June, Hoosier Environmental Council attorneys Kim

Ferraro and Amelia Vohs assisted Camp Tecumseh advocates

by hosting a workshop discussing the fundamentals of industrial

agriculture. The HEC staffers armed residents with knowledge about

the impacts of CAFOs and CFOs on the environment, health,

and economy, as well as how to get involved in the decision-

making process for the proposed hog operation. This is just

one of many communities expressing concerns with CAFOs

The Hoosier Environmental Council is embarking on a six-

month pilot project which, if successful, will serve as a

foundation for establishing an environmental justice clinic

to serve the legal needs of northwest Indiana’s low-income

and minority communities. HEC believes this service is

necessary to bring about broad-based change in the way

zoning, land-use and environmental permitting and

enforcement decisions are made; that is, with little consideration

of the voices and interests of minority and low-income people

whose lives are impacted by those decisions.

Correcting this systemic problem is a matter of funda-

mental fairness and social equity considering that

the residents of Gary, Hammond and East Chicago

have, for decades, been disproportionately burdened

by pollutants from the many incinerators, waste

dumps, wastewater treatment facilities, refineries, steel

mills and factories that operate in the area. As a result,

these residents breathe some of the most polluted air in the

country, drink, swim and fish in some of the nation’s

most contaminated waters and suffer from extremely

elevated asthma and cancer rates.

To demonstrate that providing environmental technical/legal

services to citizens facilitates their informed engagement in

environmental decision-making, HEC will train a Gary community

group to conduct air and water testing. Once the samples are

analyzed, the group will receive training in effective community

engagement, media outreach, and their legal rights under

zoning, land-use, environmental and open government laws.

The goal is to guide the group in formulating and implementing

a strategy for convincing decision-makers to address the

environmental problem identified.

This project is supported with grant funds from the John S. and

James L. Knight Fund and the Lake County Community Fund,

both funds of the Legacy Foundation, and a generous donation

from a local business, MortarNet. For more information, watch

our webinar at youtube.com/hecweb1 or contact Kim Ferraro at

kferraro@hecweb.org.

and CFOs that HEC has assisted in the past year. Similar

workshops have been held in Wabash, Decatur, and Kosciusko

Counties, home to some of the highest concentrations of industrial

livestock facilities in the state. In addition, HEC plans to conduct

more workshops in the coming year as part of our Community

Assistance for Sustainable Livestock Farming (CASLF) project. If

you would like to bring a workshop to your community or share

your CAFO / CFO experience, please contact Amelia Vohs at

avohs@hecweb.org.

For more information about upcoming workshops, please visit www.facebook.com/caslf or www.caslf.org

Donate now to protect Indiana’s air, water, and land. Please visit www.hecweb.org/donate.

INvironment is published by the Hoosier Environmental

Council, 3951 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis,

Indiana 46208, 317.685.8800

Jesse Kharbanda, Executive Director

Send questions about upcoming events, change of

address information or requests for receiving copies

of INvironment via email by contacting

Mary Brock, Senior Development Coordinator,

at mbrock@hecweb.org, or 317-685-8800, x 114.

Visit us on the web at www.hecweb.org

Hoosier Environmental Council3951 N. Meridian St., Suite 100Indianapolis, IN 46208

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDIndianapolis, IN Permit No. 711

Register for our Sixth Annual Greening the Statehouse!

It’s HEC’s biggest event of the year, a fantastic opportunity

to network, eat sustainable food, honor environmental

heroes, and above all, learn about the leading issues

facing Indiana’s environment, and how you can help to

make impact.

Our keynote speaker is John Tuma, a champion

of sustainable agriculture, lawyer, and former

Minnesota legislator.

When? Saturday, November 16, 2013;

registration begins at 8 am, the event starts at 9 am

Where? At IUPUI’s Campus Center in Indianapolis

How? Register (and get an early bird discount) at https://

hecweb.sagefundraisingonline.com/greeningstatehouse6

Become our fan on Facebook facebook.com/hecweb

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/hec_ed

Look for HEC on YouTubeyoutube.com/hecweb1