CLUB CHOOSES TRAIL OF TEARS NAME; SPEAKER TONIGHT VIEWS STATE WORK

One year after Earth Day 1990, members of the newly formed local Sierra Club group (formerly Earth Day 1990 - Heartland Region) have chosen the name Trail of Tears.

The group will formally apply for accreditation from Missouri's Ozark Chapter at the May meeting of the state executive committee, said the group.

"Affiliation with the Sierra Club will provide ongoing name recognition and a network of environmental contacts both within the state and across the nation," outgoing Earth Day Co-Coordinator Alan Journet said.

Newly-elected officers taking over at the next meeting of the Trail of Tears Group are Chairman Randy Spratt; Vice-Chairman Kathleen Ruopp; Secretary Sylvia Taylor; and Treasurer Brian Alworth. Additional executive committee members are Steve Overmann, education; Journet, conservation; Kathy Stiehl, membership; and Alan Gerecke, outings.

Spratt said the group feels affiliation with the Sierra Club marks an important event for environmentally-concerned Southeast Missourians. Group members, he said, will continue to promote environmental education, community activities, and political activities that lead to a "healthy, sustainable planet."

This month's meeting for the group will be held here tonight at 1427 William, starting at 7 p.m. It will include a presentation by Dan Lehocky of the Ozark Chapter.

Lehocky, who is state conservation chairman, will talk about the role and record of the Sierra Club and the Ozark Chapter in influencing environmental issues in Missouri, the group said.

The group encouraged the public to attend the meeting. For more information about the group, Spratt can be reached at 335-1547 or 651-2385.