Sierra Club

An annoying bunch of tree-huggers that won't go away to many of their opponents, the members of the Sierra Club bill themselves "the largest grass-roots environmental group in the nation" (Sierra 1). With more than 660,000 members with considerable political clout, the Sierra Club has been instrumental in pushing environmental legislation through Congress (Sierra 1). The Sierra Club was founded in 1892 by naturalist John Muir. In 1952, one of its most controversial directors, David Brower, took charge of the conservation organization with a membership of 7,000 and an annual budget of $75,000 (Severo 22). By the time Brower stepped down in 1969, in part from pressure by members who opposed his often militant and aggressive tactics, membership had risen to 77,000 members with assets of $3 million, and the Sierra Club had blocked or delayed construction to the tune of at least $7 billion (Severo 22).

If we look at two periods of Sierra Club activism (1986-1990) and (1996-2000) and one issue on their agenda from each, we see a demonstration of how Sierra Club activism leads to the conservation of the environment through legislation enacted as a result of the group's considerable lobbying power. The first issue involves the Sierra Club's failure to secure legislation that blocked the Diablo Canyon nuclear reactor from being built in California. While the organization did attain a large measure of success in delaying the project and increasing it

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d. As Dan Becker of the Sierra Club comments "The basic strategy here is constant pressure constantly" (Elboghdady 3). That pressure is constantly applied to corporations, politicians, contractors, and entire industries. The Sierra Club enlists the support of members young and old. One of its key success strategies has been the formation of alliances with other power groups, agencies, and lobbies. It works closely with the EPA, the National Forestry Service, the California Conservation Corps, and many others. Youth is viewed in a positive manner by the Sierra Club and the group actively enlists the support and membership of young people across the nation. While high-pressure lobbying tactics are being waged in the nation's Capital by powerful Sierra Club lawyers and other representatives, young people across the nation are trying to win support for the Club's agenda in a variety of ways, such as the Minneapolis Chapter of the Sierra Club run by Naomi Roth, a 23 year old graduate of Skidmore College "In Minneapolis, Naomi and her troops are drumming up support for a Sierra Club membership drive and anti-logging campaign. Up on the wall of their office, rainbow-colored construction-paper letters announce: �Summer goals: 87

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