Conservation groups filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over invalid and outdated Endangered Species Act approvals of oil and gas leasing plans for the Wayne National Forest. The Center for Biological Diversity, Ohio Environmental Council, Heartwood and Sierra Club are challenging the approvals for failing to consider the effects of fracking, white-nose syndrome and climate change on the endangered Indiana bat and other protected species threatened with extinction.

In December 2016 the BLM auctioned 719 acres of public land in the Wayne National Forest’s Marietta Unit in southeast Ohio, opening up the forest to large-scale, high-volume fracking of the Marcellus and Utica shales for the first time. The groups’ legal challenge aims to void this auction and halt fracking in the Wayne to protect the forest’s wildlife and water.

The groups assert fracking would industrialize Ohio’s only national forest, increase climate pollution, destroy the Indiana bat’s habitat, and risk contamination of water supplies that support endangered mussels and local communities.

CHANGE IN LOCATION!
Tuesday, January 31, 6:30 PM - 8 PM
Columbus Mennonite Church
35 Oakland Park Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43214

Donald Trump is ushering in the most anti-immigrant administration in modern history.

**UPDATE: Disastrous Executive Orders on immigration enforcement released this week. Will include these in our discussion.**

Friday, January 27, 4pm, OSU Oval [near the Thompson statue]
Refugees are welcome here! No human being is illegal!
On Friday, January 27, we will be rallying near the Thompson Statue on the OSU Oval (at 4pm) in response to Trump’s explicit targeting of refugee and immigrant communities.
In the seven days since Trump has taken power, he has pushed forward a slate of reactionary executive orders:

• Authorizing the expansion of the US-Mexico border wall
• Stripping federal grant money to sanctuary cities
• Hiring 5000 border patrol agents
• Reviving Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipeline
• Banning federal funds to international groups that perform abortions or lobby to legalize or promote abortion
• Gutting healthcare
• And he is expected to temporarily ban immigration from Muslim countries such as Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia

Helping Hands Health and Wellness Center announces a major gift of $50,000 per year for three years from the Northland Columbus Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus under the leadership of Father Charles Klinger of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Westerville and Father Thomas Petry of St. Anthony in Columbus. The Northland Deanery has been a huge supporter of the clinic for 6 years which has enabled the clinic to expand hours and provide life-saving treatment and medication to patients. Outgoing Helping Hands Board President Connie Sauter from St. Paul’s Catholic Church has been a long-term champion for Helping Hands’ free clinic. The clinic serves individuals within 200% of the poverty level and is mostly staffed by volunteer doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and students. The support fills an essential need in the neighborhood and surrounding area including a history of servicing 38 zip codes. The members of the Northland Columbus Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus include:  St Anthony, Columbus, St. Elizabeth, Columbus, St. James the Less, Columbus, St. John Neumann, Sunbury, St.