Structure of the Nebraska Chapter

The Sierra Club's grassroots advocacy has made it America's most influential environmental organization. Founded in 1892, we are now more than 700,000 members strong. Many of you are new to the Club and probably aren't familiar with our organizational structure. Even some of you who have been members for a number of years perhaps could use a quick refresher course in Sierra Club 101.

First, let's start at the grassroots level with you, the members. Many of you volunteer to take part in activities such as protest rallies, appearing at public hearings, writing letters, phone banking, etc. You may participate in our outings program, Conservation Committee, or simply come to our regular group or chapter meetings.

Groups

Now what's a group? Sierra Club has four groups in Nebraska:

Missouri Valley Group, which is based in Omaha, includes all of northeast Nebraska, including Columbus, Norfolk, and Niobrara.
Bluestem Group, which is based in Lincoln, has the southeastern region of the state, including Nebraska City, Hebron, York, and David City.
Cottonwood Group, which covers the middle part of the state, including Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Cambridge, Gothenburg, and Ainsworth.
Platte Valley Group, which has the western one-third of the state, including North Platte, Chadron, McCook, and Scotts Bluff.

Each group has an Executive Committee (ExCom) with 5 members elected for 2-year terms by the group membership. Each ExCom appoints officers including Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Conservation Chair. The groups are responsible for activities at the local level.

Although our bylaws allow groups to have sections, none currently exist in Nebraska. Sections are special interest groups such as Sierra Singles or Sierra Climbers. Eco-Kids, an environmental education program in Omaha, operates much like a section within the MVG, but isn't formally organized as a section.

The Nebraska Chapter

The Nebraska Chapter itself has an ExCom with 7 members elected for 2-year terms by all members in the state. In addition, each group appoints a delegate to the Chapter ExCom. The Chapter ExCom coordinates club conservation efforts at the state level, with a major focus on state legislation. Ken Winston, our part-time lobbyist contractor, is employed by the Chapter. Overall, the Sierra Club has 62 chapters in the U.S. and four in Canada.

Regional Conservation Committees

The Northern Plains Regional Conservation Committee (NPRCC) includes representatives from Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. There are eleven RCCs that transcend boundaries of individual chapters to effectively address conservation issues at a regional level. Each chapter sends two delegates to RCC meetings. The NPRCC has an office in Sheridan, WY, with several full-time employees. Our two paid staff members in Nebraska, Laura Krebsbach in Lincoln and Camillia Watkins in Omaha, are supervised by the Senior Regional Representative in Sheridan.

National Sierra Club

The national headquarters of the Sierra Club is located in San Francisco. The Board of Directors is the overall governing body of the Club, holding ultimate responsibility and authority for its financial and legal affairs. The Board makes broad policy decisions and sets the Club's overall goals. There are 15 members of the Board, with 5 directors elected each year for 3-year terms. All Sierra Club members can vote in the annual election. Executive Director Carl Pope reports to the Board and directs the Club's paid staff. The Board has established a system of six governance committees to oversee most of the Club's administrative and conservation work.

The Council of Club Leaders serves as an advisory body to the Board on chapter and regional issues. The Council includes representatives from each chapter, the Sierra Club Student Coalition, Sierra Club California, and the Sierra Club of Canada. Mary Green is Nebraska's Council Delegate.