J~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~J O R O C K Y M O U N T A I N H I G H O H =============================================== H N The John Denver Internet Fan Club N D D E M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R E N N V S E P T E M B E R 1 9 9 5 V E E R Emily Parris emily@sky.net http://www.sky.net/~emily R ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS September 1995 Glowing Review of our WWW Page by Blaise Faint.........1 New Concert Dates......................................2 1995 "Choices Symposium"...............................3 "In This Healing Time" by John Denver..................5 Plant-It 2000 joins the WWW............................6 Press Release from John about the ANWR in Alaska.......6 "The Very Best of John Denver" - compact disc available by mail..................8 Status Report - September 1995.........................8 ====================================================== REVIEW of of John Denver Web Page on Blaise Faint's Reviews of E-zine's (http://sunsite.unc.edu/faint/eziner/index.html) ====================================================== ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH Reviewed by: Blaise Faint... Recommendation: Sets the standard by which all future John Denver web pages will be judged... KEYWORDS: environment, John Denver, music, poetry,... To many people, John Denver is a folk singer who sang such seventies hits as "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," "Take Me Home Country Road," and "Rocky Mountain High." To others, he is much, MUCH MORE! As I am not a John Denver expert, I cannot verify the information to be found in the Rocky Mountain High web pages, but there sure is a lot of it! At Rocky Mountain High, you will truly learn more than you ever imagined there is to know about the man, his music, and his love for the environment. Topics include the New CD - THE WILDLIFE CONCERT, John Denver's Career, the John Denver Discography, John Denver Fan Clubs around the World, John Denver on Television, About John's Songs, and Other John Denver Resources, but my favorite part has to be the Poetry Dedicated to John Denver [an excerpt follows]: YOUR SONGS TO ME ARE FLOWERS by Emily M. Parris Dedicated to John Denver Your songs to me are flowers Each one a different hue Expressing all the happiness The truth you find in you..... [Copyright by Emily M. Parris] That pretty much says it all. But again, there is much, much more... in addition, Rocky Mountain High provides information about John Denver's concern for the world and the environment, which goes far beyond what we hear in the lyrics to his music. He founded The Windstar Foundation, The Hunger Project, and Plant-It 2000. For information about these and other John Denver environmental concerns, Rocky Mountain High is the definitive starting point. _____________________________________________________________________ NEW --John Denver-- CONCERT DATES: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sept 19, 1995 - Moline, Illinois - Mark of the Quad Tickets: $34.50 and $24.50 Sept 22, 1995 - Ames, Iowa Sept 23, 1995 - St. Paul, Minnesota ================================================== 1995 Windstar "Choices for the Future" Symposium Aspen, Colorado Aug 25, 26, 27 Sponsored by the Windstar Foundation From John Lowe of Columbus, Ohio ================================================== Greetings, I have just returned from Choices in Action. This was my sixth Symposium, and although I thought they were all great, this was by far the best. And that was the general opinion of everyone I talked to. I arrived in Aspen on Wednesday and met friends. Thursday morning I was up bright and early for my hot air balloon ride. There were four balloons that went up. We took off from a small park near down town Aspen and slowly made our way to the airport. I had been ballooning twice before in Columbus, but this was special. The scenery was really great. There were seven in our balloon plus the pilot. Friday morning I took the gondola to the top of Aspen mountain for a special brunch with some of the presenters. The weather was perfect, the food was great and John was posing for pictures and I got one with me. Dennis Weaver was there also along with most of the musicians who performed. The first session was Friday afternoon. The first speaker was to have been Chief Oren Lyons but he was unable to make it because of a death in his family. So John Denver filled in and he was great. When he first got up on stage he received a standing ovation. He said "Imagine, getting a standing ovation for just showing up", in reference for not being there last year. He told a great story about "Magumba" which I won't go into now, but it became the rallying call for the weekend. A couple of the participants are going to an upcoming concert of his and they plan to stand up and cry "Magumba" at some point. He said he had gone through a terrible weekend the previous week but didn't elaborate. He talked about being a victim and he wasn't going to allow that to continue. As great a singer as he is, he is also a great speaker. He speaks from the heart and you find yourself hanging on every word. I won't go into a lot of details of all of the speakers. Needless to say they were all great. Dennis Weaver is so funny and yet serious. His wife Jerry was there and she kept prompting him on what to say. They will have been married 50 years next month. He talked about Ecolonomics which is a fusion of Ecology and Economics. He brought with him several products that were made from recycled materials. He is working with people who want to start companies to make these products. All of us who have seen Lou Gold in the past were in for a big surprise. He has always looked like a mountain man (which he is) with long hair and beard. But when he came out on stage he was clean shaven and had short hair. The voice was unmistakable though. He is taking his message about saving the old growth forest to the general public. The first evening including a wonderful performance by Peter Kater (Piano), R. Carlos Nakai (native flute), David Darling (cello), Chris White (vocals), Randy Chavez (Guitar) and Al Huang (Tai Ji/Dance). I got the video. On Saturday, the highlights for me were Tom Crum, Kenny & Julia Loggins, the Windstar awards and of course a short concert with John Denver and Kenny Loggins (singing separately) (got that video too). The last song John did was "Rocky Mountain High". When Kenny came out following it, he said it was the best rendition of the song he had ever heard. John's singing was really on. He introduced a new song that David Brower had been trying to get him to write for five years. It was titled "Healing Time" which is really a beautiful song. The timing of the song couldn't have been more perfect. Earlier in the evening, Jerry Jampolsky and Diane Cirincione introduced Janie Cloverdale who had lost her two grandsons in the Oklahoma City bombing. I felt the song was meant for her and the other victims of the bombing. There were so many high points that it is impossible to cover them all. Every time we thought it couldn't get better, it did. One sad note. Jay Hair is retiring from the NWF and also stepping down a Chairperson of the Windstar Board of Trustees. He will really be missed. Cheryl Charles will be replacing him as Chairperson. We were also led to believe that Windstar's affiliation with the NWF may terminate. I have no idea what affect that will have on Windstar. On Saturday and Sunday both there were several breakout sessions with various presenters. This let everyone get close and ask questions. The big highlight on Sunday was Mitchell. He's a man who was in a motorcycle accident and badly scarred from burning and later was paralyzed from the waist down in a plane accident. His topic was "It's Not What Happens to You, It's What You do, About it". He is one of the most inspirational speakers I have ever heard. I wish you all could have been there. John Lowe lowe.3@osu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- =================================== In This Healing Time by John Denver =================================== (As sung at the Choices Symposium 1995, for David Brower) Let the mountains talk, let the rivers run ** There is wisdom here, there is much to learn There is much to know, much to understand In this healing time, all across the land You have heard my songs for so many years You have laughed with me, washed away my tears You have shared my joy, you have felt my pain In this healing time, walk with me again Through these darker days, on this narrow line Help me find my way, help me see the signs I am not afraid, I am not alone You have taught me how, you have brought me home Let the mountains speak, let the rivers run As the world awakes to the rising sun In each brand new day, in our own rebirth In this healing time on our Mother Earth Let the mountains talk, let the rivers run There is wisdom here, there's so much to learn In this brand new day, in our own rebirth In this healing time for our Mother Earth In this brand new day, in our own rebirth In this healing time here on Mother Earth ============================================= **Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run** title of book by David Brower Copyright 1995 by John Denver PLANT-IT 2000 joins the World Wide Web ======================================= Since February of 1995 there have been text files about Plant-It 2000 on the John Denver WWW Page. This is no longer necessary since Plant-It 2000 now has their own web page: http://www.iits.com/~PLANTIT2000 If you don't have www access you can write: Plant-It 2000 Attn: Michael Thau, Executive Director 9457 South University, Suite 310 Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ PRESS RELEASE concerning the Artic National Wildlife Refuge ============================================================ ALASKA: A CHALLENGE FOR DEMOCRACY BY: JOHN DENVER Alaska. Like most people in the lower 48, the mere mention of the name of our 50th state conjures up a myriad of images and contradictions for me. Vast areas of wilderness undisturbed by humans. Grizzly bear, eagle, caribou. The majesty of Denali and the glory of the Yukon. The technological marvel of Prudhoe Bay, Valdez, and the pipeline that connects them. The questions raised by Prince William Sound. The challenge of progress for the Aleut and the Eskimo. The challenge of restraint for the oil companies, the developers, and, seemingly, the 104th Congress. In the 1970s I was among those who worked hard and long in support of legislation that would reflect a rising voice of restraint being heard all across America. In my television documentary, "Alaska: America's Child," I expressed my feeling that much of the history of the lower 48 over the preceding 200 years was about to be repeated in Alaska in a much smaller time frame and with disastrous results. A vast majority of the American people, and a bipartisan majority of both the House and the Senate, seemed to feel a similar concern. I experienced one of the most fulfilling days of my life when I stood with President Jimmy Carter, Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus, and conservationist Margaret Murie as the President signed the Alaska Land Conservation Act into law. With that signature, 85% of the land that showed the most promise for exploration and development including all but 125 miles of Alaska shoreline, (which became part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) was made accessible to the oil and gas companies. The remaining 15% was part of a land so unique, so beautiful, that whatever wealth might lie within it, was deemed somewhat less precious than that which was upon it. The voice of the American people found harmony with that of the President and the Congress. The chorus that was raised said we will put aside this very special part of our heritage, hopefully, forever, but at the very least, until a greater need, even a national emergency, requires us to extract what is hidden beneath its surface. As I write these words, Congress has passed budget resolutions in both the U.S. House and the Senate that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. Are we now in the midst of a national emergency based on oil shortage? Of course not. Have we drained Prudhoe Bay of its reserves? No. In fact, recent improvements in extraction technology have increased the lifetime availability of Prudhoe Bay's reserves to the year 2030. Have we explored and developed all the other areas that were made accessible by the Alaska Lands Act of 1980? Again, the answer is no. Why then, are the members of the 104th Congress who call themselves "conservatives" so eager to desecrate these fragile and irreplaceable lands? Lands that were set aside with such conviction by the American people? Why are they unwilling to even raise the issue for public debate, hiding these intentions behind the banner of balancing the budget? These questions, and others they raise make me wonder what it means to be "conservative." Who does the government represent? The American people or the special interest groups like the oil companies, the tobacco companies, the National Rifle Association and others who can buy the legislators they want with political action committees and lobbying dollars? Is this what we created democracy for? Is this how we want our government to work? Is this how we want the people who work in government to serve us? I think not. How then, in a democratic society, can we justify any action to contradict the intent of the Alaska Lands Conservation Act without the knowledge and active participation of the American people? Are we going to allow ourselves to be victimized by blind convenience and political expedience? Again, I think not, at last, I hope not. There is still time to make a difference. Final language to enable Congress to open the ANWR to development would likely take place either through appropriation bills such as for the U.S. Dept. of Interior or in the 1996 Budget Reconciliation Act. Strongly encourage your legislators to protect the ANWR, and other wilderness areas in the lower 48 from oil and gas development. Urge President Clinton to continue to oppose any legislation that would open any wilderness -- it is not needed and it is not wanted. In recent years it has been proven that greater efficiency and conservation can create more energy resources than does development. This Congress simply doesn't get it. Yes, we the American people want to balance the budget and get rid of the debt and burden we are leaving to those who will follow. Yes, we want to act responsibly for the present and for the future. Yes, we want to create a realistic, exciting and sustainable future, but not at the expense of the environment that sustains us. Violating one more wild area to put a few more dollars in a few people's pockets is not the way. To be human is to be nourished by the wild country. To know that there is a place where the eagle flies in freedom, the grizzly walks in majesty, and the caribou runs with the wind across the open tundra, lifts the human spirit. Let's not let a few people in Congress, out of sight and out of touch with the American people's commitment to keeping some wild places alive -- for ourselves, for all peoples and for the future -- take actions all of us will soon regret. ============================================================================ Artic National Wildlife Refuge WWW page "http://www.igc.apc.org/refuge/" ============================================================================ You can write to President Clinton on the internet: clinton@whitehouse.gov You can also write to many Congresspersons and Senators. See the ANWR page on the Rocky Mtn High www page: "http://www.sky.net/~emily" ============================================================================ ==================================== "The Very Best of John Denver" ==================================== A 30 song compilation from the RCA years. Cassette (HC 3146) $16.98 CD (HD 3146) $19.98 (800) 788-2400 Heartland Music 605 South Douglas Street Box 1034 El Segundo, CA 90245 ======================================================= Rocky Mountain High: The John Denver Internet Fan Club * * STATUS REPORT * * September 1995 ======================================================= We now have members in 23 countries. They are Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Phillipines, The United Kingdom, Venezuela and the United States. There are 839 members in all. ======================================================= Endfile: http://www.sky.net/~emily ************************************************************** Rocky Mountain High: The John Denver 'Internet' Fan Club September 1995 * Issue #17 * emily@sky.net **************************************************************