The Newsletter
of the Conservation Committees
Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club
Email items or articles to Editor: Robin
Ives, Publisher/Webmaster: Lori
Ives
The Conservation Committees provide forums for Club members to discuss impending
conservation issues and to coordinate efforts of conservation subcommittees
with groups and sections. They meet monthly every third Tuesday (Orange County)
and third Wednesday (Angeles Chapter). Contact the Conservation Committee
Chairs by the end of the previous month for a place on the agenda. Deadline
for newsletter submissions is 16 days before the Chapter meeting.
Quote of Note
I think we have a problem on global warming. I think there is a debate about whether it's caused by mankind or whether it's caused naturally, but it's a worthy debate. It's a debate, actually, that I'm in the process of solving by advancing new technologies, burning coal cleanly in electric plants, or promoting hydrogen-powered automobiles, or advancing ethanol as an alternative to gasoline.
— President Bush on how he is solving global warming in an interview with People magazine
710 Madness on the Brink
A Break-Through Event
for Whooping Cranes!
American Consumers with Fuel Efficient Vehicles
Bringing People Together to Protect Our Forests
for a Generation to Come
Bush Fiddles, World Warms
Carbon Dioxide Rising Levels Threat to Marine Organisms
Eagle Mountain Update
Ford Breaks Yet Another Promise to Provide Fuel Efficient
Vehicles
Forest Committee's New Program
Minor Planet Named for Pioneer California Conservationist
Predator Poisoning and Killing Planned In Wilderness
Areas
President Outsourced
Sierra Club Orange County Group Fundraiser
- Back Bay Concert
Sierra Club Supports Phil Angelides for Governor
Supreme Court Ruling: Clean Water at Risk
Welcome Genevieve Liang!
Wildlife
programs at Gene Autry Museum
Resolutions Passed by ExComm: June 25, 2006
Resolution on the Tejon Ranch
Resolution on the Urban Gardens
Committee
Resolution to Approve Conservation
Grants
Resolution Proposed: Los Angeles Apollo Alliance Resolution
Chapter
Conservation Committees Calendar
Chapter Conservation Management Committee
Chapter Conservation Grants Committee
Chapter Conservation Committee Draft Agenda
Orange County Conservation Committee Draft Agenda
Sierra Club Orange
County Group Fundraiser
An Evening of Wine Tasting, Food and Music at Upper Newport Bay!
Sunday, August 6 — 5 pm - 8
pm
Sierra Club Orange County Group presents:
Back Bay Concert
Journey with us to the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center for an evening
of wine-tasting, vegetarian appetizers and cool jazz.
The Sierra Club Orange County Group invites you to experience the panoramic beauty of the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. Enjoy locally-prepared appetizers while tasting California wines.
The Ron Kobayashi Duo is this year's featured entertainment, comprised of acclaimed jazz recording artist Ron Kobayashi on piano and Steve Hommel on saxophone.
Pianist and composer Ron Kobayashi serves as musical director for the Annual Hollywood Diversity Awards. Steve Hommel wrote musical arrangements for the orchestra at Pope John Paul's Northern California address, and has recorded television soundtracks.
Sample foods from Orange County natural, vegan and vegetarian markets and restaurants including Avanti Café, Sidney's Café, Mother's Market & Kitchen, Naked Vegan, Wheel of Life Restaurant, and Whole Foods.
Enter to win raffle prizes of gift baskets, wine and dinners, generously donated by our featured restaurants and others, including Native Foods Restaurant. Native plants provided for raffle by Tree of Life Nursery.
Proceeds benefit Orange County conservation work!
You must purchase your tickets in advance. Ticket prices: $20 per person; $35 per couple. Make checks payable to: OC Group, Sierra Club.
Mail checks and SASE to: Gabriele Rau, 5241 Thorn Tree Lane, Irvine, CA
92612
For more information, contact Gabriele Rau at 949-559-9212 or gtrau@aol.com
Concert will be held at Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Forest Committee's
New Program
The Angeles Chapter Forest Committee will revamp its activities in the months ahead to broaden our efforts on forest issues. We plan to offer public programs, conduct hikes to sensitive forest areas, and have an occasional social event, starting with the July 26 potluck listed below. You're welcome to join in as many as you wish.
Rather than meeting bimonthly at the Wilshire Blvd office of the Sierra Club-Angeles Chapter, we will conduct our main events at Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena, and on forest trails. In cooperation with the Sierra Club's Southern California Forests Campaign, we plan to highlight forest issues with knowledgeable speakers for a large public audience. The first of these will be in September, as detailed below.
Forest areas of particular interest will be ticketed for Sierra Club hikes to acquaint members and the public with potential problems. These may include lack of wilderness protection, the threat of development, or overuse by a growing population. Hikers will learn of the problem, and have a chance to take simple action on it.
Here are descriptions of two of the planned events. Note that they are scheduled for the 4th Wednesday of odd months, the usual meeting dates for Forest Committee meetings. They replace the usual meetings.
July 26 — Potluck Picnic at Eaton Canyon Park, Pasadena
What: Enjoy food and conversation under the oaks, hear about the Forest Committee’s plans to try to protect sensitive forest areas, take a nature walk. Pizza, drinks and utensils will be provided. Please bring an entrée, salad or dessert.When: 6 pm Wednesday, July 26. Nature walk 7:15 pm. End before dark.Where: Eaton Canyon Park, 1750 N Altadena Drive, in northeast Pasadena. (From the 210 Freeway in Pasadena, take Altadena Drive north toward the mountains about 1.5 miles, and 500 feet after crossing New York Drive, turn right into Eaton Canyon Park). For information and to RSVP, contact Don Bremner at donbremner@earthlink.net.
September 27 — Program at Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Pasadena
What: Naturalist and wildfire expert Richard Halsey will present a slide-illustrated program, “Secrets of the Chaparral: Wildfire and Our Local Mountains.” Halsey is a field biologist with the Chaparral Institute and author of the recently published “Fire, Chaparral and Survival in Southern California.” He has been an important educational leader in highlighting the differences in the way forest fires and chaparral fires behave. Over 95% of recent Southern California fires were in chaparral. The meeting is free to the public.When: 7:30 pm, Wednesday, September 27.Where: Eaton Canyon Nature Center, 1750 N. Altadena Drive, in northeast Pasadena. (From the 210 Freeway in Pasadena, take Altadena Drive north toward the mountains about 1.5 miles, and 500 feet after crossing New York Drive, turn right into Eaton Canyon Park).
You will receive notices of hikes to sensitive areas as they are arranged.
They include a November 4 Burkhart Trail hike to Pleasant View Ridge
south of Devils Punchbowl, and a Feb. 24 hike into Sheep Mountain Wilderness.
You can also visit the website of the Southern California Forests Campaign http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/socalforests/ for updates on hikes and other information.
I hope you will join us at these new and interesting events and outings.
710
Madness on the Brink
There are projects underfoot to "complete" the I-710 through
South Pasadena and to double-deck it in Long Beach. Though these are set
up for different reasons, they are both big steps in the wrong direction
for Southern California. In November, voters will be asked to vote on infrastructure
bonds to support projects like this. Already, California government officials
are in Washington looking to get help there to finance these sorts of projects.
We need concerted efforts to direct public works efforts toward public transit
and modernized rail for goods movement.
In South Pasadena, the "missing" piece of the I-710 Freeway has
likely been a sore spot for policy wonks and civil engineers at CalTrans
who feel compelled to connect the dots for this route. It would also be
a perceived benefit to residents in Alhambra who live closest to the routes
taken by some 100,000 cars a day that use their community as a surrogate
freeway.
On the south end of the I-710, the existing 6 lane freeway (three in each
direction) is jammed with four lanes of sharecropper trucks that service
the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach The proposal on the books is to
double-deck this section, providing special truck-only lanes for big rigs
through publicly-financed bonds: a handout to the shipping industry that
doesn't acknowledge the miserable working condition of truckers.
In both areas, public officials tout the benefits and necessity of the expansions.
Though, common sense says that shortly after these additions are to be made,
traffic will only increase, the routes will become clogged, and we will
need to expand other roadways as well.
For example, if the I-710 capacity for trucks is more than doubled, where
will all those trucks go, as they head north from the ports? Some will exit
on already over-burdened surface streets. Most of them, however, will access
other freeways. These freeways will become the new bottlenecks constricting
the "engine of the economy", that is, goods movement. They will
then need to be widened as well, because we dare not let this engine falter.
The ports in San Pedro Bay already produce enough truck traffic to fill
up one entire eight lane freeway (four lanes in each direction). They are
mostly divided over the I-710, the I-110, the 47, and Alameda. Over the
next 20 years, this traffic will roughly triple. We'll need to expand the
I-110, connect the 47 to the 405, and do more work just to keep up. No telling
just how bad the air pollution and incessant noise from these operations
will be, even with "cleaner" trucks and "cleaner" fuels.
Up towards LA, it's anyone's guess just how we would expand the capacity
of the I-110, which is already as much as 14 lanes wide in short sections.
Connecting up double-decked freeways, with special truck lanes and/or HOV
lanes, to each other will become immense projects, dwarfing anything we've
done so far both in engineering and in cost. How, for example, would we
widen the I-110 and expand the capacity of the downtown LA interchanges?
We'll need to expand other freeways to keep this engine going. The I-5,
I-15, I-10, I-91 among them. We may have even feel more pressure to punch
another freeway route through some of the mountains that connect the LA
Basin to the Inland Valleys.
Meanwhile, all the truckers who move goods to the ports are underpaid and
overworked. Many need public assistance for medical benefits and to help
make ends meet. They are paid by the haul, not by the hour, and often wait
long hours because shippers do a poor job of scheduling them. In effect,
our tax dollars will be building sweatshops. What will finally happen when
fuel becomes more expensive, or the truckers rise up against the poor treatment
they are receiving? A jump in the price of trucking may make rail more attractive,
and leave the public holding the tab on outmoded infrastructure.
As to "completing" the I-710 through the Pasadena area, the benefit
it brings will also be offset by increasing through traffic on the freeway,
and adding other burdens to area routes. Slowly, pressures will once again
increase on those areas that were helped out. Only escalating gas prices
would really help. Then, we might not need the extra freeway lanes. But,
we may not have money to build more affordable transportation.
We should stop this freeway building madness right now. What we need for
Southern California is to invest in alternatives to freeways: public transit
and rail for goods movement.
Instead of attempting to build enough freeways for all these trucks, we
should build freeways for trains, rail routes that have no grade crossings
from the port to downtown warehouses and out to Riverside and San Bernardino.
The rail routes should be electrified and the tracks should be quiet. If
we are to invest public money to set this up, it should be something that
works the best for the public (and industry), which modernized rail would.
Over time, the industry could pay back the bonds through their use of the
rail.
For moving people, we need to focus on public transit options. Not only
will building freeways get us no where in the long run, they will help jam
up our surface streets to the point where they are mostly grid locked.
Over the past fifty years, we've built a good freeway system. Now, to accommodate
our expected growth, we need to build a good rail and public transportation
system. We may even want to consider national options that distribute the
burden of shipping more evenly between the ports. If something goes wrong
in the LA area ports, 42% of the United States imports will be affected.
That's a lot of eggs in one basket.
If you are interested in helping direct transportation infrastructure away
from this brink, please contact me, Tom Politeo at tom@politeo.net.
Rising Levels of Carbon
Dioxide Threat to Marine Organisms
5 July 2006
The shelled pteropod — an important food source for fish — is a small planktonic marine snail that may be unable to sustain its populations as the oceans become less alkaline.
A new report finds that worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels are dramatically altering ocean chemistry and threatening marine organisms — including corals — that secrete skeletal structures and support oceanic biodiversity.
The report — Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs and Other Marine Calcifiers — released today summarizes the known effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide on these organisms, known as marine calcifiers, and recommends future research for determining the extent of the impacts.
The report follows a workshop funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and hosted by the US Geological Survey Integrated Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Oceans act as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. During the 1980s and 1990s, only about half of the anthropogenic CO2 remained in the atmosphere, with the oceans having taken up about 30% and the terrestrial biosphere 20%.
Researchers have determined that with emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide continuing to rise, the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) dissolved in the surface ocean is likely to double its pre-industrial value within the next 50 years. Oceans are naturally alkaline, and they are expected to remain so, but the interaction with carbon dioxide is making them less alkaline and more acidic.
Increasing the amount of CO2 dissolved in the ocean lowers the pH, decreases the availability of carbonate (CO32-) ions, and lowers the saturation state of the major shell-forming carbonate minerals. Carbonate ions are building blocks for the calcium carbonate that many marine organisms use to grow their skeletons and create coral reef structures.
Tripling the pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 concentration will cause a reduction in surface ocean pH that is almost three times greater than that experienced during transitions from glacial to interglacial periods. This is often termed "ocean acidification"because it describes the process of decreasing pH.
Impacts of Ocean Acidification
Measurements of carbonate chemistry worldwide are showing shifts in the carbonate equilibrium consistent with increases in atmospheric CO2. Other studies have determined that the calcification rates of most calcifying organisms studied to date decrease in response to decreased carbonate ion concentration.
Although there have yet to be detailed studies on the effects of reduced calcification on individual organisms and on ecosystems, researchers are inferring that decreased calcification in marine organisms is likely to impact marine food webs and, combined with other climatic changes in temperature, salinity, and nutrients, could substantially alter the biodiversity and productivity of the ocean.
Many calcifying organisms — including marine plankton such as pteropods, a planktonic marine snail — are affected by the chemistry changes. Shelled pteropods are an important food source for salmon, mackerel, herring, and cod. If calcifying organisms such as pteropods are unable to sustain their populations, many other species may be affected.
It is clear that seawater chemistry will change in coming decades and centuries in ways that will dramatically alter marine life. But we are only beginning to understand the complex interactions between large-scale chemistry changes and marine ecology. It is vital to develop research strategies to better understand the long-term vulnerabilities of sensitive marine organisms to these changes.
Why Sierra Club Supports
Phil Angelides for Governor
We can do better. We can have a governor who moves consistently toward a more sustainable future instead of an executive who tries to please his big-business supporters with one hand while making environmental promises with the other.
That is why the Sierra Club has endorsed Phil Angelides for governor. The decision was reached after Angelides filled out a long questionnaire and met with us for a lengthy interview, and after 4 different committees of Sierra Club volunteers deliberated on the decision. (Governor Schwarzenegger declined repeated requests to return our questionnaire and meet with us.) Angelides impressed the interview committee with his thorough knowledge of policy issues and his ability to articulate his positions.
While Governor Schwarzenegger deserves credit for programs to fund solar energy and reduce diesel emissions, among other advances, his pro-environment promises have too often been undermined by his strong ties to the corporate lobbies that oppose virtually every major proposal to safeguard our air, water and wild places.
Angelides has put smart-growth principles into practice, while Schwarzenegger has supported freeway expansion and the rollback of the landmark California Environmental Quality Act. Angelides supports the Clean Alternative Energy Initiative on the November ballot; Schwarzenegger opposes it. Angelides supports giving communities the ability to enforce California's public health and environmental laws, while Schwarzenegger backed the business-sponsored initiative that took away that right. Angelides called a halt to the handouts to industrial dairies in the Central Valley, while Schwarzenegger tried to keep giving way pollution-control money to polluters.
Schwarzenegger has named one committed preservationist to the Coastal Commission; Angelides promises to name four. Schwarzenegger went to Ohio in 2004 to campaign for George W Bush, the most anti-environment president in our history, while Angelides has opposed Bush and is endorsed by environmental champions like Senator Barbara Boxer. Schwarzenegger is proud of his role in creating a demand for gas-guzzling Hummer; Angelides is proud that his family owns 3 hybrid vehicles.
While Schwarzenegger raises fears that businesses will flee the state if subjected to stringent environmental safeguards — a claim not supported by evidence — Angelides has based his campaign on the conviction that California can compete with anyone by taking the high road — offering its people the best educational opportunities and the cleanest environment.
Sierra Club California's interview committee was well aware of Angelides' record as a developer in the Sacramento area in the past, and we discussed it with him. We gave much more weight, though, to his record as our elected Treasurer over the last 8 years. He has put the weight of his office behind real investments in clean energy and smart growth, and has prodded corporations to clean up their environmental practices.
To help elect Phil Angelides, go to http://angelides.vivademocracy.com/
On the morning of Friday June 23, my husband Larry & I noticed many tractor trailer trucks heading to Eagle Mountain. We went to the site to inquire. A man who refused to identify himself and kept putting his hand over my camera lens, physically grabbed Larry and pushed him a few feet behind the open gate. We reiterated that we had a judgment in our favor, and he and Kaiser are breaking the law. Larry filed a report with the Riverside County Sheriff regarding the assault.
We went to the elementary school where we were told by two employees that they don't know what's going on but were told the Marines would be coming and setting up command at the school. One employee said, "All I know is Jan Roberts is on the school board and she said to expect the military." Jan Roberts is the manager of Kaiser's Eagle Mountain works.
Trucks and equipment arrived to the site all weekend (Feb 23 - 26) ~ troop carriers, fuel tanks, trucks labeled “explosives”. We could hear explosives being detonated. It appears that the amount of troop carriers hauled there would carry enough people to comprise a city. Now, after 25 years of living here, we are seeing ravens flocking to the site. The mouth of the Pinto Basin in Joshua Tree National Park is virtually around the corner, and to date the healthiest population of desert tortoise in California.
We have learned that cannons are set up near the west pit of the defunct mine. While Kaiser owns the bottom of the pits they left behind from mining operations, they do not own much of the surrounding land. The area is so vast it would be very easy to roll into wilderness or critical tortoise habitat. Operations at the west pit are very close to BLM Wilderness and Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness.
How can all this be happening without the benefit of an environmental assessment? Trash is a smorgasbord for ravens, who prey upon tortoises. What is in place to prevent litter from blowing into wilderness areas? How much waste water is being generated and how is it treated? How can our community be sure that depleted uranium is not being detonated? There are so many unanswered questions.
We believe the Bureau of Land Management and Kaiser are in contempt of court. Judge Timlin's ruling states in part:
"...The subject land exchange and grant of rights of way and reversionary interests are set aside and Defendants are enjoined from engaging in any action that would change the character and use of the exchanged properties pending BLM's preparation of an ROD consistent with the Court's rulings in this Order and an EIS which addresses the deficiencies in the subject Final EIS...".
Clearly, Marine exercises in tortoise and big horn sheep habitat falls way short of compliance with Judge Timlin's ruling. The land is not zoned for military operations, and shooting off cannons certainly will change the character of the land. Just as the Eagle Mountain town reverted back to public ownership, Kaiser has no right to rent it to military contractors. This contractor, International Program Group, Inc actually has an approved training site in Arizona. Why occupy our town? They should be required to leave.
Your question, comments, strategic ideas welcome.
A Break-Through
Event for Whooping Cranes!
A pair of whooping cranes have hatched two chicks in the wild—at the
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Central Wisconsin. This breakthrough
event marks the first young of the species to be hatched in the wild in
the eastern United States in more than 100 years!
This wonderful wildlife success story is certainly cause for celebration — but these beautiful birds are still extremely endangered, with only around 300 surviving in the wild!
If these chicks are to survive and join a migrating flock they will need a tremendous amount of help, and the most important thing we as Americans can do for them is to ensure they continue to enjoy the valuable and long-standing protections afforded them under the Endangered Species Act.
For over three decades, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has provided a vital safety net for America's wildlife on the brink of extinction. Still, there are those in Congress who seek to gut this crucial legislation, and repeal the long-standing protections that have made wildlife victories such as the Yellowstone wolf, and the bald eagle, possible.
Bush Fiddles, World
Warms
Will California Act to Curb Global Warming?
As scientific evidence continues to make an urgent case for reducing global warming pollution, President Bush and the Republican Congress stonewall any possibility for a meaningful response at the national level. California must fill the leadership void and show how to turn down the heat.
AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Assemblymember Fran Pavley, would put into law an enforceable limit on statewide emissions of greenhouse gases. The Air Resources Board would implement emissions caps beginning in 2012, with progressive reductions until emissions were returned to 1990 levels by 2020. AB 32 would also require the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gases from significant sources.
The Senate Environmental Quality Committee approved AB 32 on June 26, and its passage through the full Senate appears likely. But big polluters like the oil and auto companies have already formed a new front group designed to obscure the facts and deceive the public. The Assembly floor vote in August will be the key battleground, because that body has a combination of a united Republican caucus and a large faction of polluter Democrats who make a habit of killing or weakening strong protections for our air and water. Should Núñez and Pavley succeed in passing their bill out of the Legislature intact, the inconvenient truth for Governor Schwarzenegger will be the fact that he will have to choose between keeping his own promise to reduce global warming pollution and keeping his big-business allies happy.
What You Can Do — Write a letter to your Assemblymember asking for support of AB 32, making these points:
Contact Richard E. Jones
3200 San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles CA 90065
Phone: (323) 326-3132; Fax: (323) 258-2042, E-Mail: jonesre@francisquito.org
- Additional info: www.francisquito.org
Proposed Resolution: Los Angeles Apollo Alliance
A copy of the Membership Agreement and other materials are available through Conservation Coordinator Jennifer Robinson in the chapter office.
Arguments in favor and opposed deleted from web version.
The Sierra Club supports and will work toward a conservation preserve on approximately 246,000 acres of the more than 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch property in Los Angeles and Kern Counties The preserve should be designated as a state or national park.
The Angeles Chapter will participate in a joint Sierra Club Tejon Ranch Task Force that will also include representatives of the Kern-Kaweah Chapter. The Angeles Chapter representatives to this task force will be appointed by the Chapter Conservation Chair.
The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club resolves to establish an Urban Gardens Committee in order to address and support the specific needs and issues surrounding this use of the urban landscape.
Urban Gardens provide an alternative and healthy food source, a constructive and binding family activity, help build a sense of community, and connect the global movement of preserving plants, animals and humans to local neighborhood gardens. In addition, urban gardens provide a setting where we can provide education on the sustainable use and recycling of environmental resources.
Officers of the committee will be appointed by the Chapter Conservation Chair.
Resolution to Approve Conservation Grants
The resolution to approve the conservation grants was approved unanimously.
Supreme Court Ruling:
Clean Water at Risk
The Supreme Court voted to vacate previous judgments
in the Clean Water Act cases, which threatened to cut over half the nation's
river miles and countless acres of wetlands out of the Clean Water Act, and
remand the cases back to the lower court. The ruling creates a legal situation
that will lead to endless administrative proceedings and legal challenges
in the lower courts. As Chief Justice Roberts laments, the "lower courts
and regulated entities will now have to feel their way on a case-by-case basis."
While it is encouraging that five justices rejected polluters' arguments to
radically roll back the Clean Water Act, the decision will likely complicate
efforts to protect individual water bodies and bog down federal agencies with
thousands of determinations each year. This decision provides the perfect
opportunity for Congress to pass the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act
(HR1356 & S912), which would reaffirm Congress' intent and the historic
broad scope of the law to protect our nation's waters.
Wildlife programs
at Gene Autry Museum
Past, Present, and Future of the Western
Environment: Grizzly Bears
Sunday, October 22, 1 - 2:30 pm
Free at Autry National Center, Griffith Park — Reservations Requested
323-667-2000 x354
Initiative: Western Environment
Leading experts will discuss the federal proposal to remove grizzly bears
from the Endangered Species List and its implications for Western wildlife.
A collaboration with the Sierra Club.
Scheduled panelists include John Hadidian, Director of the Urban Wildlife
Program, The Humane Society of the US.
Sean B. Hecht, Executive Director, UCLA Environmental Law Center
“Montana Jim” Cole, author, photographer and grizzly bear expert
Moderator: Jonathan Spaulding, Executive Director, Museum of the American
West.
Past, Present, and Future of the Western Environment:
The Endangered Species Act
Sunday, November 12, 1 - 2:30 pm
Action Directory
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline: (202) 675-2394
Sierra Club National: (415) 977-5500
Sierra Club Sacramento Legislative Office: (916) 557-1100; fax (916) 557-9669
White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111
White House Fax Line: (202) 456-2461
President George W Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Dick Cheney: vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
US Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
To contact your senators: Senate Office Bldg, Washington DC 20510 http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative: House Office Bldg, Washington DC 20515 http://www.house.gov/writerep
California Capitol Switchboard: (916) 322-9900
Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger: (916) 445-2841; fax (916)
445-4633; governor@governor.ca.gov
State Capitol
Bldg, Sacramento CA 95814
Sierra Club Links
Sierra Club World Wide Web: http://www.sierraclub.org
Angeles Chapter site: http://angeles.sierraclub.org
Sierra Club California: http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/
Sierra Club Vote Watch Website: http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/
National Clubhouse activist resource site: http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/
Need help contacting your
US representatives or finding out about legislation?
US House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
US Senate: http://www.senate.gov/
California State Assembly: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/
California State Senate: http://www.sen.ca.gov/
California State: http://www.ca.gov/state/portal/myca_homepage.jsp
California Legislative Information: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/
California Secretary of State voter information:
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections.htm
This
Electronic Conservation Committee Newsletter is
sent free, automatically, on email by listserv to all activists
who hold any of the following positions in the Angeles Chapter
or its entities: Executive Committee Member; Entity Chair or Conservation
Chair, Political, and Newsletter Editor, Conservation Subcommittee or Task
Force Chair. In addition, many activists throughout the Chapter and state
receive it free by email, either by request or by position. Distribution
is approximately 350 by email, and 45 by postal hard copy. If you no longer
hold the Club office with the automatic pull and wish to continue to
receive it, email ivesico@earthlink.net. If we do not have your
email address — please let us know. If you wish (and tell us), it will
be tagged "private" and not printed or given out. The Newsletter
(without upcoming resolutions) is available on the Chapter
website at http://angeles.sierraclub.org/home.html Paper postal copy
is available ($20/year payable Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club) for
those who are technically challenged or simply don't want to be bothered.
To receive The Newsletter by first class mail, send a donation
of $20 to (almost) cover printing/mailing costs to Conservation Newsletter,
112 Harvard Ave PMB 297, Claremont CA 91711.
National's
GoldBook provides information to chapters and groups
on the differences between 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) funds; how to utilize and
access charitable 501(c)(3) funds; how to get a project approved; fundraising
plus much, much, more material on the Sierra Club. It is now available at
the Clubhouse website. Go to http://www.clubhouse.sierraclub.org/; follow
the instructions for obtaining the password. The GoldBook can be found
by clicking on A - Z List of Materials box, then on "G" under A-Z List of
Documents, then on GoldBook, Educational Project Guidelines.
The California/Nevada Directory (RedBook)
is available online. It also includes the Handbook
of Sierra Club California Bylaws and Standing Rules (GreenBook).
Contact Lori Ives (lori.ives@angeles.sierraclub.org) for the online address
and password. Send your membership number, your position in the Club, and
your reason for needing the information. The paper
edition ($20) is available on special order. Contact Lori for
information.
E-Mail
Lists There are four important discussion lists for Angeles environmental
activists:
Angeles Chapter Cons Listserve angeles-conservation@lists.sierraclub.org
Angeles Chapter Conservation Committee Newsletter (Angeles Cons-News)
Angeles-Alerts Listserve angeles-alerts@lists.sierraclub.org
California/Nevada Listserve calif-activists@lists.sierraclub.org
(moderated list for announcements)
California/Nevada Listserve calif-activists-forum@lists.sierraclub.org
(unmoderated discussion list)
Subscribe to California Activists: calif-activists-request@lists.sierraclub.org
Subscribe to California Activists Forum: calif-activists-request@lists.sierraclub.org
For either list, send your name, email address, Sierra Club
membership number,
your position in Club (how are you active?)
Subscription is processed by one of the list owners, usually the same day.
Subscribe to Angeles-Alerts: email listsserve@lists.sierraclub.org
with the message "subscribe angeles-conservation"
or "subscribe calif-activists" or "subscribe angeles-alerts" Note:
it's "listserv," not "listserve."
To leave a list, send an e-mail to listserv@lists.sierraclub.org.
In the text of your message (not the subject line), write: "signoff calif-activists"
or "signoff angeles-conservation" or "signoff angeles-alerts"
The Angeles Chapter's web site is http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/
Angeles Chapter Conservation
Management Committee
Chair: Dean Wallraff (818) 679-3141
Vice Chair/Policy/Grants Chair: Bonnie Sharpe
Vice Chair/Outreach: Marcia Hanscom
Secretary: Lisa Skillett
Newletter Editor: Robin Ives (909) 624-5522
At Large: Jan Kidwell, Jay Matchett, Lynne Plambeck, Virgil Shields, Rosemarie
White
Publisher/Webmaster/Circulation (non-voting): Lori Ives (909) 621-7148
Staff Conservation Coordinator (non-voting): Jennifer Robinson
Angeles Chapter
Grants Committee
Bonnie Sharpe,Ch . Judy Anderson, Marcia Hanscom, Robin Ives, Jay Matchett,
Rudy Vietmeier, Dean Wallraff
Angeles
Chapter Conservation Committee
3435 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 320, Los Angeles CA 90010-1904.
Motions should be submitted in advance, together with objective background
material and supporting and opposing arguments, both to the Committee Chair
(Dean Wallraff) and Newsletter Editor (Robin Ives), for distribution with
the agenda. Other motions will be postponed for action at a later meeting
unless the motion is submitted in writing and unless the Committee votes by
a two-thirds majority an exception to the ordinary procedure. Motions needing
further action by the Angeles Chapter ExComm or some higher level of the Sierra
Club should start out: "The Angeles Chapter Conservation Committee recommends
that the Sierra Club..."
DRAFT AGENDA —
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
(Final agenda will be sent out July 17 on the Angeles
Conservation listserv.)
7:15 Introductions, approval of the agenda, announcements
7:30 Staff Report (Jennifer Robinson)
7:45 Program: Quick overview of the California Environmental Quality Act and
how it can help activists participate in the planning process (Lynne Plambeck)
8:15 Presentation on Santa Susanna Mountains Task Force (Teena Takata and
Susan Gerke)
8:30 Decision whether to join Los Angeles Apollo Alliance (Bill Corcoran)
8:45 Resolution on National “Why I Hunt” Contest (Rosemarie White,
Bonnie Sharpe)
9:00 Adjourn Next meeting, August 16, at the Chapter Office.
Orange
County Conservation Committee
Bob Siebert/Chair — http://angeles.sierraclub.org/ocosc/
LOCATION:
Inn at the Park, 10 Marquette, Irvine. Take the 405 to Culver and go west
towards the beach. Follow Culver past Michelson and University and turn right
on Harvard. Take Harvard to Marquette and turn right. It's on the corner of
Harvard and Marquette on the right hand side.
DRAFT AGENDA — Tuesday, July
18, 2006
7:00 Welcome, Introductions, Announcements and movie
reviews
7:10 Staff Report - Jennifer Robinson
7:20 Laguna Wilderness - Penny Alia
7:30 Habors, Beaches & Parks Strategic Plan - Penny Elia (acting)
7:40 SAMTF Update and Report - Robin Everett
7:55 Upper Newport Bay Report and Osprey Status - Lori Kiesser, Constance
Bean
8:05 Break
8:10 Saddleback Canyons - Rich Gomez
8:30 Orange Hills Task Force Report - Carole Mintzer
8:40 Sacred Sites Task Force Report - Rebecca Robles
8:55 Adjourn Next meeting: August 15
Conservation
Committees Calendar
If you have an upcoming meeting or event to be listed
in this calendar:
In Los Angeles County, contact Lori Ives (ivesico@earthlink.net);
In Orange County, contact Bob Siebert (eesolar@sbcglobal.net)
| JULY, 2006 |
| Sat, Jul 15, 3rd Sat odd months, 10 am to 1 pm - LA River Comm, Roy van de Hoek (310) 821-9045 |
| Sat, Jul 15, 10 am, Chapter Office - CNRCC (South), Ken Smokoska (714) 420-2231 |
| Sat Jul 15, 3rd Sat odd months, 3-5 pm, UU Church, Mission Viejo - Sta Ana Mtns TF, Jay Matchett (714) 730-7730 |
| Tue Jul 18, 6 pm, before OCCC at The Inn at the Park - Open Spaces, Wild Places (OSWP) |
| Tue Jul 18, 3rd Tues, 7:00 pm, Inn at the
Park, 10 Marquette, Irvine - OC Conservation
Committee |
| Wed Jul 19, 3rd Wed monthly, 7:15 pm Chapter Office
- Chapter Conservation Committee |
| Wed Jul 19, 3rd Wed, 7:30 pm - Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, Terry Welsh (949) 548-5635 |
| Thu Jul 20, 3rd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Griffith Park Planning TF, Delphine Trowbridge delphinetr@sbcglobal.net |
| Sat Jul 22, 9:00 am, the Carlab in Orange - Orange Hills Task Force |
| Sun Jul 23, 1 pm, Chapter Office - Chapter ExComm, Mike Sappingfield mikesapp@cox.net |
| Mon Jul 24, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - Public Relations Committee, Genevieve Liang (310) 266-3350 |
| Mon Jul 24, 4th Mon, 6:30 pm - PV-SB Cons Comm, potluck, then mtg. Barry Holchin, Chair (310) 378-3780 |
| Mon Jul 24, 4th Mon, 7:00 pm, 170 Copa de Oro Rd, Brea - Puente-Chino Hills TF, Eric Johnson (714) 524-7763 |
| Wed Jul 26, 4th Wed odd months, 7:30 pm Eaton Cyn Nature Ctr (potluck) - Forest Cmte, Don Bremner (626) 794-2603 |
| Thu Jul 27, 7:15 pm - OC Political Committee Meeting, Gail Prothero gprothero@cox.net |
| Mon Jul 31, 7:15 pm Chapter Office - Conservation Mgmt, Dean Wallraff deanraff@arsnova.org |
| AUGUST 2006 |
| Tue Aug 1 - Southern Sierran Deadline for September, 2006 |
| Thu Aug 3, 1st Thur 7:00 pm, Chapter Office - Transportation Subcommittee |
| Mon Aug 7, 1st Mon, 7:00-8:30 pm, Silverado Comm Ctr, 27641 Silverado
Cyn Rd, Silverado Canyon - Saddleback Canyons TF. Details: Rich Gomez, Chair, 949-882-0071 pager |
| Sun Aug 13, 2nd Sun, 2:45 pm, San Pedro Public Library, 9th and Gaffey - Harbor Vision Task Force |
| Sun-Mon, Aug 13-14, Sacramento - Lobby Day. Contact Ron Silverman ron.silverman@sierraclub.org |
| Mon Aug 14, 2nd Mon Feb/May/Aug/Nov - Native American Sacred Sites TF, Rebecca Robles (949) 369-0361 |
| Mon Aug 14, 2nd Mon, 7:15 pm, 217 E Chapman Ave, Orange - Orange Hills TF, John Ufkes ufkes@pacbell.net |
| Mon Aug 14, 2nd Mon monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - LA Political Committee, Susana Reyes (818) 242-8589 |
| Tue Aug 15, 6 pm, before OCCC at The Inn at the Park - Open Spaces, Wild Places (OSWP) |
| Tue Aug 15, 3rd Tues, 7:00 pm, Inn at the Park, 10 Marquette,
Irvine - OC Conservation Committee |
| Wed Aug 16, 3rd Wed even months, 7:00 pm - Friends of Foothills Steering Cmte. Bill Holmes (949) 496-5323 |
| Wed Aug 16 , 3rd Wed monthly, 7:15 pm Chapter Office - Chapter
Conservation Committee |
| Wed Aug 16, 3rd Wed, 7:30 pm - Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, Terry Welsh (949) 548-5635 |
| Thu Aug 17, 3rd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Griffith Park Planning TF, Delphine Trowbridge delphinetr@sbcglobal.net |
| Thu Aug 24, 7:15 pm, North County at Alex Mintzer's - OC Political Cmte Mtg. Gail Prothero gprothero@cox.net |
| Sat Aug 26, 9:00 am, the Carlab in Orange - Orange Hills Task Force |
| Sun Aug 27, 1 pm, Chapter Office - Chapter ExComm. Contact Mike Sappingfield mikesapp@cox.net |
| Mon Aug 28, 4th Mon, 6:30 pm - PV-SB Cons Comm, potluck, then mtg. Barry Holchin, Chair (310) 378-3780 |
| Mon Aug 28, 7:15 pm Chapter Office - Conservation Mgmt, Dean Wallraff deanraff@arsnova.org |
| Mon Aug 28, 4th Mon, 7:00 pm, 170 Copa de Oro Rd, Brea - Puente-Chino Hills TF, Eric Johnson (714) 524-7763 |
| SEPTEMBER 2006 |
| Mon Sept 4, Southern Sierran Deadline for October, 2006 |
| Mon Sept 4, 1st Mon, 7:00-8:30 pm, Silverado Comm Ctr,
27641 Silverado Cyn Rd, Silverado Cyn - |
| Mon Sept 4, 1st Mon Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec - Crystal Cove TF, Murray Rosenthal murray_rosenthal@juno.com |
| Thu Sept 7, 1st Thur 7:00 pm, Chapter Office - Transportation Subcommittee |
| Sun Sept 10, 2nd Sun, 2:45 pm, San Pedro Public Library, 9th and Gaffey - Harbor Vision Task Force |
| Mon Sept 11, 2nd Mon, 7:15 pm, 217 E Chapman Ave, Orange - Orange Hills TF, John Ufkes ufkes@pacbell.net |
| Mon Sept 11, 2nd Mon, 7:30 pm - Santa Monica Mountains TF, Mary Ann Webster (310) 559-3126 |
| Mon Sept 11, 2nd Mon monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - LA Political Committee, Susana Reyes (818) 242-8589 |
| Thu Sept 14, 2nd Thu odd months, 7-9 pm, 658 Venice
Blvd - Ballona Wetlands Restoration, |
| Sat, Sept 16, 3rd Sat odd months, 10 am to 1 pm - LA River Comm, Roy van de Hoek (310) 821-9045 |
| Sat Sept 16, 3rd Sat odd months, 3-5 pm, UU Church, Mission Viejo - Sta Ana Mtns TF, Jay Matchett (714) 730-7730 |
| Tue Sept 19, 6 pm, before OCCC at The Inn at the Park - Open Spaces, Wild Places (OSWP) |
| Tue Sept 19, 3rd Tues, 7:00 pm, Inn at the
Park, 10 Marquette, Irvine - OC Conservation
Committee |
| Wed Sept 20, 3rd Wed monthly, 7:15 pm Chapter Office
- Chapter Conservation Committee |
| Wed Sept 20, 3rd Wed, 7:30 pm - Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, Terry Welsh (949) 548-5635 |
| Thu Sept 21, 3rd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Griffith Park Planning TF, Delphine Trowbridge delphinetr@sbcglobal.net |
| Sat Sept 23, 9:00 am, the Carlab in Orange - Orange Hills Task Force |
| Sun Sept 24, 1 pm, Chapter Office - Chapter ExComm, Mike Sappingfield mikesapp@cox.net |
| Mon Sept 25, 7:15 pm Chapter Office - Conservation Mgmt, Dean Wallraff deanraff@arsnova.org |
| Mon Sept 25, 4th Mon, 6:30 pm - PV-SB Cons Comm, potluck, then mtg. Barry Holchin, Chair (310) 378-3780 |
| Mon Sept 25, 4th Mon, 7:00 pm, 170 Copa de Oro Rd, Brea - Puente-Chino Hills TF, Eric Johnson (714) 524-7763 |
| Wed Sept 27, 4th Wed odd months, 7:30 pm Eaton Cyn Nature Ctr (potluck) - Forest Cmte, Don Bremner (626) 794-2603 |
| Thu Sept 28, 7:15 pm - OC Political Committee Meeting, Gail Prothero gprothero@cox.net |
| Mon Sep 30, 9:00 pm, Chapter Office, Southern California Forest Committee |
Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Conservation Committee
112 North Harvard Avenue PMB 297
Claremont CA 91711-4716