Welcome to the new Southern Sierran!
This issue of the Southern Sierran combined with the Schedule of Activities is the first to feature our new size and our new format. Download it to your desktop or print it out. Here’s some of what’s new:
New office, new reasons to donate
Its official! The Angeles Chapter has a new home, and you’re all welcome to stop by and say hello anytime!
We are now located in 3250 Wilshire Blvd. #1106, L.A., CA 90010. The space is smaller and more compact but we think it will serve our members as well as the old office space. We moved to reduce overhead expenses so we can invest as many resources as possible on our environmental programs. This is only one of the ways the Chapter is rebuilding its reserves after a challenging 2012.
Beyond Coal Scores Major Victory in Los Angeles
After a three-year campaign by tens of thousands across the city, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined the Sierra Club's L.A. Beyond Coal activists Friday to publicly announce this blockbuster news: L.A. will stop using coal by 2025. (See video here.)
The Friday Night Hike: Come hit the trail
On any given Friday night, you can find a group of intrepid Sierra Club hikers out on the East Topanga Fire Road in the Santa Monica Mountains enjoying one of L.A.’s best kept near-secrets.
Newhall Ranch: The unending quest to develop the Santa Clara River
Like some unending TV soap opera, the efforts to permit the Newhall Ranch and the persistent opposition of community activists continues — and it’s far from being over yet.
New bills in Congress to protect air and water quality
Two important bills to protect the environment and the health of all Americans were introduced in Congress on March 14: the Breathe Act, sponsored by Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colorado) and the Fresher Act, sponsored by Congressman Matthew Cartwright (D-Pennsylvania).
EPA begins groundwater remediation project for DDT superfund sites
The Del Amo Pits and Montrose Superfund Sites ground water remediation project was the subject of a federal Environmental Protection Agency community meeting in Harbor Gateway in February. The properties are located between Normandie and Vermont north of Torrance Boulevard in an area of Los Angeles known as the Harbor Gateway.
Standout volunteers to receive Angeles Chapter Awards
Each year the Angeles Chapter salutes volunteer who have made outstanding contributions during their service to the Sierra Club. Check out these profiles of our 2012 honorees and then come celebrate at the Angeles Chapter Banquet on May 5 at Brookside Country Club, 1133 Rosemont Blvd, Pasadena. (Chapter Banquet details here.)
Desalination destroys the environment and isn't a quick fix for Southern California's water woes
Many people in Southern California think that we are in a perpetual drought and will not have enough water to sustain ourselves. Unfortunately, this common fear is fueling misguided support for ocean desalination, the process of removing salt from seawater to create potable water.
Passages: Darrick Danta and Dorothy Beck Mcinnis
Darrick Danta (1955-2013)
Darrick Danta, a longtime Sierra Club Angeles Chapter outings leader, Wilderness Travel Course lecturer and navigation examiner died in a climbing accident on New York Mountain in the Mojave National Preserve on Feb. 15, one day after his 58th birthday.
