July 2007

Statement of Sierra Club on Lake Tahoe Fire (June 29, 2007)
by Barbara Boyle (Sacramento), Michael Donahoe (Lake Tahoe), David Willett, (DC Press Office)

Sierra Club members and staff in the Lake Tahoe Basin and throughout the nation are dismayed about the damage and losses people have suffered from the Angora Fire. We are enormously thankful for the hard work by the thousands of firefighters working to protect lives and homes, and we are grateful that no lives have been lost.

Many of us who live in the Basin are working in our community to try and lend a hand to those who have lost their homes and possessions. This help will be needed for quite some time. It's going to take a united community to provide it.

Now is the time to focus on the goal that is common to all of us—to do all in our power to prevent this kind of destruction from ever happening again.

We are facing a problem that has taken many decades to develop. A well-meaning policy of suppressing every wildfire for a half century or more has resulted in forests in many parts of the Sierra Nevada range that are unnaturally dense. Prior to this policy, most Sierra forests saw regular fire, but these were typically "cooler" fires that burned the surface fuels (small trees and brush), traveled along the forest floor, and left the largest, most fire resistant trees intact. Today's fuel-laden forests, when ignited, can generate extremely hot and damaging crown fires that burn even the largest trees as well as most other things in their path, including homes.

For more than a decade Sierra Club has played an active role in encouraging and supporting efforts to improve Tahoe residents' protection from wildfire. We actively participated in the Presidential Tahoe Summit in 1997, where we urged increased forest thinning and brush removal focused in and around communities, while sparing old growth trees that are most fire resistant. We asked the federal government to prioritize funding for Lake Tahoe because, beyond the potential for loss of life and property, catastrophic wildfire could have devastating impacts on the Lake's water quality and clarity which are so important to the region's beauty and its economy.

Since that time, we have helped write and have signed on to local planning agency resolutions to increase fuel reduction efforts. We have supported pilot projects to determine if there are less expensive methods to reduce fuel loads in stream zones without destroying lake clarity.

During the past decade scientists have learned a great deal more about the best ways to protect homes in "wildland-urban interface" (WUI) areas. The most important advice the scientists are giving us is:

To accomplish all these in an area the size of the Lake Tahoe Basin requires a great deal of community education as well as funding for homeowners and the major public forest landowners, most importantly the US Forest Service. Even prioritizing areas near communities, we would still need several decades to do the needed work.

Unfortunately, the first Tahoe Summit's goal of thinning 30,000 acres in ten years in the Basin has not been accomplished, although much has been done. Many landowners have worked hard to reduce fire risk by removing vegetation around their homes, and it appears that many of those who did so in the Angora Fire area saw their homes spared from the fire. In the Sierra Club, we have attempted to educate our members and the general public and have tried to secure adequate funding for fuels treatment and more needs to be done in the future.

Local procedures have changed to make it easier for residents to get a permit to cut down trees that threaten their homes. The fact that many people don't know this is an indication of how much more public education is needed. Today, people in most Lake communities can simply call their local fire department, which will send someone out to assess the situation and mark the trees-to-be-cut right then and there. Hopefully in the wake of this terrible fire, more people will become better educated on both the value of clearing defensible space and on how to get it done.

On the federal forest lands adjacent to our communities, we have been faced with ever-shrinking federal budgets under the current Administration.

Further, to reduce the cost of fuel treatments, the Administration is advocating measures that jeopardize the clarity of Lake Tahoe. We believe we should not have to choose between fire safety and a pollution-free Lake Tahoe. There is a better way.

Some have charged that environmental groups are responsible for holding up federal fuel treatment projects through appeals and litigation, but there have been no appeals or litigation of such projects in many years in the Tahoe Basin. In fact, Sierra Club and other conservation groups in the Basin have advocated for additional funding for fuels treatment. Sen. Harry Reid recently led an effort to acquire such funding from sales of public land in the urban Las Vegas area, which may increase the number of projects in the Basin in the next several years.

First we need to acknowledge that under certain conditions, including some that have occurred with the Angora fire such as drought, extremely low humidity (8-13%) and high winds, there is little to nothing humans can do.

When a fire becomes "catastrophic" and is burning through the crowns of large trees, it creates its own wind and has enormous destructive capacity.

With this type of fire even the best thinning and defensible space efforts may not be enough.

However, much can be done to improve our odds and make the Lake Tahoe Basin and other forest communities better prepared. Sierra Club has been and will continue to be actively engaged in a number of these actions locally, in Sacramento, and in Washington DC.

Santa Monica Mountains Land Acquisition Funds
by Mary Ann Webster
May 18, 2007

Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky has announced approval of $2.32 million in grant funding to help purchase six parcels of prime open space in the Santa Monica Mountains to expand the County's hiking and equestrian trail system.

Yaroslavsky explained that public agencies and qualified nonprofit organizations are eligible for the funding, giving priority to those with demonstrated success in completing acquisition and trails development projects in the Santa Monica Mountains within the Third Supervisorial District, consistent with the Los Angeles County Trails Master Plan.

Sacramento, June 11, 2007—After a federal election in which corruption was identified as the most important national issue and a Californian election in which nearly $170 million was spent on the governor's race alone, the California State Assembly passed a key measure designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of public financing to reform the campaign finance system in California. The pilot program will provide California and the nation with a model for reform.

By a vote of 45 to 34, the Assembly passed AB 583, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act. Authored by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley). The amended version of AB 583 that passed would establish a voluntary, full public financing system for the Governor's race, one open Assembly seat, and one open Senate seat in 2010. Modeled after successful systems in Arizona and Maine, AB 583 will allow Californians the opportunity to vote for a gubernatorial candidate in 2010 who hasn't accepted any money from special interests, as well as serving as a pilot program that will allow California voters and candidates to see how a Clean Money system would actually work in California.

The Assembly showed true leadership today by passing AB 583. The Clean Money and Fair Elections Act is an important step in ending the corrosive effects of money in our elections system. Assemblymember Hancock, Speaker Fabian Nunez, Appropriations Chairman Mark Leno, Elections Chairman Curren Price, and all the Assemblymembers who voted for the bill have done the right thing for California" said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of the California Clean Money Campaign.

Clean Money systems have been adopted across the country; Arizona and Maine started public-financing state elections 7 years ago, Connecticut's legislature passed a Clean Money bill last year, North Carolina provides public financing for judicial races, and New Mexico just instituted a similar system for its judicial elections. New Mexico also established a pilot Clean Money program for elections for its Public Regulations Commission, while New Jersey has a pilot program for public financing of three legislative districts.

Speaking after the Assembly vote, Assemblymember Hancock said, "It has been a long and hard road, but I am deeply pleased that AB 583 passed out of the Assembly. This is an important reform and I trust that my colleagues in the Senate will recognize its necessity."

If the voters of California want clean water and clean air, we've got to get clean money in the system," said Bill Magavern, senior legislative representative for the California Sierra Club. All but two Democrats in the State Assembly voted yes on the measure. The measure received no aye votes from Republicans. The sole Democrats to vote against the measure were Assemblymembers Nicole Parra (D-Bakersfield) and Cathleen Galgiani (D-Merced).

On Friday, June 8, 2007 Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill of the Federal Court for the District of Idaho awarded Western Watersheds Project with an Order overturning the Bush administration’s new proposed grazing regulations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) affecting over 160,000,000 acres of public lands in eleven western states.

The Judge pillories the BLM for ignoring public input and attempting to rollback conservation measures. Her decision is well worth a read!

Southern California Forests Campaign Report
by Juana Torres, John Monsen, Bill Corcoran

Energized by recent victories and renewed interest in Congress for protecting public lands, the Forests Campaign launched its new “San Gabriel Mountains Wilderness and Living Rivers Campaign” to Sierra Club members in May. Over 120 people attended community meetings in Pasadena on May 23rd and Claremont on May 31st, which featured local elected officials as well as presentations on mountain and river issues and protection opportunities.

The new campaign will focus on adding new wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers to the Angeles and the western San Bernardino National Forests and on improving the water quality and recreational opportunities along the North, West, and East Forks of the San Gabriel River. These meetings were designed to energize a core group of Sierra Club members along the San Gabriel Mountain foothills at the campaign’s outset while further campaign elements are being developed in conjunction with environmental allies, such as Friends of the River and the National Hispanic Environmental Council.

Another Faith-Based Initiative—Not!
by Carl Pope, June 11, 2007

Flagstaff AZ—A recurrent theme of my blog has been exposing the myth that Karl Rove and the Bush administration are committed to taking care of the voters who constitute their base—deeply religious Americans, for example. You might think that a born-again, pious leader like the President would instruct his bureaucracy to prioritize protecting the sanctity of a place of worship over, say, the convenience of a secular recreational facility like a ski resort. Once again, however, as with rural schools, you would be wrong.

In March, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the use of reclaimed sewage to create artificial snow to expand the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort on the San Francisco Peaks—a place held holy by more than 13 Native American tribes—violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

When the Forest Service asked the Bush administration to appeal the decision, 21 tribes passed resolutions asking the administration to defend religion instead. The Save the Peaks Coalition, supported by the Sierra Club, initiated a "Healthy Communities/Turquoise Ribbon Campaign" to engage local citizens and the Flagstaff business community in the call for respect for the religious rights of native peoples.

Vincent Randall, a Yavapai-Apache Councilman explained the issue this way: "People wonder why we are upset because [they say] we can still use part of the mountain.... We do not see the mountain as a pie to divide up into segments. The mountain is a whole entity, [much] like a pregnant woman or a large mature tree."

But this was yet another faith-based initiative that Bush found just too inconvenient. Last week, the Justice Department filed a brief asking the 9th Circuit to review the earlier ruling and to permit the use of reclaimed sewage for the benefit of Arizona Snowbowl. There is one way, however, in which this action is consistent with the religious values of Bush and in keeping his image as a President faithful to his beliefs: You won't go wrong if you assume that, for this White House, the worship of Mammon (money and profit) comes first.

Speaker Pelosi says 'No!'
by Carl Pope, June 8, 2007

Washington DC—Last week the Bush administration went aground on the shoals of global warming. This week the old guard in Congress tried to steer between the Scylla of public demand for action on climate, and the Charybdis of their deep fealty to the old politics of carbon, cars, coal, and oil. The senior member of the House, Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, put his stamp of approval on a very bad proposal by Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher. Boucher's bill would mandate some very modest improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency—but only after 2022.

It would also preempt much tougher fuel economy rules already passed by California and 12 other states, and prevent the EPA from acting on the recent Supreme Court ruling requiring the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. In effect, the Boucher-Dingell proposal would represent two steps backward, and no step forward, from the status quo. It is actually weaker than what President Bush proposed in his State of the Union Message.

And this was not the only reactionary signal from Congress this week. In the House Appropriations Committee, a 30-35 vote doomed the bipartisan Hinchey-Wolf amendment to cut funding for the idea that the federal government should exercise the power of eminent domain over private property in wide swaths of the Northeast and Southwest on behalf of private utilities seeking to build unneeded transmission lines.

The states rose in outrage at Dingell's proposal, led by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; counties and local government can be counted on to revive Hinchey-Wolf when the Appropriations bill gets to the House floor. Once again Congress is showing itself to be out of step with the rest of the country.

But the House leadership is paying close attention. House Speaker Pelosi promptly sent Dingell and Boucher a strong signal, saying "Any proposal that affects California's landmark efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or eliminates the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions will not have my support.

And 136 House members, including most of Pelosi's closest allies, have already cosponsored Congressman Ed Markey's 40-mpg fuel-efficiency bill. "This discussion draft doesn't step up to the urgent challenge facing us," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) at the start of today's Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Boucher draft. "It blinks, and then it steps back." Waxman said he would offer a substitute bill when the committee marks up the "deeply flawed" legislation.

While the Appropriations Committee narrowly sided with the advocates of federal preemption of local land use control in the transmission corridor issues, the Committee's leadership also signaled that they were serious about global warming, indicating that they were going to require the EPA to propose rules to regulate CO2 by July 1, 2008, far faster than the Bush Administration had planned. So Big Carbon's allies in Congress are struggling desperately to postpone effective action. But when smack dab between Scylla and Charybdis is the formidable force of the Speaker of the House, even as skillful a legislative navigator as John Dingell may have to change course and steer the auto industry into the 21st century, the one direction that Detroit has desperately been urging him to avoid.

Stop the Public Lands Give-Away!
from California Wilderness Coalition, June 21, 2007

Ask your representative today to protect America’s national parks, wilderness and other special places by voting in favor of the Udall RS 2477 amendment.

A little known 19th century statute is threatening to crisscross your public lands with a spider web of roads and development. Right now, some western states, counties, and off-road vehicle groups are trying to crisscross our public lands with a spider web of roads and development across our national parks, monuments, wilderness, and refuges.

Congress may vote by next week to stop this public lands give-away, when Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) offers a proposal that would close this dangerous and antiquated loophole.

These states, counties, and off-road vehicle groups have alleged that hiking trails, wash bottoms, streambeds, dog sled trails, and little-used two-tracks are actually constructed highways under a loophole in an 1866 law known as R.S. 2477 and have tried to get the federal government to accept these claims and surrender management, and some are trying to develop these trails and routes into paved highways and/or allow off-road vehicle use. Some hope these new (so called) highways will promote mining, timber, and oil and gas development.

These claims cut through protected areas including some of California's most iconic landscapes, such as Death Valley National Park and the Mojave National Preserve.

The Udall amendment will use Congress’s power of the purse to bar the administration from using tax dollars to approve questionable highway claims. This is a last-minute opportunity to protect vast areas of open space millions of Americans enjoy, but we need your help to make sure it passes!

Water Conference
July 14—Eaton Canyon

Join us at Eaton Canyon on Bastille Day Saturday, July 14, for a hard-hitting Conservation Workshop. Bastille Day, the day the citizenry of Paris stormed the “Bastille”, an infamous impenetrable political prison, is celebrated like our own Independence Day, as a triumph of local people against the tyranny of non-representational government. What a fitting day for our hard-hitting conservation workshop!

Did you miss last year’s “Trick’s of the Trade, a Toolbox for Activists?” Are you a watershed and/or water quality activist in California? Then this workshop is for you. Come and learn how you can “storm the Bastille” of government bureaucracy such as the Army Corps of Engineers and Water Quality Agencies with your project comment letters, and conservation strategies that will make a difference in your community. Learn the ropes, meet fellow activists and hear what other Sierra Club regions are doing to protect their watersheds.

Breaking Senate News
by Carl Zichella, June 14, 2007

The Senate just voted 56-39 to defeat Sen. Pete Domenici's (R-NM) amendment that would have given nuclear and coal credit as clean fuels and generally diluted and negated the renewable electricity standard.

This is great news and we will carry this into momentum to support the full Bingaman RES amendment. Meanwhile, Republican senators have threatened to filibuster the Bingaman RES amendment, and perhaps other measures.

Ask Congress for a Wildlife-Friendly Farm Bill
from the Planning and Conservation League, June 26, 2007

When it comes to wildlife conservation and environmental laws, the Farm Bill may not be the first legislation that comes to mind. But this bill—which is Congress's management plan for America's farms, private forests and ranches—provides important funding and programs that help protect wildlife, wildlife habitat, and our natural resources.

Key votes are coming up soon, and your action can make a big difference! The House and Senate Agriculture Committees are RIGHT NOW crafting the Farm Bill for the next five years. Please help make sure that wildlife and habitat get the funding needed to protect our farmland and forest lands.

Democrats Propose Loan Plan for Coal Plants
by Edmund L. Andrews, June 13, 2007

Washington, June 12—As the Senate began debate today on a sprawling bill to reduce oil consumption, top Democrats were circulating a proposal to provide $10 billion in loans for plants that make diesel fuel from coal.

The proposal highlights the horse-trading involving powerful industry groups as Democratic leaders push for legislation that would require higher mileage in cars and a huge increase in the production of renewable fuels made from plants like switchgrass.

The proposal has angered environmental groups, which contend that coal-based liquid fuels produce at least as much carbon dioxide, the primary gas associated with global warming, as petroleum-based fuels do.

The bill was drafted by Senator Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico, who is chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and the energy bill’s lead author. Until this week, Mr. Bingaman had opposed big subsidies for coal-based fuels, saying that each new production plant would cost billions of dollars and that the economic uncertainties posed risks for taxpayers.

But in what could be an effort to fend off demands from coal-state lawmakers for even bigger subsidies, Mr. Bingaman drafted a measure that would offer up to $10 billion in direct government loans for coal-to-liquid fuel plants.

The individual loans would be allowed to cover up to half the total cost of a new plant, and the plants would have to be capable of capturing and storing the carbon dioxide emitted during production.

Numerous companies have proposed coal-to-liquid fuel projects, and industry supporters have said that a plant producing 50,000 barrels of fuel a day would cost at least $3 billion and probably more than $4 billion.

Supporters of the coal industry say that coal-based liquid fuels could replace millions of gallons of gasoline a day, reducing the United States’ dependence on imported oil from the Middle East and other troubled corners of the world.

Coal-state lawmakers are pushing for a wide array of government assistance to jump start the new industry. In the House, Representative Rick Boucher, Democrat of Virginia, has drafted a bill that would insulate coal-to-liquid fuel plants from gyrations in energy prices by providing companies with automatic loans if oil prices drop too low to make coal-based liquid fuels profitable.

Other lawmakers have proposed letting the Air Force sign 20-year contracts to buy vast amounts of coal-based jet fuel at fixed prices. And still others have proposed including coal-based liquid fuels in a government mandate to greatly expand production of alternative fuels.

A group of us is working on it,” said Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota and a strong supporter of liquefied coal fuel. But Mr. Dorgan cautioned that Mr. Bingaman’s bill was “still a work in progress” and that Democratic leaders had yet to agree on what incentives to include in the measure.

Corey Henry, a spokesman for the Coal to Liquid Fuel Coalition, an industry lobbying group led by the National Mining Association, said he was optimistic that the Senate would include some kind of support.

“You can definitely see that there’s a bipartisan effort to achieve a workable coal-to-liquid fuel provision,” Mr. Henry said.

Sequoia National Forest Travel Management Plan
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Sequoia National Forest, California
Public Wheeled Motorized Travel Management
EIS AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

The Sequoia National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to disclose the impacts associated with the following proposed actions:

ADRESSES: Send written comments to: Chris Sanders, Travel Management, Sequoia National Forest, 1839 South Newcomb Street, Porterville CA 93257. The phone number is (559) 784-1500.

Former Soka Site Now a Park; Open to the Public
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
June 29, 2007

Calabasas—The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) has announced that after 30 years of effort by public park agencies and conservationists, the property known variously in the last 75 years as King Gillette Ranch, Claretville, and Camelot—but most recently as Soka University of America, Calabasas Campus—will open as public parkland tomorrow.

One of the most stunning locales in the Santa Monica Mountains, the new 588-acre park--King Gillette Ranch--is situated in the heart of the Malibu Creek Watershed, by the confluence of five major tributaries, and adjacent to Malibu Creek State Park. It offers a rare unspoiled view of California’s rich archeological, cultural, and historic resources, including a Chumash settlement, and nationally significant structures designed for the razor magnate in the 1920’s by Wallace Neff, architect of California’s Golden Age. “King Gillette Ranch is at the geographic center of the Santa Monica Mountains,” said Joseph T. Edmiston, Executive Director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. “It brings together all the rugged beauty and ecological diversity of the range. We want this park to serve all the people of the region in the same way—to bring them together into the heart of the mountains, so that they can experience the richness that resides here.”

The property was acquired by the MRCA, California State Parks, and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area unit of the National Park Service in 2005. The MRCA orchestrated the $35 million purchase with funds from eleven different funding sources from an almost unprecedented partnership of federal, State, and local government, and private donors. The majority of the funds came from State bond funds approved by the voters. Soka University occupied the property under a leaseback arrangement with the MRCA for the last two years. Soka terminated its lease and vacated the property today.

The MRCA will manage the new park in cooperation with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, California State Parks, and National Park Service. A cooperative public planning process was instigated by the agencies in 2005 and will continue until the park is fully operational. A public dedication ceremony will be held in the Fall.

King Gillette Ranch is a haven for larger mammals of the Santa Monica Mountains. Its broad meadows and low ridgelines serve as a wildlife movement corridor or hub in the geographic center of the range. Nine sensitive species are present. Raptors and other birds forage and nest among the plant communities of valley and coast live oak savannah, grassland, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, riparian woodland, and southern willow riparian vegetation. Park features include Gillette’s historic Spanish Colonial Revival style mansion and other structures that were part of the original landscape plan. These include a long eucalyptus alleé and grand entry, a large constructed pond, a formal courtyard and terrace, bridges, and lawns.

A short, somewhat steep hike from the parking area leads to a knoll with 360-degree views—including the famous rock formations of Malibu Creek State Park.

Other activities include strolling, bicycling, photography, and picnicking. The Parklink Shuttle operated by the National Park Service will have a stop at the park.

Starting this weekend, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Naturalists will lead interpretive programs and family activities throughout the summer. The first program will be an early morning bird hike at 8:00 am this Sunday July 1, 2007. Family programs will be conducted every Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm. Walking tours of the Ranch will be the second and fourth Saturday of every month, at 9:00 am.

King Gillette Ranch is located at 26800 West Mulholland Highway Calabasas, CA 91302 Near the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was established by the California State Legislature in 1980. Since that time, it has helped to preserve over 60,000 acres of parkland in both wilderness and urban settings, and has improved more than 114 public recreational facilities throughout Southern California.

The MRCA is a local government public entity established in 1985 pursuant to the Joint Powers Act between the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Conejo Recreation and Park District, and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The MRCA works in cooperation with the Conservancy and other local government partners to acquire parkland, participate in vital planning processes, and complete major park improvement projects.

California’s national forests are leading the nation in route designation efforts primarily because of the leadership and funding provided by the California State Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Commission. The Off-Highway Vehicle Program in California was established in 1971 in response to the growing popularity and use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in the state and the consequent significant, uncontrolled damage to California’s natural resources that was occurring on state, federal, and private lands, along with increasing conflicts between OHV users and rural and urban residents.

California’s Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Law of 1971 provided a blueprint for managed OHV recreation in designated areas and required maintenance and oversight to allow for long-term OHV use consistent with good environmental stewardship. Since its passage, more than 100 laws have been passed related to California’s OHV Program as well as numerous federal actions that have affected the management of the program.

In 1982 the California legislature created a separate division of California State Parks, the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVRD) to administer this OHV program, and also the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission to allow public input and provide policy guidelines for the OHV program.

The commission now allocates an annual grants budget of $18 million to manage off-road vehicle recreation on California’s public lands. Funds from these grants support important law enforcement and habitat restoration work to protect California’s natural splendor from illegal and inappropriate off-road vehicle use. This funding will be critical to the implementation of route designation on all of California’s public lands.

Aquifers are one of our most precious resources providing millions of people across the US with water for drinking, household uses, agriculture and industry. Today, because of pollution, our aquifers are in trouble. Chemical spills, golf courses, agricultural runoff and industrial wastes are major contributors to this problem resulting in chemical laden water entering the aquifer system.

There are a number of things we can do at home to reduce water contamination. Reducing our use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Being careful so as not to spill gasoline, oil, antifreeze, chemicals, etc. Another thing we can all do is CALL OUR CONGRESSMAN. Demand more restrictions on golf courses, agriculture, and industry. Demand higher fines on violators.

Many people believe the water contained in aquifers is tens of thousands of years old. This is simply not true. Aquifers continually receive water. When it rains, surface water, which may be carrying pollutants is absorbed by the earth and makes its way to the groundwater. Below the groundwater is porous rock which allows the groundwater to make its way to the aquifer. The end result is, any pollutants picked up by the rain water, finally finds its way into the aquifer. That is how surface pollutants enter our aquifers before we drink the water.

Our aquifers in many areas are suffering from a shortage of incoming water due to drought. Here in Florida and Georgia, we have been living with a drought the past few years. Our aquifer, here in the southeast is fed by rains occurring in eastern Alabama, southern South Carolina, all of Georgia, and north Florida. When less water is coming in, resulting in lower groundwater levels, aquifers receive less incoming water. When no rains occur, contaminants build up on the surface of the earth. Then, when it does rain, the rainwater carries a higher level of contaminants.

This is a very important issue. Our very existence depends on healthy water. Drinking water contamination is known to cause cancer, kidney, heart and liver damage, nervous system disorders, birth defects and reproductive disorders, just to name a few.

Recent surveys conclude 64 percent of Americans are concerned about their drinking water. Many are looking for alternatives to drinking tap water.

Bottled water is not a very good alternative because of the lack of regulations. Bottled water is governed by the FDA—the Food and Drug Association, not the EPA. Bottled water standards are very lax especially if the water is bottled and sold within the same state.

Many doctors recommend point of use water filtration systems to combat drinking water contamination. High quality water filters can reduce contaminants to acceptable levels providing safer, healthier water. Something must be done before this problem gets too big to fix.

Please contact your local government representatives and call your congressman. Demand something be done to save our aquifers from future abuse.

For more information regarding our water see the water today page at www.supremedrinkingwatersolutions.com

Fight Is On Against “Sunrise Powerlink”
by David Hogan (originally published in the Desert Report)

Conservative San Diego County is not widely recognized for any fervent resistance to corporate shenanigans. And sleepy Borrego Springs, with its population of 2,500 and location fifty miles from the nearest stoplight, may as well be Pluto for its distance from the seats of political power. Maybe that’s why the events of February 8, 2007 were so impressive.

On that night an exuberant crowd of over four hundred people wore yellow bandanas, waved signs, and cheered speakers at a hearing of the California State Parks Commission in an overflowing room at the Borrego Springs Resort. Outstanding in the group were the average citizens, the seniors, and the children, all there to speak of their abiding passion for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Many braved a weeknight, four-hour drive over winding mountain roads to give voice to their overwhelming opposition to the proposed “Sunrise Powerlink” transmission line through the heart of California’s largest state park.

The Sunrise Powerlink is a new, 150 mile long, high-voltage electricity transmission line extending from El Centro in the Imperial Valley west over the Peninsular mountain ranges to the north coastal portion of San Diego.

According to San Diego Gas and Electric, the Powerlink is essential to alleviate a pending energy crisis in San Diego. Company publicists claim that the line would become a renewable energy super highway from the Imperial Valley and reduce electricity costs for San Diego ratepayers.

The facts show that this is an emperor bereft of not just clothes but an entire wardrobe. In a nutshell:

Indeed, California state law requires (and SDG&E has promised local San Diego governments) that new transmission lines be considered for approval only after all opportunities for efficiency, local renewables, and new local conventional generation have all been exhausted .

The Powerlink poses an obvious and serious threat to the natural environment, not to mention cultural, historical, and other resources:

But few are aware of the project’s related, subtle yet enormous threat to people and property—wildfire. The Powerlink and its corridor can be expected to become a major new source of wildfire ignitions in a region that has already suffered too many disastrous conflagrations. In a sad irony, the Cedar Fire of 2003 burned 273,000 acres, 2,200 homes, killed fourteen people, and converted thousands of acres from native chaparral and sage scrub to exotic grasslands along a swath closely tracking the western portion of the Powerlink route.

Transmission lines are frequently a direct cause of wildfire when wires fall in high winds or aircraft collide with towers or wires. New and improved roads along the Powerlink would open remote areas to people who start fires, either deliberately or by accident. Critical time is lost when firefighters working near live transmission lines must wait for companies to shut down power so they can proceed. Firefighting aircraft must divert away from these areas because of collision danger even after the power is turned off.

Downed power lines in the San Diego backcountry started two of the worst wildfires in California history, the Pines fire of 2002 and the Laguna fire of 1970. The Cedar fire taught us that wildfires in the backcountry can become urban fires in a matter of hours.

The Powerlink would ultimately slice through some of the most pristine desert, forest, and Mediterranean landscapes in the state, marring miles of sublime views, drowning nature’s quiet with an electric soulless hum, trashing cultural sites, and bisecting popular recreation areas.

Parks Provide Path of Least Resistance

Residential areas and communities will usually mount a vigorous defense against giant new transmission lines near their homes and businesses, so it is not surprising that the current proposal (no pun intended) follows a path of least political resistance. The proposed alignment passes through some of the last undeveloped land in San Diego County—a myriad of parks and preserves established to protect nature and provide a respite for weary urbanites.

Still, SDG&E may have pushed too far when it proposed construction of roughly 22 miles of the Powerlink through the heart of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, including designated state wilderness.

Construction of the Powerlink along the preferred route would require an extraordinary precedent—the de-designation of state wilderness for the first time in California history. If legal protections for wilderness are cracked here, it can and likely will happen anywhere corporations seek to locate their projects on protected natural lands.

Anza-Borrego is just the highest profile park target of SDG&E’s scheme. The company’s preferred route would bisect at least nine other existing parks or preserves—protected land ranging from the home of the Flat-tailed horned lizard and Native America intaglios in the Yuha Basin near El Centro, to bucolic grasslands in the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve in the west. Scenic views from five other protected natural areas would be marred by the preferred route. Alternative routes would harm more than a dozen other protected areas, including existing and proposed wilderness areas of the Cleveland National Forest.

So why did SDG&E elect to ignore its agreements with San Diego governments and insist on the state park route? And why is it that the Powerlink consists of 500 kv lines from the Imperial Substation pointing northwest to the middle of nowhere near Warner Springs, with only two smaller power lines to San Diego?

Many believe the answer lies in Sempra Energy’s existing and planned Mexicali power plants, the Los Angeles megalopolis, and the distance to be bridged between them. Company documents reveal that the Powerlink is just phase one of a master plan by SDG&E and parent Sempra Energy to extend the larger 500 kv line north to Greater Los Angeles, likely as a means to expand the California market for imported cheap, polluting, fossil-fuel power from Sempra plants and others in Mexico.

There’s time and hope yet to stop this ill-conceived project. A decision by the California Public Utilities Commission isn’t due until January 2008 and an Environmental Impact Report will be released in early August.

SDG&E has taken the self-serving position that primary approval from the utilities commission is all it needs to build the line. California state park managers have disagreed and hold that they should have the final say in approval of any project through Anza-Borrego.

Dozens of environmental and community groups, activists, and property owners have set aside provincial concerns to form an unprecedented unified campaign against the Powerlink in its entirety. A new fund at the San Diego Foundation has raised over $500k for the fight, and attorneys and organizers have been hired. A technical report detailing smart energy alternatives to the Powerlink is in the works. And more than four hundred people drove hours to the middle of nowhere in February to praise wilderness and condemn this disturbing demonstration of the lengths to which corporate America will sacrifice cherished public resources in pursuit of maximum profits.

Congressman Bob Filner (D-Imperial and San Diego Counties) may have said it best: "I prefer to call the project the "Desert Deathlink"—and it is a medieval solution to a modern problem. San Diego should look to improved conservation and efficiency of electricity, local expansion of rooftop solar, and local conventional generation before we resort to costly and harmful long-distance transmission. We don't have to trash our parks, desert, and forests to provide for San Diego's smart energy future."

David Hogan is a Conservation Manager with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Environmental Resolutions Passed (June 26, 2007)

I-405 Wildlife Corridor Resolution

The Sierra Club strongly urges the City of Los Angeles to work collaboratively with Caltrans, the Sierra Club, and other environmental groups to find solutions for the protection of wildlife attempting to cross the I-405 freeway and Sepulveda Boulevard, to include a separate vegetated bridge and vegetation on any new/reconstructed overpass. We also urge Caltrans and City DOT to employ ecologists to be involved with the determination of native vegetation appropriate to the immediate region.

I-405 Transit Use Resolution

The Sierra Club recommends Caltrans’ I-405 freeway plans include provision for effective transit bus utilization of the HOV lanes over Sepulveda Pass, such as direct-access bus ramps at Wilshire Boulevard and at an appropriate access point in the San Fernando Valley.

Conservation Committee Resolution (1)
Eric Johnson, Chair, Puente-Chino Hills Task Force

Sierra Club Opposition to the construction of an access road for the MWD Diemer Water Plant through Chino Hills State Park

The Conservation Committee of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club opposes the construction of an access road to the MWD Diemer Water Plant through Chino Hills State Park.

Background:
     State Parks staff is strongly supporting a new road into Telegraph Canyon, the Orange County entrance to Chino Hills State Park. The Diemer water filtration plant, operated by Metropolitan Water District (MWD) is currently only accessed from the south side on Valley View in Yorba Linda. In the 1990’s the area around the plant was developed by Shell-AERA in Yorba Linda. The City was so intent on approving the housing project that it failed to require any mitigation for the existing MWD truck traffic that would be going through this new and now built residential development. MWD itself failed to secure a secondary access for emergencies when it had the chance during the processing of these developments. According to a Yorba Linda resident who lives nearby, now that homes are there, neighbors have been complaining about the trucks.
     Meanwhile State Parks has been planning its Visitor Center off of Carbon Canyon Road and is short of money to fully fund and staff it. MWD already has filtration ponds near the Orange County entrance. MWD has proposed two road sections one through the State Park and one on MWD land but within the narrow Telegraph Canyon part of the State Park. The first part of the plan is to relocate an existing road easement to separate Visitor Center traffic from MWD trucks that go to the ponds. This relocation makes sense. But MWD has also proposed building a new road from the ponds, one mile up the steep south wall of Telegraph Canyon, to its hilltop plant. Though MWD touts it will be used for emergencies, it will actually also be used each day for employees and deliveries—one truck every 6 minutes. This new road will also be used by an estimated 20 MWD employees who will use the shortcut to the plant through the Park.
     With the sizable chunk of funding that MWD has offered ($1.7 million), DPR can establish an endowment for staffing, furnishing, and finishing the Visitor Center. Interrupting the serenity of this canyon and ripping up the walnut woodlands it contains is not worth the money MWD has offered. Building a Visitor Center should never come at the expense of the land or the Park experience itself. Selling out the natural resources of the Park ostensibly so people can better understand the resources of the Park is not good public policy. It makes all protected land vulnerable to the latest need expressed by outside agencies that have not planned well. It further encourages bad planning because these agencies know, in a pinch, they can make a deal with State Parks.

Arguments For:

Opposition will continue to demonstrate the Sierra Club’s role in keeping new roads out of State Parks.
This road could establish a precedent for the proposed Toll Road extension in San Onofre State Park.
The experience of the State Park would be diminished by having to share the park with heavy trucks.

Arguments Against:

The State Park would have funding for it’s new Visitor Center.
Park user traffic would be separated from truck traffic.

Conservation Committee Resolution (2)
Eric Johnson, Chair, Puente-Chino Hills Task Force

Background:
      A remarkable remnant of Southern California hillsides remains in essentially its natural state at the juncture of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Known as the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor, large swaths of land have been protected at both ends of this 31-mile long hillside system. The hills themselves represent the trailing off of the Santa Ana Mountains, interrupted only by tenacity and force of the Santa Ana and San Gabriel Rivers.
      For three decades residents and their elected officials have worked to protect this backbone and backdrop of open space in one of the most highly engineered regions on the planet. Under Whittier’s leadership, 4,000 acres have been saved on the western end of the hills while another 14,000 acres have been saved on the eastern end as Chino Hills State Park. The Coal Canyon exit off the Riverside Freeway, previously used by vehicles is now protected land and provides a linkage for wildlife to move back and forth between the hills and the Santa Ana Mountains.
      Four years ago Aera Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell-ExxonMobil, submitted a development proposal to Los Angeles and Orange Counties to build 3,600 units in the undeveloped hills along the 57 freeway between Diamond Bar and Brea. This wonderful oak and walnut woodland is known as the Missing Middle of the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor because thousands of acres of land have been saved on either side.
      Shell-Aera owns 2,700 acres of unincorporated land in southeastern Los Angeles County and about 300 acres in unincorporated Orange County in Brea’s Sphere of Influence. Shell-Aera's proposed project would not only sever the Wildlife Corridor and destroy important walnut and oak woodlands, but it would also add 50,000 vehicle trips per day to already congested roads and freeways.
      Last spring the Technical Advisory Committee that oversees Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs) for Los Angeles County turned down Shell-Aera’s project. Due to the enormous impacts of the 3,600 unit project on the natural resources of the land, Shell-Aera was asked to redesign the project to bring it into compliance with the long established rules for SEAs. This kind of denial is actually a very rare occurrence in Los Angeles County.
     Rather than abide by the rules governing protection of the County's dwindling natural resources, Shell-Aera chose instead to go shopping for a development friendly city and found it in Diamond Bar. On December 19, 2006, the Diamond Bar City Council unanimously approved formal resolutions to proceed with (1) an annexation of 1,940 acres of the 3,000 acres that Shell-Aera owns (even though most of it is not even in its Sphere of Influence) and (2) a development agreement for 2,800 units and a commercial center. Shell-Aera still intends to proceed with the rest of the project on the rest of the land.
     An integral part of this scenario is that Diamond Bar is attempting to increase its tax base. The City wants to relocate the County-owned Diamond Bar Golf Course that lies alongside the 57-60 freeways and then develop the existing golf course site into a commercial magnet. To this end the City is in escrow to buy two large parcels (270 acres total) contiguous to Shell-Aera’s project in neighboring Rowland Heights for the relocated golf course. The City needs about 100 acres of the Shell-Aera land to link the two parcels and get a flatter golf course layout in the hilly terrain.
     The annexation and development agreements that the Diamond Bar City Council passed on December 19 look like they could have been written by Shell-Aera. Among other things, Diamond Bar:

As long as Shell-Aera is hopeful it can get a great deal in Diamond Bar, it appears unlikely they will talk to negotiators to sell the land. Residents and elected officials of both parties have worked very hard to identify funds to buy this land at fair market value. Shell-Aera has repeatedly said in newspaper articles that they are willing sellers but then refuse to return phone calls and certified letters. They have also said they do not want to take taxpayer funds. Their reticence seems disingenuous at best. We do not recall them turning down the tax breaks and subsidies afforded Big Oil over the last five years. Arguments For:

Opposition will continue to demonstrate the Sierra Club’s role in preserving the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor.
This property is located within Significant Ecological Area 15. SEAs were established due to Sierra Club lawsuits in the 1970’s. Allowing development in a SEA would undo previous work done by the Sierra Club.
This project would sever a vital Wildlife Corridor extending from the Cleveland National Forest through Chino Hills State Park and up to the Whittier Hills.
Over 200 million dollars of public funds have been spent to preserve open space on both sides of the Shell-Aera property. The development of the property in the middle of the Wildlife Corridor will significantly erode the ecologic viability of the western portion of the Wildlife Corridor.Development of the Shell-Aera property will contribute to congestion on already congested roads and freeways.
Opening this property up to public use in an area surrounded by an urban sea is very much in tune with the Sierra Club’s vision for livable cities.

Arguments Against

If the people who buy the new houses now have a shorter drive to work, this could have a very minimal effect on the air quality in the larger region.

Angeles Chapter Conservation
Management Committee Chair/Policy/Grants: Bonnie Sharpe Vice Chair/Outreach: Marcia Hanscom Newsletter Editor: Robin Ives At Large: Carmelo Alvarez, Jay Matchett, Lynne Plambeck, Virgil Shields, Rosemarie White Not Voting: Cons Coord: Jennifer Robinson Publisher/Webmaster/Circ: Lori Ives (909) 621-7148		Grants Committee Bonnie Sharpe/Ch Judy Anderson Marcia Hanscom Robin Ives Jay Matchett Virgil Shields Rudy Vietmeier
The Chapter Conservation Committees Motions should be submitted in advance, together with objective background material and supporting and opposing arguments, both to the Chapter Committee Chair and the Orange County Committee Chair 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..."
Angeles Chapter 3435 Wilshire Blvd Ste 320 Los Angeles CA 90010-1904 *Preliminary Agenda:* Wednesday, July 18, 2007 Conference call access: (866) 501-6174 Conference Code: 1000400# No formal agenda received by press time, but Grants and the proposed resolutions included herein will be discussed. Next meeting August 15		Orange County David Perlman/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. Preliminary Agenda: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 No agenda received by press time. Next meeting August 21

Useful Information

Sierra Club Legislative Hotline: (202) 675-2394
Sierra Club National: www.sierraclub.org (415) 977-5500
Sacramento Legislative Office: www.sierraclub.com
(916) 557-1100; fax (916) 557-9669
Rough and Tumble, Environmental News in Sacramento
— www.rtumble.com
Desert Report Web Page — www.desertreport.org

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/

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 the Club. Subscription is processed by one of the list
owners, usually the same day.

Subscribe to the listserve:
send an email to 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"

ACTION DIRECTORY
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: 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
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/

Calif State Assembly: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/
Calif 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

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.

The Angeles Chapter's web site is http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/

This Electronic Conservation Newsletter is emailed automatically, free 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. Also, many activists throughout the Chapter and state receive it free by email. Distribution is approximately 350 by email, 45 by postal 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 is available on the Chapter website at http://angeles.sierraclub.org/home.html Paper postal copy is available 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 $25 (payable Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club) to (almost) cover costs to Conservation Newsletter, 112 Harvard Ave PMB 297, Claremont CA 91711.

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 Dave Perlman (dperlmansr@cox.net)

JULY 2007

Mon Jul 2, Southern Sierran Deadline for August, 2007

Mon Jul 2, 1st Mon monthly, 7 pm, Silverado Comm Ctr - Saddleback Cyns TF, Rich Gomez (949) 882-0071

Wed Jul 4, 1st Wed (odd months) - Conservation Legal Comm , Vic Otten (310) 798-7725

Wed Jul 4, 1st Wed, 6 pm, Carrow's, 2501 Via Campo - Montebello Hills TF, Linda Strong (323) 810-6278

Thu Jul 5, 1st Thu monthly, 7 pm Chapter Office - Transportation Comm, Darrell Clarke (310) 453-1218

Sun Jul 8, 2nd Sun, 2:45 pm, San Pedro Public Library, 9th & Gaffey - Harbor Vision TF, Tom Politeo (310) 833-1421

Mon Jul 9, 2nd Mon, 7:30 pm - Santa Monica Mountains TF, Mary Ann Webster (310) 559-3126

Mon Jul 9, 2nd Mon monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - LA Political Committee, Susana Reyes (818) 242-8589

Mon Jul 9, 2nd Mon, 7:15 pm, 217 E Chapman Ave, Orange - Orange Hills TF

Tue Jul 10, 2nd Tue (Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct), 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - GIS, Lore Pekrul (310) 798-9830

Thu Jul 12, 2nd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Global Warming, Energy, Air Quality, Jim Stewart jim@earthdayla.org

Thu Jul 12, 2nd Thu odd months 7 pm, 658 Venice Bl, Venice - Ballona Wetlands, Marcia Hanscom (310) 821-9045

Sat Jul 14, Water Quality Conference, Eaton Cyn. See article in text (p6)

Mon Jul 16, 3rd Mon monthly, Trail Access Comm - Joe Young (310) 822-9676

Tue Jul 17, 6 pm, before OCCC at The Inn at the Park - Open Spaces, Wild Places (OSWP)

Tue Jul 17, 3rd Tue, 7:00 pm, Inn at the Park, 10 Marquette, Irvine - OC Cons Comm dperlmansr@cox.net

Wed Jul 18, 3rd Wed monthly, 7:15 pm Chp Office - Chp Cons Comm Bonnie Sharpe besharpe@pacbell.net

Wed Jul 18, 3rd Wed odd months, 7:00 pm - Friends of Foothills Steering Comm, Bill Holmes (949) 496-5323

Wed Jul 18, 3rd Wed, 7:30 pm - Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, Terry Welsh (949) 548-5635

Wed Jul 18, 3rd Wed, 6 pm, Carrow's, 2501 Via Campo - Montebello Hills TF, Linda Strong (323) 810-6278

Thu Jul 19, 3rd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Griffith Park Planning TF, Delphine Trowbridge delphinetr@sbcglobal.net

Sat Jul 21, 3rd Sat odd months, 10 am to 1 pm - LA River Comm, Roy van de Hoek (310) 821-9045

Sat Jul 21, 3rd Sat odd months, 3-5 pm, UU Church, Mission Viejo - Santa Ana MTF, Robin Everett (949) 338-5356

Sun Jul 22, 1 pm, Chapter Office - Chapter ExComm. Contact Mike Sappingfield mikesapp@cox.net

Mon Jul 23, 4th Mon, 6:30 pm - PV-SB Cons Comm, potluck, then mtg. Barry Holchin, Chair (310) 378-3780

Mon Jul 23, 4th Mon, 7 pm,. 170 Copa de Oro Rd, Brea - Puente-Chino Hill TF, Eric Johnson (714) 524-7763

Wed Jul 25, 4th Wed odd months, 7:30 pm, Eaton Cyn Ctr (potluck) - Forest Comm, Don Bremner (626) 794-2603

Wed Jul 25, 4th Wed monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - Liveable Cities Comm, Tom Politeo (310) 833-1421

Thu Jul 26, 4th Thu monthly, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Green Building Committee, Lore Pekrul (310) 798-9830

Thu Jul 26, 4th Thu monthly, 7:15 pm, North County, Carole Mintzer's - OC Political Comm, cmintzer@socal.rr.com

AUGUST 2007

Wed Aug 1, Southern Sierran Deadline for September, 2007

Wed Aug 1, 1st Wed, 6 pm, Carrow's, 2501 Via Campo - Montebello Hills TF, Linda Strong (323) 810-6278

Thu Aug 2, 1st Thu monthly, 7 pm Chapter Office - Transportation Comm, Darrell Clarke (310) 453-1218

Mon, Aug 6, 1st Mon monthly, 7 pm, Silverado Comm Ctr - Saddleback Cyns TF, Rich Gomez (949) 882-0071

Thu Aug 9, 2nd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Global Warming, Energy, Air Quality, Jim Stewart jim@earthdayla.org

Sun Aug 12, 2nd Sun, 2:45 pm, San Pedro Public Lib, 9th & Gaffey - Harbor Vision TF, Tom Politeo (310) 833-1421

Mon Aug 13, 2nd Mon (Feb/May/Aug/Nov) - Native American Sacred Sites, Rebecca Robles (949-369-0361)

Mon Aug 13, 2nd Mon, 7:30 pm - Santa Monica Mountains TF, Mary Ann Webster (310) 559-3126

Mon Aug 13, 2nd Mon monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - LA Political Committee, Susana Reyes (818) 242-8589

Mon Aug 13, 2nd Mon, 7:15 pm, 217 E Chapman Ave, Orange - Orange Hills TF

Wed Aug 15, 3rd Wed monthly, 7:15 pm Chp Office - Chp Cons Comm Bonnie Sharpe besharpe@pacbell.net

Wed Aug 15, 3rd Wed, 7:30 pm - Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, Terry Welsh (949) 548-5635

Wed Aug 15, 3rd Wed, 6 pm, Carrow's, 2501 Via Campo - Montebello Hills TF, Linda Strong (323) 810-6278

Thu Aug 16, 3rd Thu, 7 pm, Chp Office - Griffith Park Planning TF, Delphine Trowbridge delphinetr@sbcglobal.net

Mon Aug 20, 3rd Mon monthly, Trail Access Comm - Joe Young (310) 822-9676

Tue Aug 21, 6 pm, before OCCC at The Inn at the Park - Open Spaces, Wild Places (OSWP)

Tue Aug 21, 3rd Tue, 7:00 pm, Inn at the Park, 10 Marquette, Irvine - OC Cons Comm dperlmansr@cox.net

Wed Aug 22, 4th Wed monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - Liveable Cities Comm, Tom Politeo (310) 833-1421

Thu Aug 23, 4th Thu monthly, 7:15 pm, North County, Carole Mintzer's - OC Political Comm, cmintzer@socal.rr.com

Thu Aug 23, 4th Thu monthly, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Green Building Committee, Lore Pekrul (310) 798-9830

Sun Aug 26, 1 pm, Chapter Office - Chapter ExComm. Contact Mike Sappingfield mikesapp@cox.netMon

Mon Aug 27, 4th Mon, 6:30 pm - PV-SB Cons Comm, potluck, then mtg. Barry Holchin, Chair (310) 378-3780

Mon Aug 27, 4th Mon, 7 pm,. 170 Copa de Oro Rd, Brea - Puente-Chino Hill TF, Eric Johnson (714) 524-7763

SEPTEMBER 2007

Mon Sep 3, Southern Sierran Deadline for October, 2007

Mon Sep 3, 1st Mon (Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec) - Crystal Cove TF, Murray Rosenthal (310) 391-7562

Mon Sep 3, 1st Mon monthly, 7 pm, Silverado Comm Ctr - Saddleback Cyns TF, Rich Gomez (949) 882-0071

Wed Sep 5, 1st Wed (odd months) - Conservation Legal Comm , Vic Otten (310) 798-7725

Wed Sep 5, 1st Wed, 6 pm, Carrow's, 2501 Via Campo - Montebello Hills TF, Linda Strong (323) 810-6278

Thu Sep 6, 1st Thu monthly, 7 pm Chapter Office - Transportation Comm, Darrell Clarke (310) 453-1218

Sun Sep 9, 2nd Sun, 2:45 pm, San Pedro Public Library, 9th & Gaffey - Harbor Vision TF, Tom Politeo (310) 833-1421

Mon Sep 10, 2nd Mon, 7:30 pm - Santa Monica Mountains TF, Mary Ann Webster (310) 559-3126

Mon Sep 10, 2nd Mon monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - LA Political Committee, Susana Reyes (818) 242-8589

Mon Sep 10, 2nd Mon, 7:15 pm, 217 E Chapman Ave, Orange - Orange Hills TF

Thu Sep 13, 2nd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Global Warming, Energy, Air Quality, Jim Stewart jim@earthdayla.org

Thu Sep 13, 2nd Thu odd months 7 pm, 658 Venice Bl, Venice - Ballona Wetlands, Marcia Hanscom (310) 821-9045

Sat Sep 15, 3rd Sat odd months, 10 am to 1 pm - LA River Comm, Roy van de Hoek (310) 821-9045

Sat Sep 15, 3rd Sat odd months, 3-5 pm, UU Church, Mission Viejo - Santa Ana MTF, Robin Everett (949) 338-5356

Mon Sep 17, 3rd Mon monthly, Trail Access Comm - Joe Young (310) 822-9676

Tue Sep 18, 6 pm, before OCCC at The Inn at the Park - Open Spaces, Wild Places (OSWP)

Tue Sep 18, 3rd Tue, 7:00 pm, Inn at the Park, 10 Marquette, Irvine - OC Cons Comm dperlmansr@cox.net

Wed Sep 19, 3rd Wed monthly, 7:15 pm Chp Office - Chp Cons Comm Bonnie Sharpe besharpe@pacbell.net

Wed Sep 19, 3rd Wed odd months, 7:00 pm - Friends of Foothills Steering Comm, Bill Holmes (949) 496-5323

Wed Sep 19, 3rd Wed, 7:30 pm - Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, Terry Welsh (949) 548-5635

Wed Sep 19, 3rd Wed, 6 pm, Carrow's, 2501 Via Campo - Montebello Hills TF, Linda Strong (323) 810-6278

Thu Sep 20, 3rd Thu, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Griffith Park Planning TF, Delphine Trowbridge delphinetr@sbcglobal.net

Sun Sep 23, 1 pm, Chapter Office - Chapter ExComm. Contact Mike Sappingfield mikesapp@cox.net

Mon Sep 24, 4th Mon, 6:30 pm - PV-SB Cons Comm, potluck, then mtg. Barry Holchin, Chair (310) 378-3780

Mon Sep 24, 4th Mon, 7 pm,. 170 Copa de Oro Rd, Brea - Puente-Chino Hill TF, Eric Johnson (714) 524-7763

Wed Sep 26, 4th Wed odd months, 7:30 pm, Eaton Cyn Ctr (potluck) - Forest Comm, Don Bremner (626) 794-2603

Wed Sep 26, 4th Wed monthly, 7:30 pm, Chapter Office - Liveable Cities Comm, Tom Politeo (310) 833-1421

Thu Sep 26, 4th Thu monthly, 7 pm, Chapter Office - Green Building Committee, Lore Pekrul (310) 798-9830

Thu Sep 26, 4th Thu monthly, 7:15 pm, North County, Carole Mintzer's - OC Political Comm, cmintzer@socal.rr.com