Southern Sierran
Chapter Leaders Gather at Conservation Retreat

By Dean Wallraff
Angeles Chapter Conservation Chair

On Feb. 25 about 50 members attended the Angeles Chapter’s first-ever all-day conservation retreat at the Community Center in El Monte. The program, “Tricks of the Trade: A Toolbox for Conservation Activists,” was developed by long-time conservation activists Marcia Hanscom and Lynne Plambeck.

Sierra Club President Lisa Renstrom gave the keynote address, which focused on the challenges facing the club in its third major phase. The first major phase involved the push to preserve major public lands such as Yosemite National Park when the Club was created in 1892. The second phase started with the birth of the environmental movement in the early 1970s. Now, in the third phase, we need to rethink our strategy and reach out to all Americans, Renstrom said.

Debbie Cook, a city council member from Huntington Beach, spoke about the best ways to reach and communicate effectively with public officials. Cook got her start in politics running for the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee.

Other sessions focused on activist campaign planning, media relations, legal issues and lawsuits, grassroots organizing, and chapter resources.

Several chapter conservation sub-committees presented themselves at tables in the auditorium. The following committees are soliciting volunteer activists to help them with their very important missions:

• Air Quality
• Global Warming & Energy
• National Forests
• Geographic Information Systems
• San Gabriel River
• Endangered Species and Wildlife
• Orange County Open Spaces
• Santa Clara River
• Transportation

Special thanks to the El Monte Community Center for its donation of the venue, and to Jennifer Robinson, who was responsible for logistics and overall organization.

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