Chapter sets priorities at annual retreat

Annual Chapter Retreat attendees. Photos by Steve Anderson/Camera Committee

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the highly successful Angeles Chapter Annual Retreat that took place at Pasadena’s Eaton Canyon Nature Center on Jan. 23.

The retreat was a showcase of many of the Chapter’s groups and entities, who came with posters and flyers to tell the story of their work and to recruit new volunteers to help explore, enjoy, and protect Los Angeles and Orange counties.  The retreat was organized by Sandra Cattell, David Haake, Ray Hiemstra, Hop Hopkins, Sharon Koch, Glenn Pascall, Susana Reyes, Donna Specht, Jeannette Vosburg, and George Watland.

The day began with a hike into Eaton Canyon, one of John Muir’s favorite rambles, led by Bill Joyce and newly elected Executive Committee members, Bill Simpson and Sridhar Gullapalli. Attendees networked during the morning open house while enjoying a breakfast spread prepared by retreat organizers Donna Specht and Sandra Cattell. Among the many presenters at the open house were the Camera Committee, the Angeles Chapter Political Committee, Orange County Sierrans, the Leadership Training Committee, the Banning Ranch Task Force, the Forest Committee, the Climate Change Committee, the Transportation Committee, Fracking Oil & Gas Committee, San Gabriel Mountains Forever Campaign, Sierra Sage, and the West Los Angeles Group.

After a round of introductions, Sr. Chapter Director George Watland oriented the group to the work of the Chapter staff, which also includes Jane MacFarlane (Chapter Coordinator), Angelica Gonzalez (Conservation Program Manager), and Mary Forgione (Southern Sierran and Website Editor). 

Next, the Sierra Club’s Southern California Field Staff including Hop Hopkins, Graciela Geyer, Samuel Sukaton, Kent Minault, and Roberto Morales presented the work of the hugely successful Beyond Coal Campaign, the My Generation Campaign and San Gabriel Mountains Forever.

The Chapter depends upon the generosity of its donors to ensure its financial strength and stability. Finance Committee Chair Glenn Pascall explained why we need funds, what are they used for, and how we raise them. All members are encouraged to become sustaining members by setting up a monthly donation to the Chapter.  A major source of funds is the Chapter’s Fundraising Outings program.  Donna Specht, John Lajeuness Mike Sappingfield, Fred Dong and others lead extremely popular trips to such exotic locations as Borneo, Mongolia, Iceland, and Costa Rica to have fun and raise funds for the chapter.  More information available at the Travel Adventures website.

Donna Specht discussed member outreach & engagement, regional groups are encouraged to coordinate with Donna to hold newcomer/member meet and greet events or the Sierra Club & Beer events that the West Los Angeles Group has been hosting.  Groups and entities are encouraged to post volunteer positions on Volunteer Connection.  Susana Reyes presented the Sierra Club Strategic Plan to:

·       Achieve Ambitious and Just Climate Solutions;

·       Explore, Enjoy, and Protect our Nation’s Lands, Waters, Air, and Wildlife;

·       Engage and Support a Broad, Diverse, Inclusive, and Powerful Movement; and

·       Become an Ever Strong, High Performance Organization

The Sierra Club’s goal is to transition to 100% clean energy by 2030 and later the retreat attendees posed for a group picture holding a banner with the social media hashtag “#readyfor100”.  Hop Hopkins presented the Sierra Club’s plan to:

·       Foster an inclusive organizational and workplace culture that nurtures and retains diverse, engaged teams of staff and volunteers.

·       Ensure that diversity is an ongoing, welcoming learning cycle across all organizational work.

·       Ensure that our programmatic outcomes reflect our commitment to justice and equity.

One of the characteristics of high functioning teams is mastering discussion. After lunch, breakout sessions were held where members discussed norms of behavior (led by Hop Hopkins), how to work towards a Chapter that is more welcoming and inclusive (led by David Haake and Glenn Pascall), and how to manage toxic behavior in meetings and event settings (led by Susana Reyes). The work of the breakout groups built on the member engagement workshop that took place in August 2015. Norms established during the breakout at the retreat were developed further at the Executive Committee meeting the following day and distributed with the recommendation that chapter groups and entities discuss these with their members.

In the afternoon, Chapter Outings Management Committee Chair Jane Simpson and Southern Sierran and Website Editor Mary Forgione reviewed the chapter’s outings program and the chapter’s #hikethe100 campaign to celebrate the 2016 National Park Service centennial.  Outings leaders are encouraged to include the #hikethe100 hashtag in their write-ups for hikes and trips to areas, including the Santa Monica Mountains, that are managed by the National Park Service. The Chairs of the Orange and Los Angeles County Political Committees, Sharon Koch and Amanda Wallner, respectively, presented the chapter’s Political Action Committee video, reviewed the endorsement process and requested feedback on when and how the Sierra Club should endorse a US presidential candidate.  Steve Wicke, Conservation Committee Chair discussed discussed current and upcoming Conservation Committee and Task Force projects and challenges.

Afternoon breakout sessions were held to discuss member engagement (led by Donna Specht), campaign building (led by Ray Hiemstra), team building (led by David Haake), and movement building (led by Hop Hopkins).  These breakout sessions worked on development of core skill sets essential for our Chapter’s work.  After the retreat, a number of attendees retired for post retreat repast at Z Pizza in Pasadena. 

All those attending the event, including a number of new Sierra Club members, felt that the retreat was both a worthwhile experience and a great way to kick off the chapter’s work for 2016!