Communities of color promote plan for San Gabriels
Sepulveda Basin's sweet spot
The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area is a well-kept secret. The natural area in the heart of the San Fernando Valley covers 60 acres of bird habitat north of Burbank Boulevard on the basin’s east side, south of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant that releases 18 million gallons of treated water daily.
More bad news about bad air
Three new studies released in December by the California Air Resources Board reveal that exposure to airborne fine-particulate matter significantly elevates the risk for premature deaths from heart disease in older adults and elevates incidence of strokes among post-menopausal women.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in California and is responsible for approximately 35 percent of annual deaths.
The board commissioned the studies to further investigate the connection between fine particulate pollution and public health impacts in California.
Volunteer at Sierra Club's LeConte Lodge in Yosemite
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LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite National Park is seeking volunteers this summer at the Tudorstyle stone structure the Sierra Club built in 1904 to honor geologist and early Club president Joseph LeConte.
New plan helps protect wetlands at Ormond Beach
In a big win for California’s coast, the Oxnard City Council adopted a final 2030 General Plan that firmly advances the protection and restoration of the Ormond Beach wetlands.
The Sierra Club’s Los Padres Chapter has been fighting to preserve the vast ecosystem of green wetlands and unique coastline habitat in Oxnard since the 1980s.
A New UCLA Chair For John Muir (Not One To Sit On)
UCLA grad Hollis Lenderking is a runner who has logged many miles in remote landscapes.
So when he decided to endow a chair at the university’s Department of Geology that would reflect his love of nature, he left it up to the professors to come up with a name. The result: the new John Muir Endowed Chair in Geography. It’s only the second named chair in the department’s 100-year history, according to the UCLA College Report (Winter 2012).
Hats off to Lenderking and UCLA’s geology staff in recognizing Muir’s vision and keeping it alive.
And the winner is ... Chapter Awards Banquet in May
The annual Chapter Awards Banquet is the one time of the year when members celebrate achievements of their peers.
Keynote speaker will be Sierra Club President Robin Mann. The banquet to be held May 6 at the Brookside Country Club in Pasadena; reception and silent auction start at 5 p.m. with dinner and awards program starting at 6 p.m..
For more information or for reservations, go online. or contact Silvia Darie or Donna Specht.
Southern Sierran names new editor
Please join me in welcoming (back) Mary Forgione as editor of the Southern Sierran newsletter. Forgione, a longtime Southern California journalist whose work appears in the L.A. Times and other publications, served as editor of the Chapter’s newsletter from 1997 to 2000.
I am very glad Mary is back at the helm and am looking forward to her creativity and expert writing and editing skills on the six newsy, bi-monthly issues coming your way in 2012. Forgione also will be a key player as we increase the Southern Sierran’s online presence.
