Angeles Chapter Annual Review: Conservation takes a turn

and Jack Prichett

The Chapter worked for wild places, greener cities, and environmentally friendly politicians in 2005...and got outside

Environmental activism isn't just about saving wild places any more, although that remains a major Sierra Club goal. It's also about making cities and towns more livable and environmentally friendly, recognizing that nature exists in our cities and suburbs as well as 'out there' in Yosemite or the Mojave Desert. Moreover, the daily choices and actions of city dwellers affect the air, water, and habitat far from their homes. The Club is responding to this more complex, 21st century view of the world by adopting new, multi-level approaches to environmental action.

Organic farmer George Kibby with Chapter activist Gail Prothero at the Sierra Sage Group's annual Sustainable Food Festival.

The Angeles Chapter is a leader in this new, integrated environmentalism. In 2005 the Chapter spoke both as a strong advocate for wild places and for greener cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties. We continued to resist encroachment on open space threatened by rampant development and opposed short-sighted approaches to resource management by local, state, and federal governments. We pushed for less traffic, cleaner air, and regional agriculture to make Southern California more livable. And we successfully backed political candidates who support these goals.

Here are some of our accomplishments for the year just passed.

Conservation

Saving open space. In December, the state of California purchased for parkland the lower bench section of Bolsa Chica in Orange County, thereby saving a rich habitat of freshwater wetlands, coastal bluff scrub, and grasslands (see story on page 1). The $65 million purchase ensured the preservation of 96 percent of the 1,700 acres originally targeted for development and culminated more than 15 years of Sierra Club campaigning.

Education and awareness. The Sierra Club debuted its national True Cost of Food Campaign in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The campaign aims to educate the public that eating locally grown, organic foods is healthy and good for the environment-we can all elect to eat more locally produced, organic food, especially food that comes from lower on the food chain, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and seeds.

Key benefits: Consumers get food free of chemicals and pesticides, while organic farmers don't put chemical fertilizers and poisons into the soil and water. Locally produced foods also reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in trucking or air-shipping of foods.

Two well-publicized Sierra Club-sponsored events in Orange County drew these issues to the public's attention during 2005:

Ó A sold-out organic food and wine tasting and concert in Newport Beach drew some 300 attendees. Not only did the event raise public awareness of regional organic foods, but it also raised funds for Chapter campaigns.

Ó The Sierra Sage Group's annual Sustainable Food Festival held at George Kibby's organic farm drew more than 250 attendees to sample organically grown goods and see organic farming in action.

Using the law. One of the factors in determining how much development an area can sustain is the supply of available water. In 2001, the Chapter filed suit against the Santa Clarita Water District when it learned that its water management plans included polluted waters. In a ruling at the end of 2004, whose impact was widely felt in 2005, the court found that some of the water the district reported as 'available' contained ammonium perchlorate (an ingredient in rocket fuel found to interfere with the thyroid gland in humans) and that the district did not address the process of cleaning the supply. This precedent-setting legal victory means that urban water management plans must accurately report contaminated water. This victory will make a difference by holding other regional water sources to the same standard.

Photo by Brian Alper The Sierra Club was at the World Championship Tour of surfing at Trestles Beach to call attention to the negative impact a proposed toll road would have on the famous surf spot.

In Orange County, the Chapter has been involved since 2004 in a lawsuit brought to preserve open space in the Rancho Mission Viejo area from a massive planned development. In August 2005, Orange County approved a settlement to the suit that protects 2,000 acres of open space including the San Mateo watershed area and key habitat for threatened species, such as the California gnatcatcher. The agreement creates an intact block of habitat totaling approximately 9,300 acres connected to the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy. This consolidation of development areas greatly reduces habitat fragmentation and local water quality problems.

Another legal win during 2005 involved a proposed major development in Orange County's Trabuco Canyon area. Plans called for homes to be built throughout the rural area, fragmenting wildlife habitat and cutting down nearly 1,000 mature trees, some with canopies 80 feet in diameter. The legal victory requires the developer to abide by the county specific plan established in 1991, maintaining the Trabuco Canyon gateway to the Santa Ana Mountains as rolling wild oak woodlands.

Public advocacy. Southern California's national forests comprise 900,000 acres of wild places easily accessible from local cities. Hundreds of Chapter hikes each year take place on national forest trails. During 2005, while the U.S. Forest Service was preparing its new management plan for the Angeles and Cleveland national forests, the Sierra Club lobbied hard for protection of wilderness areas and prevention of further intrusion of off-road vehicles.

When the Forest Service released its plan in late 2005, it proposed little new wilderness areas and placed a recreational emphasis on off-road vehicles. The plan also created a new forest zoning category that leaves the door open for damaging proposals such as a hydroelectric dam in pristine Morrell Canyon. The Angeles Chapter will continue its long-term campaign to have the Forest Service replace this flawed management plan with one that better protects the forests. A growing Southern California population needs more, not less, wilderness.

Supporting Chapter activists

The Angeles Chapter contributes financial support to local Sierra Club campaigns and task forces working to protect the environment. In 2005, the Chapter provided vital financial support in the form of 40 grants awarded to its community-based campaigns and task forces in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The money helps these groups pay for community outreach, environmental advocacy, litigation, and public education.

Political action

Conservation and environmental protection require more public officials with 'green vision.' Voters in parts of L.A. County voted in two elections in 2005, and in both elections supported Sierra Club-backed candidates.

In May, the Chapter's endorsement helped clinch Antonio Villaraigosa's bid for Los Angeles mayor and aided Bill Rosendahl's near-landslide election to City Council. Villaraigosa has since pledged to make Los Angeles 'the greenest city in the country.'

In the special statewide election held in November, voters defeated all four of the ballot initiatives opposed by the Club. Chapter-endorsed candidate José Huizar also won the election to fill Villaraigosa's former seat on the Los Angeles City Council.

Outings and hikes

The Angeles Chapter sponsors over 3,000 outings per year involving members, family, and friends in outdoor activities throughout Southern California. The Chapter also sponsors trips and tours to other places in the U.S. and abroad. Some of the trips were Sierra Club fundraisers, including excursions to Tahiti and Costa Rica.

Photo by Jennie Thomas Excited hikers on the top of N. Maggie Mountain as part of a Sierra Peaks Section 50th anniversary trip.

In addition, the Angeles Chapter's Inner City Outings program works with schools and youth organizations to lead inner city kids on mountain hikes, science class field trips, and beach visits. During 2005, the Chapter's ICO program sponsored more than 100 outings, letting hundreds of urban youngsters experience trails, streams, and beaches. Lisa Hellman, secretary of Orange County ICO, was recognized as one of REI's six national Stewards for the Environment. The award recognizes local environmentalists who have made an impact and inspired others.

What's ahead in 2006

In 2006 the Chapter intends to launch a Livable Cities campaign, promoting the Sierra Club ideals of clean skies, clear water, and abundant open space for local cities and suburbs.

Through our Air Quality, Global Warming and Energy Committee; our San Gabriel Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, and Santa Ana Mountains task forces; and the Orange County Open Spaces Wild Places campaign, we'll carry the Sierra Club's vision to city halls, county offices, and state agencies. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Committee, formed in 2005, will enable the Chapter to produce high-quality maps, better arming us to illustrate the local environment and highlight threats to beaches, forests, air quality, critical habitats, and more.

We'll continue, as well, to oppose ill-planned sprawl that threatens to consume open space. And we'll work to protect the wilderness areas, national parks, conservancies, and state parks that provide unspoiled retreats for the nearly 13 million inhabitants of Los Angeles and Orange counties.