Loma Prieta Chapter Annual Report of 2016, issued February, 2017

Introduction by Chapter Director

Conservation Committee Reports

Climate Action Leadership Team

Forest Protection Sub-committee

Sustainable Land Use Sub-committee

SLU Environmental Planning Associate Program

Loma Prieta Transportation Working Group

Gay and Lesbian Sierrans Section

Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO)

Regional Group Reports

San Carlos Belmont Regional Group

Introduction by Chapter Director

Hello friends,

I am pleased to present the Loma Prieta Chapter's first Annual Report, covering our extensive 2016 work in conservation, outings, political activism and regional groups.

A 2007 survey asked people around the world what they thought was “most beautiful in the United States”. No one mentioned The Empire State Building, or Rodeo Drive, or even Scarlett Johansson. Few noted anything made by humans, but instead the vast majority recalled what has been protected by humans. The top two answers were The National Parks and the California Coast. Our Chapter has both.

Our chapter is indeed blessed with some of the most spectacular nature in all the world, and what we still have is thanks to dedicated environmental advocates like those in our chapter who have worked for decades and are still working to protect: local outdoor enthusiasts who plan and guide hundreds of hikes and other outings for thousands each year, local political activists who research and interview hundreds of candidates in order to make trustworthy endorsements, local environmental educators who teach and mentor our region’s current and future leaders, and local environmental experts who spend thousands of hours on conservation projects of nearly unimaginable complexity.

The nature that we still have is also in large part thanks to local financial supporters who share our values and give generously for today’s work for tomorrow’s generations. These wise donors, who truly understand “investing in futures”, both inspire and enable our work to protect irreplaceable places that we all depend upon for the health of our bodies, minds and spirits. Our chapter receives only a sliver of members’ dues which are paid to Sierra Club National, so your gifts to the Chapter really do provide the breath and blood for the muscle and sinew of our work. We could not survive without your gifts, so I take this special opportunity to thank all those generous foresighted individuals and organizations.

Thanks to all of you for all your help to Explore, Enjoy and Protect this land that we love.

Sincerely,

James Eggers, Director

Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter

The Loma Prieta Chapter, the Place for Your Passion to Explore, Enjoy and Protect, serves San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, stretching 165 miles north to south, from Thornton State Beach to Pinnacles National Park and San Benito Mountain Research Natural Area, and 75 miles west to east, from the coastal Ano Nuevo State Park then across the Santa Cruz Mountains and Silicon Valley to Mount Hamilton and Henry Coe State Park in the Diablo Range.

Chapter Highlights

In 2016 your chapter has had an array of successes. While we’re anticipating even more to do after recent elections, I’m encouraged by what has been accomplished by all our activists. Join us, support us, and celebrate with us!

Support from members like you played a crucial role in 2016 as we were able to

work with Google to incorporate standards of Resilient Ecology into their planned North Bayshore campus, including a commitment to the restoration of wetlands for wildlife to flourish and people to enjoy,
research, interview and make endorsements of the best environmental candidates in 43 local races and to make environmental recommendations on 10 local ballot measures,
successfully advocate for adoption of bird-safe guidelines by Sunnyvale, and for consideration by the San Jose City Council and the new bayfront offices in San Carlos,
successfully advocate for riparian corridor protection in San Jose, where the City Council adopted a 100 foot setback for new developments,
successfully advocate before the city of Millbrae and BART for adoption of 20% affordable housing minimum in the new high-density zoning around multi-modal Millbrae station, and
develop dozens of local environmentalists, including elected officials, though our Environmental Stewardship Program which inspired and equipped them to advocate for better policies to protect nature.

2017 will be a challenging year and we hope that you will join and support us to ensure that our region continues progressive environmental change as we

continue to advocate for maximum water flows in the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, through the Bay Delta Water Quality Plan, which will help restore fish populations in the rivers and water quality to the Bay,
equip and inspire a new team of local conservationists to promote environmental protection in classrooms, council chambers and courthouses,
work with Google to restore wetlands at their North Campus, and with Facebook and the city of Menlo Park to increase protection of the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge,
advise and cooperate with Redwood City, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Millbrae and San Bruno to transform El Camino Real into a walkable and bikeable street, with more mixed use and affordable housing and improved bus service,
continue to advocate before the San Francisco Public Utility Commission to protect Crystal Springs Watershed from unrestricted access, which could increase the risk of fire, threaten a precious water supply and endanger critical wildlife habitats,
continue to advocate for an environmentally protective Local Coastal Program Update for the City of Half Moon Bay,
continue to advocate for better alternatives to the widening of Highway 1 to 6 lanes in the City of Pacifica’s Calera Parkway proposal.

Executive Committee Report - February 2017

Reported by Micaela Youmans

Content contributions by Bruce Rienzo, Chapter Chair, Brian Haberly, Vice-Chair, and Sue Chow, At Large Member

The Executive Committee of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter convened on February 7th, 2017, to discuss financial and current chapter news, and to hear check-ins from committees and regional groups. The Executive Committee (ExCom) supports and oversees the Political Committee, or PolCom; the Conservation Committee, or ConsCom; and the three regional groups that constitute the Loma Prieta Chapter: the Peninsula Regional Group (Redwood City to the southern border of Sunnyvale), Guadalupe (Santa Clara and San Benito County), and San Carlos-Belmont.

The Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club is home to active, purpose-driven committees and groups, investigating local environmental issues, writing letters to city council, and organizing local activities—hikes, cleanup initiatives, informational meetings, and more. The ExCom provides support or insight to each group according to its needs—from voting on environmental issues brought to the table by ConsCom, to hearing reports from the regional groups about their activities and initiatives, to hearing candidate recommendations from the PolCom during election season. The environmental stewardship program, a monthly seminar for environmentalists to discuss current issues and events, is another way to get involved with ConsCom as a community member; each monthly seminar includes speakers, action items, planned outings, educational films, and more.

California’s Sierra Club setup is unique in comparison to other states: instead of one chapter for the entire state, California has twelve chapters statewide, spanning from San Diego to Shasta and beyond. Each chapter maintains a grassroots focus on local issues (environmental justice and advocacy, as with many great ideas and movements, begins provincially). It’s a unique time for environmentally-focused groups like the Sierra Club, at every level—nationally, statewide, and locally—with a multitude of strategic decisions and questions ahead. The full impact of recent policy decisions isn’t yet clear; as such, several ExCom activities are currently in something of a holding pattern, waiting on the national side of the Sierra Club for cues about incoming changes. On a positive note, volunteer numbers have increased exponentially over the last several months, with room for more—the Sierra Club has a breadth of activities and causes (and growing), and there’s a place and a role for anyone who wants to help.

Increasing diversity in the Sierra Club is a pressing initiative for the organization as a whole, from chapter to national; the Loma Prieta Executive Committee has already made some initial steps towards increasing diversity, and are looking to make even more progress in that area. The Sierra Club is committed—both nationally and locally—to building a diverse, inclusive member community, one that invites people of all ages and from all walks of life to both enjoy the outdoors and find their own particular reasons to help protect it. Environmentalism and conservation action often start with something as simple as a hike—to that end, the ExCom has committed to supporting a more inclusive additions to the already robust outings program, beginning with hikes that are much more family- or disability-friendly (shorter and less strenuous to navigate, and thus friendlier to strollers or wheelchairs). Introducing children to nature at a young age instills a lifelong love of the natural world—a world they’re more likely to grow up to protect.

The latter is especially key in areas of California that are either more industrial or subject to urban sprawl, more hardscape than landscape; one example is the Refinery Corridor along the San Francisco Bay—home to five major oil refineries and a subsequent host of health issues for the residents living nearby (affordable housing is another environmental issue; oftentimes the cheapest homes are located in areas that may not be safe for long-term habitation). An increase in chapter diversity and inclusiveness could provide a voice for areas that have been under-represented, and create a new generation of environmental advocates where they’re needed most. An introduction to the Sierra Club often begins with an organized nature outing—but as the organization’s focus is steadily broadening, and now includes reproductive rights, affordable housing, immigration and immigrant rights, and environmental justice, with a special focus on at-risk communities, there are more ways to reach out to California residents than ever before. Creating a safer, lasting world is a task shared by all, and a push for inclusiveness welcomes in new voices and new perspectives—essential elements that facilitate positive, lasting growth.

The Loma Prieta ExCom is committed to help transforming the Sierra Club into an equitable, inclusive organization—starting literally on the ground level with the outings program. Ultimately, a focus on diversity transforms the Sierra Club’s mission and the message from something people finally have time for to something they wish to make time for. To advocate justice of any sort is a way of advocating for oneself—and with an uncertain future, the need for advocates of environmental justice is stronger than ever. The Loma Prieta Chapter’s upcoming work and efforts will reflect that idea at every step.

Conservation Committee

Reported by Sigal Wilnai

The Conservation Committee is the hub of conservation activity in the Chapter: identifying priorities, providing support and feedback on sub-committees’ initiatives, and endorsing city-and-county ballot measures during elections. On our monthly meetings, sub-committee representatives present issues on which they would like to take a public position. Decisions are arrived at by vote, guided by the Sierra Club’s bylaws according to the “one club, one voice” policy. Conservation Committee meetings act as a monthly forum which provides organization to sub-committee efforts, facilitates cooperation within the sub-committees, and enables communication with the state-level and regional Conservation Committees. Conservation sub-committees include: Air Quality, Baylands Conservation, Climate Action, Coastal Issues, Food, Forest Protection, Fracking, Open Space, Pesticides, Soils, Sustainable Land Use, Transportation, Water, and Wildlife.

Every year, the Conservation Committee is involved in the endorsement process for city and county ballot measures for both primary and general elections. After thoroughly researching the measures, a three-step process begins as Committee members vote on each measure for endorsement. A recommendation is sent to the Chapter’s Executive Committee for a second vote. The Chapter’s endorsement must then be approved on the State Local Ballot Review Committee.

Ballot measures cover a variety of topics, such as taxes, bond measures, and development projects. The process of researching and finally endorsing a ballot measure differs depending on what the measure is. Some decisions are easy, as when the measure falls clearly either within or outside-of Sierra Club policies and the Chapter’s history of advocacy. A clear within-policy example would be the anti-fracking measure passed in San Benito County in November 2014. Often, however, endorsing a measure requires employing the wealth of specialized knowledge and expertise of the Sub-Committees’ volunteers.

This past general elections, the Transportation Sub-Committee argued against the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Measure B. Transportation volunteers explained why the measure was not the good deal it seemed, and the Conservation Committee voted to oppose it on the basis of the recommendation. The measure sought to double the transportation portion of the sales tax for a list of projects which are unlikely to reduce our carbon footprint or reduce traffic congestion. The Chapter urged voters to oppose the measure and allow for new strategies for reducing traffic to be put in place. While the measure passed in the election, volunteers felt they had put in a good effort to educate the public about the issue. This was the only ballot measure out of ten positions taken on which the Chapter lost during the 2016 General Election.

Several measures in the recent election cycle were sponsored by developmnet interests.Though those measures seemingly had some green features, had those passed, it would have exempted the developer from needing to conduct a full environmental review of the project. This loophole in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was first discovered and used by Walmart. CEQA requires state or local agencies to provide an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) in order to identify any significant environmental impact which might be caused by their actions and to mitigate or avoid it. As is the case with all California Chapters, the Loma Prieta Conservation Committee, as Chair Mike Ferreira describes it, is a “stubborn defender of the California Environmental Quality Act,” and the Committee therefore recommended a “No” vote on those measure. The Chapter’s oposition was successful as the measures faild at the ballot box.

San Mateo Country Measure K proponents approached the Conservation Committee in-person to seek an endorsement. Measure K provides local funding for public transportation for seniors and youth, school gardens, and environmental education, as well as programs to reduce our carbon footprint, address sea-level rise and support a significant effort on affordable housing. These are all issues important to the Sierra Club, and endorsing the measure was aided, in addition, by talking to other local groups who already endorsed it. The measure passed with 67.36% of the vote.

Much of the research done for the ballot measure endorsements/opposition process is initiated by the Conservation Committee Chair, who draws upon the talents and Club policy knowledge of the Committee members.

Air Quality Sub-committee

Report submitted by Gary Latshaw, Air Quality Sub-committee Chair

During 2016 the Air Quality committee has followed the rule making process at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The District has direct responsibility regarding the regulation and enforcement of stationary sources. The primary role of the Committee has been to submit to monitor progress as these Regulations are developed and enforced. The District is developing a new type of regulation: Regulation 11, Rule 18: Reduction of Risk from Air Toxic Emissions at Existing Facilities. This regulation is designed to be applied to all sources. Large sources such as the Refineries and Cement Plant as well as smaller facilities such as dry cleaning facilities, crematorians, and gas stations. Also, the District is developing greenhouse gas emission Regulations for refineries. They just published an outline of Regulation 13, Rule 1 for Refineries.

Climate Action Leadership Team

reported by Sue Chow, Sub-committee Co-Chair, with contributions by Gita Dev and Gladwyn d'Souza

Since 2014, our Climate Action Leadership Team has been working in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to help county and city officials establish Community Choice Energy entities--an effort that was successful as both counties have established community-managed Community Choice programs. Currently, our members are working with San Jose activists to encourage the city to establish its own Community Choice entity or join an existing CCE entity.

In fall 2016, one of our activist leaders launched an Anti-Idling Campaign to get cities to pass anti-idling ordinances. Students have joined this campaign and will be lobbying school officials to ban idling on school grounds.

Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE)

We were involved with the implementation of Peninsula Clean Energy. The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter has an official seat on the agencie's Citizens Advisory Committee. If you are a resident of San Mateo County. opt up to 100% clean energy. PCE also pays you a higher rate if you are a solar producer. We also worked to support the CCE effort in Santa Clara (Silicon Valley Clean Energy and San Jose. http://www.peninsulacleanenergy.com/opt-up/

Silicon Valley Clean Energy is expected to go live in March. Their base energy will be 100% free of greenhouse gasses. Please opt up to Green Prime.

San Jose- San Jose's Environmental Services Department is about to release a Community Choice Energy technical study (in Feb. 2017) with recommendations for the establishment of a CCE entity. San Jose's city council members will be studying their options and will be making important decisions soon regarding whether the city will be joining surrounding cities in taking a huge step toward transitioning rapidly to renewable energy usage.

Threats to Community Choice Energy

Community Choice Energy continues to be under threat from the CPUC and the utilities. This is primarily being caused by the additional charges being added on known as the PCIA. This charge is supposed to reflect the difference in price between a contract for green power and what the power is selling for today. It results from the steep drop in green energy generating price. However, the PCIA's underlying contracts are not transparent, and the renewable energy credit continues to accrue to the utility for its Renewable Portfolio Standard accounting.

Food Sub-committee

Reported by Sue Chow

We have three gardens we work in now and have added a number of events.

http://www.collectiveroots.org is in East Palo Alto

Go to “programs” or “join us” to see how you can get involved. Under join us choose events to see volunteer days.

Or use our meet-up page

I will be teaching classes on "Organic gardening: It All Starts With the Soil and Composting”, "Cooking from the Kitchen Gardening”, "How to Impact GreenHouse Gases with your Food Dollars”, “Cooking With the Sun” and “Worms Ate my Garbage.

http://commongroundgarden.org is in Palo Alto

Go to “education" or "get involved” for how to get involved. Under get involved choose volunteer.

The third garden, Barrett, is in Belmont. The group is called Belmont Garden Bounty Exchange.

It doesn’t have a website. However, there is a food sharing event page at here.

This is a closed group and a person needs to request to join and has to be from Belmont. The goal of the group is to exchange the extras that are grown in the garden, get an idea of what members intend to grow during the year, and learn or get help with compost, backyard chickens, bees, etc.

Forest Protection Sub-committee

Reported by Karen Maki, Forest Sub-committee Chair

The Forest Protection Committee works closely with the statewide Stop Clearcutting Ca Campaign and the chapter’s Environmental Stewardship Program to end clearcutting. Last year the campaign made great strides in creating a strong foundation including two websites http://stopclearcuttingca.org andhttp://www.sierraclub.org/california/cnrcc/stop-clearcutting and factsheets (general, fire, and climate) to help educate the public and officials. The campaign must maintains a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StopClearcuttingCA/. For our efforts the campaign has received a $8000 grant from Sierra Club’s Grassroots Network and $4000 from the Rose Foundation.

A ban on clearcutting can be achieved through legislation or a change in Board of Forestry rules. However, the Forest Carbon Action Plan and California Air Resources Board Scoping Plan update, which are both due this spring, could help build momentum for a change. The Sierra Club will officially respond to both and encourage members to also respond.

For a ban to occur, the public must demand that state legislators and officials change forest management regulations. Toward that end, the Forest Protection Committee has recently worked with Brisbane and Cupertino to pass resolutions calling for a ban on clearcutting and Santa Clara County, which commended efforts to ban clearcutting in California. The Committee is talking to San Mateo County officials and will contact other city council officials this year. The campaign has also passed resolutions in Menlo Park, Monte Sereno, Daly City, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Davis as well as persuading Sunnyvale and Saratoga to take other supportive actions. Last year the chapter published 12 letters to the editor about clearcutting.

The campaign’s base is getting stronger with funding, new volunteers, and support from a public relations professional. We expect even bigger results in 2017.

Fracking Action Sub-committee

Reported by Suzanne Fellenz, Sub-committee member

A Productive 2016

As members of the Fracking Action Committee (FAC) we are working hard to prevent local expansion of oil and gas drilling operations, in order to keep our air and water as clean as possible.

In 2016 our main project was a proposed update to the Santa Clara County General Plan, which would prohibit additional county permits for oil and gas exploration. We had several meetings with Santa Clara County Supervisors to educate them on local drilling operations and to promote our proposal. We also reached out to other local groups and built a coalition of supporters: 350.org SV, Food & Water Watch, SF Bay Citizens to Complete the Refuge, Santa Clara County Central Committee of the Democratic Party, Peninsula Democratic Coalition, South County Democratic Club, and South County Dean Club. As a result several Supervisors were willing to support a General Plan update, but none of them was willing to take the lead in bringing it before the full Board. Finally, we met with one Supervisor who volunteered to write a resolution in support of a statewide moratorium on all extreme extraction methods for oil and gas development, and then present it to his colleagues. In the coming months, we expect to work closely with his staff to support this new approach. We also asked the Board of Supervisors to investigate Sargent Field, the only operating oil field in Santa Clara County, to determine if they’re conforming to their use permit. They agreed to visit the site and check for possible violations.

Sargent Field well map – note Highway 101 and Hollister on the right(from California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources)

Another big project last year was supporting Monterey County’s Measure Z, an initiative on their November ballot to ban fracking and limit risky oil operations. In the spring we helped collect signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot. Later we canvassed residents, made in-kind donations, and informed Loma Prieta chapter members via eblast of opportunities to volunteer in the campaign. On November we cheered the successful passage of Measure Z!

Finally, we started to investigate known injection wells in San Mateo County. We presume that they’re injecting wastewater, but we want to learn more and determine if there are concerns we need to address.

Looking Ahead to 2017

We’ve made good progress on our projects, but there’s still more to do. As the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors works to draft a resolution for a statewide Committee members in Salinas ready to get to work moratorium, we’ll follow their efforts and offer support. Similarly, we’re eager to know the results of their Sargent Field investigation and will push for any violations to be promptly rectified. In San Mateo County we have more research to do on their injection wells and plan to bring any concerns to the attention of their Board of Supervisors. Finally, Measure Z in Monterey County is facing severe legal opposition to its implementation. We will add our voices to theirs to help ensure the will of Monterey voters is honored. If you’d like to know more about our work &/or would like to help keep our air and water as clean as possible, contact Mike Kerhin, FAC Chair, at mikekerhin@gmail.com There’s also additional information on our Loma Prieta web page.

Sustainable Land Use Sub-committee

Reported by Sigal Wilnai

SLU successfully implemented a program for volunteers called Environmental Planning Advocates (EPA).The EPA program trains volunteers, and young graduates of masters programs in city planning, to become environmental planning advocates. We graduated one volunteer through the three levels of the program and have two more in the program. We think we can mentor up to 4 graduates at a time.
In Millbrae, for their station area specific plan, SLU worked on getting BART to adopt a minimum affordable housing of 33% on their properties and reduced parking. BART settled for 20% and reduced parking as well as added onsite transportation options coordinator. We then asked asked Millbrae to adopt the 20% affordable housing goal- they settled on 15%. We continue to have issues with the amount of parking and safe pedestrian access across El Camino. The city has agreed to study the latter.

In Belmont, we advocated unsuccessfully for a residential development at 490 El Camino Real to implement the Grand Boulevard design and reduced parking because of the proximity to Belmont's station area Planned Development Area

In Santa Clara, we advocated successfully for Open Space and Transportation Management and Implementation Plan to be included in the mega-entertainment and office complex, City Place, across from Levi's Stadium. We continue to work on achieving a public River Walk along the Guadalupe. We continue to work with Santa Clara on creating a high density residential neighborhood at Tasman East next to City Place and getting a Transit Center for trains, buses and shuttles.

In Menlo Park, we were able to achieve some success in the City's Specific Plan for growth in the area between 101 and the Bay by getting an agreement with Facebook to provide only transitory housing adjacent to the Wildlife Preserve, instead of permanent homes which would have pets that might predate on shore birds nests.

In Redwood City, we participated in the Inner Harbor Precise Plan and advocated successfully against the community's vision being usurped by a proposed mega- office development.

In San Carlos, we advocated for improvements for a new office complex along 101.

In Palo Alto, we participated in the Sustainable Land Use and Natural Elements sub-committees work in Palo Alto's Comprehensive Plan Update.

Ongoing projects include

Sunnyvale- Land Use and Transportation Element and the Lawrence Expressway "Big Dig"Santa Clara- Tasman EastSan Bruno-Transportation Corridor PlanEl Camino Real Precise Plans in Redwood City, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, upholding the vision and goals of the Grand Boulevard
SLU has also developed guidelines and brief public presentations for Transportation Demand Management and Natural Resources Element. We plan to use these tools to educate City Councils.

How the Environmental Planning Associate Program came to be.

Reported by Janet Creech

The Environmental Planning Associate (EPA) Program within the Sustainable Land Use (SLU) Committee of the Loma Prieta Chapter of The Sierra Club is an organized, progressive, skill development and implementation system. It provides a framework for volunteers to develop individual skills while supporting the SLU in its work of promoting environmentally sustainable building practices and policy.

The SLU is a small group of professionals and advocates who volunteer their time to educate City staff, Planning Commissions, City Councils, developers and the general public about improvements that can be made to land use policy and planned developments to reduce their impact on the planet and improve local environmental health. The effectiveness of the SLU requires its members to have an understanding of State laws and regulations; of documents such as Environmental Impact Reports, Precise Area Plans, General Plans; and of Project Building Plans. Members of the SLU also enjoy working relationships with City and County elected officials and staff. Because the SLU is a small group (about 6 with consistency) and because of the large amount of development taking place in the Loma Prieta Chapter’s district, there is an ongoing need for skilled volunteers.

The Environmental Planning Associate Program was developed because the SLU found that very few volunteers, even recent graduates of Architecture and Urban Planning, programs have the skill set needed to do the work. Consequently, the SLU must train its own volunteers, often recent graduates. And because these skills are important and also marketable, the SLU found a need for documenting the volunteers’ progress. This need lead to the development of the EPA rubric.

The rubric is a core component of the EPA program. It groups tasks and skills by level of independence and by type. A volunteer can work horizontally, strengthening abilities in one area and/or vertically learning a variety of skills. The rubric allows the volunteer to plan what s/he needs to learn and to move between tasks as new projects are developed. The rubric is a device that encourages both the volunteers and their SLU mentors to continue improving until a milestone is reached. An incentive to try new tasks rather than become complacent with a limited skill set.

The Environmental Planning Associate Program is not a job training program. It is a volunteer training program. As volunteers become more skilled they become more valuable to the SLU. Unfortunately, they sometimes also become more valuable to potential employers and may be lost to us as volunteers. The upside of this loss is that a young person becomes a potential lifelong environmentalist and the workforce gains environmentally sensitive staff members who are trained in Sustainable Land Use practices and The Sierra Club’s goals.

Soils Sub-committee

Reported by Anne Stauffer and Annie Belt, Sub-committee Co-chairs

Date: 03 February 2017

Members: Annie Belt, Anne Stauffer, Bill Buchholz

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/soils-committee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soilscommittee4u/

Purpose: Report to James Eggers

Soils Committee Mission Statement

The mission of the Soils Committee is to protect and regenerate soil health through education, advocacy, and political action in order to increase soil carbon sequestration and reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels.

Strategies

1. Raise awareness and provide education on soil health across three counties in the Bay Area (San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Benito)

2. Grow a network of individuals, organizations, businesses and local governments to cross pollinate and support regional opportunities for healthier soils and carbon sequestration.

3. Work within the Sierra Club to inform, educate, and cooperate with members and groups on soil health. Establish clear communication channels, plan and cooperate with the Conservation Committee, chapter, state, and national levels on behalf of soils.

4. Develop a model package to help new soils committees form in other Sierra Club chapters with guidelines and materials

5. Gain expertise for our committee members soil-related topics

Accomplishments for 2016

1. Committee Business

a. Provided input to Sierra Club National on new Food and Agriculture Committee (consultant Katy Mamen and Bruce Hamilton) on mission of Soils Committee, and the role of soil health in carbon sequestration, food security and agriculture, and water conservation

b. Responded to White House Office of Science and Technology Call to Action to Protect America’s Soil and Formation of Interagency Group

c. Developed strategic plan for committee for 2017

2. Community Presentations

a. Gave three community presentations to local groups (UC, Master Composter Education Program, San Jose; San Carlos/Belmont Sierra Club Group; South Bay Women’s Climate Change Awareness Meetup group).

3. Social Media Outreach

a. Created Soils Committee Facebook page and reached 398 “Likes”

b. Posted weekly Facebook articles on soil health, carbon sequestration, and regenerative farming and ranching practices

c. Posted articles on Loma Prieta Chapter Facebook page

d. Created Soils Committee website

4. Resources and Handout Materials

a. Created handout materials on recommended websites, videos, books, published articles, actions people can take help protect and regenerate soil, and how to build healthy soil in your own backyard

b. Prepare spreadsheet on soil carbon testing standards (see Soil Carbon Watch http://soilcarbonwatch.org/index.html)

5. Education

a. Attended workshops on how to measure soil carbon sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension of Santa Clara County, Soil Carbon Coalition, and Pacines Ranch

b. Attended Second Annual Soil Not Oil International Conference

c. Attended webinars to learn about California’s Healthy Soils Initiative (California Department of Food and Agriculture) and food hubs supported by Savory Institute Consumer Revolution

d. Visited and toured the TomKat Ranch and Marin Carbon Project to learn about climate smart ranching, ecologically friendly animal agricultural practices, and methods to sequester carbon in rangeland, agricultural, and forest soils

Planned Activities for 2017

1. Committee Business

a. Recruit volunteers to help with graphics for website or to write articles and web posts, who have experience with local advocacy, farmers and ranchers, and have an interest in promoting soil health as a solution to climate change

b. Research certification program for regenerative agriculture

c. Research the social justice aspects of soil health and food

2. Community Presentations

a. Expand community presentations; three community presentations are planned

3. Social Media Outreach

a. Create graphics for website

b. Create a YouTube video

c. Post weekly and monthly Facebook posts on Soils Committee Facebook page

4. Resources

a. Create a model package to form new soils committees in other Sierra Club chapters

b. Collect soil health success stories for use on website, Facebook, email blasts, and in other advocacy efforts

c. Write white papers to educate and support groups protecting urban land and open space, such as groups advocating for permanent protection of Coyote Valley, which includes heritage agricultural land

d. Create a one-page handout on converting lawns to gardens in California

5. Education

a. Go on field trips to enhance our understanding of soil carbon sequestration

b. Attend workshops, conferences, and talks by partner organizations

c. Attend webinars and workshops on California’s Healthy Soils Initiative

6. Partnerships

a. Inform and educate other Sierra Club groups on soil health and carbon sequestration

b.Cultivate and establish partnerships with other groups (urban gardeners, local farmers and ranchers, local governments)

c. Create a list of partner organizations and people

Loma Prieta Transportation Working Group

Reported by Gladwyn D'Souza, Group Chair

LPTranWG (Loma Prieta Transportation Working Group) opposed VTA Measure B because 25% was going into freeway expansion, and another 15% was going into roads. Both projects harm other existing services or operators such as Valley Transportation Authority bus and Caltrain service, and do not support Planned Development Areas, Sustainable Community Strategy, and Green House Gas/Vehicle Mile Travelled reductions.

Since passage addition VTA bus lines have been cut.

We are working with Sierra Club CA to take into account that SB 375 analysis before the bill made it out of the Legislature said AB 32 wasn’t enough to keep warming below 2 deg and more needed to be done.

We are asking to pull funds out of future highway capacity expansions and putting it into things like Active Transportation or buying transit buses through the Sierra Club state Legislative Committee.

We have continued to advocate for Residential Permit Parking as a programatic feature of Transit Oriented Development and San Carlos was the first to successfully implement the program.

We wrote a few letters to cities and agencies to ensure that Complete Street implementation resulted in functional networks of active transportation and bus modes.

Water Sub-committee

Reported by Katja Irvin, Sub-committee Chair

2016 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

MISSION

To promote water quality, water conservation, and the protection of natural ecosystems throughout the watershed

IMPROVE WATER SUSTAINABILITY: CONSERVE AND DIVERSIFY WATER SOURCES

Follow water supply and management planning efforts within the Loma Prieta Chapter area

Urban Water Management Plans. Reviewed and commented on plans for Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) and Cal Water Mid-peninsula, in coordination with California Regional Water Committee and Sierra Club California
SCVWD Water Supply Master Plan update. Met with staff and Meg Giberson from League of Women Voters, and submitted comments when the Plan was on the Board agenda (ongoing in 2017)
Bay Area Regional Reliability Drought Task Force. Participated in meetings (ongoing in 2017)
Groundwater Management. Reviewed and commented on the SCVWD Groundwater Management Plan update, and the Groundwater Reliability Partnership for the San Mateo Plain Sub-basin (ongoing 2017)
Recycling and Reuse. Followed the Expedited Purified Water Program in San Jose, and participated in Countywide Recycled and Purified Water Master Plan Workshops (ongoing 2017)

IMPROVE HABITAT (water for ecosystems)

Collaborate with environmental Non-Governmental Organizations to improve fresh water flows in the Delta

Delta Twin Tunnels (Water Fix). Coordinated NGO representatives to respond to SCVWD workshops and staff reports on the District’s participation and budget allocations for the Water Fix, and sent several comment letters advocating for Sierra Club California position – we should first invest in other alternatives (ongoing into 2017)
San Joaquin River Water Quality Plan. Contributed to regional NGO effort to influence the State Water Resources Control Board to approve increased water allocations for the environment – organized meetings with Assembly members Evan Low and Ash Kalra; attended hearing in Modesto; submitted comments to the State Water Resources Control Board
Sites Reservoir. Coordinated NGO representatives to respond to SCVWD workshops and staff reports on the District’s participation and budget allocations for new dam projects (ongoing 2017)
Advocate to expedite progress on Fisheries and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort (FAHCE) and interim fish habitat improvements in Santa Clara County
Los Alamitos Flashboard Dam. Participated in several strategy meetings with Friends of Los Gatos Creek and Friends of Coyote Creek and organized Los Alamitos fish habitat strategy meeting with several advocacy groups in November 2016 (ongoing 2017)
Fish Barriers. Submitted comments when fish habitat restoration was on the Board agenda, resulting in funding for feasibility studies for Metcalf Ponds, Ogier Ponds, and Singleton Road barriers (ongoing 2017)

IMPROVE WATER QUALITY (clean water for all)

Follow water planning efforts related to Water Quality within the Loma Prieta Chapter area

Stormwater Planning. Followed development of San Mateo Countywide Stormwater Resource Plan and Santa Clara Basin Storm Water Resource Plan (ongoing 2017)
Advocate and support pollution prevention efforts to reduce sources of litter and other contaminants
Creek Clean-ups. Participated in 11 clean-up events organized by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and Friends of Coyote Creek (ongoing 2017)
Grant Letters. Wrote letters supporting creek clean-ups and homeless programs on Coyote Creek
Fluoride Outreach. Advocated for robust SCVWD website about their new drinking water fluoridation program

Wildlife Sub-committee

Reported by Sigal Wilnai

The Wildlife Committee is a group of volunteers passionate about the protection of endangered species and the preservation of wildlife habitat and wildlife connectivity in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Expanding human development in the Bay Area puts constant pressure on biodiversity and especially on endangered and threatened species. We partner with other Conservation Sub-Committees and other local organizations to influence policies and planning processes that affect wildlife. We focus on protecting open space and preserving waterways and creek corridors, and we advocate for policies that protect canopies and integrate ecology into city parks and our urban/suburban landscapes.

The Committee advocates for better and stronger riparian ordinances which would preclude further development near creeks. Almost all local wildlife species depend on riparian corridors during their life cycle. The committee opposed the Parkside Trails project in Cupertino which sought to rezone 33 acres of open space between Fremont Older Preserve and Stevens Creek County Park into a low-density housing project. The area, a sensitive wildlife habitat, includes a section of Stevens Creek which is designated a critical steelhead trout reproductive-and-migratory habitat. Advocacy letters by citizens helped convince the developer to cancel the project.

An important move forward was achieved this year when San Jose adopted a riparian corridor ordinance that defines setbacks for projects near creeks, and no longer allows averaging of the setbacks from creeks. The ordinance also requires bird-friendly design for buildings in the area north of Highway 237. We continue to advocate for the expansion of this requirement to all creek corridors in the City of San Jose.

Our work in Menlo Park and in mountain View resulted in large companies choosing to use Bird-friendly design for their campuses. This includes Google and Facebook in their locations near San Francisco Bay. The designs include dimmer lighting at night and patterned markings on windows. Since SF Bay serves as an important stop-over in the Pacific Flyway, these designs are instrumental in helping birds avoid crashing into windows.

We advocate for the restoration of riparian areas. Most recently, the committee was involved in the restoration of the Charleston Retention Basin, a wetland at the heart of the Google Campus. Google expansed the natural area by removing parking and planting a native shrubs and trees to create a more complex ecosystem that should attract and provide for neotropical migrating bird species. The trail around the wetland is open to the public.

In 2013 an agreement was reached with Cupertino Lehigh Cement Plant regarding the restoration of 3.5 miles of Permanente Creek which passes through the cement plant’s property, through Cupertino, Los Altos and Mountain View, and finally discharges into the bay at Shoreline Park. A lawsuit by the Sierra Club against Lehigh Cement was settled and the implementation of the agreed creek restoration is still on-going. Sierra Club concerns focused on contamination with selenium, a heavy metal that was being discharged into Permanente Creek and affecting fish and other local wildlife.

The Wildlife Committee comments on development proposals which will impact wildlife species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for the conservation of species which are endangered through all or part of their habitat and for the preservation of the ecosystem on which they depend. The Loma Prieta Chapter, in conjunction with Defenders of Wildlife and Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, has been fighting the development of thousands of acres of land in Panoche Valley into a solar farm for 7 years. The area is critical habitat to three endangered species: the giant kangaroo rat, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and the San Joaquin kit fox. The Sierra Club supports the development of solar energy, but not at the expense of endangered species. The Sierra Club had been involved in a legal process to protect these species on the basis of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which requires state or local agencies to provide an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) in order to identify any significant environmental impact which might be caused by their actions and to mitigate or avoid it.

The Wildlife Committee advocates for preserving the permeability and connectivity of wildlife corridors. Support for wildlife-friendly fence ordinances is being pursued with the town of Los Gatos. Fences block wildlife pathways or trap them and can cause injury or death by forcing animals into roadways. Communities in the Bay Area share the land with deer, mountain lion, and other wildlife, and keeping the integrity of the wildlife corridors within their fragmented habitat intact is vital for their survival.

Wildlife corridors are important also for birds, especially migratory birds. The City of Palo Alto is currently designing an Urban Forest Master Plan and a Parks Master Plan and has been receptive to Sierra Club policies. The two plans provide guidelines for managing city trees (whether planted on private or public properties) and for the management of parks and open space areas. The two plans together are expected to improve habitat and accessibility for native wildlife and migratory birds.

The committee is also involved in the effort to protect north Coyote Valley from industrial development of distribution centers and data centers. Coyote Valley, located south of San Jose, is 7,400 acres of farmland and provides open space and habitat for wildlife. The valley floor provides habitat for migratory birds and passage for mountain lions, bobcats and other wildlife that move between the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains. The development could, in addition, impact the quality of San Jose’s water supply. An alliance between several local environmental groups seeks to keep the area as open space in order to maintain the permeability and connectivity of this wildlife corridor and to protect San Jose City water.

The Wildlife Committee’s goals for this coming year are to continue to work with the alliance to protect Coyote Valley, persevere with our efforts to pass bird-friendly design ordinances in cities along the bay, and continue to improve projects as they come up.

Outings Committee

Outdoor Leadership Training (OTL) 201

Reported by Lisa Barboza, Outing Chair

There were several OLT 201 classes offered by the Outings Chair, Lisa Barboza in 2016.
These had attendees ranging from 10-15 to train new leaders for overnight outings. Aaron Schuman, and Terry Cline, of the Peak Climbing Section assisted with these training events.
2017 - There will be 2 OLT 201 classes offered in 2017, in Spring and in the ealry Fall timeframe.

Black Mountain Hiking Section (BMHS)

Reported by Lisa Barboza, Outing Chair

Group Participation: Mailing lists and the Loma Prieta website are used extensively for this group. Occasionally, Jack Borok’s Hiking Meetup is used to recruit new members.

Very often, there is a weekend outing, distances are moderate, 10-14 miles and are tuned to the particular interests of the hikers. Activities are primarily day hikes, but there are occasional backpack, camping, or lodge outings. There are great, well qualified leaders.

Leadership:

2016 Leadership: Chair Sharon Chuang, Vice Chair Heidi Lerner

Trip Leaders: Robbie Chung, Sharon Chuang, Fran Keeler, Michael Lusk, Heidi Lerner,

Conservation Topics: these are emphasized, very often the cataloging of non-native plants, although not eradication as that is usually an Open Space District responsibility.

Day Hiking Section

Reported by Lisa Barboza, Outing Chair

History: The Day Hiking Section has been in existence for over 35 five years and even now, has a roster of leaders who have an incredible store of knowledge on the local trails in all of the South Bay parks, including open space districts on the peninsula. The section went through a lull in membership in the early 2000 to 2014 timeframe and saw shrinking numbers of hikers, as well as an aging demographic.

Group Participation: All of that changed when the leadership, led by Ron Karpel, Landa Robillard, and Rosemary Briscoe among others started the Meetup site on 9 April 2015. The Meetup group how has almost 1000 members and has been very successful. The Meetup Fee is funded internally through donations.

Leadership: There are over 25 qualified leaders. All are current in OLT101 as well as first aid. Several leaders have Wilderness First Aid certifications as well. The leadership roster is maintained on Google docs as well as training records.

2016 Leadership: Chair Ron Karpel, Vice Chair Landa Robillard

2017 Leadership: Chair Dara Hazagi, Vice Chair David Fogel

Trip Leaders: Cecil Anison, Lisa Barboza, Debbie Benham, Barry Brisco, Rosemary Brisco, Mike Castagna, David Fogel, Kathryn Hargrove, Ron Karpel, Bill Kirkpatrick, Joerg Lohse, Kelly Maas, Hailen Mak, Henry Coe State Park Creek Crossing Francoise Mertz, Ted Ratzek, Dot Reilly, Landa Robillard, Bonnie Reusch, Mei Shen, Stephen Uhler, Richard Vassar, Kee Yip, Piotr Zalicki, Cecily Harris

Very often, there were two outings per weekend, with up to 15 people on each outing. There is typically a trip for people who don’t want to hike too far, and also one for longer distance hikers - the Meetup program has been very successful for this group! The demographics are trending younger, and there is quite a diverse mix of people in the group.

2016 Trips: While an exact count is difficult, it is safe to say that there were over 75 trips sponsored by the group in 2016. The trips ranged from hikes in Mt Tam and Mt Diablo, all over the peninsula, in the South Bay down to Henry Coe park, and in the East Bay as well. There are two very popular San Francisco City hikes annually – these hikes explore places in the city where people rarely go and are fascinating with history, culture, and architectural detail. There are also typically two or three snow-shoeing trips, sometimes overnight camping, in the High Sierra.

Conservation Topics: these are emphasized, very often the cataloging of non-native plants, although not eradication as that is usually an Open Space District responsibility.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Section

Reported by Shawn Britton, Section Chair

Renewed account with ESRI. ESRI grants discounted software to non-profits for conservation work.

Coyote Valley: A project is underway to map development and migration patterns. We produced a couple maps viewable at here.

Mapping Parties

“Mapping parties are events where anyone can come and participate in the OpenStreetMap project. OpenStreetMap is a free, open source map that can be contributed, edited and used by anyone anywhere (no copyright). Mapping parties are social events where experienced and new mappers can meet to share and learn more about the project. The events are generally held in a public place, and allow time for discussion, mapping and editing. The event is open to all.”

The mapping parties connected to outings. There were about 5 last year. They have been successful outreach to the mapping community.

Demographic maps.

The political and election district maps have been regularly updated, and are currently undergoing revision and improvement.

Obstacles.

Few requests for work from the chapter. We have volunteers, but we have to invent our own projects.

Goals

More useful maps.

More outreach to conservation committees to determine their needs and let then know what the GIS committee can do to improve their efforts.

Gay and Lesbian Sierrans

Reported by Ronald Levesque, GovCom Chair

Throughout 2016, the Gay and Lesbian Sierrans (GLS) celebrated our 25th anniversary as an Activities Section of the Loma Prieta Chapter. We celebrated, as we usually do, via our 47 outings, including day hikes, our 19th Death Valley campout, Memorial Day weekend in a hostel at Point Reyes, and our 10th Kings Canyon campout, and two general membership meetings: our summer picnic and our holiday party. The following link will open a fantastic slide show (by Sharon Lum) that highlights our events in 2016 as well as several archival photographs.

GLS now boasts 11 outings leaders, who make these events happen. In 2016, we had a small GovCom (Governing Committee) of 3 elected officers, who were supported by a volunteer. Our group has about 60 "members", those who subscribe to our newsletter, The Wild Side, and another 200 supporters who have signed up for our free online Forum. In 2016, we appealed directly to these 200 to join GLS formally by offering an anniversary special low-cost subscription. GLS has also experimented with meet-up outings and with posting our events on Facebook; these have yet to greatly increase our members. In late 2016, we decided to try offering meet-up hikes and doing so by consulting with the GLS Bay Chapter group and other groups in the Sierra Club that have had success with them.

While many GLS members are active with personal causes, as a group our main focus has been on promoting conservation through our day hikes and campouts. We also donated $250 to the Loma Prieta Chapter in 2016 and we encourage other activities sections to make an annual donation to support the conservation work of our chapter.

Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO)

Reported by Gloria Chen, Section Chair

ICO is a community outreach organization, 100% volunteers run, operating under The Sierra Club Foundation. We provide disadvantaged urban youth and young adults with positive outdoor experiences.

Program Goals:

Actively engage people who might not otherwise have access to the outdoors in seasonal outdoor activities, including backpacking, car camping, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, rafting, service projects, skating, skiing, sledding, etc
Promote appreciation for and protection of the natural environment through outdoor adventures and environmental education;
Create opportunities through outdoor experiences for personal growth and life style change; outdoor skills and leadership development; and fostering respect of self, others, and the environment.

Our leaders and volunteers believe that the wilderness exists as a resource for all people and everyone should have access to it. ICO removes the barrier-to-access by providing knowledgeable leaders, equipment, transportation, logistics and trip cost. With the guidance of ICO volunteers, participants discover the beauty of wild lands and how to enjoy these places without harming them, and ultimately instill a passion in them to protect the natural world. That deep personal connection requires participation.

ICO serves communities in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. We partner with social agencies to provide our outdoors program. Right now we work with KIPP Collegiate and KIPP Heartwood in San Jose, Roberto Cruz Leadership Academy in San Jose, and Sequoia High School in Redwood City.

The backbone of our organization are our dedicated volunteers and leaders. We host quarterly Volunteer Orientation around the Bay Area. Please visit our website to learn more of our services and come join us on our outing trips

https://vimeo.com/94092831

Loma Preta Paddlers

Reported by Larry Dewell, Section Chair

Annual Report - 2016

February 19, 2017

Loma Prieta Paddlers (known as LPP, more info here) is a Sierra Club whitewater paddling activity section based in the San Francisco Bay area. As an activity-based club (also associated with the American Canoe Association), we coordinate whitewater trips, promote river safety and skill development, organize whitewater competitive events and promote river conservation.

The 2016 calendar year was a turning point towards more robust river flows after several years of extended drought conditions. Club activities started out strong in early April with an organized trip on the Kings River; this was our 9th annual organized spring trip on that river. We followed up that trip with a series of weekend paddles on the Merced river, which featured lovely sustained and natural flows during the spring. The pace of activity continued into May, with our Cache Creek Slalom and Downriver Races. Begun in the 1980s, LPP has continued sponsoring these races, which are considered a qualifying race for the USACK Junior Olympics. This event was very successful, with 21 boaters competing in 12 categories, with the best slalom time of the race coming from the C1 category, clocking in at a blistering 1:50! Our annual Memorial Day Trinity River outing in late May was a huge success as well. Summer paddling activities included our annual summer Camp Lotus Weekend series, where we got together to enjoy the South Fork of the American River and the rest of our kayaking friends in the Sacramento area. Finally, in September we hosted our traditional Mokelumne River Races (also called the Moke Races). LPP has been sponsoring these races since 1978, and the race course is set up on a Class II stretch of the Mokelumne River known as the “Electra run”. This year, we had a whopping 45 competitors spanning 13 categories. The fastest slalom time was an awesome 99 seconds in the Mens K1 Expert A category.

The club continued its commitment to whitewater skills development, sponsoring weekly pool practice roll sessions in the South Bay throughout the paddling season. The Club increased its support for river conservation in 2016, through increased donations to American Whitewater, The Foothill Conservancy, Fiends of the River and the Tuolumne River Trust.

Peak Climbing Section

Reported by Lisa Barboza, Outing Chair

History: The Peak Climbing Section has been in existence since 1966 – Founding members: Bill Rausch, George Barnes, Pauline Johnson, Clarence Alberg, Dick Lancaster, Mac MacDougall, and several others: From a 1968 Scree: “The section came into existence as a result of the efforts of many Sierra Club Members with varied talents, but a single goal – mountaineering trips geared specifically to peak climbs. The seeds were planted on a knap-sacking trip to Alta Peak in August, 1966. Ideas discussed around a campfire at Pear Lake on Saturday evening were rehashed as we climbed Alta and 4 or 5 lesser peaks on Sunday. Finally, out of the relaxed feeling after a good dinner at the Pine Cone came the idea of inserting an article in the Loma Prietan asking for a response from those interested in forming a Peak Climbing Section…The response was sufficient to justify a meeting…centered around Class 3 climbing…officers, one an expert in mountaineering and another an enthusiast appeared at the next Board meeting…the board then approved unanimously the formation of our PCS...three geniuses drew up our by-laws (and any resemblance to RCS, SPS, or Knap-sacking Section bylaws is pure coincidence)…What is in the future? More training climbs, Desert Peaks, and with chartered plane space, trips to the Rockies, Alaska, and Mexico” (From an extract from Scree, vol. 2, no. 2, April 1968, by Mr. Clarence Alberg. (Appreviated to save space)

Group Participation: Has been up and down. There are over 200 members on Meetup, and over 300 on the mail-list server. Monthly Meetings are held in Spring and Fall with interesting speakers, typical attendance is 10-20 climbers.

Leadership: There are 15 qualified leaders. All are current in OLT101, OLT201 as well as Wilderness First Aid certifications.

2016 leadership: Lisa Barboza, Chair, Rakesh Ranjan Vice Chair, Arun Mahajan, Treasurer, Terry Cline Mountaineering Chair

2017 Leadership: Jeff Fisher, Chair, Arun Mahajan, Vice Chair, Terry Cline, Treasurer, Lisa Barboza, Mountaineering Chair

Trip Leaders: Aaron Schuman, Aurn Mahajan, Bob Wyka, Charles Schafer, Chris Prendergast, Daryn Dodge, Jeff Fisher, John Novat, Kathy Rich, Kelly Maas, Lisa Barboza, Terry Cline, Tim Hult, Bo Meng

2016 Trips: There were over 20 mountaineering trips in 2016, in places as varied as the Trinity Alps, Wyoming, and the High Sierra. There were also about 5 private trips as well.

Scree Newsletter – Was published monthly throughout 2016 by Judy Molland, the Editor of the newsletter. The website is www.peakclimbing.org, and has been in existence since 2009.

Conservation Topics: Lisa Barboza is leading a count of the Mountain Pica using GPS, to determine the effect on climate change of the American Pika (Ochotona princeps) population, and they serve as an early warning system of alpine climate change.

Meetup was implemented in August 2015, and now has over 200 members. Meetup was used in conjunction with the Scree Newsletter, which is published monthly. In addition, there is an email server list which can also be used by anyone in the section to communicate.

San Mateo Hiking Section

Reported by Marcia Seyler

This year 15 to 25 volunteer leaders, qualified in classes of leadership and first aid, met semi-annually to propose, tweak, and approve 6 months of hikes for people of all ages who meet minimal hiking requirements. The half-year hike schedule further evolves at the leaders’ gourmet potluck dinner, San Mateo Hike Section Outing where they agree on and sign up to lead several of about 95 hikes. The potluck includes informative speakers on topics relating to hikes, ranger duties, travelogs and similar subjects.

Leaders generate and scout excursions over a wide area: Marin County’s Mt Tamalpais, Headlands, and Tiburon; city walks in San Francisco, San Jose, Redwood City, Foster City; all bay area county and state parks, especially Santa Clara and San Mateo county parks, south to Aptos’ Forest of Nisene Marks in Santa Cruz County; National Parks such as GGNRA, Presidio, Tennessee Valley, Land's End; Muir Woods, a national monument; and city park hikes in Golden Gate and Palo Alto Foothills Parks, and many of the Open Space Preserves.

We hike twice a week, Wednesdays and Thursdays, occasionally Saturday, lasting from mid-morning to early afternoon, occasionally with a gourmet potluck. Hike difficulty ranges from leisurely 1A to challenging “double-star hikes” over 8 miles and up to 13 miles, for example, from the beach to Berry Creek Falls in Big Basin. Past favorites include Big Basin, Purisima Redwoods, and Fitzgerald Reserve on the coast.

Our excursions typically attract 15 to 30 people, all hikers welcome, and the group personality nurtures friendly hikers of varied life experience, often widely traveled, who freely share adventures. Hikers can join our email list of ~230 hikers to receive weekly updates on specific hikes, and be listed in our directory of ~270.

Join us!

Our description on the Sierra Club website:

http://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/family-outings

http://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/calendar

Loma Prieta Sierra Singles

Loma Prieta Sierra Singles (LPSS) is a group of more than 800 adults who enjoy a wide range of outdoor and social activities. Currently, the typical participant is age 50+ but plans are underway to offer activities for those a decade or more younger, including single parents.

Events and Outings. In addition to popular outdoor activities such as hiking and backpacking, LPSS offers a wide range of other activities throughout the year. The Annual LPSS Halloween Party, which features live dancing music and a costume contest is always well attended and the action-packed weekend get-away at Little Basin State Park attracted an enthusiastic crowd when it was offered in 2015 and 2016. During the winter holidays, LPSS leaders have led Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day hikes, as well as potlucks in private homes and at outdoor venues such at Half Moon Bay State Beach and Huddart Park.

Creative costumes and a live band for dancing made for a lively evening at the annual LPSS Halloween Party.

Happy hikers gathered around a huge redwood tree in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park during a hike led by Julie Burillo.

Other interesting events have included: Archery, ice skating, potluck & live music nights, potluck & game nights, movie & dinner outings, a Summerfest barbecue with three hike options, an autumn Ice Cream Social with three hike options, theatre outings and summer concerts have all provided great opportunities for fun and socializing with LPSS.

An afternoon on the ice provided exercise and amusement for these LPSS ice skaters.

Monthly Welcome Walks give newcomers an opportunity to get acquainted with leaders and other LPSS members.

Demographics. There are currently 834 members in LPSS with approximately 12 active social and hike leaders planning and offering activities regularly. In 2016, there were 144 hikes and 41 social events offered and 35 new members joined LPSS. LPSS is financially sound, which means that there are funds available to support creative ideas for activities.

Challenges and Opportunities. LPSS is in need of more leaders for both social events, which is a very simple process, and hiking/backpacking, which is slightly more complicated but reasonable and doable. Leadership is particularly needed for the 20s, 30s and 40s age groups. LPSS also has openings on its Executive Committee (ExCom). ExCom meetings are where plans for new activities are shaped with member input and strategies for the future of LPSS are discussed. Finally, there are a number of administrative tasks being handled by too few volunteers, including updating and maintaining an LPSS Facebook page. For information about any of these opportunities contact Sandra Winkler, slwinker19@gmail.com or Barbara Muir, barbara_muir@yahoo.com.

Singleaires

Reported by Judy Ogle and Suzanne Fellenz

Who We Are

Singleaires is a community of 250+ active adults who embrace the Sierra Club motto (explore, enjoy, and protect the planet) through a variety of events and outings. Originally just a singles group (as the name implies), we welcome those who have found a life partner, too. Our members are typically 50+ years old, many of us retired, but adults of all ages are welcome to join us.

What We Do

Since our plans for 2017 are similar to what we’ve done in 2016, this report will combine information on both years, noting any areas where we expect to make changes in the coming months.

In order to cultivate our close-knit community, we organize many activities. Every week we have at least two hikes: usually a Mini hike (a few miles with minimal climbing), a 1A (less than 6 miles), and a more difficult 2B or 3C. These are led by any of our fully-trained leaders – currently we have 40 of them, 5 of whom are certified for wilderness events.

Hardy hikers relax atop Monument Peak on a windy day. (Photo: Warren Brown)

Our weekly hikes usually end before 4 pm, in order to give participants time to pick up their food for the weekly potluck. These gastronomic events are held in gracious members’ homes, usually on the Peninsula but occasionally in Half Moon Bay or the East Bay.

We are fortunate to have several leaders willing to organize multi-day outings. These include trips to

Pt. Reyes National Seashore (hostel),
Echo Summit Lodge (skiing),
Pinnacles (camping),
Sunol Wilderness (backpacking),
The Sierras (hiking, camping),
Thousand Island Lake (mule pack), and
Alpine Lodge (Oktoberfest).

Closer to home, we hold an assortment of special events. Besides traditional food, the June picnic has games and music, and the holiday party includes a gift exchange. Members sign up to share their far-flung adventures at our monthly travel programs. We also enjoy house concerts organized by one of our members and other musical programs in which a member is performing.

Our efforts at conservation are multi-fold. At potlucks those who bring their own dishes get to serve themselves to food ahead of those without their own plate. Donations for conservation are requested at potlucks, and periodically the members vote to send this to local conservation and land preservation organizations. Finally, our conservation chair shares details of creek clean-ups with us. Our current chair is planning to share additional volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Communication

Obviously all these activities require a lot of communicating, both for organizing and for sharing with potential participants. The public has full access to our weekly hiking schedule on the Chapter’s online calendar and on MeetUp (the latter an especially good means for those not already Sierra Club members). Those who would like to get information about all of our other activities need to become a member by filling out our form and paying $20/year. Then they start receiving our quarterly Activities Schedule, which lists all the activities previously mentioned. In addition, members may sign up for our Yahoo Group. This is a valuable tool to share changes to our events (such as cancellation due to rain) or information about new opportunities.

See our page on the Loma Prieta website for more details.

Springtime on the Matt Davis Trail, Stinson Beach

Springtime on the Matt Davis Trail, Stinson Beach (Photo: Dennis Gaushell)

See our detailed Activities Report.

Ski Touring Section (STS)

Reported by Sigal Wilnai

STS provides leadership and organization for its members to travel, explore and enjoy the natural environment by offering beginner-to-advanced ski-touring trips. STS outing leaders are all volunteers, passionate about spending time in the winter wilderness. We organize trip logistics and share our enthusiasm, knowledge of cross-country skiing, and on weekend trips also our culinary expertise with trip participants.

The Ski Touring Section wishes to enlist public interest and cooperation in protecting winter environments, raising awareness for safe winter travel, and preserving ski touring as winter recreation on public lands. We regularly help with the maintenance of the Sierra Club’s Backcountry huts when staying over or visiting on trips by reporting damage, replacing batteries in equipment, or fixing the wood/propane stoves.

Our season typically runs from November through May. The types of trips we do encompass touring on skinny skis to backcountry skiing with fat skis on steep terrain. Trips are rated according to difficulty, from beginner trips for the first-time cross-country skier to advanced trips for the adventurous and hardy skier who can ski 10-30 miles a day, climb high mountains using skins and descend using Telemark turns. Overnight trips may lodge in backcountry huts, snow camp, or stay in other private or commercial lodging.

In 2016, STS leaders led ten outings to nine unique destinations. Most trips visited the Tahoe area and made use of the Clair Tappaan backcountry ski huts. Two of the outings went to Yosemite National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park respectively. The annual Jim Weaver Memorial Beginners’ Trip to Clair Tappaan Lodge was a success and attracted two new members.

Highlights from previous STS trips:

Dick Simpson on the Benson-Bradley Traverse trip (a private trip),1/8/2016: “There was plenty of snow, but there was also ice which looked almost identical to the windblown snow. It was very difficult to tell, when placing a ski on the surface, whether it would sink into powder or slip sideways on ice.”

Dave Erskine on the trip to Lassen Volcanic, 1/9-10/2016: “Some pioneers had broken trail ahead of us so the going was easy. Had to watch out for the snow bombs coming off the trees though. From the top of the ridge we worked our way up and down the east side back to the Sulfur Works. Again, great powder skiing.”

Dick Simpson on the outing to Peter Grubb Hut, 1/30-31/2016 which encountered some icy conditions: “the group was ready for the challenges and appreciated the opportunities provided. …the fourteen participants [got] along famously.” On this trip, dinner reportedly included salsa, guacamole and chips for appetizers, and a salad and chili for dinner.

Richard Contreras on a trip let by Roy Lambertson to Snow Creek Ranger Cabin in Yosemite, 2/5-7/2016: “Snow was softening in the sun, some pockets of powder in the shade of trees. Issues were had with some skins and snow globbing up on the final ascent. After a lengthy lunch and regroup at the top we all had a lot of fun skiing down.” Dinner, on this occasion, was ramen, chicken, biscotti, and wine.

Dick Simpson on an outing to Bradley Hut 2/13-15/2016: “By not pushing the snow too hard, we got in some nice runs, suffered no accidents, and enjoyed excellent company for three days.” Homemade chili and cornbread, carried in by the skiers, once again made the excellent dinner.

John Cordes on the Jim Weaver Memorial Clair Tappaan Lodge Beginners’ Trip, 2/27-28/2016: “For the beginner trips, I like to keep the tours short and sweet (1-3 miles per the STS guidelines). Saturday morning we skied the Clair Tappaan Lodge [track] system up to Lytton Lake and came back using Kitty’s Cruise, a short intermediate trail, then used the Main Drag back to Clair Tappaan Lodge. We had lunch in the lodge, enjoying the sunshine on the deck and each other’s company. Everyone on the tour had strong beginner-intermediate skills, so after lunch we went on a more adventurous tour. We skied over to Hutchinson Lodge, then we skied off trail along the bottom of Boreal Ridge until we connected up with Kitty’s Cruise again. From there, we followed the groomed road to the overlook of Donner Lake.

Roy Lambertson on an outing to Barker Pass, 3/18-20/2016: Participants camped at 7750’ in a clearing high in a valley, in a spot which trip leaders identified as a possible location for a future backcountry ski hut. “After setting up camp, we made a late afternoon excursion to the Barker Peak ridge. Stephane found an unlikely-looking but elegant route between cornices up to the ridge. From the high points in the area, there are good views of Lake Tahoe, the Rubicon River Valley, the Crystal Range, and Twin Peaks.”

Political Committee

Reported by Sigal Wilnai

The SCLP Political Endorsement Program

Every year, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Political Committee launches a candidate-endorsement process for both primary and general elections, run entirely by a group of committed and dedicated volunteers. Chapter volunteers research and interview local prospective candidates in order to evaluate their environmental leadership and support for Sierra Club policies. Candidates who meet established criteria are endorsed for office, meaning they can use the Sierra Club endorsement logo on their campaign materials and directly communicate, during the election, with Sierra Club members who have opted to receive these communications. These in-depth and well-researched endorsements are available to both Sierra Club members and the public. The Loma Prieta Election Insight newsletter, published before every general election, is the Chapter’s flagship product, a powerful voting guide respected and trusted by voters throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

Political Committee members are appointed by the Chapter’s Executive Committee. Their tasks include recruiting volunteers for endorsement teams, updating the endorsement questionnaire, and conducting and supervising candidate interviews. The committee is grateful to have a good number of volunteers and can always use more, as we wish to engage as many people as possible in the endorsement process. The 2016 general election endorsements were completed with the help of 25 hard-working volunteers, each of whom invested at least eight hours, and for whose hard work and commitment the Chapter is deeply grateful.

The endorsement process begins several months before each election. For the November general elections, filing candidacy closes by mid-August, and ballots are mailed out by October. This leaves six weeks for the Chapter’s endorsement teams to complete the process of researching candidates, deciding on endorsements, and publishing the endorsement guide. All local candidates receive a questionnaire which conveys the Chapter’s preferences and policies. The Chapter’s Conservation Sub-Committees write questions for the questionnaire that reflect their particular focus. While the questionnaire goes out to all candidates, not all those running will answer it. We are lucky, however, to live in an area where many candidates are willing to bring the environmental frame to their decision making, and many are interested in aligning themselves with the Sierra Club. We research and endorse only candidates running for local offices, such as county supervisors, city and district council members and special district members. Endorsement for state and national races is decided on those levels and is included in the chapter’s voting guide for voters

Once the answers to the questionnaires are received and reviewed, endorsement teams will meet with candidates and conduct in-person interviews. Each race is traditionally covered by one endorsement team which is made up of three volunteers: an experienced team leader and two others. All team members are preferably residents of the specific city or county and aware-of-and-involved-in the local political scene. Interviews are often done on a designated day, so that all candidates of one county or city will be interviewed by teams on the same day. This can take a full day for Santa Clara County, since the county has so many races. The interviews will take into account all the research about a candidate, including questionnaire answers, previous environmental records (if available — for example: whether the candidate had demonstrated environmental leadership elsewhere), and anything that can be gleaned from the candidate’s colleagues as well as the media and personal experience. The information might include, in addition, the candidate’s potential for winning. While we may ideally wish for effective politicians who are committed to the environment, sometimes volunteers might choose to endorse someone who is, from the Sierra Club’s point of view, a good environmental choice, but is not a part of the majority. Endorsing this candidate is valuable as it often impresses voters with the importance of a specific environmental issue.

After the in-person interviews, each team will meet and decide on a recommendation based on the data gathered. The Chapter’s regional groups, Guadalupe, Peninsula and San Carlos/Belmont, provide volunteer teams that are first to evaluate candidates and provide endorsement recommendations, followed by the Chapter’s Executive Committee. The Chapter’s endorsements are then reviewed at the state level to ensure there are no conflicts of interest and that Club procedures/policies have been scrupulously followed. This democratic and thorough process provides solid and powerful endorsements which voters can trust.

In 2016, the committee’s work proved successful on three accounts: how many races the committee managed to cover, how many volunteers were involved in the endorsement process, and how many of the races were won. In the November elections alone, the Political Committee and Volunteer-teams produced 43 recommendtions for local offices and 11 recommendations for statewide elections, plus 10 ballot measures (which were researched by the Conservation Committee). In Santa Clara County we supported and endorsed Measure A, which passed with 67.3% of the vote. The measure allows the county to take out bonds for $950 million to build affordable housing for vulnerable populations. Measure K, extending measure A, also passed with 67.3% of the vote, providing local funding for issues important to the Sierra Club, like public transportation for seniors and youth, school gardens, and environmental education, as well as programs to reduce carbon footprint and to address sea-level rise. In county and city council races, the majority of candidates endorsed by the Sierra Club won a seat as well as in nearly all special district races.

Our goals for this coming year include increasing our volunteer base, making sure environmental leaders are elected in San Mateo County races, and getting ready for the 2018 election.

Guadalupe Regional Group

Reported by Charles Schafer, Content Contributions by Shawn Britton, Molly Cox, Gary Latshaw, Dave Poeschel

General Meetings:

Our general meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday each month in the San Tomas Aquino branch of the County Library. We’ve presented movies on the threats of Climate Change, such as Racing Extinction and Before the Flood to highlight the urgency of the threats posed by continuing on our current path. Lest we despair, other meetings discussed ways we can influence our carbon footprint at a local level. For example, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of our utilities, we had Michael Closson from San Jose Community energy and Bruce Karney from Carbon Free Mountain View explain Community Choice Energy (CCE) and the promise of CCEs to provide a higher percentage of renewable energy to the consumer for roughly the same price PG&E now charges. Other meetings with topics on climate change include Oil Trains transiting the Bay Area, implementing a ban on fracking in California, and the problems concerning how to dispose of biomass waste in an environmentally sound way.

In addition to concerns about the climate, there are issues in our community requiring attention. Coyote Valley is a section of San Jose that is mostly undeveloped, but a section is currently zoned for commercial purposes. To educate us on the issues with development, we had speakers from Santa Clara Open Space Preserve’s Marc Landgraf and Committee for Green Foothills’ Alice Kaufman present on Coyote Valley’s importance as a wildlife corridor and as a flood plain that serves to filter our water. On the weekend following the talk, Outings Chair Shawn Britton and Conservation activist Dave Poeschel led a hike on Coyote Ridge to get a better idea of the land at stake, with former water district board director Pat Ferraro providing a historical perspective on water use in the county.

Besides Coyote Valley, Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Sue Remien explained what the SCVWD does and where we get our water; former Ulistac Nature Area spoke on trends that are shaping Silicon Valley 3.0 and how we can influence land use; and Transform’s Joël Ramos laid out the pros and cons on transportation tax Measure B.

Goals for 2017 include providing opportunities for newly active members to participate in Sierra Club efforts. To that end, the March General Meeting will be a presentation of all the activities we as a club are involved with and how members and non-member can participate.

[Note: Videos of some of our speakers are on our YouTube page, Guadalupe Regional Group Sierra Club]

Outings:

Getting outside and having fun is another good reason to be a Sierra Club member, and Outings Chair Shawn Britton kept the calendar full of hikes for families and adults, plus 3 coffee meet and greets followed by short hikes. In total, there were 60 hikes listed on our meetup page (https://www.meetup.com/Guadalupe-Regional-Group-Meetup/) for the year, with 685 participants. In addition to Coyote Creek and Coyote Meadows, we had hikes at Ulistac Natural Bird Area in Santa Clara, Harvey Bear Ranch, and Sanborn Park, to name a few.

For 2017, we have the following goals:

•Recruit additional hike leaders

•More and better publicized Family Outings events.

•Include conservation moments during hikes.

•EncourageSierra Club membership during hikes.

•Lead a Coyote Ridge wildflower hike in early April.

Conservation Efforts and Political Engagement:

Coyote Valley development is on the horizon, starting with a plan for a distribution center on the Panattoni parcel, and Dave Poeschel and Brian Carr are joining efforts with Chapter Director James Eggers to influence the development from an environmental standpoint through engagement with San Jose City Council members and working with other Sierra Club groups and non-profits like Committee for Green Foothills.

Dave also worked with the Chapter’s Water Committee to successfully advocate with staff and SCVWD Board to improve water quality aspects of the Almaden Lake project and make it free of dependence on the Alamitos Dam on the Guadalupe River. Continuing advocacy is required for the elimination of the operation of the Alamitos Dam (which fills Alamitos Percolation Pond) and improved habitat for the endangered steelhead and chinook salmon in the Guadalupe Watershed.

Coyote Meadows Hike To provide members with hands-on experience making a difference in our community, ExCom Member Ralph Murietta worked with Deb Kramer of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful to publicize and conduct clean ups along the Coyote Creek banks in an effort to return the creek to a more natural state. We plan to continue to support creek cleanups in 2017. Coyote Meadows, formerly the site of “The Jungle” homeless encampment, is poised to be converted into a natural open space by the city of San Jose, and the Sierra Club can provide input to make this a reality.

To help members evaluate candidates for elected office in local races, Guadalupe Group members joined Political Committee interview teams and interviewed candidates seeking the Sierra Club endorsement. A number of candidates we endorsed won their races, and we have started working with two of them, Ash Kalra (State Assembly) and Sergio Jimenez (San Jose City Council), on upcoming issues in particular.

Given the current political climate, the Guadalupe Group participated in the March for Justice on inauguration day and the Women’s March the next day in San Jose. We had a large response from people who want to fight for climate change at our table after the women’s march. So, in addition to the March general meeting to reach new members, we plan to participate in local marches in April in support of Science and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Peninsula Regional Group

Reported by Sue Chow

The Peninsula Regional Group (PRG) has had a very busy year. We launched our Environmental Stewardship Program, 3.0, for the third year in a row, and more people signed up this year than in previous years! Our members are energized and inspired by our monthly dinners, seminars/film screenings, discussions of critical environmental issues, and “take action” items. For more information about joining our Environmental Stewardship Program, contact: Sue Chow Sue2042@gmail.com or Gita Dev gd@devarchitects.com

The second major area of activity that our PRG leadership group has undertaken is endorsement of candidates in the cities in our area. We sent out questionnaires, conducted interviews with candidates, and endorsed 28 environmental champions! Thanks to our dedicated leaders, the political endorsement process has been streamlined and is now much more efficient than it was in the past. Please contact our Political Committee Chair, Dave Olson, if you would like more information about our Political Committee: dolson5@yahoo.com

The third area of work that PRG has spearheaded is organizing rallies. Now that we are in a decidedly environmentally-UNFRIENDLY era, such mass actions will be more important than ever. If you are interested in helping to organize rallies, please contact Brian Haberly: brianhaberly@gmail.com

Peninsula Regional Group Outings, contact Shawn Britton <smbritton@comcast.net>

The PRG outings are generally co-listed with the Guadalupe Regional Group. The easier hikes are also listed for the Family Outings Section and as new member hikes.

Our hike leaders efforts contribute to the success of the group, chapter and club. They brought happiness to the South Bay, and helped educate the public about the Peninsula Regional Group, the Guadalupe Group, Chapter and Sierra Club.

There were 3 morning drop in coffee shop meetings, with afternoon hikes

We led several well attended conservation oriented hikes: Coyote Valley twice, Coyote Meadows and Santa Clara’s Ulistac Nature Area twice. Annual Ano Nuevo fundraiser.

Total combined Peninsula Regional Group, Guadalupe Region Group and Family outings: 75.

Total attendance: 685

2017 Outings Goals:

Recruit additional hike leaders.

More and better publicized Family Outings events.

Conservation moments during hikes.

Membership encouragement during hikes.

Coyote Ridge wildflower hike.

The San Carlos / Belmont Regional Group

Reported by Marilyn Brewer

The San Carlos/Belmont Regional Group (SCB) was formed in the 1960's to serve Sierra Club members living in the small communities of San Carlos and Belmont in San Mateo County. The group also serves anyone in the area who wishes to participate whether they are members or not.

SCB meets on the second Saturday of every month except July and August. A hike is scheduled in the morning at a location on the Peninsula. Hikes alternate between easy for families and seniors and more vigorous for experienced hikers. They are less than 5 miles and usually less than 1000 feet change in elevation.

SCB holds their monthly dinner programs in the homes of their members the same day as the hike. Being able to meet in homes is unique among the regional groups in the Chapter. Everyone brings an item for the table. The program usually includes a speaker on wildlife or conservation. Community issues are also on the agenda.

SCB Hike Gladwyn d'Souza is the long-time SCB chair and does City Watch for Belmont. Other SCB officers include Paul Wendt, Vice- Chair and Bike Committee; Marilyn Brewer, Rep to Chapter Ex Com: Camille King, Pol Com Rep and SCB Events: Bonnie McClure, City Watch for San Carlos; Pam Miller, Hiking; Bob Black, Membership: and Lee Baker, Webmaster.

HIKES IN 2016 (THAT WERE NOT RAINED OUT)

THE EASY HIKES:

A trip to Martinez to tour the John Muir House and explore the beaver dams along Alhambra Creek in town.

A walk along the slough on the San Francisco Bay Trail in Redwood Shores and Foster City.

A walk in Rancho San Antonio in the Los Altos Hills along the Lower Meadow Trail to Deer Hollow Farm.

THE MODERATE TO STRENUOUS HIKES:

A docent-led tour of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and Searsville Lake on Stanford University property.

A hike through Edgewood Park in Redwood City to see spring flowers and restored grasslands.

A strenuous hike in McNee Ranch State Park near Montara to view the San Francisco Bay from the summit.

A hike on the Wildcat Loop and the Rogue Valley Trail in Rancho San Antonio Preserve in the Los Altos Hills.

EVENING DINNER PROGRAMS:

SCB members dinner

"The Searsville Dam Controversy" presented by Camille King, SCB Events Chair.

"San Mateo County's Community Choice Aggregation Program" presented by Gladwyn d'Souza.

"The Sunworks Renewable Energy Project for Residential Rooftop Solar" presented by Tom Kabat.

"Water Conservation in California" presented by Camille King of the Tuolomne River Trust.

"How Sierra Club can help the Environmental Goals of San Carlos" presented by Mayor Cameron Johnson.

"The Effects of Climate Change and the Zika Virus" presented by Gladwyn d'Souza.

"How to Regenerate Soils and Reduce Carbon by Sequestration" presented by the Chapter Soils Sub-Committee.

"Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), the New Way for Homeowners to buy Cleaner Energy" by Gladwyn d'Souza

SCB CONSERVATION EFFORTS:

EARTH DAY IN SAN CARLOS APRIL 30: SCB members manned a table for the event to encourage public education and involvement in ways to help slow dangerous climate change.

SAN CARLOS CITY WATCH: Bonnie McClure is our chief advocate for Sierra Club concerns when decisions are being made by City Council, the Planning Commission, and other commissions. This year SCB continues to fight hard for more low-cost housing in new developments. SCB also supported permit parking for eastside residents to stop Cal Train commuters from parking at their homes, encouraged more open space within the city by supporting the Passive Plan for North Crestview Park on Crestview Drive, and supported a moratorium by City Council to review the 2011 ordinance which allowed lot-splitting that in turn created large houses on small lots.

BELMONT CITY WATCH: Gladwyn d'Souza is our advocate for Belmont as a citizen. He too has fought unsuccessfully with the commissions and City Council to get more los-cost housing built. The city has embarked on several major efforts: an update of the General Plan, a new Specific Plan for the downtown known as Belmont Village at Ralston and El Camino Real, and an Environmental Impact Report for its Climate Action Plan. All require public input and Gladwyn submits many reports supporting the concerns of Sierra Club.

Gladwyn is also fighting the city's attempt to change the permitted square footage of a lot from 3000 sq. ft. to 5000 Sq. ft. because it would result in mega-homes that increase the hardscape with fewer trees and consume more resources that increase the burden of public services.