YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Read about our local environmental successes in our 2023 Chapter Summary.
► Veterans, attend our pole hiking training and BBQ picnic.
► Become certified in Wilderness First Aid.
► Learn about the sea level rise contamination threat in the Zeneca site case study.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through mid July.
2023 Chapter Summary
We are delighted to share with you the Loma Prieta Chapter’s 2023 Summary, where you can read how we have positively impacted our region. All the successful advocacy and education we undertake are possible because of individual donations, which provide 70% of our annual budget, and the thousands of volunteer hours that leverage our Chapter’s staff work. We thank you for your ongoing partnership.
San Jose Mayor Wants Safe Sleeping Sites for Homeless Residents
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Director James Eggers (second from left) was asked to stand with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan during a press conference advocating for increased funding for shelter for the thousands of unhoused who are currently living along the City's waterways, causing not only human suffering but also environmental devastation. The Loma Prieta Chapter has been advocating on this issue for more than a decade and depends upon dedicated volunteers and donors to advance this critical local work, so please contact our Chapter Conservation Coordinator (Dashiell.Leeds@SierraClub.org) if you too would like to support a just solution.
Military Outdoors
POLE Hiking Training
Monday, July 1st
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Exclusively for Veterans, learn how to use poles for hiking and outdoor exercise. Free!
Case Study for Sea Level Rise Contamination Threat
One of the biggest threats our Bay Area communities will face as a result of sea level rise is the movement and spread of soil-borne toxins due both to surface flooding and the underground movement of shallow groundwater tables, pushed up by salt water intrusion from the Bay. As these waters pass through contaminated soil, they carry the contamination along, creating new exposure pathways that could impact the environment or public health. Because of historical injustices, lower-income communities and communities of color are more likely to live near contaminated sites making them disproportionately vulnerable to exposure.
Our friends at the Richmond Shoreline Alliance did a great job explaining the problem in this excellent virtual toxic tour of the Zeneca Super Fund site in Richmond. Astonishingly, developers are seeking to build housing on the site, without a complete clean-up.
Learn more about groundwater rise, contamination, and other sea level rise threats, and what we can do about them, on our Bay Alive Campaign website.
Tell the Water Board We Need a Stronger Nutrient Permit!
On July 10, the Bay Regional Water Board will be considering a proposed new permit to control nutrient discharges to the Bay from wastewater treatment plants. Nutrients, like nitrogen, are the fuel that drives the red tide algal blooms and subsequent massive fish kills that we've seen in the Bay for the last two summers. Future fish kills have the potential to devastate all the fish populations we work to protect (including salmon, sturgeon, smelt, etc.) along with impacting other uses of the Bay's waters.
Make your voice heard on Wednesday, July 10th and make public comment on this permit to fight for healthy Bay waters! Learn more.
NOP for an EIR for Ferry Terminal at the Port of Redwood City
"Our review of the proposed ferry terminal and mixed-use development at Redwood Creek raises substantial environmental and infrastructural concerns. OneShoreline is currently studying possible sea level rise (SLR) infrastructure solutions for this shoreline. If the mouth of Redwood Creek is to provide ferry access to the proposed terminal, it is imperative that the shoreline design around the 9-acre site reduce boat wakes that reverberate toward sensitive wetlands such as Bair and Greco Islands."
Sea Level Rise Webinar Series
How can local cities and residents use nature-basedadaptations to sea level rise? Watch recordings of our webinar series with SF Bay experts and please share with your local elected officials.
Wilderness First Aid
Saturday, July 20th
Sunday, July 21st
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Peninsula Conservation Center
Certification provided by the National Association for Search and Rescue, is valid for two years, and is included in the course fee. Textbook NOT included. There are two training options. 1) Wilderness First Aid: both days; $80 for Sierra Club members; $100 for non-members. 2) Basic Wilderness First Aid: Saturday only; $50 for Sierra Club members; $60 for non-members. Register today!
COMMENT LETTERS
Downtown Residential High-Rise Incentive Program Extension
"We are writing to express our opposition to the proposed extension and expansion of park impact fee discounts in the Downtown Residential High-Rise Incentive area and beyond. Specifically, we are opposed to staff recommendations (c) and (d), which seek to offer additional discounts in the downtown area and to study extending the impact fee reduction program citywide and to low- and include mid-rise residential projects. We understand that the City is contemplating a ballot measure to provide funding for the maintenance of parkland and ask you to defer the discussion of reducing residential park impact fee until after this source of funding is guaranteed."
Milligan Parking Lot Impacts of Lighting on Riparian and Aquatic Ecosystems Along the Guadalupe River
"The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter have reviewed the Environmental Impact report for the Milligan Parking lot, with special attention to the potential impacts of lighting on riparian and aquatic ecosystems along the Guadalupe River. The Project seeks to build a surface parking lot adjacent to the Guadalupe river, and to exempt this parking lot from the 100-ft setback requirements of the City’s General Plan and the Valley Habitat Plan."
Support for Mayor Mahan’s June Budget Message to Address Homeless Encampments in Creek Corridors
"The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition and the Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge submit this letter for your consideration to support the Mayor’s June Budget Message that addresses the critical environmental challenges caused by homeless encampments in creek corridors. Through his June Budget Message, the Mayor proposes a balanced approach that addresses the immediate need to mitigate environmental harm while continuing to support permanent affordable housing development."
Architectural Digest Issue June 2023, Tip# 17 on Artificial Turf
"Tip 17, Look into artificial grass encourages readers to use a hardscaping material that repels wildlife. Not only does synthetic plastic grass, as a hardscape, kill microorganisms and worms in the soil, in sunlight it can heat to as much as 70°F above ambient air temperature (https://tinyurl.com/TuriPdf), causing a localized heat island. These two effects alone will make each installation of “lawn” a wasteland for birds, pollinators, squirrels, lizards and other fauna."
Coyote Valley Corridor Study Draft Economic and Policy Assessment Report
"1. The Economic and Policy Assessment does not mention the requirement of compatibility with the Coyote Creek Park Chain and broader environmental objectives for Coyote Valley; 2. The Economic and Policy Assessment does not mention all of the relevant policies in the Envision 2040 General Plan; 3. The “Restaurants, Wineries, Beer Gardens and Culinary Arts” cut sheet should not include a “Consistent” rating for General Plan Land Use; 4. All uses ranked “Partially Consistent” should include a statement that in order to be consistent, such uses must be small-scale and ancillary to and intended to enhance the viability of agriculture; 5. The “Demonstration Areas for Sustainable Infrastructure” cut sheet should not include a “Consistent” ranking for General Plan Land Use."
Do You Love Our Local Forests? Help Protect Them!
Forests are often called the lungs of the earth. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. In doing so, they sequester carbon keeping it safely out of the atmosphere, help regulate worldwide climate and enable the existence of other life forms, including ourselves. Forests also filter water, create precipitation, support soil health and stability, provide habitat and promote biodiversity.
If you love forests and are an activist or want to be, join us! The Loma Prieta Forest Protection Committee hosts educational events and takes action to help protect forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains and throughout California. The committee also promotes home hardening and community planning to help communities be safer from fire. Learn more here and/or attend our monthly meeting.
We are excited to announce that the 2024 Guardians of Nature Honoree is Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.
This year the Guardians of Nature Benefit will be Friday, October 4th, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Make sure to reserve this evening to acknowledge Congresswoman Eshoo's decades of dedication to environmental protection and stewardship, while enjoying the company of fellow Sierrans and friends dedicated to preserving our precious environment.
Stay tuned for more event updates. The sponsorship opportunities will be available soon; pledge yours here.
Save the date, mark your calendars, and join us as we celebrate Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, a true Guardian of Nature!
Do you love the Hiker's Hut?
Would you like a free stay every month?
We're looking for two or three volunteer caretakers with good DIY attitude and skills to share the maintenance role at the Ollie Mayer Hiker’s Hut in Sam McDonald Park. The commitment is about one day visit or overnight stay (free of charge) per month. Parking fees or other "out-of-pocket expenses” are reimbursed. Learn more.
In the Community
Trashy Tuesday (July 9th), Weeding (July 14th), and Cleanup (July 21st and 27th) from our friends at Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.
One of the best ways to safeguard a thriving and just future is by ensuring that your Loma Prieta Chapter remains a champion for the environment of Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Benito Counties. Naming us as a beneficiary in your bequest will provide meaningful and enduring resources that will allow continued local and powerful environmental activism.
Please contact our Chapter Development Coordinator Justyna Guterman for the specific language for your estate planning and/or read more here. For additional information about planning a bequest please contact Julia Curtis, (800) 932-4270.
Fireworks Frighten Animals
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way. Here’s how to take care of your pets on July 4 and party like its Independence Day too.
Marshes Could Save Bay Area Half a Billion Dollars in Floods
What, precisely, is the value of habitat restoration? While answers tend to aim for pristine nature and thriving wildlife, one approach — recently published in the journal Nature — has assigned salt marsh restoration projects a dollar value in terms of human assets protected from climate change driven flooding. This novel approach uses the same models engineers use to evaluate the value of “gray” solutions such as levees and seawalls.
Your connection: If you'd like to join us and spread the word of the varied and immense benefits that marsh restoration has in protecting our communities from climate change and sea level rise, join our Bay Alive Campaign. Learn more about the Bay Alive Campaign.
City of Glass
Meet the dedicated cadre of experts and volunteers working to protect birds from glass in the window-strike capital of the United States.
Your connection: Birds fly into glass more often than we think. Click here to learn why. If you would like to support our Chapter's efforts to promote bird-safe design policies in local cities, email Dashiell.Leeds@SierraClub.org.
The Bat Healers
When insects emerge and flowers bloom in spring, the bats soon follow. And so do the calls for help to NorCal Bats.
Your connection: We love wildlife rehabilatators, but what do they love? Let's prevent wildlife injuries! Join our Wildlife Committee to help protect local wildlife. Contact Chapter Conservation Coordinator Dashiell.Leeds@SierraClub.org.
Photographers, see the great images in our Chapter Annual Summaries and help protect local nature with your images! Share with us your high-resolution photos of local nature, with or without people, to inspire local residents to support Loma Prieta Chapter work. Please contact Chapter Development Coordinator Justyna Guterman.
June 18th, 1933, Founding of SCLP
June 29th, 1906, Mesa Verde National Park established
2020.04.25 Chapter Director's solo hike in Joseph Grant County Park.
“The most important characteristic of an organism [including the land organism] is that capacity for internal self-renewal known as health. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity.”
Aldo Leopold
