Task Force Chairperson, Tim Irvine, attended our February Executive Committee to ask for our support in aiding the County to accomplish their mission to implement actions to arrest climate change in our region. According to the County website:
The overall mission of the Task Force is to provide input, guidance, oversight and assistance to the Sustainability Manager and to serve as an advisory body to the County. The Task Force is a partner and will be utilized to maximize the effectiveness of County staff efforts, particularly with regard to the equitable and inclusive sharing of ideas and public input. The Task Force will provide expert and community advice on the mobilization of public and private resources necessary to implement a climate and sustainability plan that identifies and integrates current and future actions necessary to achieve an equitable, sustainable and resilient economy and transition to countywide carbon neutrality by 2030 and beyond.  Reference: https://green.saccounty.net/Pages/Climate-Emergency-Task-Force.aspx 

The Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force (CEMTF) meets every second Thursday of the month in the Board of Supervisors chambers in downtown Sacramento at 6pm (meetings have run until about 9pm so far). Technical Advisory Panels are being established and the group is looking for experts and activists to serve on them. If you are interested in attending the meetings, and/or considering serving use the link below to send in a comment, attend the meetings, or to send a note with your questions or concerns to the Task Force.

Newly elected Executive Committee member Kate Wilkins has been working on providing comments and attending meetings as the City moves forward in its development of a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP). 

Kate reports:
The City of Sacramento’s long-awaited Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP) and General Plan should be released this spring and will be followed by an extended public comment period to gather community feedback. The CAAP was initially scheduled for release in July 2020 with a final adoption planned for January 2021, but the release date has been incrementally pushed out for over two years. A “preliminary draft” of the CAAP was released in July 2022 and didn’t include the crucial Adaptation section, which outlines Sacramento’s vulnerability to climate change and how the city plans to improve community and neighborhood resilience. Due to pressure from advocates, a draft of this section was published in October 2022. 

Sacramento City Council has put off any discussion about how to fund the $3.2 billion dollar CAP plan until the final draft is released to the public. Further delays in the release and adoption of this plan will continue to erode the City’s ability to fund and meet its climate goals. The City’s website can be accessed via this link:  https://www.cityofsacramento.org/City-Manager/Divisions-Programs/Climate-Action/Policy 

If you are interested in helping review the plan once the final draft is released, please let us know by e-mailing Kate at sierraclubsacramento@gmail.com . 

The Sacramento Tree Foundation has invited our members to join in their upcoming event to plant over 100 Native seedlings along the Franklin Creek Trail in Elk Grove. The event takes place on Saturday, March 11 from 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Tree Foundation provides all the necessary tools and supplies to care for trees. Participants will receive a short, hands-on training on site. After learning the tools and techniques, participants will split up into groups and begin planting trees throughout the site.
This is a great way to get outdoors and make a difference in our community. Tree planting has been one of our most popular sponsored events and there are only 15 spots for Club members. Register now to secure your spot – more details can be seen on the registration link. 
The week before this event, the Sacramento Tree Foundation (not Sierra Club) will send a logistics and directions email with detailed information about how to get to the site. You will receive the Sacramento Tree Foundation e-mail only if you are signed-up for this planting.

Sign up and info link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/elk-grove-native-tree-planting-registration-523089253037?discount=sierraclub 
 

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Cleaning Up Our Environment Continues with Two Organizations Now Sponsoring Events

Save the Date to attend Earth Day, June 23 between 11 a.m. & 4 p.m. at Southside Park. This year the ECOS-organized Earth Day Celebration is featuring the theme “Grow Native” and we are one of the sponsors for the event. We are pleased to be joined on our patch of ground by the Friends of Bushy Lakes – a volunteer organization which maintains native plants on the American River; the Sacramento Tree Foundation which supplies our residents with shade trees, education, and tree-planting events; and the Sierra Club “Environmental Justice In Tobacco Product Waste ”, working to educate young adults on the negative effects of tobacco use and focusing on reducing the harm that tobacco products are causing to our environment.  Stop by to visit - we will have Sierra Club merchandise and volunteers who look forward to meeting our members!

Thanks for all of your support! See you in the parks and on the trails!