Loo Wit Group May 2023 Newsletter

Loo Wit Rumblings

May 2023 Newsletter

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News

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Atomic Bamboozle
by Mark Leed, Chair

The documentary film ‘Atomic Bamboozle’ will be shown at Kiggins Theatre in Vancouver, 7-9 p.m. on June 7. Loo Wit Group is a primary sponsor.

Tickets are $15 and are available at: https://www.kigginstheatre.com and are also available at the door. There is a reduced rate for students.

The film recounts the fight to shut down Oregon’s Trojan Reactor and follows present-day activists in the struggle to stop Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) in the Pacific Northwest. SMRs have been touted as a solution to the climate crisis and the film explains why they aren’t.

Joshua Frank, author of ‘Atomic Days: The Untold Story of the Most Toxic Place in America’ will introduce the film and share parts of his book. After the film, there will be a panel discussion with local anti-nuclear activists including Loo Wit’s Cathryn Chudy. To learn more, visit https://www.atomicbamboozle.com/.

Progress Made in 2023 Legislature
by Mark Leed, Chair

Sierra Club and allies made significant progress toward advancing its goals in the recently concluded 2023 state legislative session.

• The Club secured $19.5 million for the Trust Land Transfer program to fund six conservation projects across the state.
• Sierra Club helped pass HB 1181, requiring Washington’s counties to include climate change and resiliency components in their comprehensive plans. This impacts us locally as Clark County is working on a comprehensive plan update due in 2025.
• Also passed was HB 1110, the Missing Middle Housing bill, which increased the ability to build duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes. It will help address the severe housing shortage while limiting sprawl.
• The Club helped defeat a bad water bill, SB 5517, which would have allowed applicants for new water rights to avoid requirements to fully mitigate impacts to stream flows. SB 5517 would have had a negative impact on restoration of stream flows and steelhead populations.
• Sierra Club helped secure $7.5 million in funding from the Operating and Transportation budgets to plan for replacing the transportation, irrigation and energy services provided by four aging dams on the lower Snake River. Scientists believe that breaching these dams would provide the best shot at restoring salmon in the Columbia River watershed.

Consider Purchasing Solar Panels from PUD
by Don and Alona Steinke, Loo Wit advisory board

Sierra Club 2024 calendars are now available and make great gifts. Price of the Wilderness Wall calendar has increased to $18 this year, but this is less than the store price. Cash or check is accepted. Make checks payable to S

Buckminster Fuller once said “to change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

Or, in Sierra Club’s view, “to transition away from fossil fuels, we need to first replace them with something cleaner.”  Consider: the more solar panels we install, the less we need fossil fuels and the cheaper the panels become.

You can purchase one or more solar panels in Clark Public Utility’s Community Solar Project and be reimbursed for all the electricity they produce. Expected payback time is 12 ½ years to recover your upfront costs. After that, you own the panels and it’s all gravy.

Clark PUD is now taking contractor bids and expects to choose the lowest responsible bid in June. Get on their non-binding wait list by emailing: communitysolareast@clarkpud.com.

Habitat Critical to Wildlife Coexistence
By Steve Foster, Treasurer                                     

Bears and other significant wildlife have been seen in urban areas of Clark County. If possible, they are relocated to remote areas, but it doesn’t always happen.

To learn more about nonlethal coexistence methods to protect wildlife across the U.S., Central and South America, a YouTube video is available. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcV6WLYj_A .

Loo Wit Endorses City Council, Port Candidates
by Richard Kolber, Political Chair

Loo Wit Group executive committee (ExCom) has voted unanimously to endorse Ty Stober and Don Orange in the upcoming 2023 election. 

Orange was endorsed in 2017 and is running for reelection. He has served as Port of Vancouver commissioner for district 1 and voted to reject the oil by rail terminal at the port. He has consistently supported environmental action and the increased use of renewable energy by the Port.  He strongly reflects Sierra Club values.

Ty Stober seeks reelection to Vancouver City Council position 5 and was endorsed by Loo Wit ExCom in 2015 and 2019. He currently serves as mayor pro-tem on the council.  Ty has strongly supported the adaptation of the leading-edge Vancouver Climate Action Framework and the banning of new, large oil storage tanks in the city. He supports local transit and has worked to make Vancouver safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Among his primary goals is to increase the amount and diversity of housing in Vancouver so residents of every income level can access a home they can afford. Stober also strongly reflects Sierra Club values.

Outing Leaders Have Questions, Seek Answers
by Lehman Holder, Outings Chair

And we think outing participants and Loo Wit members have answers.

If you’ve been on a Sierra Club/Loo Wit Group outing, what is your favorite? (hike, cycling, sea kayak, etc.).

Did you develop a greater understanding of nature and Sierra Club’s efforts?

What are your go-to outdoor activities?

Do you have a favorite place to suggest we visit on an outing?

What do you think are good qualities in an outings leader?

Do you know anyone who has those qualities? (maybe you?)

Share your thoughts with us – we’d enjoy hearing from you. Email your reply to me at: tripsguy@aol.com. Comment on any or all of the questions. If you have interest in becoming an outings leader, let any of our current outing leaders know. We’d love to chat with you about that (no, it’s not difficult).

And, fyi, Loo Wit’s outings are posted on our Meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/portland-vancouver-sierra-club-outings-events. Haven’t yet joined an outing? What are you waiting for?

Executive Committee Roster for 2023

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