YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Volunteer at Hiker's Hut and stay for free every month.
► Read about our Nash Road Quarry Reclamation Plan comments.
► Join our Forest Protection Committee.
► Learn about our concerns regarding the Midpen Parking Area Design Guidelines.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of activities available with your chapter through the end of May.
Hiker's Hut Volunteers Needed
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.
Save the Date: 2024 Guardians of Nature Benefit
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!
Join the Forest Protection Committee
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!
Ridgway's Rails at Risk
This is the third of an awareness through artwork series, by our 16 year-old volunteer Aiden Chen, that we introduced in January.
The Ridgway’s rail depends significantly on marsh habitats for survival. With the flooding of these marshes from sea level rise, the rails are pushed out from safety and face increased vulnerability to predators, which are the direct leading cause of mortality for the Ridgway’s rail. To conserve and save these birds, Sierra Club's Bay Alive and 30x30 campaigns promote the use of nature based solutions to protect the San Francisco Bay wetlands, associated habitats, and human communities from sea level rise. The 30x30 campaign works to conserve 30% of California’s lands and waters by 2030. Learn more.
Redwood City Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Bay Alive Campaign welcomes this opportunity to provide comments on the Redwood City Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment (Report). We do so on behalf of tens of thousands of local Sierra Club supporters who share our commitment to protect the health of our communities, our wildlife and our Earth by promoting living shorelines, healthy waters, and just, equitable solutions to sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area."
"We hope you consider the following comments for inclusion in the Draft CAP. 1) Include measures to increase tree canopy and expand biodiversity; 2) Add to C-L.4.2 language prioritizing nature-based adaptation solutions; 3) Estimate resources needed for timely completion of measures; 4) Identify a specific VMT % reduction goal for measure T-L.1; 5) Add to E-W.2 a measure including permit and rebate clarification; 6) Consider including these recommended resources."
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.
Nash Road Quarry (Sandman) Reclamation Plan Questions and Concerns
In late April, the Loma Prieta Chapter Guadalupe Group provided comments to the San Benito County Planning Department about the Proposed Nash Road Quarry Reclamation Plan submitted to the County by the project applicant Sandman, Inc. Sand and gravel mining previously occurred at this location from about 1950 to 1990 but no reclamation activities have taken place, despite significant land disturbance throughout the site.
The Plan proposes re-initiation of mining in three phases: Phase One would mine to the thalweg (natural streambed level); Phase Two would mine two and half feet below the thalweg; and Phase Three would mine five feet below the thalweg. Read more.
"The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club write this letter to thank the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) for taking up the topic of parking lot placement and design. The desire to experience and enjoy the beauty of nature is at the root of our organizations’ missions, but as the numbers of visitors in parks and open space grows, it is more essential that we take care to protect the natural environment that draws these visitors."
Proposed General Plan Amendment Regarding Biotech East of 101
"For public safety reasons, we strongly recommend the City revise the existing Planning Code, in order to avoid serious potential hazards to the community, and ban high containment labs, such as BSL3 & BSL4 labs, anywhere in the City. This potential new hazard, from novel viruses such as was encountered with Covid19, should also be listed in the Safety Element of the General Plan to ensure that high-containment labs are not created in the City."
"The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and Green Foothills have been following issues with Reid-Hillview for the past few years and we have repeatedly expressed support for the efforts to transition the 180-acre airport property into a sustainable community asset. [...] we hope you envision this site for what it can, and should provide: clean air and a thriving community where urban nature and tree canopy increase in an area that is sorely lacking in both."
Here's How Federal Agencies like the EPA Protect our Air, Water, and Climate
In the last two years, we've seen dozens of administrative "rules'' (otherwise known as regulations, or standards). These rules are issued by governmental agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Recent rules to protect our air, water, ecosystems, and climate include:
Featuring Tony Lindsay, world renowned singer of Santana Sunday, May 12th, 1:45 pm
Ainsley House Garden, Campbell
Join our Singleaires section for a Mother's Day of music. Garden gates open at 1:30 pm, meet no later than 1:45 pm inside the garden. Music begins at 2:00 pm. $35/person. Learn more and register.
After 25 years as the lead vocalist for Santana, Tony Lindsay has garnered 11 Grammy awards, traveled on numerous world tours, and recorded on seven Santana CDs.
Jackson Demonstration State Forest: History and management within the broader context of the redwood region and climate change impacts to forest resources Monday, May 20th, 4:00 pm
FeaturingDr. JP O’Brien, Research Affiliate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division.
Since being purchased by California from Caspar Lumber Company in 1947, JDSF has been, and still is, managed by the state primarily for timber production. This talk will focus on the history of the state's management and the legacy that has left. Learn more, register and see our newly updated Forest Protection Committee web page.
Our friends at Santa Clara Valley Audubon are offering the public an opportunity to view the Egret Rookery of Shorebird Way in Mountain View, on the Google campus. Binoculars, scopes and docents will be at Shorebird Way (next to 1201 Charleston Road, Mountain View) 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on the following Wednesdays: May 15th and 29th. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a vibrant rookery where dozens of Great egrets, Snowy egrets, Black-crowned night herons and Great blue herons nest together.
San Jose Residents, are you interested in learning more about home electrification and the upgrades you can make to live more sustainable while saving money?
Attend San Jose's 2024 Home Electrification Webinar series to learn the ins and outs of home electrification, including useful information on getting started and the available incentives that can help you save money.
Are you interested in getting involved in climate change activism in your community? Email Dashiell.Leeds@sierraclub.org.
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.
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.
