Long time Sierra Club activist and former Angeles Chapter Chair, Mike Sappingfield, passed away on May 2. Mike was a true embodiment of the Sierra Club mission and will be remembered for his leadership, energy, and enthusiasm. He served as Chapter Chair for 3 years starting in 2006 and later served as Finance Chair. In 2013 in recognition of his service to the chapter, he was awarded the Phil Bernays Service Plaque which is the highest service award conferred by the Angeles Chapter. It is awarded to a Sierra Club member who has provided long-term and outstanding service to the Angeles Chapter in fields other than conservation and outings, such as administration and political activism.
Mike was a founding and active member of the Sierra Sage of South Orange County Group for over 30 years since its founded in October 1992. He held many positions over the years including Chair, Vice-Chair, and Chapter Representative. As the editor of the Sierra Sage Newsletter, he was known for his insightful articles and editorial comments.
Mike served as Sierra Sage’s first Outings Chair. Over the years he led numerous day hikes and was famous for his “Mike Hikes”. For those of you who don’t know about “Mike Hikes” Simply put, a "MIKE'S HIKE" is a hike led by Mike (Sappingfield, that is) which is intended to allow the participants to enjoy the out of doors. The length is designed to allow leisurely time to smell (or photograph, or identify, or?) the flowers and otherwise have fun. The hikes were favorites because of the time allowed to absorb the flavor of the wild plant and animal inhabitants. Hikes were usually from 3 to 5 miles in length and be led at a very reasonable pace to places such as the Holy Jim Falls, Whiting Ranch, and Riley Wilderness Park. Mike's wildflower photography and scenes of the rare beauty he captured were shared at several Sierra Sage bi-monthly meetings.
Mike organized outings to include a variety of activities from bike rides, kayaking, canoe trip, peak climbs, and car camps, mule packs, Channel Island boat tour, Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve, family-oriented hikes, sunset hikes, conditioning hikes, to name a few. These outings were enjoyed by hundreds of people. For over 15 years he played an active role in putting on the Starr Ranch BBQ fundraising events at the Starr Ranch Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. This fund raiser benefited conservation efforts and reminded participants of the magnificent wildlands of the 4,000-acre Sanctuary
Over the span of 20 years, Mike also organized and led dozens of travel adventure trips. Mike’s wife Patty was often a co-leader on these trips. The itineraries covered beautiful sites and unique opportunities to explore nature. Many trips were to National Parks such as Arches, Canyonlands, Olympic, Great Smokey Mountains, Florida Keys & Everglades, Lassen, Black Hills, Arizona Slot Canyons, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Some trips were to historical places such as New England, Virginia, Washington D C, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. Mike co-led 6 Costa Rica trips with John Lajeuness and Donna Specht. These travel adventure trips were very popular, providing a great way to travel with your Sierra Club friends and make new ones. They became an important source of fundraising for the chapter and Sierra Sage, and in recognition, Mike as awarded the Donna Specht Fundraising Plaque in 2016.
Mike was a Conservation committee member. He was heavily involved in the opposition to the Transportation Corridor Agency’s proposed Foothill-South 241 Toll Road in southern Orange County. This Toll Road would have destroyed a large part of the Mateo Creek Watershed, which includes San Onofre State Beach and Campground, the world-renowned Trestles surfing beach, and some pristine watershed. The road would have cut through the Donna O’Neill Nature Conservancy and adversely impacted at least 5 endangered species. These efforts spanned over 8 years and culminating with speaking at the Coastal Commission hearing, which led to its decision to deny approval of the Toll Road Extension. California AB1426 was signed into law which prohibits Transportation Corridor Agency, any CA state agency, any regional agency, or local agency, from building roads through these areas.
We express our sincere condolences to Patty Sappingfield, Mike’s wife, and indispensable supporter of Mike and of the Sierra Club.