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Action Opportunities in Your Area! Read More in this eNewsletter.
► We're Hiring, full time: a Bay2030 Campaign Coordinator and a Senior Communication Specialist.
► Sunnyvale: Raise your voice to protect nature in Sunnyvale's Moffett Park Specific Plan
► Belmont: Lend your voice for the preservation of Belmont's Waterdog Open Space
► Join Our New Book Club: Restoring Nature
► Santa Clara County: Learn about the Lehigh Quarry and Cement Plant and raise your concerns about pollution on March 3rd.
► Learn about our Environmental Legislative Action Team and Climate Action Plan Team
► Take advantage of heat pump water heater rebates from Peninsula Clean Energy and SIlicon Valley Clean Energy
► Combat the extinction crisis by joining our 30x30 Committee
► Santa Clara County: Learn about electrifying your home with SVCE's eHub
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Above image of Moffett Park by NASA
Sunnyvale Residents, Raise Your Voice to Protect Nature in Sunnyvale's Moffett Park Specific Plan
Sunnyvale residents have an opportunity to participate in a zoom workshop on Moffett Park “Land use, housing, open space and market conditions” on Tuesday, March 2, 4:00pm - 7:00pm.
Please join and ask the councilmembers to incentivize the preservation and expansion of the Lockheed Wetlands. Sunnyvale should also use the Specific Plan to finance the Shoreline Levees in order to protect the city from flooding and sea level rise. Ask the City for ecological enhancement both within and outside of the Plan’s boundary to be included as Community Benefits for any new development in Moffett Park. Strong requirements to protect the night sky and migratory birds are also important in this area by the bay.
The city of Sunnyvale is updating its Specific Plan for the Moffett Park area, an approximately 1156-acre site bounded by State Route 237 and US Highway 101 to the south, Moffett Federal Airfield to the west, and Caribbean Drive.
Click here to join the workshop.
Click here to learn more about the Moffett Park Specific Plan.
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Abuse of Open Space and Nature out of Balance. Lend Your Voice for the Preservation of Belmont's Waterdog Open Space
Waterdog Lake Open Space, including the adjoining John Brooks Memorial Preserve and Hidden Canyon Open Space, has been a source of hiking and biking pleasure for decades. Collectively referred to as Waterdog, this natural jewel of Belmont is showing the effects of unnatural abuse. The booming sport of mountain biking, along with lax City management of access and maintenance, has left many trails damaged, widened or eroded. New unauthorized trails proliferate, further threatening wildlife habitat.
Now you can help return to balance. Belmont Parks and Rec is drafting a new Master Plan that will guide the future of Waterdog and other open spaces for the next 20 years. Your input is needed to ensure this plan prioritizes preservation, and puts in place concrete and meaningful policies to enshrine this priority.
For more photos and details, and to take action, visit this website: www.waterdogpreserve.org |
Join Our New Book Club: Restoring Nature
Do you enjoy exploring ideas on how we can heal our planet and tackle the climate crisis through using nature-based solutions? If so, then you will be interested in joining our new book group, Restoring Nature, organized by Gladwyn d’Souza, our chapter’s Conservation Chair
The first book that we will be reading is “The Reindeer Chronicles.” The author, Judith Schwartz, takes us on an amazing journey to blighted areas around the world where restoration work is underway.
It’s a mesmerizing read, one that delights, educates, and inspires.
We will share thoughts online as we’re reading the book and at monthly meetings via Zoom on the 3rd Saturday of each month (10 AM). The Zoom meeting on The Reindeer Chronicles will be on April 17th, Saturday, at 10 AM.
If you are ready to join us, just contact Gladwyn d’Souza at godsouza@mac.com |
Image by EnergyStar.gov of an electric heat pump water heater
$2,500 Electric Heat Pump Water Heater Rebate Now Available
Swap your gas water heater for a new climate-friendly version and cut your home’s carbon footprint by 40% overnight. There is no other single action that will cut your home’s carbon emissions faster and more economically. A generous rebate from Peninsula Clean Energy makes this move even more affordable for residents of San Mateo County.
Pro tip: Select a 15-amp heat pump water heater (not 30-amp) to accommodate all electric appliances (HVAC, dryer, range & EV charger) on your electrical panel to avoid the expense of a utility service (electric panel) upgrade later. Heat pump water heaters are clean, safe and three times more efficient than gas models. They are all-electric and, with Peninsula Clean Energy, are powered by 100% carbon-free electricity. There are advisors to steer one through the process and additional rebates for residents who qualify for assistance.
Not in Peninsula Clean Energy territory? Silicon Valley Clean Energy also provides a $2,000 rebate! |
Our Climate Action Plan Team was Recently Highlighted in the San Jose Spotlight! We Welcome New Volunteers.
Congratulations to our volunteers Gita Dev, Gladwyn d'Souza, and Kristel Wickham, whose letter was recently highlighted in the San Jose Spotlight! Thank you to Kevin Ma and all of the other volunteers who helped write this letter supporting Santa Clara County's Sustainability Master Plan.
We hope you can join voices with us:
Volunteer to influence climate policy in your city or town. Those new to advocacy are welcome; Our team will mentor you to help you become an effective local environmental advocate. Your voice is powerful!
Discuss climate strategies in our weekly meetings and collaborate with other volunteers to influence cities and counties to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Email Dashiell.Leeds@SierraClub.org if you are interested in joining. |
Above image by Dicklyon: the Lehigh Permanente Quarry
Opportunity to Learn About the Impacts of the Lehigh Permanente/Southwest Quarry and Raise Your Concerns
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian's Annual Lehigh Meeting
Wednesday March 3rd, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Click here to register via Zoom.
This meeting will discuss the status of regulatory oversight efforts, permitting and approval for the Lehigh Quarry and Cement Plant operations. There will also be an opportunity for public comment.
The dangerous pollution of the Lehigh Cement Plant was written about by one of our volunteers, Natalie See:
"Thanks to the immense support from Sierra Club members and amazing witnesses who understood and had intimate connections to the creek, they were able to gather samples of water and pictures of the creek that demonstrated how Lehigh had a toll. Once a common place for picnics and family outings, this once beautiful creek became polluted and toxic to wildlife." |
Are You Interested in Strong Environmental Legislation?
Join Our New ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATIVE ACTION Committee
We are forming the first Environmental Legislative Action (ELA) committee in our chapter.
Activities include the following:
• Meet with legislators to discuss bills and ask for votes
• Research priority bills from Sierra Club CA's endorsed bills list
• Organize chapter members' participation
• Collaborate with other environmental organizations
• Public Relations: Write articles on endorsed bills
Time commitment varies:
--2 one-hour meetings a month initially.
--Approximately 1 hour a week for research, talking to people, & preparing materials/presentations.
Contact: Sue Chow at sue2042@gmail.com
Looking forward to your participation! |
Help Stop the Extinction Crisis!
Given the extinction crisis it’s clear that species need habitat. 30x30 started out as a bill in CA that would preserve 30% of the biosphere by 2030. It has since gone nationwide and international! The 30 x 30 goals address everything the Sierra Club stands for and we need lots of volunteers to make this happen in your city.
For more on 30x30 and to comment, click here.
Please join this exciting effort by emailing Mary Buxton mary.buxton@gmail.com |
Above image by John Salatas
Interested in Water Issues? Join the Next Meeting of the Water Committee
Your Loma Prieta Chapter's Water Committee will meet on March 4th at 6:30pm.
Topics:
- Water Resources Master Plan presentation and discussion with Brian Mendenhall from Valley Water
- Delta Tunnel advocacy discussion
- San Mateo County update
Click here to register. |
Bird of the Bay: Coyote Creek Watershed Tours
Wednesday March 3rd
10AM to 11AM
See and learn about migratory birds that visit the Bay during the winter.
On this tour of the Coyote Creek Watershed we're exploring the Bay-side of Coyote Creek in Milpitas.
Tour guides are Katie LaBarbera from the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, and Carolyn Knight from the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, who will introduce you to some of our seasonal visitors.
To view this event please register through Eventbrite and the link will be provided in the reminder email after registration.
RSVP here: https://210303-watershed-tour.eventbrite.com/ |
Help Us Tell Our Story: Donate Your Photos
Photos can speak louder than words. Help us powerfully tell our story by donating your photos. We will use them in our publications like The Annual Summary, on invitations, and our Chapter note cards.
If you’d like to share with us your high-resolution photos of local nature, with or without people, please contact our Development Coordinator Justyna Guterman, Justyna.guterman@sierraclub.org |
Silicon Valley Clean Energy has Launched an eHub to Help You Electrify Your Home, Car and Appliances
Save money and reduce your emissions with eHub, Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s free, one-stop-shop for transitioning to electric living. With SVCE, you already receive clean electricity, eHub gives you the power to use that energy to power your home, car and appliances. Browse efficient, electric appliances with the Appliances Assistant, compare electric vehicles with the EV Assistant and explore additional clean energy options with the Solar+Battery Assistant.
Click here to visit eHub today |
Turn the Memory of Your Car Into a Lasting Legacy for our Local Environment.
Even though you’re letting your car go, the love you’re showing for our local environment by donating your vehicle to your Loma Prieta Chapter will last a lifetime. Save the memories not the car by giving it today.
Donating is easy, the pick-up is free, and your gift is tax-deductible.
Call 844-6-SIERRA or 844-674-3772 or give online at https://careasy.org/nonprofit/Sierra-Club-Foundation-Loma-Prieta-Chapter |
Social Media Channels for the Loma Prieta Chapter
facebook: Chapter, 20s – 30s, Sierra Singles
YouTube; Twitter; Instagram; Spotify
MeetUp: Chapter conservation and education meetings (2667 members),
Hiking events (5031 members), Singleaires outing section (1775 members),
Day Hiking section (1646 members), Guadalupe Regional Group (553 members), Peak Climbing (467 members), Gay & Lesbian Sierrans (403 members),
Black Mountain Hiking section (392 members), 20s - 30s (150 members),
Family Explorers (95 members)
Social media volunteers needed. Chapter Director James.Eggers@sierraclub.org |
Got Mail? Too much Sierra Club mail? You can take control; it's easy!
If you feel overwhelmed you can easily manage what you receive. See the simple tutorial |
Above: Joseph Grant Park, 2020 Oct 11. Below: Same trail junction, 2021 Feb 20.
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“All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual
is a member of a community of interdependent parts.
The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively the land.”
The Land Ethic, A Sand County Almanac. ~ Aldo Leopold |
Health and safety to all,
and Happy Trails to you. |
James Eggers, Director
Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter
Photo below: Director in Yosemite with Chapter's Day Hiking Section, 2019 May 19 |
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Thank you to our 2020 Guardians of Nature Benefit Sponsors
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| As people across the country protest in defense of Black lives, the Sierra Club recognizes the need to dismantle systemic racism in the United States and within our own organization. We must reckon with how white supremacy -- both past and present -- has shaped our institutions and do the critical anti-racism work necessary to repair the harm done. The environmental movement does not exist in a vacuum, and it is our responsibility to use our power to help abolish systemic racism, which is destroying lives, communities, and the planet. |
| The COVID-19 crisis has not passed and continues to disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people and other communities of color. The pandemic has revealed how the communities hardest hit are often the same communities that suffer from high levels of pollution and poor access to healthcare. The fight for environmental justice cannot be separated from the fight for racial justice. |
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