YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Local Environmental Hero has been announced as 2023 Guardians of Nature Honoree.
► Recently Published: your 2022 Chapter Summary! See what your support of the Loma Prieta Chapter made possible in 2022 (and previously)!
► Take a hike! See what activities are available with your chapter.
► Do you receive too much Sierra Club email? You can control! Look below for a tutorial.
► Find ways to protect local nature: Be inspired by local activist Lisa, Preserve & Restore San Francisco Bay, Combat Toxic Chemicals, Join Environmental Book Club, Learn about Home Electrification, Find Electric Appliance Rebates, Learn Environmental Stewardship, Consider Your Legacy, Learn Hiking Pole use for Veterans, Use your Photographer or Historian/Documentarian skills to protect local nature. |
Environmental Protection Agency Will Invest More Than $50M to Protect SF Bay
"San Mateo and Santa Clara counties will receive millions of dollars in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a nearly $52 million funding allocation to protect San Francisco Bay, including to restore 8 acres of transitional habitat at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant in Palo Alto and to construct the first shoreline horizontal levee on the bay using nature-based solutions."
"The project for Palo Alto's baylands will be funded through a $4.3 million grant to the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. The grant will be used to promote planning and design, implementation and monitoring of nature-based solutions as opposed to hard construction in communities across the San Francisco Bay area."
Click here to read the full Palo Alto Online Article |
Bay Alive Campaign Tackles Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise poses an existential threat to San Francisco Bay and particularly its shoreline communities. Join the Sierra Club in advocating for urgent, regional and nature-based solutions for the Bay. Our newly created AddUp campaign will keep you up to date on all the current Bay and sea-level rise related actions in our area, so click here for more information. |
Photo: Loma Prieta Chapter Water Committee members Katja Irvin (center) and Les and Susan Kishler joined Sierra Club California to support Northern California tribes at the Day of Action for California Water Justice and Salmon rally in Sacramento.
Tribal leaders, Environmental Groups (Including Activists from Your Loma Prieta Chapter) Rally for a Better Water Rights System
"Brandon Dawson, director of Sierra Club California, said California’s current water rights system leaves tribes and communities of color at a disadvantage.
'When you think about who colonized California, who had the ability and the opportunity and the privilege to go to the government and say we were here first and we actually have the water rights systems, then you can get at exactly how inequitable that system is that they've taken advantage of,' he said.
Dawson said in the future, he’d like to see those senior water rights reallocated more equitably."
Click here to read the full article |
Volunteer Spotlight: Outings Champion Lisa Barboza
For the past 20 years, Lisa has climbed thousands of peaks around the world, as well as in the Sierra Nevada, finishing the Sierra Peak Section List of 247 peaks in 2014. At the time that she completed the SPS list, only 74 individuals worldwidewere finishers, of whom only 4 were women. Lisa hopes to have a positive impact on the environment and set an example for like minded younger individuals.
Read Aneri's full article about Lisa's environmental journey |
Would you like to be more infuential for local environment protection?
Are you an aspiring leader of a local environmental justice community looking to partner with other local environmental groups?
Do you have non-profit leadership experience, or would like to (fund-raising, conservation, environmental politics)?
Consider joining leadership of the local chapter of the nation's largest, oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with 80,000 local supporters.
Five ‘at-large’ positions will be elected at the end of this year to serve for two years.
Click here to read here to find more about the position.
Contact the Nominating Committee by emailing both Nathan Chan (chan.nathan.th@gmail.com) and Lisa Barboza (lisa.barboza@gmail.com) |
Join us for an unforgettable evening honoring Florence LaRiviere for her inspirational passion, dedication, and decades-long tireless effort that has led to the permanent protection of thousands of acres of San Francisco Bay. Raise a glass in tribute to Florence, and connect with our community members, friends, and local leaders.
Please click here to secure your place at this memorable event.
Thank you to local leaders who support the 2023 Guardians of Nature Benefit
City of San Jose Councilmember Arjun Batra, City of Morgan Hill Councilmember Gino Borgioli, City of Burlingame Mayor Michael Brownrigg, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Director Helen Chapman, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, City of San Mateo Deputy Mayor Lisa Diaz Nash, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, City of East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier, City of San Mateo Councilmember Rich Hedges, City of Gilroy Councilmember Zach Hilton, City of Belmont Vice Mayor Davina Hurt, City of San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez, City of Mountain View Councilmember Ellen Kamei, Congressman Ro Khanna, City of Brisbane Councilmember Clifford Lentz, City of Mountain View Councilmember Lisa Matichak, Town of Los Gatos Councilmember Rob Moore, City of Menlo Park Councilmember Betsy Nash, 2019 Guardian of Nature Honoree Enid Pearson, 2019 Guardian of Nature Honoree Emily Renzel, Town of Los Gatos Mayor Maria Ristow, 2018 Guardian of Nature Honoree Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, City of Sunnyvale Councilmember Murali Srinivasan, City of Palo Alto Vice Mayor Greer Stone, City of Palo Alto Councilmember Vicki Veenker, City of Cupertino Mayor Hung Wei
To volunteer at the event, please email our development coordinator Justyna Guterman. |
Naturalist Training - Community Science and Introduction
Wed, July 19th, 6:30PM to 8PM
This interactive presentation is an introduction to community science and iNaturalist. We will explain what iNaturalist is and how we use it at our BioBlitz events. You'll learn the "why" - why should you use the iNaturalist app, if you aren't doing so already, and how can you improve your experience, if you're already a user. We will provide examples of scientific studies using iNaturalist data in order to learn about our environment.
This is Part 1 of a new series of naturalist presentations.
Co-hosted with BioBlitz.club
Click here to register for Part 1 on July 19
Click here to register for Part 2 on August 23
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Cleanup - Get Your Cleanup Here! - Creek and Trail Cleanup
Location: TBD
Sat Aug 19th, 9AM to 12PM
Celebrate World Honey Bee Day by helping Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful clean the Creek and Trail through a community cleanup!
Community service hours available.
Click here to RSVP |
Litter Keeps Going, and Going, and Going, So Let's Cleanup!
Location: Watson Park
Sun July 23rd, 9AM to 12PM
Help us work together for a clean and healthy Coyote Creek through a community cleanup.
Free litter kits!
Community service hours available.
Groups Welcome
Click here to RSVP |
Above image of the Clair Tappaan Lodge by Scott Mattoon
Clair Tappaan Lodge an Outdoor Enthusiast Hub for Nearly 90 Years
The Clair Tappan Hut, a Sierra Club destination since the 1930s, is a great place to check out the emergence of Spring in the High Sierra. Convenient to Hwy 80, and the amazing Range of Light, it offers a chance to meet and greet other Sierra Club members who are interested in exploring and protecting our planet. And in the winter, when the days are short; night long, and temperatures frigid, If you want a roof over your head and a cast iron stove to provide some warmth in the middle of winter, there's nothing quite like a Sierra Club hut.
Click here to read more about the Clair Tappaan Hut |
See what YOU have achieved! Your 2022 Loma Prieta Chapter Summary Is Here!
"Explore & Enjoy" great photography, great stories, great successes, and great opportunities!
Your gifts dedicated specifically to the Loma Prieta Chapter are fully used to support our local work for clean air and water, and to protect local wildlands and wildlife, so we are grateful to all our donors. With great appreciation, we present our 2022 Chapter Summary, highlighting the work which you have inspired and enabled. We hope that what you read will fill you with pride and joy!
BTW, please notice your chapter's new & locally created 90th Anniversary logo! |
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Environmental Stewardship Program 8.0
Applications Open for 2023
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After a pandemic-induced hiatus of 3 years, we are resuming our highly successful Environmental Stewardship Program, which provided participants with thought-provoking educational presentations and opportunities to take action. ESP graduates have gone on to run for office and have assumed leadership positions in their local communities, including leadership roles in the Sierra Club. This year’s Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) 8.0 will focus on critical environmental issues, and we will mentor participants who choose to work on advocacy projects. Click here for more information about ESP 8.0 and to apply.
Click here to learn about the environmental journey of ESP alumnus Mary. |
Redwood City Residents: Electric Leaf Blower Rebates are Available!
Residents are eligible for up to a $250 rebate on a newly purchased electric leaf blower.
Businesses with an active Redwood City business license are eligible for up to a $500 rebate on a newly purchased electric leaf blower.
Residents are eligible for up to a $250 rebate on a newly purchased piece of electric lawn care equipment, (string trimmers, hedge trimmers, edger, or tiller/cultivator).
Click here to apply and for more details. |
Take a hike! Here's what's available with your Loma Prieta Chapter.
Note: regardless of the name/origin of the outing section, all are welcome!
Wed 7/19/23, 9:30 AM. Hike El Corte de Madera OSP
Fri 7/21/23, 10:00 AM. POLE Walking for Exercise & Maintaining Mobility, Concord Vet Center
Sat 7/22/23, 9:30 AM. POLE Hiking Training, Point Reyes
Wed 7/26/23, 9:30 AM. Hike Windy Hill OSP, Razorback Ridge Trail
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Photo above, from left to right: Lornett Vestal, James Eggers, Mary Buxton, Lisa Barboza, Jayah Paley.
Loma Prieta Chapter Military Outdoors Program
Photo above: May 31st, Executive Committee Members Mary Buxton and Lisa Barboza, as well as Chapter Director James Eggers, attended a special pole hiking training for Executive Committeemembers in the coastal wilds of Pacifica on Wednesday, May 31. Instructor, Jayah Paley, taught best practices in going up and down terrain, stairs, and flat trails as well as pole use safety and etiquette. Lornett Vestal, national coordinator for Sierra Club Military Outdoors, came from Georgia to attend and meet some of our chapter leaders.
Please see this National SC article about Loma Prieta Chapter work.
Sierra Club Military Outdoors (SCMO) program provides training for veterans (and their family members), skills which enable what we call Outdoor RX. Being outside, we are able to experience, and hope to share, the healing power of nature with those who have served our country.
3 levels of training are offered: Pole Walking for Exercise, Pole Hiking and Pole Walking for Balance & Maintaining Mobility. In this episode, we will discuss a few of the many benefits this training provides for those with mobility challenges.
If you know a veteran or service member, please share this information and website: https://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/military-outdoors
Outings leaders, our veterans need hiking opportunities, of any level that you can offer. You don't need to be a veteran to offer "outdoor Rx" opportunities. For more information or to ask any questions, contact Chapter Director James.Eggers@SierraClub.org. |
You can help combate toxic "forever chemicals" by joining our Beyond Plastic Group
EPA's big deal upcoming regulation not to contaminate water with PFAS chemicals, also known as forever chemicals, will result in a massive industrial overhaul and lead to less use of these chemicals because health effects are now known through movies like Dark Water. To volunteer to work with our Beyond Plastic group, contact Dr Sue Chow at sue.chow@lomaprieta.sierraclub.org |
Help require big companies and investment managers to disclose climate information
Financial regulators are hoping to force big companies and investment managers to disclose climate information. If you'd like to join local grassroots effective work to make these changes happen, please contact Sue Chow, sue2042@gmail.com
Loma Prieta Chapter, Chair of Environmental Legislative Action Committee |
Loma Prieta Chapter's Environmental Book Club Reading List for 2023
To join, contact Gladwyn d'Souza
July: The Flag, The Cross, And The Station Wagon by Bill McKibben.
August: Rescuing the Planet: protecting half the land to heal the earth by Tony Hiss.
September: The New Wilderness by Diane Cook
October: There Are No Accidents: the deadly rise injury and disaster, who profits, and who pays the price by Jessie Singer
November: Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman
December: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue |
Looking to electrify but don't know where to start? Begin here!
The Switch is On provides the resources you'll need to electrify your home, click here!. Explore the benefits of an all-electric home and learn about how you can swap from gas to electric!
Incentives are available! Click here to learn more. This tool allows you to find the right incentives that apply to you. |
Rebates for electric applicances
Peninsula Clean Energy is providing homeowners in San Mateo County and the City of Los Banos interest-free financing and new rebates to install electric appliances and make other energy-efficiency upgrades.
The agency’s new Zero Percent Loan program will provide interest-free financing for as much as $10,000 per home for projects that include installation of electric heat pump equipment, including water heaters and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units. Gas-powered equipment will not be eligible for the financing. |
Do You Need Space to Spread Your Wings?
Donate a Vehicle to Support the Critical Local Environmental Work of Your Chapter.
It’s easy to give and the pick-up is free; just call 844-6-SIERRA or 844-674-3772 or give online at https://careasy.org/nonprofit/Sierra-Club-Foundation-Loma-Prieta-Chapter.
If you would like to donate a Mazda Miata, please contact your Chapter Director directly.
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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 at justyna.guterman@sierraclub.org for the specific language for your estate planning and/or read more here. For additional information about planning a bequest please contact Julia Curtis at julia.curtis@sierraclub or (800) 932-4270.
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In Case You Missed It
IN THE NEWS
Valley Water Landscape Rebates Program
Future Forests of America
Planes, Trains, and Decarbonization
Found Objects
Atlas of the Biodiversity of California
New Study Finds Increase in California Forest Fires Over the Past Half-century is Attributable to Human-caused Climate Change
POWER of the RIVER: Expedition to the Heart of Water in Bhutan
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, justyna.guterman@sierraclub.org
History fans, your Loma Prieta Chapter has been on the front lines of many progressive movements so our rich inspirational history needs to be documented. If this interests you, please contact your Chapter Director, BA History, James.Eggers@SierraClub.org.
Music fans, the Loma Prieta Chapter was the first in the Sierra Club to establish a Spotify Channel. Ours is for music SINCE 2000 that advocates for the environment. Please send suggestions to your Chapter Director at James.Eggers@SierraClub.org
Too much Sierra Club email? You have control! See this simple tutorial.
How can local cities and residents use nature-based adaptations to sea level rise? Watch recordings of our webinar series with SF Bay experts and please share with your local elected officials.
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| 2023.07.09: Thanks to the Loma Prieta Chapter's 20s - 30s Outing Section for hosting their Chapter Director on their hike in the Florence LaRiviere Marshlands. |
Your Loma Prieta Chapter is 90 Years Strong
We were founded June 18th, 1933, at Hidden Villa
Other historic events in July
July 9, 1970: creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
July 10th, 1856, Nicola Tesla's B'day
July 12th, 1817, H. D. Thoreau's B'day
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“It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are... than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise.”
“What people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can.”
Henry David Thoreau |
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Thank you to our 2022 Guardians on Nature Benefit Sponsors
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| 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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