YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Coyote Valley Threatened: Make your voice heard at the San Jose Planning Commission meeting.
► Read our comment letters on sea level rise guidance and the San Mateo updated Housing Element.
► Learn about the risk to Newark wetlands posed by a shoreline housing project.
► Read an interview with Kristina Loquist, the first recipient of our Guardians of Nature Award for Outstanding Service by a Public Official's Staff Member.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of activities available with your chapter into early October.
Heritage Oaks Memorial Park - a Threat to Coyote Valley
The Heritage Oaks Project should not go forward: Help Protect Coyote Valley
The planned Heritage Oaks cemetery, close to Coyote Valley Open Space, Calero County Park, and Coyote Valley, will become another barrier to important wildlife linkages.
Linkages are critical to biodiversity, and to the genetic diversity of the wildlife that inhabit the Santa Cruz and Diablo mountain ranges. The linkage will provide a corridor for wildlife in search of mates, food, water, and new territory, also, for seasonal migration, or in case of fire or drought.
Take a minute to help protect Coyote Valley, by making your voice heard at the San Jose Planning Commission virtual meeting (Zoom), on November 30th, 2023. Learn more.
Join our Team in One of our Two Open Positions!
The Bay Alive Campaign Assistant will be responsible for supporting local and regional advocacy campaigns, education programs, and communications to inspire appreciation for the San Francisco Bay, build awareness of threats to shoreline ecosystems and communities, and stimulate engagement in Bay advocacy.
The Community Outreach Assistant will be responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing Bay-centric educational materials, activities, and outings to build awareness and support for the Bay Alive Campaign.
Sea Level Rise Guidance to DTSC Project Managers for Cleanup Activities
As sea levels rise worldwide due to climate change, the San Francisco Bay will experience increased flooding along its shorelines, as well as groundwater rising in some areas. These impacts will not only increase the risk of property damage and the loss of wetlands critical to Bay ecology and climate mitigation capacity, but can also transport hazardous chemicals from old industrial sites ringing the Bay, posing a health risk to residents and Bay ecosystems alike. A 2012 White Paper from the California Energy Commission’s California Climate Change Center identified more than 200 hazardous waste sites along the Bayshore that will be in a 100-year flood zone with a 3-foot sea level rise. Read the full comment letter.
Newark Wetlands are at Risk
“Climate activists are pushing back on a contentious shoreline housing project in the South Bay city of Newark. By building there, the activists believe, the city will miss an opportunity to restore sensitive wetlands and areas for them to migrate to as seas rise.
Marshes are the region’s first line of defense against rising seas, and the Bay Area has just 15% of its wetlands left. Environmental advocates want these ecosystems protected.”
A reminder that it is time again for you to VOTE for the next members of the Loma Prieta Chapter and Group Executive Committees. Thank you to those that already voted!
Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and oldest grassroots environmental organization, is proudly democratic and member-driven. The at-large delegates you elect, along with the local Group delegates that represent geographic regions, direct the work of our Chapter. Those elected will start their two-year term in January 2024. Read more.
Our Comments on San Mateo Updated Housing Element
The updated Housing Element (HE) has some important improvements. But some final adjustments will further strengthen this important HE with regards to encouraging more affordable housing and allowing for more greening of the city. The HE assumes that the Land Use Designation High II is not going to be used. We have maintained that High II should be included in the HE, though only in limited areas and only near transit. Its higher density and height are good tools to increase affordable housing, as a required community benefit, and to do it in an environmentally positive way by requiring green open space on the site. Read the full comment letter.
Environmental Book Club
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration by Sara Dykman December 2nd
"Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration—a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles. Equally remarkable, she did it solo, on a bike cobbled together from used parts."
Congratulations to Kristina Loquist, who has been a valuable and trusted resource for the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, on receiving the Chapter's first Guardians of Nature Award for Outstanding Service by a Public Official's Staff Member! In an interview, I had the chance to talk to her about her background and work with local environmental organizations and her advice for others that want to volunteer and make this world a better place. Read the full interview.
Basic/Wilderness First Aid Courses
Saturday, December 9th Sunday, December 10th 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Peninsula Conservation Center
Certification provided by the National Association for Search and Rescue, is valid for two years, and is included in the course fee. Textbook NOT included. There are two training options. 1) Basic Wilderness First Aid: Saturday only; $50 for Sierra Club members; $60 for non-members. 2) Wilderness First Aid: both days; $80 for Sierra Club members; $100 for non-members. Register today!
Connecting with Conservation in San Benito County
Chapter members, Lisa Barboza and Katja Irvin, attended the October Pajaro Compass Network Fall Stakeholder Meeting. Held at the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust’s Nyland Property, the meeting offered conservation education and an opportunity to maintain connections with the environmental community in San Benito County.
Gay and Lesbian Sierrans Holiday Party and Bocce Ball
Saturday, December 9th 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Campo Di Bocce of Los Gatos For current GLS members only.
Enjoy a taste of Italy! Bocce Ball will commence promptly at 11:30 am with a private bocce ball game lesson and continue till 1:00 pm. Then, make merry with a meal of traditional Tuscany Italian food in a private alcove at the restaurant, and exchange white elephant gifts. Last but not least, toast the newly elected 2024 Governing Committee, and recognize and commend outing leaders. Learn more and register today!
30x30 Goes to School!
There's an abundance of learning available through the 30x30 network in California. The SCLP 30x30 Task Force attends several a month. To participate in Native American Heritage Month, the SCLP 30x30 Task Force attended two webinars to deepen understanding of respectful Tribal engagement. Additional webinars attended focused on wildlife crossings and Marine Protected Areas and Climate Change.
Water Committee Needs a Chairperson (or Chairpeople)!
The Water Committee (which is actually a subcommittee of the Conservation Committee) needs a new chairperson as our long-time chair Katja Irvin moves on to serve as Conservation Chair for the Guadalupe Regional Group. Co-chair Carol Steinfeld will stay on to help the new chair. Duties involve facilitating the monthly meeting and compiling the agenda as well as speaking at water agency meetings as appropriate. But all of this is negotiable! Join our next meeting in January to learn more or contact Carol at water@lomaprieta.sierraclub.org.
A Presence with Posters!
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter (SCLP) sent posters to have a presence at the 30x30 Statewide Partnership Gathering in October, 2023, in Riverside, California, and our SCLP 30x30 Task Force recommended that the Straw Program / Point Blue Conservation Science submit their successful work with students at the Power in Nature poster session.
Most of you know that our bird populations are in deep trouble. Recent reports indicate that more than 30% of USA bird populations have been lost since 1970. One cause is urban lighting. Urban light has a strongly negative effect on the migrations of birds and insects; a few weeks ago, in Chicago, more than 1000 birds were killed in a single evening, as reported in the Atlantic and New York Times.
This is your town. Here’s what you can do to stop this senseless destruction of our bird population: Please respond to the San Jose Light Tower Corp survey. Read more.
Stanford University Community Plan: A Win for the Environment
Envision 2,300 acres of verdant hillsides and oak savannah—one of the last grassland ecosystems left in Santa Clara county. This beautiful land is home for a variety of wildlife, including the rare California Tiger salamander. This irreplaceable open space constitutes the Stanford foothills, located in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara county. Even though Stanford owns the land, the university needs the consent of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in order to develop it. Read the full article.
Santa Clara County Medical Association Warning: Artificial Turf is Toxic to People and the Environment
The Santa Clara County Medical Association was asked by a group of Saratoga High students to issue a ruling on the safety of artificial turf playing fields, and these are excerpts of what they said:
Artificial turf contains hazardous chemicals and heavy metals…Children are more vulnerable to all toxic exposures due to their immature biological systems. On an artificial sport field children and athletes are routinely in contact with the surface, especially with soccer and football; therefore, they more readily inhale, ingest, and come in dermal contact with dust and chemicals emitted from the fields. Read the full article.
Teen Member Explores How Governmental Systems Promote Toxic Agricultural Chemicals
Member spotlight: Arjun Krishna
The youngest member of Loma Prieta Chapter's Water Committee, 17-year-old Arjun Krishna has the rare ability to focus on an issue and follow it wherever it may lead. As a result, he has already learned more about the intersection of science and policy than many others twice his age. Arjun’s childhood fascination with the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park led him to discover University of California Berkeley Integrative Biology professor Tyrone Hayes’s work about how the herbicide atrazine can turn male frogs into females. Read the full interview.
Gay and Lesbian Sierrans' 2023 Rock Creek Lake Camping Trip
A fun time was had by all during the 2023 Eastern Sierra Rock Creek Lake camping trip, September 21st-25th. We had 10 Gay and Lesbian Sierrans (GLS) and Rainbow Sierrans set up their tents alongside this high elevation lake and very secluded group campground. This was the first joint-led trip between our groups in many years. Although below freezing nighttime temps hit, our two fire pits kept us warm until we turned in. The days were gorgeous as we hiked along the many lakes and next to the Aspen trees just barely beginning to show some autumn color. Read the full article.
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.
Your connection: The alternative to the gouging mismanaged utilities are the Community Choice Aggregations like Peninsula Clean Energy and our work with them to rapidly transition to 100% renewables through Climate Action Leadership Team. Learn more about our Climate Action Leadership Team.
Your connection: They are not sure why. Probably pandemic and work from home related. Our Sustainable Land Use Committee is working on compact walkable communities if members want to volunteer. Learn more about our Sustainable Land Use Committee.
Your connection: In all cases, the emissions of the top 10% are as high as those of at least the bottom 50%. Transport, especially car use, is a major factor in the sky-high emissions of the richest 10%, with these emissions 20-40 times higher than the transport emissions of the poorest 10% in the countries analysed. Our Sustainable Land Use Committee is working on this with 15 minute cities and Paris Aligned Buildings. Companion article:Richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66%, report says
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.
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.
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.
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.
2023.10.09, seen on Chapter Director's hike in Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
"If you care about change,
you gotta be in it for the long haul."
Billie Jean King
