Loma Prieta Chapter eNewsletter: January, Volume 2
January 27, 2025
YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Help protect burrowing owls by sending your comments.
► Learn about the past and present of clearcutting in California at the Forest Protection Forum.
► Protect the foothill yellow-legged frog by sending your comments to help.
► Members of Loma Prieta Pride Sierrans, register for the Death Valley camping trip.
► Read about one of our youth volunteer's early acceptance to Cornell.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through mid-February.
Help Protect Burrowing Owls
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking public input on a petition to list the western burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The owl, which inhabits grasslands and agricultural areas, faces threats from habitat loss, pesticide use, predation, and recreation. CDFW will review data on the species’ ecology, threats, and management to produce a status report by October 2025, aiding the commission in its decision. Submit comments by email to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov by February 15, 2025. Please include “Western Burrowing Owl” in the subject line and express how important it is to save the burrowing owls from extinction.
Few conservation topics in California get as much attention as forest management. While major conservation efforts and policy changes in the 1980s and '90s reduced the amount of clearcutting in California's national forests, the practice is still used on private lands across large swaths of the state. And even on federal lands, the practice of clearcutting intensely burned patches of forest continues in regions such as the Sierra Nevada. Bryant will present some highlights from his ongoing work to analyze large public datasets to determine trends in California clearcutting as well as satellite imagery timelapses and other visual examples of industrial logging in several areas across the state.
Help Protect the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes designating 760,071 acres in California as critical habitat for four distinct population segments of the foothill yellow-legged frog. The species is threatened by habitat degradation, climate change, and invasive species. Critical habitat includes streams and upland areas essential for survival and recovery, with half on federally managed lands. Efforts to balance conservation with wildfire risk reduction and water infrastructure operations are ongoing. Please comment by March 17, 2025.
Death Valley Camping Trip
February 6 - 10, 2025 (Thursday - Monday)
Join Loma Prieta Pride Sierrans (LPPS) and San Francisco Rainbow Sierrans (SR) on a four-night Death Valley camping trip. Space is limited to 20 participants. The trip is open to all members of LPPS, RS, and their kids. Participants must be members of either LPPS or RS to register.
Day hikes on offer, including some easy to the more demanding depending on the group. The daily itinerary is not rigid and flexibility among participants will enhance the group experience. The traditional potluck will occur the second night of camping (optional).
United States Army Corps of Engineers Navigational Dredging
"We request two main modifications to this application: 1. Institute a dedicated sediment testing protocol for contamination by DDT, its derivatives, and other organochlorines, so that sediment from the Richmond Inner Harbor and the Richmond Outer harbor is not relocated for shoreline use until areas proposed for dredging have been cleared by testing for contamination. 2. Either develop a detailed description of a proposed Stege Marsh sediment deposition plan or institute a complete exclusion of Stege Marsh from this application as a prospective recipient of sediment. Stege Marsh can be addressed more effectively in a future document that deals with all the challenges of that location and includes community outreach. 3. In addition, because of the application’s incomplete proposals relevant to the Richmond shoreline, a public comment period is requested to review the final draft of the EA/EIR."
Sea Level Rise Webinar Series
Learn how nature can help us fight sea level rise with cost-effective and sustainable solutions. Watch recordings of our webinar series with SF Bay experts and please share with your local elected officials.
We’re happy to share that Aiden was given early acceptance to Cornell, his first choice college. Aiden included his more than three years of volunteer activities with us in his college application, and submitted a letter of recommendation written by his Loma Prieta Chapter mentor, Mary Buxton.
Chapter volunteers Bret Andersen and Linda Barbosa recently reflected on the importance of our Hiker's Hut in the local community. Learn about the continued commitment Bret and Linda, and other volunteers through the years, have made to maintaining the hut, ensuring it continues to be a strong space to build community, the hut's future outlook, and its legacy.
The Notice of Preparation (NOP) identifies potential impacts to federally and state-listed species (e.g., California tiger salamander), nesting birds, wetlands, riparian habitats, and wildlife migration corridors. While the planned studies and consultations are commendable, the EIR must include the following: 1. Clear Criteria and Measures of Success for Mitigation; 2. Fish Passage and Wildlife Migration Corridors; 3. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; 4. Agency Consultations.
Local Youth Raising Money for our Chapter through Theater
The Trū Players are a unique performance group of students age 5 - 11 sponsored by Trū, a progressive microschool in Palo Alto that provides transformative learning experiences to students throughout their elementary education.
Trū engages children with interdisciplinary projects that weave together science, literature, social studies, and the arts in the pursuit of fundamental questions about the world and our experience in it. As a part of their investigations, students rehearsed and performed a 90-minute play called If My Earth Were Speaking, a dramatic rendering of the events in the lives of two iconic environmental writers, Rachel Carson and John Muir. Learn more about Tru Players.
Do you have hiking and/or camping equipment in good condition that you're ready to share with others? Donate them to the Loma Prieta Chapter! We have multiple channels to share them with those in need. Tents, sleeping bags, child carriers, and emergency equipment are especially needed.
Cleanup (January 26th, February 2nd), and BioBlitz (February 9th) from our friends at Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.
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.
Assembly Bill 2097, which eliminates city parking mandates within a half-mile of transit has elicited fear in the minds of some decision makers and residents in Palo Alto.
Your connection: The Sustainable Land Use committee has been advocating for reduced "right size" parking in areas close to transit to accommodate more housing. This is because each parking space not only takes valuable space but adds $50- $70,000 to the cost of the housing. Learn more about and how to join our Sustainable Land Use Committee.
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.
"When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."
Lin Yutang, writer and translator (1895-1976) _________________________________________________________________________________
2025.01.18, Chapter Director's hike to Pulgas Water Temple: 14.2 miles, 1700 ft elevation gain.