YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Join our Bay Alive Campaign Watchdog network.
► Read our Forest Protection Committee Chair's wildfire preparedness opinion article published in the San Mateo Daily Journal.
► See our recommendations for Sierra Club's Board of Directors elections.
► Learn about the potential massive development plan along the wildlife refuge in Redwood City.
► Read about contamination at the Ravenswood Business District potential development site in East Palo Alto.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through mid-April.
Join our Bay Alive Campaign Watchdog Network!
Now that the Bay Area has approved region-wide guidelines for shoreline community sea level rise plans, it's up to all of us, at the grassroots, to make sure that all of the local plans are the strongest they can be and developed as quickly as possible. Join our Bay Alive Campaign Watchdog network!
Watch our sea level rise videos to learn the threats that come with sea level rise, what's at risk, and solutions we can use to adapt and protect the Bay.
SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL Opinion: What ‘Three Little Pigs’ can teach us about wildfire preparedness
By Karen Maki, Loma Prieta Chapter's Forest Protection Committee Chair
"How to protect a home from fire, to “harden” to fire, is well known by fire professionals. CalFire and San Mateo County Firesafe Council explain what is needed on their websites, including eliminating flammable material within 5 feet of the building. They also suggest additional actions such as installing class A roofs instead of wood shake shingles, replacing wood exterior walls with stucco or brick, covering rooftop vents, and installing double-paned tempered glass windows that don’t easily break during a fire and expose the vulnerable flammable interior of the house to fire." Read the full article.
Sierra Club's Board of Directors
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter recommends a vote for Chad Hanson, Maya Khosla, Nancy Muse and Igor Tregub in the upcoming election for the Sierra Club’s Board of Directors.
The exact closing date for the election is 12:00 PM Eastern Time (noon) on April 23, 2025. Please be on the alert for your paper or email ballot.
Special Spring Delivery: Check Your Mailbox!
Our spring appeal letter is coming, so please watch your postal mailbox. Healthy air, water, and land are a right, not a privilege, so please take the time to read and respond to our invitation to stand for our environment. If you can't wait for the letter, you can find it here. Please ensure that our local environment can depend on a strong and vigilant Loma Prieta Chapter.
Community Concern Continues over Massive Development along Wildlife Refuge
Redwood City is poised to fall under a massive plan to build on fragile shoreline property, on an old landfill bordering Belmont Slough, without regard for resulting environmental and collateral damage.
These issues need to be taken seriously and YOU can help our environment and the Bay
After the Council promised the design of a Community Alternative, the developer has proposed a slightly reduced scheme. However, when presented to the community, the reaction was surprise and disappointment that few of the community concerns have been addressed and the size remained massive.
The community wants a scheme that truly addresses many more of their concerns as well as realistic development goals. They want Council to keep their promise for a community-approved design. Environmental concerns center around sea level rise adaptation, constructing on a fragile, deteriorating landfill along Belmont Slough, a State Wildlife Refuge protecting endangered species.
The developer reported that the new scheme had been approved by a majority of residents. However, we have learned it received 83 reported “yes” votes (from a private email list of 1,500). Redwood Shores has 13,000 residents. Now the Council plans to approve the Alternate without discussion.
City Council meets on April 14th and they need to hear from YOU BEFORE then. Stay tuned for an Action Alert to protect Redwood Shores and the Bay from long-term environmental harm.
THE ALMANAC Developing East Palo Alto’s Ravenswood Business District means confronting a legacy of contamination
“(The site) accepted drums of God knows what kind of solvents,” said Goodman, who has been working with the Sierra Club to advocate for cleanup efforts in East Palo Alto. “They treated them, and, in some cases, stored them in unlined impoundments. (The site is) still highly contaminated.”
“VOCs, some of them are cancer-causing, like benzene, others have non cancer health effects, such as damage to the kidney or liver, reproductive health impacts like low birth weight, neurotoxicity, it really depends what chemical you’re talking about,” she said, adding that certain VOCs can cause respiratory problems, as well as nausea and headaches." Read the full article.
BLOG ARTICLE The Threat From Beneath: How Sea Level Rise Spreads Toxins
San Francisco hides a dirty secret: toxic waste. Thousands of toxic sites have been identified around the Bay Area. As the public began to realize the volume and toxicity of industrial waste nationwide, state agencies and the EPA developed standards and methods for cleaning contaminated sites. Early cleanup methods used "capping," containing contaminated material in a pit with a concrete or asphalt “cap” installed over the area. Enter sea level rise. Learn about the threat of sea level rise spreading toxins.
COMMENT LETTERS
Scope and Timeline of Sea Level Rise Protection Efforts in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) decision to indefinitely postpone action in the Phase II area of Project E7 heightens the urgency of pursuing alternative strategies to protect critical shoreline assets. However, the proposed modifications to Project E7 and the previously agendized reallocation of Phase II funds risk excluding Environmental Impact Areas (EIAs) 1-4 from the benefits promised under this voter-approved local tax. Valley Water must ensure that the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program continues to direct substantial investments toward flood resilience projects in EIAs 1-4, as originally intended."
Draft Removal Action Workplan for the Harbor View Property Site in Redwood City, CA
"We have concerns that the RAW Alternative 4, recommended by the authors and preferred by DTSC, may not be protective against future human and Bay ecosystem exposure to asbestos-containing material (ACM) in the face of flooding or groundwater rise. Although the proposed plan will prevent near-term inhalation or dermal exposures by use of a clean soil layer and impermeable surfaces, and will require a land use covenant (LUC) to prevent future removal of the cap layer, there are uncertainties related to the potential for ACM to travel in flood water or groundwater. We also have concerns related to the proposal to move soil around the site without testing the excavated material for ACM content, increasing the risks of worker and offsite inhalation exposure from the earth-moving operations. We recommend the following changes to the plan."
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.
Sierra Club California Statement on Newsom’s Suspension of CEQA and Coastal Act
"Over the weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom surprised the public and environmental experts with the release of an emergency proclamation related to wildfire preparation activities in California’s wild lands.
The order suspends a range of laws, including but not limited to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act. The suspension is made for broadly defined “critical fuels reduction projects”."
COMMENT LETTERS
Electronic Billboard Installation: Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration
"We have been advocating for a reduction of light pollution in the region, and have advocated against electronic billboards and the proliferation of light pollution in San Jose and in other Bay Area cities for many years. We submit the following comments on the Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the installation of a back-to-back electronic billboard on City-owned property at the northeast corner of SR-87 (Guadalupe Parkway) and Willow Street."
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance commend the City Council for its continued commitment to addressing climate change and protecting the natural environment. The 2025 City Council Priority Objectives, which prioritize key issues such as electrification, sea level rise, stream corridor protection, bird-friendly design, and dark sky initiatives, are important steps toward a more sustainable and resilient future for Palo Alto. As you continue to refine these priorities, we respectfully request that you consider adding two additional objectives."
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance strongly oppose the proposed removal of two mature Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) trees located at 5131 Ishimatsu Place, as detailed in the arborist report prepared by A Plus Tree LLC. These trees provide significant ecological, aesthetic, and community benefits, and their removal should be reconsidered in light of their continued viability and importance."
"Although we appreciate the promptness of the Boulware Park response from your staff we must express our disappointment with what we regard as the essence of that response. Artificial turf is not a perfectly acceptable alternative in the departmental toolbox requiring no analysis or notification to commissions or neighbors. It is controversial from a health standpoint and has been so for decades. Controversial materials should not be made known to neighbors only by its installation."
Remembering Mike Flaugher, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Director
"Mike was a statesman in the best sense and he used his positions of authority to solve problems rather than for self aggrandizement," said Dave Poeschel, former Loma Prieta Chapter Open Space Committee Chair and member of Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Citizens Advisory Committee. "I was always comfortable bringing my interests and concerns to him since he was very approachable and didn't build a defensive wall like some. He would always listen and apply his problem solving skills -- perhaps developed in his career in technology -- as best he could. He enjoyed working "in the trenches" and it was not unusual to run into him in the day to day work events in the conservation field and civic affairs." Read articles by Mercury News and Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority.
Avroh Shah is Bay Nature's 2025 Local Hero Young Leader
Our Conservation leaders are fortunate to work with youth who are passionate, talented, and proactive in their advocacy for nature and the future of our planet. We are very pleased to see our friend Avroh Shah of the Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition selected as Bay Nature's 2025 Young Leader! Avroh brought together a diverse community that together, successfully averted the expansion of the airport into the Palo Alto Baylands, and continues to advocate for the environment.
Avroh will receive an award at Bay Nature’s 15th Local Hero Awards on Sunday, April 6. We hope you will be there to congratulate this outstanding local hero! For more information and to purchase tickets, see Bay Nature 2025 Local Hero Awards.
Join the 2025 Basic Backpacking Course in April! Learn the essentials of safe and enjoyable backcountry travel, including the gear, skills, and planning required to be responsible stewards of our precious wilderness ecosystems. The course consists of four Wednesday online sessions; an in-person Saturday demonstration and training hike; and overnight backpacking trips to Henry Coe State Park in May and the Sierra Nevada in June! Basic Backpacking has been offered by the Loma Prieta Chapter for over five decades. The class always fills up quickly, so act fast. Learn more and register.
In the Community
Cleanups (March 30th, and April 6th and 12th), Nature Journaling (April 5th) and Earth Day Cleanup (April 19th) from our friends at Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.
We were proud to celebrate Joe Simitian as our 2018 Guardians of Nature Honoree. Watch our tribute video.
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: "We, who love the forests on our public lands, are grateful to the Sierra Club for suing Elon Musk and DOGE over the recent mass firing of federal workers and how that has impacted the public’s ability to safely and freely access our public lands.60% of California forests are on federal lands. It’s a dark time, but Sierra Club is working hard across the organization to stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from doing more damage to our government, its hardworking, dedicated civil workforce, and the people that depend on them." - Karen Maki, Loma Prieta Chapter Forest Protection Committee Chair
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.
March is Women's History Month March 1, 1872: Yellowstone established as first National Park, by President Grant
In the year Loma Prieta Chapter was founded: 1933 March 2: the original film version of King Kong, starring Fay Wray, premieres at Radio City Music Hall and the RKO Roxy Theatre in New York City March 4: U.S. President Herbert Hoover was succeeded by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Frances Perkins becomes United States Secretary of Labor, and the first female member of the United States Cabinet. March 13: birth of Mike Stoller, songwriter March 14: birth of Quincy Jones, music producer and composer March 15: birth of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States _________________________________________________________________________________
"If you want to find God, look in nature." Maimonides
2025.03.16 Chapter Director joined Loma Prieta Chapter's Pathfinders (formerly Singleaires) in Big Basin State Park. Thanks to outing leader extraordinaire Kurt for this photo, the hike and the banquet.
