YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Join our Bay Alive Campaign Watchdog Network to ensure shoreline community sea level rise plans are as strong as they can be.
► Learn about the current status of the Pacheco Reservoir Project.
► Attend our Forest Protection Forum led by the California Chaparral Institute director.
► Learn about mesoplastics and their role in creating breeding grounds for mosquitos.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through mid-May.
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 now for us, at the grassroots, to ensure that all of the local plans are the strongest they can be and developed as quickly as possible.
If you couldn't make our recent webinar and still want to learn how you can join our watchdog network, you can watch the webinar recording, complete our volunteer interest form, and we'll be in touch!
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.
Pacheco Reservoir Project: Spring 2025 Update
It seems there is always something happening related to Valley Water’s Pacheco Reservoir project. In April, the Sierra Club and others submitted comments about the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for geotechnical investigations. On May 21st, the California Water Commission will discuss progress to date on the project to help them decide whether to allocate additional funding. Then, on June 10th or 24th the Valley Water Board of Directors will receive an update on the project which will focus on how Pacheco fits into their Water Supply Master Plan, and on their progress on finding project partners. Read the full update.
After decades of effort, Californians viewed Nature through an eco-centric lens. The question became, how do we live with Nature rather than control it? Since the 2017 wildfires in northern California, the anthropocentric view of Nature has returned: Nature is to serve us, and only us. Join the discussion about chaparral, the meaning of Nature, and how societal stupidity has become such a powerful phenomenon.
Puddles of Water on Mesoplastics are Homes for Breeding Mosquitos
Besides harms caused by micro and nano plastics, mesoplastic or large pieces of plastic trash strewn around the globe have been found to encourage viral vectors by creating homes for puddles of water and breeding mosquitoes. Dr. Angelle Desiree LaBeaud, professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, found "when we were investigating why children were getting sick with fevers ... we found ... mosquitoes were breeding mostly in ... plastic trash scattered around the breeding sites." Plastic is not a harmless substance. It interacts with other environmental factors that include heat, water, sunlight, chemical additives and more. Join the SCLP Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee as we explore how to educate ourselves and others on how to identify and address plastic's growing list of harms inflicted on the environment and public health.
COMMENT LETTER: CEQA Review for the Redwood Life Project
"Given the constraints of the site and its location alongside the sensitive habitat of the Redwood Shores Ecological Reserve, our strong preference remains to avoid large scale construction impacts and retain the original Westport Specific Plan. Nonetheless, we supported the City Council’s prior direction to develop a “Community Alternative” through a robust, city-led community engagement process prior to the possible repeal of the existing Westport Specific Plan. Unfortunately, that inclusive process came to a premature end. In the rush to initiate the CEQA review process, community discussion was cut short after Alternative 2 was revealed and inclusive participation was abandoned, calling into question the credibility of private data used to suggest support for Alternative 2 at the Joint Session on March 4, 2025. This artificial curtailment of the process to create a community-developed alternative is deeply troubling. We strongly urge you to complete the community process to arrive at an alternative that is more aligned with community concerns and responsive to the impacts identified in the City’s Sensitivity Analysis before advancing into an EIR."
"Gita Dev, sustainable land use chair and conservation committee chair of the Sierra Club, said the development would threaten wildlife habitats along the Belmont Slough, a designated refuge for birds and other species."...
"Dev, however, argued that the proposed alternative 2 fails to address environmental risks, including flooding and sea-level rise. According to her, the project poses a sea-level rise risk because it is located on a low-lying former landfill site with no bottom liner. As sea levels and groundwater rise, there is a danger that toxins from the landfill could be pushed up and released into surrounding areas, including the adjacent Belmont Slough. “It’s just the same as having no alternative,” she said."
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.
Earth Month 2025
We finished Earth Month 2025 by tabling at PelicanFest 2025 in Pacifica and Love Our Earth Festival 2025 in Menlo Park. We spoke with many people at these celebrations, both held on April 26th, about our Chapter work and the current direction of the Bay Alive Campaign.
Earlier in the month we also participated in Foster City's and San Jose State University's Earth Day Celebrations. Thanks to everyone that took time to speak with us.
COMMENT LETTERS
333 Ravenswood Avenue (Parkline) - Lane Partners LLC
"This is in reference to the letter the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Sustainable Land Use Committee sent to the City on March 22, 2024, in which we urged the City to set safety standards for biotech development in the City. Since then, we have been following the progress of Menlo Park's planning review of the SRI / Parkline Master Plan and we are very concerned that the large new housing development proposed by Lane Partners is wrapped around an older, existing BSL3 biological laboratory structure on the SRI campus."
Design Level Geotechnical Investigations for the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project Public Draft Environmental Impact Report
"The Sierra Club appreciates the opportunity to evaluate the Design Level Geotechnical Investigations for the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project Public Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Our comments are detailed below." Comments included the number of helicopter and surface vehicle trips, personnel access to helicopter sites, risk of erosion on steep access routes, water use and water supply, and wildfire risks.
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter applauds the City of Palo Alto’s dedication to ensuring that public health and the environment are not endangered by plastic grass fields. At this point, knowing that Palo Alto has plans to hire Lloyd Consulting to do much of the research comparing natural grass and synthetic turf fields, we have a few recommendations to share."
As featured in prior newsletters, an opinion piece written by the chair of our Forest Protection Committee, Karen Maki, was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal this past month. Entitled “What ‘The Three Little Pigs’ teach us about wildfire preparedness”, the piece addresses the need to prioritize home hardening as the most vital strategy to protect people and their property during wildfires. A follow-up letter to the editorby committee member Jennifer Normoyle was published a week later. What does it mean when we talk about home hardening? In the coming months, we will explore this issue in this newsletter, stay tuned. Learn more.
16 Kids’ Books That Make Science and Nature Sizzle
"During Earth Week, or any week, these titles help counter the current anti-truth climate," from Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club. "In poring over a slew of beautiful, recently released books that aim to engage youngsters with the natural world, we were most drawn to those reads that managed to distill global heating and other eco hot-button topics into simple, impactful prose while also providing laughs and visual delights." Read the full article.
You Can Be the Change! If you'd like to help directly connect local families to science and nature, consider being a leader with our Family Explorers, and contact Chapter Director, James Eggers for more information.
In the Community
Restoration (May 11th), Trashy Tuesday (May 13th), Cleanup (May 17th), and BioBlitz (May 18th) 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.
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.
In History
May 25th, 1803, Ralph Waldo Emerson's birthday May 27th, 1907, Rachel Carson's birthday May 28th, 1892, Sierra Club's birthday
"Hope is not something you have. Hope is something you create, with your actions."
