YOU Can Make a Difference; Read How in This eNewsletter
► Purchase your tickets for our 2025 Guardians of Nature Benefit and join us to celebrate local hero Garnetta Annable.
► Learn about Zone 0, the space defensible from wildlife around homes and structures.
► Learn how local counties are coordinating sea level rise plans with county agencies.
► Apply to run for a seat on our Chapter Executive Committee.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through July.
Celebrate Environmental Leadership: Garnetta Annable at 2025 Guardians of Nature Benefit
We are thrilled to announce that the 2025 Guardians of Nature Benefit will honor Garnetta Annable, a pioneering local land conservationist and a founding member of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Join us on Friday, October 10th at 6:00 pm at Mitchell Park Community Center to celebrate Garnetta's inspiring legacy and to empower regional environmental advocacy. Sponsorships and tickets are available. Read Garnetta's full biography and learn more about how you can become involved and attend the event for free.
Fire Hazard Severity Zones
What is a Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZs) in State Responsibility Areas (SRAs) are geographic areas determined by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs) are designated by local agencies, such as city or county governments, with guidance from CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE provides recommendations, but local authorities determine the final classification and adoption of these zones.
Zone 0 encompasses the first five feet around the perimeter of homes and structures. Wildfire preparedness in Zone 0 is crucial for protecting against ember attacks, the leading cause of home ignition in wildfires. Minimizing flammable materials in this zone can drastically reduce fire risk.
After the LA fires, Governor Newsom directed the State Board of Forestry to accelerate its work to adopt regulations that require ember-resistant zones within five feet of structures located in areas designated as Very High-Risk Fire Hazard Severity, that are essentially sterilized of all vegetation, except for mature trees (i.e., trees that have completed their primary growth and are no longer growing rapidly). Learn more about Zone 0.
Our chapter is looking for people who can contribute to our chapter’s highest governing board. Our ExCom ensures that our finances are in good condition, discusses and votes on important issues, engages in policymaking, appoints committee chairs, and writes bylaws as well as standing rules. ExCom members are elected each November for two-year terms starting in January, and can serve for a maximum of three consecutive two-year terms, after which they are eligible to run again after a one-year hiatus. If interested, please contact our Nomination Committee. The application deadline is July 20, 2025.
San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties Coordinating Sea Level Rise Plans with County Agencies
Great news! Cities in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties are teaming with county agencies to develop coordinated sea level rise (SLR) plans under the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP). This cross-jurisdictional coordination holds promise for better collective SLR resilience within our Chapter region. The joint project in San Mateo County includes East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Foster City, and San Carlos. In Santa Clara County all shoreline cities will participate.
Bay Alive’s strong relationships with the County agencies and past work in many of these cities, are keeping us in the loop. As planning grants roll out this fall, we’re preparing to engage as key stakeholders.
Presentation to Foster City's Citizen Sustainability Advisory Committee
Earlier this month, several representatives from various Loma Prieta campaigns met with Foster City's Citizen Sustainability Advisory Committee (CSAC) to discuss our chapter's activity, highlighting the Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee's work on banning artificial turf, and the Bay Alive Campaign's work on sea level rise planning and adaptation around the Bay. The meeting invitation came as a result of Loma Prieta Chapter tabling at Foster City's Earth Day event in April. Many thanks to Foster City's CSAC for giving us the opportunity to share and engage in meaningful dialogue about our work, and our Foster City volunteers for advocating in their community! We look forward to fostering this relationship and better understanding how our missions align.
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 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.
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.
Sign the Petition to Save San Bruno Mountain
A massive threat looms over one of our most cherished natural treasures. San Bruno Mountain is not just any mountain, it is a sanctuary for endangered butterflies, a haven for rare plants, and a refuge of unparalleled ecological significance. The proposed project threatens to unravel the delicate balance of this natural treasure, and we urge you to take action to protect it.
The City of Brisbane is considering a plan to build a massive 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse, 100 feet tall, right in the heart of San Bruno Mountain, at the historic Guadalupe Quarry. This industrial facility would bring hundreds of workers (1,500!) and an incredible amount of traffic through our city and into the heart of sensitive habitat. Sign the petition today.
COMMENT LETTERS
Menlo Park High Voltage Streetlight Conversion Project
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter has engaged with light pollution reduction policies, also known as Dark Sky policies, in multiple cities in Santa Clara County. We have provided research and model language for Dark Sky ordinances adopted in Cupertino and Los Altos, and have worked closely with Palo Alto to influence the language in their Dark Sky ordinance slated for adoption this year. We believe the High Voltage Streetlight Conversion Project is an opportunity to reduce light pollution in Menlo Park while conserving energy resources with the use of Dark Sky techniques and fixtures."
2400-2700 E. Charleston Road Permit Extension Request
"The undersigned organizations appreciate the inclusion of an oak grove in the plans for 2400 - 2700 E. Charleston Road, and encourage the City of Mountain View to strengthen project conditions to better reflect the City’s commitments to biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable landscaping."
"It has become extremely clear during the years in which the study has been in progress that any expanded uses along Monterey Road in Coyote Valley would be inconsistent with the requirements of the General Plan. General Plan policies regarding the Urban Service Area, Urban Growth Boundary, agricultural land, and environmental goals for Coyote Valley all prohibit the type of expanded uses and development that have been proposed by Coyote Valley landowners during the study."
Oppose Excessive Appeal Fees; Support Stronger Tree Protection Instead
"The undersigned organizations oppose the proposed increase in Heritage Tree removal appeal fees1. Raising the fee from $50 to $650, and eventually $1,250, unfairly burdens residents who are often stepping forward to uphold the City’s own tree protection goals."
Valley Water’s Draft Water Supply Master Plan 2050
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter will provide comments to staff on the Draft Water Supply Master Plan 2050 (Plan), but there are a few items we want to bring to the Board’s attention regarding the staff report for this agenda item. In general, we want to see more transparency in this plan with detailed explanation of how modeling and other information was used to formulate the Plan, and how staff analysis led to the conclusions in the Plan."
Support for Wildfire Detection Sensor Pilot Program
"On behalf of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter we are writing to express our strong support for the wildfire detection sensor pilot program outlined in item #11 of the May 20th, 2025, Board of Supervisors agenda. Early detection of wildfires is a critical tool that can save lives, protect our environment, and prevent billions of dollars in damages. As climate change continues to increase the frequency and severity of wildfires, adopting proactive technology such as AI sensors has never been more important."
Sierra Club Military Outdoors special program provides free training for Veterans and their family members. Join us to enjoy fresh air, spectacular views and excellent exercise.
Cleanup (July 6th and 19th), Trashy Tuesday (July 8th), and BioBlitz (July 13th) 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.
Your connection: Good news is rare these days, so we are especially happy to share that POST has purchased a significant portion—2,467 acres—of Sargent Ranch in Santa Clara County. Combined with a previous acquisition of 1,340 acres in Santa Cruz County, POST now owns roughly two-thirds of the entire Sargent Ranch property.
The portion of Sargent Ranch where sand and gravel mining is proposed is not part of the POST acquisition. However, the CEQA review process for the quarry appears to have halted for now. Although this broader story is still unfolding, this purchase is a meaningful victory for land conservation.
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.
“To enslave men, successfully and safely, it is necessary to have their minds occupied with thoughts and aspirations short of the liberty of which they are deprived. A certain degree of attainable good must be kept before them.” ― Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom
