Loma Prieta Chapter eNewsletter: January, Volume 1
January 12, 2026
YOU Can Make a Difference. Read How Here.
► Read about the quiet crises facing our oaks.
► Learn about the power of Bay Advocacy and join the Bay Alive Campaign.
► Attend our Forest Protection Forum's presentation "Forests on an Overheating Planet."
► Learn how to protect your family and community from local pollution.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through January.
Another Quiet Crisis Facing Our Oaks
In the Santa Cruz Mountains and Peninsula foothills, oaks have shaped the landscape for millennia, providing habitat for songbirds, food for wildlife, and stability to hillsides. However, these iconic trees now face unprecedented threats.
This past year, we've highlighted two significant biological threats: Sudden Oak Death, an invasive pathogen that has devastated millions of trees statewide, and the Mediterranean Oak Borer, a newly arrived beetle targeting valley and blue oaks. These dangers are real and worsening, but they are only part of a broader ecological issue. Read the full article.
The Power of Bay Advocacy
If you ever wonder whether your voice can make a difference, San Francisco Bay’s history has a clear answer: absolutely yes! The Bay we all depend on exists today because generations of residents refused to accept the idea that our shoreline was disposable. That same persistence is exactly what is reshaping how the Region responds to sea level rise.
Today, San Francisco Bay is undergoing one of the most important planning shifts since the creation of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) in 1965. That transformation is happening because countless small acts of advocacy have built upon each other, year after year. Learn more about the power of advocacy for San Francisco Bay.
Sea Level Rise Webinar Series
Learn how nature can help 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.
Forest Protection Forum
“Forests on an Overheating Planet" Monday, January 26th 4:00 pm
This talk will explore how forest extraction projects are being misrepresented as environmentally friendly, and much more.
Renowned author, educator, and environmentalist Bill McKibben helped found the global grassroots climate campaign 350.org, and more recently helped found Third Act to build a progressive organizing movement for people over the age
of 60. For over 40 years, Bill McKibben has been raising the alarm about the climate crisis, starting with his groundbreaking book The End of Nature. Now Bill says, for once in his life, he is spreading good news. In his latest book, Here Comes the Sun, he explains why the recent boom in solar and wind power has given him hope for the planet's future, and he implores everyone to buy in. We hope you can join us for this inspiring and important conversation! Learn more and register for the Forest Protection Forum.
Wednesday, January 21st 5:30 - 7:00 pm Free webinar
How to protect your family and community from local pollution; Learn here.
For decades, communities have been advocating for Indirect Source Rules (ISR) as a way to address the industrial contamination from the freight industry that's negatively impacting public health in their neighborhoods. Over the last few years, California communities have been successful
in getting ISRs adopted to curb pollution, such as the South Coast warehouse ISR. This webinar will focus on current efforts to develop a warehouse ISR in the Bay Area, and how community voices can help push for strong protections against warehouse pollution. Learn more and register for this free webinar.
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.
In the Community
Cleanups (January 11th, 19th, and 31st), Restoration (January 18th), and BioBlitz (January 25th) 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.
“Look underfoot. You are always nearer to the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. Don't despise your own place and hour. Every place is the center of the world.” John Burroughs
2025.12.20: your Chapter Director joined Chapter Outings Chair Lisa Barboza (in photo not wearing hat) and Day Hikers in Sanborn County Park: 10.2 miles, 2000 ft gain.
