Loma Prieta Chapter eNewsletter: February, Volume 2
March 2, 2026
YOU Can Make a Difference. Read How Here.
► Read stories of love found on the trail with Loma Prieta Outings.
► Attend the BCDC Planning Essentials Webinar series.
► Learn about Redwood Shores Flood Protection and Sea Level Rise Protection Projects.
► Read about SFPUC Water Demand Projections.
► Take a hike! See the comprehensive list of Chapter activities available through mid-March.
Loma Prieta Outings Love Connections
It's Valentine's Day and we can't resist sharing some stories of love found on the trail with Loma Prieta Outings.
Learn about Despina meeting Drew at Rancho Canada del Oro in 2013, Tina meeting Lynne at Garrapata State Park in 2000, and Johanna meeting Edward at Black Mountain in the mid-1990s. Read their stories and please share your story. Send to your Chapter Director (and outings leader) chapter.director@lomaprieta.sierraclub.org. Happy Valentine's Day to you all!
Mercury News Letter to the Editor: Cemetery Would Ruin Coyote Valley's Valley
"The proposed Heritage Oaks Cemetery in Coyote Valley threatens one of the Bay Area’s most important natural landscapes. Coyote Valley isn’t just open space for recreation; it’s a critical wildlife corridor and a key groundwater recharge zone that helps protect our region from drought and flooding. Converting a sizeable amount of this land into a large cemetery would permanently damage an ecosystem that local voters and policymakers have repeatedly prioritized for conservation." - Jennifer Normoyle Read the full letter.
Palo Alto Daily Post: "Council to wrestle with artificial turf issue"
"[...] Gita Dev from the Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club said in an email that she wants the council to "roll up the old plastic grass carpet" and keep the material away from children.
We hope that you will do the right thing by our kids and not have them breathe plastics, be burned by plastic when they fall, and have a healthy childhood."
"San Mateo has a significant amount of housing, commercial building, essential infrastructure, and roadway in low-lying areas near the shoreline that face increasing risk as sea levels rise and storms intensify. If sea levels rise by 3.3 feet, a conservative estimate for 2100, this would put at risk 12,005 residential parcels, 7 emergency shelter sites, 20 miles of highway, and many other assets. Additionally, rising groundwater may inundate contaminated sites near the shoreline, potentially posing a health risk to surrounding Bay ecosystems and community members (see maps attached).
At 6.6 feet of sea level rise, San Mateo will have 1,028 acres of Plan Bay Area 2050 Growth Geographies exposed to sea level rise and resulting groundwater rise (see maps attached). This means that more than 50% of the geographic areas where future growth in housing and jobs is likely to happen during the next 30 years will be at risk of flooding. As these areas develop, it’s critical that new buildings and infrastructure be resilient to climate-driven flood risk."
BCDC Planning Essentials Webinar Series
Learn more about the sea level rise planning process.
"Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Redwood Shores Flood Protection Project. We offer these comments in the spirit of strengthening the planning process, improving community understanding, and supporting a durable, resilient outcome, consistent with BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP)."
"We appreciate that the Consultant team is looking at 2 alternatives, including an Adaptive Pathways approach with an intermediate 35 year phase. We generally support a phased, adaptive approach, not merely as a cost-saving measure, but as a core implementation strategy, consistent with BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP). A phased approach allows the City to align future infrastructure investments with evolving sea level rise and regulatory conditions while minimizing unnecessary impacts and preserving flexibility. However, how Phase One design will influence and limit Phase Two design was concerning. We are concerned that the City Council is being asked to vote on these alternatives without the benefit of community feedback."
SAFER Bay Project Draft Environmental Impact Report
"Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge is submitting this joint letter on behalf of ourselves, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter's Bay Alive Campaign, San Mateo County Bird Alliance and Green Foothills. We respectfully submit these comments regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Strategy to Advance Flood protection, Ecosystems and Recreation (SAFER) Project (Project). We commend the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA) for its efforts to provide sea level rise resiliency for our Bayside communities and ecosystems through this project and for its repeated outreach to impacted communities throughout the planning process. [...] Our organizations have been involved with this project throughout the planning process. We have attended public meetings, met with community groups, and submitted comments on previous planning documents. Based on our review of the DEIR, we submit the following comments on the Project, organized by overarching concerns that extend beyond a single reach or CEQA category, followed by comments related to specific CEQA categories. In addition, please see Exhibits A and B for memoranda prepared by our technical consultants."
Congratulations to everyone involved that reviewed this 1,300 page DEIR to produce an 82 page comment letter with attachments!
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.
Heritage Oaks Cemetery: Why Coyote Valley’s Future Hangs in the Balance
Coyote Valley has become one of the Bay Area's most important conservation success stories, as a rare, open landscape that still connects the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range, supports mountain lions and bobcats, and provides flood protection and groundwater recharge for San José. But a long‑approved development is threatening to undermine that progress: the Heritage Oaks Memorial Park Cemetery Project. (Photo credit: Mike Thomas/USFWS, flickr)
"The Sierra Club, representing 5,500 members in San Francisco and 35,000 around the Bay Area, has concerns about the SFPUC’s water demand projections. The draft 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) demand projections paint an unrealistically high picture of future water demand. The projections ignore the clear track record of conservation in SFPUC’s wholesale and retail service territory."
"The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter is concerned with the proposed ballot initiative, discussed by the City Council in October and November of 2025, to un-designate the O'Keefe Open Space Preserve and rezone it for multifamily housing development. Furthermore, we are alarmed at the City's intent to avoid the CEQA process in its October and November discussions. Los Altos Hills should provide affordable housing without sacrificing open spaces or avoiding CEQA. Los Altos Hills, rather than building on open space, should prioritize other parcels as it seeks to meet its housing goals."
"When cities partner with government agencies to agree that plastic grass is inappropriate for landscaping around private homes and public buildings, it must also be considered inappropriate for play surfaces, whether on sports fields, playgrounds, or dog parks. It is truly encouraging to see [you] partnering with the Valley Water District to replace water-intensive lawns with drought-tolerant plants and permeable hardscaping. This kind of collaboration sets an important example of responsible water stewardship. When California cities, agencies and government districts work together to solve serious environmental and public health concerns we are all better served."
Sierra Club California Legislative Report Card 2025
Sierra Club California has officially released their 2025 Legislative Scorecard, tracking the key votes that shaped climate action, public health, and environmental accountability in Sacramento.
"The scorecard also reflects the Governor's mixed record: Gov. Newsom aligned with SCC on 6 of 9 priority decisions, but broke with us on every "Critical Harm" bill, including signing major CEQA rollbacks that weakened transparency and public participation. We're also celebrating champions like Assemblymembers Dawn
Addis, Tasha Boerner, and Damon Connolly, and naming difficult moments including Sen. Scott Wiener and Sen. Mike McGuire whose records show strong climate credentials, but fell short on the accountability votes that mattered most like on SB 131."
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 (March 1st and 21st), BioBlitz (March 8th) and Restoration (March 22nd), 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.
Historic Dates
March 1, 1872, Yellowstone was established by President Grant as the first U.S. National Park
Your Loma Prieta Chapter was founded in 1933; what else happened that year in March? 1933, March 2: The original film version of King Kong, starring Fay Wray, premiered at Radio City Music Hall and the RKO Roxy Theatre in New York City 1933, March 4: Franklin D. Roosevelt became U.S. President. March is Women's History Month 1933, March 4: Frances Perkins becomes United States Secretary of Labor, and the first female member of the United States Cabinet.
Thanks to the Loma Prieta Chapter's Black Mountain Hiking Section for leading a February 22nd hike in the Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve: 8 miles, 1500 ft elevation gain.
