Loma Prieta Chapter eNewsletter: August, Volume 1

Membership Social and Advocacy Updates

ACT: No AI Data Centers on Our Public Lands

The Trump administration has approved the first-ever data center on federal public lands -- and did so without any environmental review or meaningful public input. This could become the blueprint for using public lands across the country to build massive industrial data centers, causing increased water use and unchecked air pollution.

Tell Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to stop this dangerous precedent and protect our shared public lands.

Building Legacy Together

Last month, demolition began at Lehigh Quarry, opening a new chapter for polluted Permanente Creek. This milestone is the result of more than two decades of advocacy and collaboration between Sierra Club, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and community partners.

As shared by Yoriko Kishimoto, a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Director, “I’m so proud of how all the environmental organizations collaborate effectively together.”

Join us as we honor the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Board of Directors as our 2026 Guardians of Nature Honorees for their leadership in protecting the open spaces, wildlife, and communities we love.

Joint comment letter to City of East Palo Alto

"We were informed of a June 22, 2026 East Palo Alto (EPA) Planning Commission item to extend for one year the Special Use Permit for Infinity Salvage. This item was rescheduled for July 13. The Staff Report for the item has not been posted as this is written, nor has Exhibit A which contains the conditions for approval of the extension. Our letter therefore summarizes our concerns about the future of this property from our past reviews of the Ravenswood Business District Specific Plan Update (RBDSP) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and newer information from public sources. Additional topics may be raised in the July 13th meeting."

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.

Fight Tyranny and Save Our Oceans in One Click!

The Trump administration via NOAA is trying to cut funding to California’s Coastal Management Program, which we desperately need as our oceans boil and oil companies further pursue offshore drilling. The Coastal Management Program (CMP) is a program created under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, designed to protect coastal resources and marine life, ensure public access to coastal spaces, and offers the state federal consistency review to make sure that federal government decisions are aligned with the enforceable policies of the program. Attacks on the CMP can impact everything from subsea and ocean desalination to offshore drilling or other industrial projects like SpaceX, and ship speed rules, despite a number of marine mammal deaths and injuries in recent years.

Learn how to send a letter to NOAA and how to submit comments at NOAA's August 11th and 12th virtual hearings.

Letter to San Mateo County Planning Department

"The update of the San Mateo County Safety Element provides an opportunity for the County to proactively address the public safety risks of Life Sciences/ Biotech labs. Public safety emergency response for biotech labs impacts local and national security through pathogen containment failure, dual-use material theft, and slow local-federal coordination. When local first responders lack specialized training for hazardous biological agents, accidental or intentional releases can rapidly escalate from a local containment breach into a widespread public health crisis."

LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Bird Watching

By Mary Buxton

Listers: a glimpse into extreme bird watching, a YouTube movie, is an irreverent and funny look at bird watching's big year challenge. The Big Year is a challenge to see how many species of birds you can spot within a certain geographic area within one year. I first saw a 2011 movie, The Big Year with Jack Black and Steve Martin, which was charming and fun. Then a fellow paddler recommended the YouTube 2025 documentary film, Listers: a glimpse into extreme bird watching. Two brothers, probably in their early 20s, embark on their Big Year with little to no birding experience and live out of their van. The film pokes friendly fun both at extreme birders and themselves. The creative and entertaining graphics really add to the appeal of the film.They include many gorgeous pictures of birds with their names in the lower left hand corner. You don't have to be a birder to enjoy and laugh with this film. You might even become a birder because it makes birding look like a lot of fun, between challenges! I have seen the film three times and I am still chuckling.

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.

A Consortium of Scientists and Researchers Call for Global Regulation on Plastic Pellet Transportation at Sea

Earlier in 2026, Cambridge University Press published a call for the International Maritime Organization to classify pre-production plastic pellets, commonly known as “nurdles,” as harmful, environmentally hazardous substances. This step would "trigger mandatory requirements for packaging, marking, documentation, stowage and emergency response” as explained in this guide to shipping dangerous goods by sea. Decades of study on the impacts of nurdles has shown that, when these manufactured microplastics spill into the environment during transport, for example during a shipping accident, fish, birds and other animals often mistake them for food. This can cause starvation, or immune system disruption from chemicals that are added to the pellets. In the United States one can show support for a related Federal bill, H.R.7543, the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, by signing a petition.

Your connection: Join our Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee as we educate ourselves and others on how to identify and address the growing list of harms inflicted on the environment and public health by prolific and unnecessary plastic production.

Too much Sierra Club email? You have control! See this simple tutorial.

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.