By John Hankins
Our weather has calmed down a bit, but it can’t stop our enjoyment of the outdoors and lobbying to save and conserve it. So many good things are happening, mixed in with battles over eco-issues. Donations help a lot, and the money stays here at home doing good stuff. Donate here: www.sierraclub.org/donate/1000
May 27: EV Curious, an introduction sponsored by local EV owners, notably our Chapter’s Transportation Chair Kent Bullard in Newbury Park, at Chalice Unitarian Fellowship. EV Advocates of Ventura County sponsored the event with a panel.
May 23: “Fight Back, No Drilling Where We’re Living” action Zoom meeting by Sierra Club’s Setbacks Referendum Action Team. It cites the industry shelling out $20 million to overturn SB1137 which requires 3,000-foot setbacks from neighborhoods. It sends the issue to a ballot vote in November 2024.
May 19: Ventura Land Trust’s 20th Anniversary celebration that went from a small group of activists to a conservancy over 20 years. It first acquired 100 acres along the Ventura River and now has over 4,000 acres of conservation land, Harmon Canyon and Mariano Rancho, notably above the city of Ventura. Sierra Club has been a strong supporter of the work of the Ventura Land Trust and members have served as trustees and on the Advisory Council.
May 13: They’re Animals! All in a day’s work:
- Rattlesnake bites hiker along Romero Canyon Trail; Montecito firefighters and SB County Search & Rescue responded and airlifted the injured via helicopter. Be hyper vigilant! Learn snake safety here: https://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-a-Rattlesnake-Attack
- Bears here too: During the rescue a brown bruin was spotted on a nearby trail. Montecito Fire Department warns “bear sightings have been increasingly frequent in our community in recent weeks.”
- Meanwhile, Montecito Fire responded to a grey fox kit tangled in a soccer net off School House Rd. It was freed and reunited with its family.
May 9: 30,000 people + expressed their support for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary during public comment periods. On this day, Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, and a group of 12 other CA Reps urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to prioritize completing the process for the proposed Sanctuary off the central coast of California. Go here to support them and learn more: https://chumashsanctuary.org
May 6: Sierra Club launches a new Community Advocates program to support teams of volunteers to harness the federal funding of the Inflation Reduction Act at state and local levels, especially in the communities most impacted by climate and environmental injustices.
May 3: Judge orders an environmental review over the county’s controversial plan to create parking at the trailhead of the Hot Springs Trail along East Mountain Drive.
May 3: Furious eco-groups filed suit asserting the California Public Utilities Commission acted illegally when it slashed compensation payments for power generated by solar panels. If the lawsuit fails and reduced incentives remain in place, it could mean more large solar farms and lengthy transmission lines — and higher profits for the utility companies building them.