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Roses are red, Violets are blue, the Sierra Club is dedicated to climate action and environmental protection across Nevada and the eastern Sierra, and we couldn't do any of it without you!
Happy St. Valentine's Day. We love living in this region and being part of our communities. Here are a few updates and opportunities to make a difference.
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Our Legislative Tracker is Live!
By Madelyn Reese, Legislative Committee volunteer.
The Nevada State Legislature kicked off its 81st session on February 1st. Although it’s been a slow start, the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter is ready to track plenty of bills with environmental implications as the session continues.
Many of the chapter’s highest priority bills have not been introduced yet, but as they are, we’ll be updating our legislative tracker, which you can access here.
The link above will show which bills we're watching, a description of the bill, which bills are our priorities, and what our stance is on each. You’ll also be able to see how you can take action in support or opposition on the bills that are highlighted. Bookmark that link, and check back throughout the session for updates.
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Toiyabe Chapter's 2020 Annual Report
Sure, you've heard of the Sierra Club. But what do we actually do here in the Toiyabe Chapter covering Nevada and California's eastern Sierra?
The Chapter's Annual Report for 2020 will help fill in some of the details.
The Chapter is a crew of mostly volunteers, dedicated to bringing environmental protection, climate action and justice to local, state, and federal decision-makers, while at the same time empowering caring citizens like you to make a difference. Get involved. We're as strong as our activists and donors make us. Click here to volunteer.
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Clean Car Standards Are Coming to Nevada
By Jasmine Vazin, Clean Transportation For All Organizer.
Nevada is currently in process of adopting California’s Clean Car standards, and the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) is conducting a series of public outreach events to ensure our community understands these standards and how they would be applied going forward.
The next session for this program will be on February 23rd from 9:00AM-12:00PM.
Joining information will be posted on the NDEP site here before the event. This session will be a technical overview of the Low Emissions Vehicles standards, and is best suited for the policy geeks among us.
If you have a personal story about why clean car standards matter to you, please email jasmine.vazin(at)Sierraclub.org. We’d love to hear from you and help share your story with the public.
Sign this petition calling on Governor Sisolak and NDEP to be bold in adopting clean car standards in Nevada!
Our communities need clean air and climate protections NOW. Everyone deserves to breathe clean air, and future generations deserve a livable climate. This is why we need to speak up together and demand Nevada adopt clean car standards.
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Transportation & Climate Fireside Chat
By Jasmine Vazin, CTFA Organizer.
Motor vehicle emissions are now the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Nevada. Add buildings to the mix, and 45% of the emissions in Nevada come from our communities.
Ensuring that all transportation options transition to clean energy, and designing our cities to protect against climate change is vital to achieve the goals outlined in Governor Sisolak’s Executive Order 2019-22 and meet our state’s climate goals, while also addressing our state's air quality crisis.
To do this, the Toiyabe Chapter is hard at work advocating for transportation, urban planning, and building electrification solutions at all levels to bring the climate action we need.
Join us on February 25th at 5:30PM for an informal conversation to learn more about what the Toiyabe Chapter’s Clean Transportation For All (CTFA) campaign has been able to accomplish, what we have planned for 2021, and how to get involved in this vital work. We hope to see you there!
RSVP today.
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Rail is Part of the Solution
By Brian Beffort, Toiyabe Chapter Director.
Trains are already the most energy-efficient form of transportation. Imagine how well we could tackle the climate crisis if we expanded our rail system, electrified it, and used those networks to carry renewable energy as well as people and cargo? The possibilities are exciting.
That's why the Toiyabe Chapter has passed a resolution in support of Solutionary Rail, a grassroots campaign to electrify US railroads and open rail corridors for renewable energy transmission. Yes, it's an ambitious vision, but ambitious steps are what we need to achieve win-win solutions toward a just transition to a decarbonized energy and transportation infrastructure.
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Southern Nevada Group
Inspiring Connections Outdoors Update
By Janet Carter, ICO Chair, Southern Nevada Group.
COVID prevents ICO from taking children on outings where they can enjoy the beauty and serenity of our deserts and mountains. We miss the children, and we are sure they miss the respite our hikes provide. But we're keeping busy preparing for when we can get back out with the kids around Las Vegas.
Our next virtual meeting is Wednesday, March 13th at 5:30 pm. All interested folks are welcome! Email Janet Carter at jkumar167(at)aol.com for a Zoom link to join us.
Inspiring Connections Outdoors is hosting our first ever “Virtual Film
Festival on February 20th and 21st. The second evening is especially for children and those whom ICO serves. A suggested $25 donation supports ICO programs, but tickets are available to all who request them.
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Transportation Community Forum
Join us February 22nd at 6PM
Transportation impacts every aspect of our day-to-day lives: from how we get to work, travel to the grocery store, visit the doctor, or simply breathe. Yet not all members of our community have the same access and ease of mobility as others, and we do not all bear the burden of air pollution at the same rates. How does transportation affordability impact these differences? How can mobility influence our lives?
Join us for a community forum presented by Faith Organizing Alliance, Chispa, and the Sierra Club to learn more about transportation access, what a just future in transportation could look like for Southern Nevada, and the importance of transportation when it comes to climate change. We hope to see you there!
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Great Basin Group
Steamboat Ditch Update
By Lori Bellis, Great Basin Group volunteer.
The project to identify improvements along the Steamboat Ditch has been halted by U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The proposed project intended to use federal funds to provide flood protection and improve agricultural water management within the Steamboat Ditch system. The initial project proposal included 15 miles of pipe through Reno’s urban area — a place lush with vegetation and wildlife, where many people enjoy walking and cycling. The public outcry was swift and loud. According to an NRCS spokesperson, they received over 1,500 e-mails and 150 voicemails. The “Save the Steamboat Ditch” petition has over 2,600 signatures.
A big Thank You! to everyone who submitted comments. Community involvement makes a difference!
Comments are still being accepted through February 15th.
Click here to read more and comment on the project.
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Dig into River-Friendly Landscaping
 By Carrie Jensen, One Truckee River.
A River-Friendly Landscape is designed to protect the water quality of rivers in the eastern Sierra, like the Truckee River! It will beautify your property by incorporating landscaping practices that conserve water, reduce yard maintenance and costs, promote native habitat, and protect water quality. It doesn’t mean your yard must be wild and uncontrolled. To the contrary, it will respect the natural attributes of our region and promote the health, diversity, and sustainability of your watershed.
Carrie Jensen, from One Truckee River, will join Sierra Club for an introductory class on how to turn your yard into a river-friendly landscape.
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Tahoe Area Group
Tahoe Keys Weeds Update
By Tobi Tyler, Tahoe Area Group Executive Committee member.
Sierra Club activists from the Tahoe Group and Toiyabe Chapter have been advocating to protect Lake Tahoe from dangerous aquatic invasive weeds and proposed herbicides to control them. The Lahontan Water Quality Control Board met in November to consider the issue. But they postponed any decision on how to manage the weeds until at least September 2021. We are tracking this issue closely and continuing our advocacy to let science, public interest and Tahoe's health and clarity be the bases for any decision.
Click here to read our recent post with details on the issue.
Click here to sign our petition in defense of Lake Tahoe.
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| The COVID-19 crisis has not passed and continues to disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people and other communities of color. The pandemic has revealed how the communities hardest hit are often the same communities that suffer from high levels of pollution and poor access to health care. The fight for environmental justice cannot be separated from the fight for racial justice. |
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Donate to Support Our Work!
As your Sierra Club activists in Nevada and the eastern Sierra, we at the Toiyabe Chapter are dedicated to succeeding in all the challenges you read here and more. To win, it's going to take more than gumption, vision, dedicated activists, and a passion for this amazing region. It's going to take money. Donate today to support our work. All money will stay local to benefit you and your community. Thank you! |
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Join the Sierra Club
Thanks for reading. Become an environmental champion by becoming a member! The Sierra Club is the largest, oldest, grassroots environmental organization in the nation. Your support will make us stronger!
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