Welcome to the Santa Cruz Group News, a monthly update from the Santa Cruz Group of the Sierra Club. We present articles about issues that the leadership of our six standing committees (Climate, Conservation, Executive, Outreach/Events, Political, Transportation) would like to share, along with occasional items from our events calendar. We look forward to staying in touch with you through this newsletter.
IN THIS ISSUE
• Moran Monarch Butterfly Habitat Tree Plantings
• Sierra Club Opposes HR 8790 ("Fix Our Forests Act") • Santa Cruz Group Issues Committees
Moran Monarch Butterfly Habitat Tree Plantings
After years of inexplicable delays, Santa Cruz County is finally moving forward with tree plantings at Moran Lake County Park. For many years (decades), impacts to the Moran Monarch Butterfly Habitat were allowed, but mitigations were required. Most of these mitigations were to be in the form of planting new trees in Moran Lake County Park. However, the mitigation plantings were repeatedly delayed. Some of the requirements date back to 2001.
Finally, now, the tree plantings are moving forward! County Parks will be hosting a community tree planting event at Moran Lake County Park on Saturday, December 7th from 9am until noon. The event will be held rain or shine. Tools, materials, and instructions will be provided by Parks staff.
Approximately 64 California native Monterey Cypress and White Alder trees will be planted. The tree types and locations are in accord with the adopted Habitat Management Plan, which was adopted by the County Board of Supervisors in 2011.
The Sierra Club appreciates the support of 1st District County Supervisor Manu Koenig for his involvement in this process, and his responsiveness to concerns raised by the Sierra Club during the last year. The Sierra Club would also like to acknowledge County Parks lead Rob Tidmore for his efforts in this work.
Monarch Butterflies at the Moran Lake Monarch Butterfly Habitat last winter. Photo courtesy of Mike Guth
The Management Plan for this habitat is undergoing revisions, and the Sierra Club has provided comments on the proposed revisions. Our comment letter highlighted the need for action on the delinquent mitigation plantings, and was otherwise generally supportive of the update. See our letter here: 2024-08-12-moran-lake-monarch-butterfly-habitat-management-plan-update-letter.pdf
Historically, 5% of the entire western U.S. Monarch Butterfly population overwinters at Moran Lake, a very significant portion. Moran Lake provides a full term overwintering habitat for Monarch Butterflies, which includes fall roost sites, winter roost sites, and late roost sites. A critical aspect of the habitat is having sufficient wind break to protect the roost areas. The trees providing wind break have been partially removed over the years, and the mitigation replantings are meant to address these losses. Of course, it would have been better had they been planted years ago, as it is expected that it takes 15-20 years for new plantings to become functionally effective.
Dense clusters of Monarch Butterflies at Moran last winter. Photo courtesy of Mike Guth
This first round of plantings should/will be followed in subsequent years with more plantings both to address prior required mitigations and as part of conserving this precious resource.
Approximate areas of tree planting on December 7, 2024.
Sierra Club Opposes HR 8790 ("Fix Our Forests Act")
The ‘Fix Our Forests Act’ (HR 8790) Congressional report’s overview states that pre-Columbian California forests contained approximately 64 trees per acre, compared to over 300 trees per acre currently. Fewer than 120,000 acres of the state’s old growth redwood forest remain today. Those areas of old growth that do remain retain their biodiversity, varied arboreal density and ages, and richness of species to a much higher degree than younger, more homogenous, or planted forests. After many decades of over-harvesting, most old-growth forest has been supplanted by second growth, with more crowded conditions and less fire resistant, smaller trees dominating.
HR 8790 uses these conditions to support rollback of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) on federal lands. The bill has passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, including from Representative Jimmy Panetta, who serves California’s 19th congressional district. It has not passed the Senate and has not yet become law. The Sierra Club strongly opposes HR 8790.
Forests themselves are not the problem; rather, they are a finite, significant, and irreplaceable inheritance. HR 8790 allows for increased harvesting of forest materials, incentivizes biomass energy facilities, logging and other commercial projects, and expands the interests of utilities. The bill also restricts opportunities for public comment and judicial review related to managing and logging forests, curtailing NEPA’s reach and hampering its ability to ensure transparent and open government processes in forest management.
California has the second highest acre amount of National Forest land, with 20.8 million acres representing 18 separate National Forests, making this bill of urgent concern. Federal policy has a trickle down effect, and it is likely that we will see impacts on the state and local levels should HR 8790 become law; PG&E has already been working at the California Board of Forestry for more than a year, requesting expansion of the existing vegetation management Right-of-Way (ROW) for electric distribution lines. While this push has not been successful, a shift in national forest management policies would exert further pressure at the state level.
HR 8790 frames NEPA as a detriment to effective management of forest health and wildfire risk on federal land, and offers utilities a frankly alarming degree of authority in the handling of vegetation management work. Particularly concerning is HR 8790’s Title II, Sec. 203, granting utilities automatic approval of vegetation management plans 120 days after submission, and expanding the Right-Of-Way (ROW) for ‘hazard tree’ clearance for electric power lines from the current 10 feet to 150 feet. If broadened to include lands beyond those federally held, either of these permissions would allow any utility the right to effectively override property owners’ ability to protect their trees, and together they have the potential to cause widespread environmental harm. Though the bill includes language requiring private landowners be consulted ‘with respect to any hazard trees identified for removal’, it does not specify that inspection be performed by a qualified arborist not employed by the utility, placing landowners on a very unequal footing.
As a forest management tool, thinning and post-fire salvage logging on such a vast scale posits natural fire cycles as something akin to a disease process, requiring continuous trimming of live trees, soil scraping, and removal of burned trees and forest debris. This approach fails to look at forests as whole, connected and dynamic ecosystems in a constant state of senescence and renewal. Disrupting or destroying these cyclical processes by repeated clearing results in wind throw, the introduction of flammable invasives and grasses in previously shaded areas, and the diminishment of biodiversity and ecological resilience. It favors wildfire risk conditions rather than reducing them.
Ranking House Member Raul Grijalva points out that HR 8790 is “anchored in the false notion that public participation and environmental review are impeding active management”. The National Environmental Protection Act has, since its passage in 1969 as a landmark environmental law, been a powerful tool offering our forests enduring legal protections against unwarranted destruction. California’s National Forests contain some of the world’s most unique and biodiverse ecosystems; HR 8790 fails to protect them and, in doing so, weakens a core piece of environmental legislation.
Santa Cruz Group Issues Committee
Conservation Committeeworks on habitat conservation, monitors logging activities, reviews development projects, and participates in creation and modification of parks master plans, and city and county general and local coastal plans. Contact: Chair Mike Guthmguth@guthpatents.com
Transportation Committeereviews transportation projects within the Cities and County, supports public spending on increased Metro service with bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and large-scale bicycle and pedestrian projects. Contact: Chair Rick Longinottiricklonginotti@gmail.com
Political Committeemakes endorsements of candidates and ballot measures during election years. Contact: Chair Micah Posnermicahposner@cruzio.com
Who We Are
We are the Santa Cruz Group of the Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club, the world's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. With over 3.8 million members and supporters, the Sierra Club has the resources to empower people and to influence public policy through community activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Our mission is to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.