sep 2000 san diego sierra

8/12/2019 Sep 2000 San Diego Sierra

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HI SIERRANSierra Club, San Diego Chapter, serving Imperial & San Diego Counties

Working to preserve the special nature of San Diego for over half a centurywww.sandiego.sierraclub.orgVol. 59, NO. 5 Sept./Oct. 2000

InsideActivities & Meetings p. 6 & 7Bears in San Diego County p. 1Booksigning & book review p. 14Bus Trips-Current p. 26,27CALFED Water p. 15Chairs Column p. 3...in the shadow Chemgold p. 8Classifieds p. 31COL Training p. 26Conservation Corner p. 10Desert Conservation Outings p. 29Directory p. 2

ExCom Ballot p. 32ExCom Candidates p. 16 & 17First Aid Training p. 28Foster Lodge p. 18Membership Form p. 14Monthly Programs p. 4 & 5North County Events p. 5 & 8Outings List & Info p. 1930Peninsular Bighorn Sheep p. 9Roadless Wilderness Activists p. 12

Tamarisk Bashing p. 10

PhotobyLowellBla

nkfort

Although black bear sightingsin San Diego county arevirtually non-existent, over thepast months there have been a fewreports of them in and around thecounty.

To most of us this is welcome

news. There are habitats here thatcan certainly support black bears.But due to human development,habitat fragmentation and hunting,bears are a rarity in these parts. Thegrizzly was exterminated long agofrom our state and ironically can nowonly be seen on the state flag.

Several weeks ago the UnionTribune published an article (May15) about a black bear that was shotin Ramona, and the scenario was alltoo familiar: uninformed people sawa large predator, became afraid, and

reacted accordingly. In such inci-dents the victim is always the

The bear facts: A bearish outlookBy Rene Owens, wildlife biologist and Sierra Club Wildlife Subcommittee member

animal, which is killed simplybecause it was unlucky enough tocross paths with humans.

As our local county populationgrows exponentially and spreads intorural areas, the fate of our fewresident black bears is increasingly

at risk, and some basic educationabout black bear behavior is calledfor.

The Ramona incident is a casein point where a lack of understand-ing and fear resulted in a dead bear.The bear wandered onto rural privateproperty around 6 p.m. According tothe landowners account, they sawthe bear, went inside the house to geta gun, and upon seeing the bear riseup on its hind legs they say theyfired a shot in the air, followed by ashot to the head.

California Department of Fishand Game (CDFG) officer Mervin Hee

stated he would have done thesame thing, saying You cant takethe chance. At a distance of 35yards, if the bear was going toattack them, [the landowner] hadto make a decision and make theright decision.

However, the article alsorelates that all of the shooting tookplace from the doorway of thelandowners house. One familymember was quoted as saying,What was so shocking [was] thatit was broad daylight. Mr. Heealso stated, Is there a biologicalreason or health reason to havethe animal behaving this way?This is not normal behavior.

A necropsy was performed onthe bear, and the official reportwas that the bear, a male approxi-

mately 3 years old, weighed in atContinued on page 11

Persepolis, whose dramatic ruins are in southern Iran, goes back 2,500 years and

is one of the worlds most ancient cities. Hear and see more about Iran 7:30 p.m.

October 20 at the Otto Center in Balboa Park. (Details on page 5.)

Iran: An ancient culture and its modern people


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HI SIERRAN San Diego Chapter September/October 2000 Page 3

By Eric Bowlby, Chair, Chapter Executive Committee

Quality of life priorities for the

city of San Diego

continued on page 13

As part of the mayoral endorse-ment process, our Sierra ClubPolitical Committee endorsedJudge Dick Murphy, but our Execu-tive Committe voted to stay sidelinedand to NOT endorse either candidate.My vote was cast to stay neutralbased on the fact that both candi-dates have mixed environmentalrecords.

The Political Commitee, ExCom,myself and interested conservationactivists worked together to create alist of environmental solutions andproposals, Quality of Life Prioritiesfor the City of San Diego, for consid-eration by candidates Dick Murphyand Ron Roberts. Both candidatesagreed to all but a couple of theseitems.

Neither candidate supported ashift from minimum to maximumparking standards. Murphy promisedto keep the part of Sorrento Valley

Road adjacent to Peasquitos lagoonclosed to vehicle traffic, while Robertsfelt we could find a workable solutionand/or compromise. Roberts did notsupport elimination of diesel poweredvehicles.

Murphy would rather see thesecondary sewage treatment pondingsystem for the International WasteWater Treatment plant be located inMexico. He supports the concept ofpolution prevention requirements forshipyards and the lead abatementcomponent in the housing commis-

sion, but wanted more informationabout each of those items.Below is a brief summary of the

six page "Quality of Life Priorities forthe City of San Diego.

QUALITY OF LIFE PRIORITIES

SUMMARY FOR SAN DIEGO CITY

1) Stop over-commerc ia li zat ion o f

parks. No more than 25% ofMission Bay Park shall be leased.Use public park lease funds forenvironmental needs such as

water quality improvements inthe parks.

2) Neighborhood Qual ity of Li fe:

Support stronger code enforce-ment and consistency withcommunity plans. Planners willgo out to planning groups seekinginput and a group decision aboutgrowth in their community,density and/or populationincrease.Create financing/phasingaddressing infrastructure deficitsin neighborhoods required tosupport growth, a "pay as yougrow" plan.

3) Coastal Resource Pro tec t ions &

Wate r Quality Solut ions :

Support yearround waterquality monitoring. Support the newly proposedrequirement for filtration of stormwater runoff for all new develop-ment and significant redevelop-ment. About 90% of the pollutionin surface runoff is contained inthis first half inch of rain. Support limits on measuredpollution generated from non-

point source discharges. (Newstate law standards must be met.)Similarly support "Total Maxi-mum Daily Load" standards forurban storm water mitigationplansalong with watershedmanagement planning on aregional basis. Support deep ocean monitoring,and testing for pathogens chemi-cals (surfactants). Support tax incentives to treatand reuse storm water ratherthan dispose of it every time.

Oppose "Armoring of the Coast"(seawalls and other structures onpublic beaches attempting to slowdown natural cliff erosion). Accept responsibility for mainte-nance of public access ways tothe beaches before the papereasements expire. Support 30' height limit in thecoastal zone. Call for the federal governmentto raise the "funding cap" and goforward with EPA recommendedsecondary sewage treatment

ponding systems at the Hofer Sitein the USA. Call for urban canyon protec-tion by supporting removal ofsewer mains from urban canyonsand alternative access to sewerlines in canyons rather than newservice roads.

6) Renewable e nergy and effi-c i ency :

Increase the city's purchase of

DEADLINE for NEXT

ISSUE (Nov./Dec. 2000)Hi Sierran is

October 1, 2000

ARTICLES & PHOTOSWELCOMED. We prefer copy to be on a zipdisk or in Word, text or ASCII (MAC

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LETTERS to Editor Policy:Letters under 200 words. Editorreserves the right to trim or revisefor reasons of clarity, space or libel.See paragraph above to submit.

ADVERTISING Policy: Allchanges must be in writing. HiSierran reserves the right to rejectany advertising that it deems not inkeeping with the policies or stan-dards of the Sierra Club. Hi Sierranassumes no liability for errors in keynumbers, or if it becomes necessaryto omit an advertisement.


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Page 4 San Diego Chapter September/October 2000 HI SIERRAN

SEPTEMBERPROGRAMThe chapter's monthly program is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 15

at the San Diego Zoo's Otto Center (south of the Zoo's main entrance in Balboa Park).The program is free & open to the public. (Program Chair is Mannie Kugler.)

Friday, Sept. 15 Adventures in ThailandProgram by Barry & Corinne Smedly

Article by Gary Crawford

Visiting

Bangkoks

dazzling

Grand Palac

before

begining our

small group

adventure

from the far

north to the

far south of

Thailand.

Above: Starting out ahead of

the small group during our

fourday hike to visi t and

stay with the Hill Tribe of

Northern Thailand.

Right: Elephants are used to

take our small group through

the dense forest and across

fa st fl owin g ri ve rs of

Northern Thailand.

What would it be like to try a Thaitrekking tour astride an enormousand energetic Asian elephant inthe ancient Golden Triangle region of theRoyal Kingdom in Indochina?

Or would you rather take a rideon the infamous Death Railway inwestern Thailand after a brief visit tothe famous Bridge on the River Kwai?

Barry and Corinne Smedley,inveterate world travelers to sixcontinents, present Adventures in

Thailand, an enthralling lectureslide show about their recentjourney through fascinatingThailand. By traveling with asmall group, the Smedleys wereable to live with the local peopleand experience at firsthand therich Thai culture.

Upon touring the royalcapital of Bangkok, theytravelled by overnight train toChiang Mai, the original capital,and then began a fourday hikeinto the Golden Triangle ofnorthern Thailand, including anexciting elephant ride alongmuddy trails and river cross-ings.

After riding aboard theDeath Railway, they headedsouth to visit Khao Sok Na-tional Park, ending theirjourney in the far south wherethey explored pristine beachesand remote islands.


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Friday, Oct. 20 Iran: 3 weeks with the enemyProgram by April and Lowell Blankfort

Article by Gary Crawford

The chapter's monthly program is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 20

at the San Diego Zoo's Otto Center (south of the Zoo's main entrance in Balboa Park).The program is free & open to the public. (Program Chair is Mannie Kugler.)

OCTOBERPROGRAM

Photo by Lowell Blankfort

Iranians warmly welcomed the

Blankforts (like April, above) and

told them how much they loved

America and Americans despite

their leaders fulminations.

I t takes a couple of bold, globetrotting American journalists tovisit enigmatic Iran, a nationwithout diplomatic relations withthe United States and a countryenduring the consequences of anAmerican embargo during the lasttwo decades.

Lowell and April Blankfort,awardwinning journalists whohave visited more that 110 coun-tries, present IranThree WeeksWith the Enemy, a dynamic

documentary slide show about theirvisit last year to Iran.

According to the Blankforts,the presentation, updated toreflect recent events, focuses on theoilrich nations unique theocraticdemocracy, its relations with theUnited States, its treatment ofwomen and efforts by reformers ledby its hampered elected president toloosen the hold its clerical establish-ment has on the country.

Both Blankforts are longtimeSierra Club members and Lowell

publishes newspapers and magazinesin California and is the immediatepast president of the San Diego worldAffairs council. He also serves on thenational boards of the United NationsAssociation in New York and theCenter for International Policy inWashington, D.C. April is a former

director of the San Diego ComicOpera.

The North County Group meets

m onth ly at 7 :30 p.m., Monday ,

(Sept.11 an d Oct. 9) at th e Rancho

Bern ard o Josly n Senior Center,

located at 18 402 West Bernard o Drive

in Rancho Bernard o. The programs

are free and open to the publ ic .

Refreshments w ill be served. Program

Chai r is Dav id But le r 760-489-8842.

SEP. 11 Program: Adventures inThailandwith speakers Barry &Corinne Smedley

Barry and Corinne Smedleyjoined small group of adventureseekers in Bangkok for a remarkablejourney through amazing Thailand.After sightseeing in the royal capitalof Bangkok, the group traveled byovernight train to Chiang Mai, theoriginal capital. The group then

small group adventure enabled theintrepid travelers to experience theamazing Royal Kingdom by livingwith the local people and discoveringtheir rich culture and wonderfulcuisine.

Oct. 9 Program: EelgrassAquatic Trash Collector?Program by Cheryl Ann Kurtz

Cheryl Ann was this year'srecipient of the North County

Group's annual Bob Davey MemorialScholarship. She won for her work(master's thesis project) on therelationship between copper, lead,and zinc concentrations betweensediments inside eelgrass (Zosteramarina) beds and sediments outsideof eelgrass beds at two different flowregime environments in San DiegoBay.

However, prior studies concern-

began a four day hike into the GoldenTriangle of Northern Thailand,staying overnight with the Hill Tribepeople. The highlight of this walkingtour was an elephant ride alongmuddy trails and river crossings tothe next village.

Further adventures in WesternThailand include a visit to the

infamous Bridge on the River Kwai, aride on the Death Railway and anunforgettable kayak ride. In thesouth, Barry and Corinne visitedKhao Sok National Park. They stayedin a raft house, hiked, and explored acave by swimming through a swollenriver in total darkness. Their journeyended in Trang Province in the farsouth where they stayed with aMuslim family and explored pristinebeaches and remote islands. This

North County Group

continued on page 8


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SEPTEMBER 26 , Tuesday, 7 :30 p.m .

CHAPTER BOOKSTORE, AUTHOR

RECEPTION AND BOOKSIGNING Se e

art icle on page 1 4.

OCTOBER 9, Monday, 7 :30 p.m.

NORTH COUNTY GROUP

Program: EelgrassAquatic Trash

Collector? Program by Cheryl Ann Kurtzentitled (See page 5 for d etails.)

OCTOBER 11, Wedne sday, 7 p.m.

VISITOR/ NEW MEMBER

SIERRA CLUB ORIENTATION

Contact: Jean Rannels 619-2996816

Meet at the Tierrasanta RecreationCenter, 11220 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. SeeSept. 8 orientation activity for details.

OCTOBER 15, Sunday,

l ate a ft ernoon/ eveni ng

GAY & LESBIAN SIERRANS

HIKERS COSTUME BALL

For location/program information, calKathryn Vernon at 619-284-8136 or

Tom Markel at 858-488-4651.

OCTOBER 17 , Tuesday, 6 p.m.

SIERRA SINGLES

MONTHLY SLIDE SHOW

Coordinator: Gwenda Humphe rys

7 6 0 - 7 2 4 - 7 6 9 8

Adventure to Argentina. Experiencea three-week trip to Patagonia Tierra deFuego ("Land's End"). Join former SierraClub leader and hiker of "Tours by Betty"Betty Hobert, for an evening of hiking onGlacier Perito Moreno, and backpackingaround Mt. Fitzroy and Laguna Frey. Bringsomething to share for a potluck dinnerBring your own drink4355 Ruffin Road

Suite 100 at the San Diego Regional CenterOCTOBER 20, Friday, 7 :30 p.m.

MONTHLY CHAPTER PROGRAM

IRAN-ANCIENT CITIE S/MODERN

PEOPLE

April and Lowell Blankfort will presena lecture/slide show (spectacular slides) a7:30 p.m. SD Zoos Otto Center, BalboaPark. Details on pg 5.

OCTOBER 21-22, Saturday & Sunday

BICYCLE SECTION LODGE WEEKEND

Contact: Ron Manherz 858 -587-027 2

Enjoy the lodge with the Bicycle Section Oct. 21-22. Your non-refundable fee o$18 for bike section members ($22 for non

members) by Oct. 8 includes lodge fee, ahappy hour, and pancake breakfast. Sendcheck payable to Sierra Club Bicycle Section and legal SASE to: Ron Manherz, 4082Calgary Ave., San Diego, CA 92122-2507See Outings section for ride descriptions.

OCTOBER 27-29, Friday - Sunday

FOSTER LODGE HOLISTIC WEEKEND

AND HALLOWEEN PARTY

Live band...5 meals...5 workshops...2 nightsat cabinall for $75.. For more info calBob Spahle at 619-224-8990. For detailsand application, see page 18.

September Activities

October Activities

Deadline to submit informationto the Hi Sierran for Nov./Dec.

activities and meetings isOCT. 1

Marty Stevens,meetings & activities editor

email him at:

[email protected]

Postal mail:P.O. Box 70077, San Diego, CA 9216 7

Telephone: 8586730891

SEPTEMBER 10 , Sunday, 46 p.m .

MEET THE CANDIDATES FUNDRAISER

Chapter Pol i t ical Comm ittee Host ing

This must go to fun fundraiser willbe at the San Diego Zoos Otto Center.Learn what candidates Sierra Club likesand doesnt and mingle with them. Great

foodno speeches. Just fun and learn.Suggested donation of $25 per person or$40 family. Call 2991743 for information.

SEPTEMBER 11, Monday, 7 :30 p.m .

NORTH COUNTY GROUP

Advent ures in Thailand

Program by Barry & Corinne Smedley

Barry and Corinne Smedley joinedsmall group of adventure seekers inBangkok for a remarkable journey throughamazing Thailand discovering their richculture and wonderful cuisine. (Details onpage 8.)

SEPTEMBER 13, Wedne sday, 7 p.m.

VISITOR/ NEW MEMBER

SIERRA CLUB ORIENTATION

Meet at the Tierrasanta RecreationCenter, 11220 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Wemeet in the back building,on the left. Pre-sentations start at 7 p.m. featuring Singles,Bike, Photo, Ski, Focus on Youth, 20/30sSingle Sierrans sections, and North County,and chapter activities. There are over 1,000outings and activities during the year inthe San Diego Chapter. Refreshments areserved.

SEPTEMBER 15, Friday, 7 :30 p.m .

MONTHLY CHAPTER PROGRAM

ADVENTURES IN THAILAND

Barry and Corinne Smedly will

present a lecture/slide show (great slides)on their Adventures in Thailan dat 7:30 p.m.SD Zoos Otto Center, Balboa Park. Call619-2991744, mailbox 1040. Details onpg 4.


GAY & LESBIAN SIERRANS - POTLUCK

For location/program information,call Mary Severine at 619-283-6168 or TomMarkel at 858-488-4651.

SEPTEMBER 20 , Wedn es day,

68:30 p .m.

SIERRA SINGLES PICNIC DINNER

and SLIDE SHOW

Coordinator: Jean Rannells619-299-6816 (before 9 p.m.)After work, pick up fast-food and bev-

erage or bring your own from home. We'llmeet at 6 p.m. at the reflecting pool on thePrado in front of the Botanical Garden

building in Balboa Park. Bring a chair orblanket to sit on. At 7 p.m., we'll move tothe San Diego Model Railroad Museum inBalboa Park to view an exciting slide showof Carrizo Gorge and the Goat Canyon

Trestle, in eastern San Diego County.Reena Deutsch, a Sierra Club COL, recentlyorganized the first public train trip into the

SIERRA CLUB HIKESStart on page 19

gorge in over 49 years and will show us therugged, arid beauty of Carrizo Gorge andthe "8th wonder of the modern world," thelargest, curved, wooden trestle in North

America. She'll report on future plans toopen the railroad to freight and passengerservice. Hear why it has been called "TheImpossible Railroad." Take Park Blvd, thenturn west to Space Theatre Way. The costis $3 for the slide show. Can't come to the

slide show but are interested in riding atrain into Carrizo Gorge? Contact ReenaDeutsch at 619-2876550 on Sept. 11-20,9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. or Oct. 1-7, 79 p.m., orat [email protected] any time.

The Inner CityOutings CommitteeNEEDS YOU!

San Diego Sierra Club and areayouth groups are joining together tobuild an Inner City Outings (ICO)program. This program provideswilderness adventures for children

who wouldnt otherwise have themincluding urban youth of diversecultural and ethnic backgrounds,hearing or visually impaired individu-als, and the physically disabled. Itsa way of helping children to learnabout, and enjoy the great outdoors,and give them a new sense of wonderand appreciation for the worldaround them.

We are looking for volunteers tobecome Chapter Outings Leaders,and/or committee members. This isa completely volunteer program. So

your involvement is essential to makeit work. If you dont have time to givebut would like to help the programby making a cash donation, sendyour gift to the San Diego Sierra Clubc/o Inner City Outings.

Contact one of our local co-chairpersons by phone or email ifyou want to get involved:

Co-Chair, Robert Blakeslee 858-755-6243, email address: [email protected]

Co-Chair, Darlene Gunter 858-467-0852, email address: [email protected]


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SEPTEMBER 26 , Tuesday, 4 p.m .

BOOKSTORE COMMITTEE and

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

Sierra Club Office and Bookstore. Bookstoremanagement and operation. Call GeoffreySmith at 858-5665676 for information andto confirm time.

SEPTEMBER 27, Wedne sday, 7 p.m.COASTAL COMMITTEE

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.Call Eric Bowlby at 619-2849399 or

Joanne Pearson 858-4597041 for info.

SEPTEMER 28, Thursday, 6 :30 p.m .

WILDLIFE COMMITTEE

La Jolla Childrens Pool. Meet with PatrickOrd (Friends of the Seals) re 70-80 seals

which return to the beach here at night.Call Shannon Davis at 619-4248055.Come and save wildlife and habitat.

SEPTEMBER 28, Thursday, 6 :30 p.m .

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING

Please call Richard Miller for location, 619-

2913061.

SEPTEMBER 6, Wedn es day, 7 p.m .

FORES T & WILDERNESS COMMITTEE

Sierra Club Office and Bookstore, 3820 RaySt. Call Geoffrey Smith at (858) 566-5676for information and to confirm time.

SEPTEMBER 11, Monday, 7 p.m.

(CAN) CONSERVATION ACTION

NETWORK STEERING COMMITTEETwiggs Coffee House: 4590 Park Blvd., SanDiego (Park & Madison Ave.). This is thesteering committee for our chapters con-servation alerts. Visitors welcomed. CallDiane Smith 858-488-0342 or JaniceMcKalisen 858-271-8058.

SEPTEMBER 12 , Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

CONSERVATION COMMITTEE.

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.Call (619) 2991741 for information.

All conservation activists are welcome.

SEPTEMBER 13, Wedne sday, 6 p.m.

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE.

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.

Call Bob McDowell at 619-2820664 for in-formation.


HI SIERRAN NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE

3820 Ray St. Call Pauline Jimenez 619-660-9898.

SEPTEMBER 20, Wedne sday, 6 :30 p.m .

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MTG.

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St. Call 619-299-1743 for info.

SEPTEMBER 21, Thursday, 7 p.m.

PHOTO S ECTION MEETING

Call 619-2991744, ext. 2070 for currentinformation.

SEPTEMBER 21, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

INNER CITY OUTINGS (ICO)

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St. CallDarlene Gunter at (858) 4670852 for info.

SEPTEMBER 25, Monday, 7 p.m.

LAND USE COMMITTEE

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.An exciting and active committee workingon many land use issues, including urbansprawl. Call Fred Lorenzen for info at 619-4353422.

September Meetings

Sierra Singles

21 and over Wilderness

Outdoor

Social Activities619299TREE

For Single Personsin their 20's & 30's

(619) 5446124A section of the San Diego Chapter

October MeetingsOCTOBER 3, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

POLITICAL COMMITTEE

3820 Ray St. Call Lon Gillette 760-9437035 for information.

OCTOBER 4, Wedn es day, 7 p .m .FORES T & WILDERNESS COMMITTEE

Special Wilderness Campaign Kickoff .Call Geoffrey Smith at 858-566-5676 for in-formation and to confirm location.

OCTOBER 9, Monday, 5 :30 p.m.

HI SIERRAN NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE

3820 Ray St. Call Pauline Jimenez 619-660-9898.

OCTOBER 9, Monday, 7 p.m.

(CAN) CONSERVATION ACTION

NETWORK STEERING COMMITTEE

Twiggs Coffee House: 4590 Park Blvd., SanDiego (Park & Madison Ave.). See May 8.


FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE.

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.

Call Bob McDowell at 619-2820664.OCTOBER 19, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

INNER CITY OUTINGS (ICO)

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St. CallDarlene Gunter at 858-4670852 for info.

OCTOBER 10 , Tuesday, 6 :30 p.m .

CONSERVATION COMMITTEE.

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.Call 619-2991741 for information.

All conservation activists are welcome.

OCTOBER 18, Wedne sday, 6:30 p.m.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MTG.

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St. Call 619-299-1743 for info.

OCTOBER 23 , Monday, 7 p.m ..m .LAND USE COMMITTEE

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.An active committee working on many landuse issues, including urban sprawl. For info,call Fred Lorenzen at 619-4353422.

OCTOBER 24 , Tuesday, 4 p.m .

BOOKSTORE COMMITTEE and

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

Sierra Club Office and Bookstore. Bookstoremanagement and operation. Call GeoffreySmith at 858-566-5676 for information andto confirm time.


COASTAL COMMITTEE MEETINGSierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.Call Joane Pearson at 858-4597041

OCTOBER 26, Thursday, 7 p.m.

WILDLIFE COMMITTEE

Sierra Club Office, 3820 Ray St.Call Shannon Davis at 619-4248055.Come and save wildlife and habitat.

OCTOBER 26, Thursday, 6 :30 p.m .

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING

Please call Richard Miller for location, 619-2913061.

Join the

Sierra ClubPhotography

Section2nd Thursday each m onth

at 7 p.m. Please cal l our

hot l ine for act ivity &

me et ing deta i ls !

6 1 9 2 9 9 1 7 4 4 ,

m ai lbox #2 070 .

20s & 30sSingle Sierrans

FOSTER LODGE COMMITTEE

MONTHLY MEETING CALL FOR

TIME, DATE AND LOCATION

Join us at the Foster Lodge monthly meet-ing and see if it is for you. Please callDianne Pietila at 8582743100 for info.


8/17


North County Group

On Sunday, September 17,2000, North County Group is havinga hike and picnic in Escondido atDixon Lake. The hike begins at 9:30a.m. from the first picnic cabana onthe left as you enter the park. Thereis parking available at this site for a$1 fee. Free parking is available justoutside the front gate.

Please look for signs that saySierra Club. Lugged soled shoes anda bottle of water is required toparticipate.

The picnic will begin at 11 a.m.where the hike began. Chicken,carne asada, veggie burgers, coolsalads, iced tea, lemonade and tastydesserts will be served in full view ofthe lovely Dixon Park. We encouragemembers of all ages to come andparticipate. Bringing a lawn chair isrecommended.

There will be games for every-one and there is also wheelchairaccess to this area. A $4.00 dona-tion per participant is appreciated.Please RSVP to Laura (760) 432-8208by Friday, Sept. 15th. Let us know ifyou want to carpool and leave atelephone number in your message.

ing phytoremediation (use of plantsto remove heavy metals from soils/sediments) have focused on either

terrestrial plants or algae, but haveyet to consider the marine vascularplants already tolerating suchpolluted conditions. Her project isalso looking at the gene sequencingof a set of unique heavy metal-complexing peptides calledphytochelatins, which are present inall vascular plants and give the plantits ability to detoxify heavy metals toa level where they do not harm or

affect the plant or its functions inany way. In the past, phytochelatinresearch has only been conducted on

terrestrial plants.Overall, her research will offer a

closer look at whether or not Zosteramarina can be effectively used as aphytoremediation tool to removeheavy metals from San Diego Baysediments and give a closer insightinto how the eelgrass plants them-selves are able to tolerate heavymetal pollution.

continued from page 5

On the 22ndof April last, I had

the opportunity to lead achapter outing to climb

Picacho Peak, along the Colorado

River, in Imperial County.After all of the planning andpreparations were finalized, I waslooking forward to revisiting thiswonderful scenic area after anabsence of almost five years. I hadfirst became aware of this area andits scenic beauty from the viewing ofa Sierra Club pictorial calendar manyyears ago.

I was further heartened by anarticle in the just arrived May/Juneissue of the Hi-Sierran( p.16 ) inwhich Secretary of the Interior BruceBabbit confirmed that the BLM hasthe authority using existing laws,statues and plans to deny theChemgold Mine expansion in thislocation in the protected Californiadesert.

While making final preparationsfor my outing , I was informed, viaLISTSERVE (see page 31 for how toget LISTSERVE infor ma tion), that theChemgold Corporation had filed alawsuit against the BLM, in thefederal court in Reno Nevada,seeking to overturn the BLMsdecision to deny Chemgolds miningpermit. Having attended a hearingand written letters to stop this mineexpansion months ago, I thoughtthat the mine expansion was a deadissue. WRONG!

I immediately got some refer-ence material together to use toinform my outing participants aboutour chapters long fight to stop this

proposed mine expansion. At thetrailhead, after the introductions, Idiscussed some of the proposed mineexpansion issues with my partici-pants.

I emphasized that the fight tostop the mine is NOT OVER. I alsotold them that they could witness theconsequences of open pit miningfirsthand from the summit of ourdestination, Picacho Peak.

After overcoming all of thetechnical difficulties that PicachoPeak offered up to our group ofenthusiastic climbers, we soaked inthe views from the summit.

All 360 degrees of the compasshad wonderful views, except whenlooking directly down to east-south-east.

Here, at the site of Chemgoldsexisting mine, we could see the hugegaping open pit, the cyanide leachpools, and the talus piles that are sotypical of this type of mining opera-tion.

It was here that I pointed out tomy participants that the new mine,approximately six miles to the west,would be about six times the size ofthis existing mining operation. Imyself tried to visualize the amountof road building, truck traffic,airborne dust particles and water

Climbing in theshadow ofChemgoldusage that this mine expansionwould produce.

The final horror is thatChemgold just wants to walk away

and leave it when exploitation of thisfragile desert resource is finished.Cleanup is just too expensive, saysChemgold. This blight upon the landwill last forever.

As a climber, I love to visit thehigh summits of far away places. Uphere, on the summit of Picacho Peak,I was reminded of former SierraClub Executive Director DavidBrowers appeal to climbers to comedown out of the mountains and joinin the fight to save them.

I imagined that he would saythe same thing about our fragiledesert ecosystem.

As we left the summit, after ourall too brief visit, I implored everyoneto join in this fight to save thisspecial place.

by Dennis Richards

Sept. 17 Dixon LakePicnic and Hike


9/17


Trails in critical Peninsular

Bighorn Sheep habitat in SanDiego, Imperial and Riverside

counties may need to be closed tominimize human disturbance of thesheep.

Peninsular Bighorn Sheep havebeen a federally listed endangeredspecies since March 1998. Theirnumbers have declined from 1,170

By Doug Hansen, member of Wildlife Subcommittee

individuals in 1971 to only 335 in

1999.Due to a lawsuit brought by the

Center for Biological Diversity andthe Desert Survivors, the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service (USFWS) is nowin the process of designating criticalhabitat for the sheep (see map).

The proposed critical habitatarea covers the desert slopes of the

San Jacinto and San Ysidro Moun-

tains, as well as the Santa RosaMountains, Coyote Canyon, theVallecito Mountains, and the CarrizoCanyon/Tierra Blanca Mountains/Coyote Mountains area.

Peninsular Bighorn Sheep havebeen shown by scientific studies tobe very sensitive to human distur-bance, and the draft recovery plan for

the sheep proposes the develop-ment and implementation of atrails management program inthe critical habitat area with theparticipation of affected land

management agencies, scientificorganizations and user groups.

This program is only one ofthe many measures proposed topromote sheep recovery. Itwould examine each of the trailsin the critical habit area to see ifthey require seasonal closure,relocation, or permanent closure.

These trails are the Northand South Lykken trails,

Tahquitz Canyon trail, DunnRoad, Murray Hill trail, CathedralCanyon trail, Mirage trail, Art

Smith trail, Carrizo Canyon trail,Bear Creek Canyon trail, BooHoff trail, Guadalupe trail andthe Morrow trail.

The San Diego ChaptersWildlife Subcommittee encour-ages Sierra Club members whouse the critical habitat area forrecreation to do their part inhelping save these magnificentanimals by educating themselvesabout the sheep and by partici-pating in the trails managementprogram once it begins.

If you are interested inhelping the committee, we meeton the 4th Thursday of eachmonth at the Sierra Club office.Our contact person is ShannonDavis, 619-424-8055.

Saving Peninsular Bighorn Sheep

may require local trail closures


10/17


Conservation CornerFarewell

Tamarisk, also known assaltcedar, is a non-native,invasive, and noxious plantthat has found its way into a vastmajority of the states.

In the west it is particularlyobnoxious because of its ability tospread far and wide, its thirst forwater, and salting of the ground. A

mature tamarisk plant can produce500,000 seeds a season, bloomsthroughout the year not just inspring, uses twice the amount ofwater that native trees do andconcentrates the salts on its leaves,hence the name saltcedar.

A major effect of tamarisk is todry up water sources. The BLMseveral years ago did a controlledburn of 4 acres in Afton Canyon toclean out the thick growth of tama-risk. They had not seen any freeflowing water in the canyon for many

years. Less than 24 hours later,there was water flowing in thecanyon.

For the past three years I havebeen organizing volunteers to chopand kill tamarisk in selected canyonsin the southern Anza-Borrego desert.By eliminating the tamarisk, water isavailable for animals, in particularbighorn sheep, and it helps thenative plants continue to survive.

I have adopted Jacumba Jim

By Larry Klaasen

The fine art of Tamarisk bashing

Canyon, a small side canyon offCarrizo Canyon. It has a streamrunning all year, and I have seen lotsof bighorn sheep tracks in thecanyon.

Last year, we had a group ofSierra Club volunteers, the CCC andBLM rangers. We cut some largetrees and about 50 yards of smallertamarisk bushes. The next morningwhen we went back into the canyon,we could see more water running,less than 16 hours later.

For this next season, when itfinally cools down in the desert, I willbe doing several trips and alwaysneed helping hands.

The first will be Carrizo Fallsand Bear Falls just north of PicachoWilderness on the Colorado River(see Oct. 28-29 outing on page 25).Carrizo Falls is a beautiful little slotfalls with palm trees and a pool at

the base of the falls.Another adventure will be San

Sebastian Marsh, east of BorregoSprings. The marsh is fed by manysprings and contains several poolswith desert pupfish.

And of course I'll be back intoJacumba Jim Canyon. Watch forannouncements in the Hi Sierran, ordrop me message to put you on myTamarisk Bashing list, [email protected], or 619-582-7407.

This past July, I was offered apermanent position with theInternational Council for LocalEnvironmental Initiatives in Berkeley

to work on a campaign to reduceemissions of global warming gases. Imade the decision to accept the job,and by the time this article goes out Iwill already be gone. This has notbeen an easy decision to make, but Istrongly believe that everythinghappens for a reason and that thechapter will be successful in its effortsto bring about change in San Diego.

There are many aspects of myposition at the Sierra Club San Diegothat I really enjoyed and learned

from, most significantly the supportand dedication of all the volunteers. Isincerely thank everyone who hasbeen so great to work with. Your careand concern for the environment andthe Club are evident and you shouldall be proud of the work you aredoing. I especially would like to thankour Chapter Chair Eric Bowlby, whoworks what seems like hundreds ofhours a week, all volunteer time. Shootgazoot Eric, you are an inspiration!

As a final observation, I would

like to leave you with this. Over andover again in the months that I havespent in San Diego, I have askedmyself the question of why we con-tinue to make choices about how wegrow that result in disastrous im-pacts to our environment. We knowabout the tenets of smart growth.There are more than a few plannershere with environmental degrees. Wehave strict environmental regulations(at least if you listen to the develop-ers, and certainly by comparison, tosay, Arkansas).

However, it is a known fact thatSan Diego is home to more endan-gered species than almost anywherein the U.S. (I believe we tie the largeisland of Hawaii). We are the onlyplace in the country that does nothave secondary sewage treatment.Flying into the area, you cant helpbut notice the ever-outward creepingurban sprawl, and have you noticedhow many golf courses there are

here? According tothe San Diego golfcourse website,San Diego has

more golf coursesthan any other cityin the country.(Sorry to the golfersbut last I checkedthe greens are notcritical habitat forany endangeredspecies).

Ultimately, what it comes downto is political will. We are electingpeople who are allowing this unsus-tainable development pattern to

continue. Stop doing that. Tell your

By Melissa Royael,Chapter Conservation/Volunteer Coordinator

neighbors to stop. Tell the peoplewho dont vote to stop unsustainabledevelopment. Change the politicalwill. Its your town;

take it back.


11/17


293 lbs., and in its gut they foundover 90% vegetation, 7% carrion, 3 %plastic and natural feeding. Theanimal had a low parasite load, andwas deemed in very good condition. If

one is even somewhat familiar withbear behavior and natural history,this is not surprising; and neitherwas its behavior abnormal as ob-served before it was shot. Accordingto the game warden, the bearsintestines were fully packed. Itwasnt out to feed.

Obviously as a biologist, Ialready had my own opinions aboutthis incident. However, I sought toconfirm them by asking an expert.Dr. Gordon Burghardt is a distin-guished service professor at the

University of Tennessee, specializingin ethology (animal behavior), and apast president of the Animal BehaviorSociety who began studying blackbear behavior over 30 years ago.Among other topics, he studied blackbear aggression and human/bearconflicts and interactions. He serveduntil recently as vice-president foroperations at the Appalachian BearCenter in the Great Smoky Moun-tains. I sent him the article (before Ihad the necropsy results) and heresponded as follows:

...it seems the basic issue is the oldone of people unfamiliar with bears notknowing what to do and subsequently

justifying an impulsive, fearmotivatedaction. The bear, by standing, was not

being aggressive but trying to gauge thesituation, get scent, etc.

Had it not just been curious aboutpotential food it would have charged sofast that there never would have been achance to get a gun. Making lots ofnoise and visual distraction is the best

way to scare it off. It appears that thepeople were in no danger as they werealready in the house or on the porch ...

Thus I see no real reason to shoot thebear. Why did they not call 911 if theyfelt it an emergency?

The bear sounds like it could havebeen a young male forced out of goodhabitat by higher ranking animals andthus trying to survive in an area ofpoorer resources.

Incidentally, poorer resourceshere does not mean unsupportablehabitat. Because bears hold largeterritories, the stronger males willchase off competing bears and thus

get first pick of the best habitats,leaving the smaller, younger ones tosearch for territories elsewhere inless prime areas in respect to avail-ability and density of preferred food,

among other things.

Some facts about black bear

behavior that can help us avoid

negative interactions:1. Black bears are diurnal.

They are normally active duringdaylight hours as they forage forberries, grasses, nuts and insects,among other things. They have beenknown to shift their behavior tonocturnal, mostly to avoid humanactivity. A scavenging bear wander-

ing onto a rural property duringdaylight hours is not abnormal,especially when its natural habitat isquickly being encroached upon andfragmented by development.

2. Unprovoked, predatoryattacks by black bears are extremelyrare but highly publicized. Suchattacks have accounted for only 23human deaths throughout all ofNorth America over the past century.Minor injuries by bears are usuallyinstigated by irresponsible behavioron the part of the human, such as

people trying to feed them or petthem.

3. Bears eat meat, but theirgreatest skill is scavenging for aneasy meal, not unlike skunks orsquirrels. They have color vision,acute hearing, and an excellent senseof smell. Keeping a clean camp isimportant; it helps insulate bearsfrom the effects of our increasing useof the wilderness while preventingbears from being needlessly relocatedor killed as nuisances.

4. A standing bear is a curious

bear, not a threat. Standing givesthe bear a better vantage point fromwhich to see and smell.

5. Black bears do not attackmenstruating women. This mythwas researched by biologists andfound to be untrue.

What to do

if you see a black bear:

1. Remember that black bear

attacks on humans are extremelyrare, and a glimpse of a wild bear is aluxury to be remembered. Mostblack bears are timid of humans andwill flee or climb a tree to escapethem.

2. If the bear is approaching orappears to be a threat, face it wavingyour arms and making a lot of noise,shaking branches, banging pans,

clapping, etc. Make sure the beardoes not feel cornered and has aclear escape route. Stand up tall,and slowly retreat while facing thebear.

3. Dont run. This adviceshould be heeded with any largecarnivore. Turning ones back andfleeing is the response of prey.

4. If you have dogs with you,keep them leashed and retreat withthem while facing the bear. Unfortu-nately dogs are still used to huntbears. Black bears naturally avoid

them, but if it feels cornered by adog, a bear will defend itself. If thedogs are barking or approaching thebear, call them back immediately.Any dog, regardless of size, breed ortemperament is no match for acornered (and thus fearful) adultbear. Provoking a bear to defensivebehavior is never a good idea.

5. A black bear in camp or onprivate property requires caution butis not cause for great alarm. Nevercrowd, feed or try to pet a bear (youdbe surprised how often this happens).

Never approach a bear closely even ifit seems passive. Touching or feedinga bear can elicit a nip or cuff.

For more informat ion, vis i t some

of the var ious w eb sites about bla ck

bears, inc lud ing:

w w w .bear.org/ species/ blackbear

w w w .bearbiology.com

ht tp :/ / usparks .about.com/ t ravel /

uspark s/ blbeart ips.htm

w w w .mesc.usgs.gov/ glac ier /

gr izz lyb.htm

When facing a bear . . .Continued from page 1


12/17


Pot en t i a l Wi l d er n ess Acr es Ad op t i ve Pa r en t

Agua Tibia (BLM) 360 Bryon Anderson (619) 4425781Barker Valley (USFS) 8,000 Darren Irwin, (619) 7934478

Beauty Mtn (BLM) 11,342 Janice McKalson, (619) 2718058Caliente (USFS) 5,900 Bryon Anderson, (619) 4425781

Carrizo Gorge (BLM) Larry Klaasen, (619) 5827407

Coldwater (USFS) 9 ,000 Rene Owens, (619) 6595871Cutca Valley (USFS) 12,000 Darren Irwin, (858) 7934478Eagle Peak (USFS) 6,800 Camille Armstrong, (858) 5769500Hauser Cyn addtn (USFS/BLM)6,500 Cheryl Reiff, (619) 6973167Hauser Mtn (BLM) 5,489 Glenn Torbett, (858) 5657347

Jacumba Mtns WSA (BLM) 27,520 Jack Paxton, (760) 7443282Ladd (USFS) 5,700 Rene Owens, (619) 6595871No Name (USFS) 5,200 Cindy Buxton, (619) 5161711North Fork San Luis Rey River (WSR) Neal Biggart, (619) 4419874North Algodones Dunes (BLM)7,040 Doug Hansen, (619) 2329632Pine Creek WSR (USFS) Stephen Ezakovich (619) 4751464San Diego River WSR (USFS) Cindy Buxton, (619) 5161711San Felipe Hills WSA (BLM) 5,325 Lissa Adams, (619) 2965606San Ysidro Mtns WSA (BLM) 2,500 Dave Hogan, (760) 7829244Santa Margarita River (WSR) Kathleen Miller, (760) 7237169Sawtooth Mtns WSA (BLM) 7,680 Greg Moll, (619) 2831814

Sill Hill (USFS) 5,200 Greg Moll, (619) 2831814South Algodones Dunes WSA (BLM) 61,950 Geoffrey Smith, (858) 5665676

Sunshine Mtn (USFS) 4,000 Cindy Buxton, (619) 51617116Table Mtn (BLM) 5,760 Larry Hogue, (619) 2958745Trabuco Hot Sprngs (USFS) 23,500 Dorothy Klitzing, (760) 7460131

The California Wild Heritage Campaign aims to protect all of the state'sremaining potential wilderness landsover 300 locations statewide. We are inviting

you to join us! As part of our education campaign we need leaders to conduct tripsto these areas, and volunteers to join with adoptive parents for monitoring andadvocacy. Please contact one of the following volunteers. We urgently need yourinvolvement, photos, notes and descriptions!

indicates outing in this issueadoptive parent needed!BLM=Bureau of Land Management

USFS-United States Forest Service

WSR=Wild and Scenic River

TOTAL ACREAGE 2 3 6 ,5 0 0 Join us at our monthly Forest andWilderness coordination meeting: 1stWednesday of every month, 79 p.m.at the Sierra Club Office/Bookstore,

3820 Ray Street, San Diego.

Project Coordinators: Camille Arms trong and Geoffrey Smith, (85 8) 56 6567 6

Mail to: gsmith @thec ompute rsmith.com

California Wild Heritage Campaign

More than one-billion boardfeet of timber could be cut

over the next five years inthe roadless parts of America'snational forests, ruining areas thatare wilderness in all but name.

President Clinton says he wantsto protect these places and last yearasked the U.S. Forest Service for aplan of action. On May 9, the agencyreleased its proposal and a draftenvironmental impact statement.

More than 40 San Diegoactivists attended the Forest Service

hearing and held a press conferencein late May. We received excellentcoverage on radio, TV and newspa-per. One month later, an evengreater number of roadless activistsfrom the Sierra Club again packedthe hearing room and gave publiccomment for the record on thisimportant issue.

The proposal hits very close tohome in San Diego. The ClevelandNational Forest is home to 10roadless areas, totaling 92,000 acres

in size (refer to the listing of theseareas on this page labeled 'CaliforniaWild Heritage Campaign'.)

There is no shortage of roads inthe Cleveland: 1,450 miles of roadsrun throughout our local forest,including 604 miles under the directjurisdiction of the Cleveland NationalForest.

"This is a great opportunity tosave many of the nation's wildforests, but it looks like the ForestService may drop the ball," said ScottHoffman Black, then director of theCalifornia Wild Heritage Campaign."Only four management plan alterna-tives are on the table, and none ofthem go far enough."

The Forest Service prefersAlternative 2, which would preventonly road buildingmining , loggingand other extractive uses would beallowed to continue.

Alternative 1 would maintainthe status quoin other words, no

special protection for roadless areas.Alternative 3 would ban newroads and commercial logging.

Alternative 4 would ban roadsand all logging. Conservation groupswant the Forest Service to end roadbuilding, logging, mining and off-road vehicle driving in national forestroadless areas.

There are two other big prob-lems with the Forest Service'sproposal. First, it essentially ignores

by Geoffrey Smith, chair of chapter forest and wilderness subcommittee

Roadless wilderness supported

Alaska's 17-million acre TongassNational Forest; Second, it limits

itself to roadless areas larger than5,000 acres. Many deserving placescould end up unprotected because ofthe Forest Service's decision to leaveout the Tongass and the smallerroadless areas.

The deadline for written com-ments has now passed. Time will telwhether the Forest Service delivers asolid plan to protect our roadlessareas from destruction.

Activists hit the road


13/17


energy from renewable sourcesand commit to energy efficiencyinvestment and "green building"evaluations for all city propertiesand leaseholds.Undertake a

greenhouse gas /air pollutioninventory and identify costeffective reductions.

7) Support format ion o f a

Citizen's Environmental Advi-

sory Comm ission.

8) Transportation:

Support redesign of our trans-portation/mobility network andRegional Transportation Plan.Reduce vehicle miles traveled percapita/increase transit marketshare.

Support Mayor Golding's memodated Feb. 25, 2000, to SANDAGcalling for an "immediate update"of the Regional TransportationPlan. This memo encourages ourplanners to achieve the goal ofhandling 10% of our trips withpublic transit. Transit currentlyonly serves 2% of the trips region-wide. Move to create roads/streetspolicies to make communitiesmore "walkable," i.e. increasemobility and safety for people,

bicycles and cars.9 ) S h if t fro m m i n im u m p ark in g

standards to maximum parking

standards.

10) Transi t Oriented/ Mixed Use

Development: Promote land usepolicies and funding that encour-ages higher density housing andsuitable mixed use developmentwithin walking distance of majortransit investments.

11 ) Wet lands: Limit allowable usesthat impact wetlands to essential

public service utilities that cannotavoid the impact. Remainingvernal pools must be avoided. Incases where a landowner hasproven economic hardship,support a Priority WetlandsAcquisition Fund instead ofpermitting the impact.

12) Power lines: Enforce agreementsfor under-grounding of powerlines and seek to upgradestandards so that more neighbor-hoods qualify.

13 ) Recy cling: Maintain funding forcity-wide curbside recycling evenif state funding is cut.

14) Hillsides: Support strong policy

for protection of steep hillsides.15) Sorento Valley Road: Support

keeping the section of SorrentoValley Rd. next to the PenasquitosLagoon closed to vehicle trafficpermanently.

16 ) Redevelopement : Supportexpansion of the Barrio LoganRedevelopment area and loanfunds to accomplish this effort.

17 ) Pollution preven tion: Supportmandatory pollution preventionrequirements for the largest

pollution emitters such asshipyards and the Navy. Supportelimination of diesel poweredvehicles.

18 ) Lead poison ing preven tion

program: Utilize Proposition 10

From the Chair

Conservation Coordinator Melissa Royael is handing Rusty Runholt a prizea

certificate for the Fish Market from the our chapter's Earth Fair raffle. Photo by

Cheryl Reiff.

continued from page 3

funds to establish a comprehen-sive lead poisoning preventionprogram. Support the creation ofa lead abatement component inthe Housing Commission or other

City of San Diego department.

19) Border Relations: Meet regu-larly with representatives fromTijuana, to review regional qualityof life issues; listen to existinggroups and set up new workinggroups of citizens/NGO's toaddress cross-border environ-mental problems and solutions.Learn more about what Tijuana'sagencies are doing to solve cross-border problems.

If the candidates keep thepromises they made to the SierraClub and San Diego during ourreview process, we're going to see amarked improvement in protectingour quality of life.


14/17


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Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club are not taxdeductible; they support our effective, citizenbased advocacyand lobbying efforts. Your dues include $7.50 for a subscription toSierramagazine and $1 for theHi Sierran(chapter newsletter).

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Book ReviewBy Natalie Coller

Book: My Nature Jo urnal; written and illustrated by Adrienne Olmstead

This book is called a personalnature guide for young people

(8 years and older). It is filled withinformation and drawings, as well asplaces for each child to record ordraw pictures of all the animals andplants they find in the outdoors. Italso makes suggestions for helpingthe child to become more environ-mentally aware and more observant.

Book: All the Wild and Lonely Placeswritten by Lawrence Hogue

This is an interesting bookwhich describes the desert areas ofSan Diego and Imperial counties interms of their present appearance aswell as their past. In between, theauthor discusses the evolutionarychanges which have taken place overthe last 10,000 years, particualrly inregard to the vegetation and waterresources.

There is considerableinformation regarding theindigenous peoples of thearea, and the author hasobviously spent considerabletime learning about theirhistory, as well as the prob-lems they face in the future.

If there is one criticism,it would be that the authorseems to have accepted oneof two authorities as

definitive without havingexplored other view-points. However, thewriting is beautifuland the book worthreading if the readerremembers to keep

an open mind.

The Sierra Club Bookstore isproud to host author andSierra Club member LarryHogue from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday,Sept. 26, for a short talk about hisnew book. The author will beavailable to sign copies of his bookfor sale at the store.

In "All the Wild and Lonely Places:Journeys in a Desert Landscape" (IslandPress), Lawrence Hogue offers a thoughtfuland evocative portrait of Anza-Borrego andof the people who have lived there, bothoriginal inhabitants and Spanish and

American newcomerssoldiers, Forty-Niners, cowboys, canal-builders, natural-ists, recreationists, and restorationists.

We follow along with the author on aseries of excursions into the desert, each

time learning more about the region's his-tory and why it calls into question deeplyheld beliefs about "untouched" nature. And

we join him in considering the implicationsof those revelations for how we think aboutthe land that surrounds us, and how weuse and care for that land.

Please join us this night as we honorthe fine work of this author! Refreshments

will be provided.The Sierra Club Bookstore is located

at 3820 Ray St., in North Park (one blockeast of 30th Street and one block south ofUniversity Avenue). Call 6192991797 forBookstore information, or visit: http://

www.sierraclub.org/chapters/sandiego/bookstore to make purchases on-line. If youare unable to attend the program, you maypurchase and see a picture of the book on

our website! (note book review on right.)

Author to sign books, lectureat chapter bookstore Sept. 26

OFFICE WISH LISTOFFICE WISH LISTOFFICE WISH LISTOFFICE WISH LISTOFFICE WISH LIST

Monkey Wrench *CarpetingChannel Locks *Maid ServiceDesk ChairBookstore and Office VolunteersNon-toxic, Enviro-safe paint (Lightcolor)Money!

Call 6192991743 if you can do-nate any of the above. Below is a BIGTHANK YOU to those of you who re-sponded to our last wish list.

Thank you:Nature Knowledge Workshop &Gay/Lesbian Section for donationsto the chapterByron Anderson - Library donationof SANDAG's book, Precious Heritage.Kendra Scott - ShelvesNancy DeWees - Bookshelves, DeskDeborah Case and Anne Braswell -Track LightingMac Downing - Shelves, Tools

INDIVIDUAL JOINT

INTRODUCTORY $25

REGULAR $39 $47

SUPPORTING $75 $100

CONTRIBUTING $150 $175

LIFE $1000 $1250

SENIOR/STUDENT $24 $32

LIMITED INCOME $24 $32


15/17


After seven years of negotia-tions, the Davis and Clintonadministrations are ready tounveil their proposal for how to divvyup California's water for the next 30years. The state-federal policyknown as CALFED has culminated ina Record of Decision (ROD), thepaper policy on this epic water plan.

Whether the plan's benefitsoutweigh its shortcomings remains tobe seen. Legislation to enable many

of the programs will determine howthese projects are implemented andfunded. The next legislative sessionwill be instrumental in determininghow water policy unfolds, both on thestate and federal levels.

Yet, regardless of how waterprojects move forward, the numberone priority for California waterpolicy should be the commitment toa healthy, sustainable ecosystem.Scientific research shows that if werestore a healthy, sustainableecosystem, the amount of water and

the quality of the water we use willbe in better balance, as all of ourwater uses depend on a sustainablefoundation.

Most pressing is a guaranteedsupply of water for the environment,along with improved water qualityand a mandate for water conserva-tion. Water quality of the Delta isimportant to San Diego County. TheDelta water is blended with thehigher salinity Colorado River waterto improve the water quality we use.

Improving water quality andpushing aggressive water conserva-tion are issues that CALFED andSouthern California cities have incommon. Thus far, the CALFEDROD provides no teeth for theseplans. It will be important to backup CALFED's programs throughlegislation, funding and other re-sources. Many proposed projects,including new dams, would be

The biggest step in California water use in decades

CALFED moves forward,

for better or worsefunded by taxpayers.

On water quality, the ROD failsto address the environment on a levelplaying field with cities and agricul-ture. A much higher guarantee ofregular water supply is provided tocities and farms, neglecting theneeds of the environment. Becausethe environment is not given aguaranteed supply, the water level inrivers will continue to fall. Lesswater in the river means a higherconcentration of pollutants and

higher temperatures, resulting in badwater quality for fish and baddrinking water quality for Californiacitizens.

As an alternative to creatingmore dams and reservoirs, environ-mentalists are pushing CALFEDpolicymakers to adopt an aggressivewater conservation program for citiesand agriculture. CALFED shouldcreate a mandate for water conserva-tion, including an urban waterconservation certification program

and a benefits package for agricul-tural conservation.

CALFED should allocate staffand require monitoring of water use.At this stage, CALFED has one part-time resource person dedicated towater conservation and plans tointroduce water monitoring legisla-tion in 2003. Environmentalistsbelieve conservation should beimplemented now so projects have achance to work before new damprojects are started.

Now that we are in campaignseason, the time is ripe for pushingcandidates to think about Californiawater policy.

Questions of water use shouldbe present in debates across Califor-nia: How would the candidatepropose to promote water conserva-tion measures? Would the candidateintroduce legislation before 2003 to

By Michele Moss, Outreach Coordinator,

Environmental Water Caucus

require measurement of water uses?How about pushing aggressive wateruse efficiency in cities and farms?Would the candidate fund restorationof aquatic habitat? Or introducelegislation to provide regular waterdelivery to the environment andsupport funding for a healthy ecosys-tem?

These are questions we needanswered as CALFED reaches itsnext stage of planning and imple-mentation.

For more informa t ion aboutCALFED w ater pol icy or to get in-

volved, contact the Environment al

Water Cau cus Organ izer, Michele

Moss, at :[email protected] 510-622-0290 x 220.

New BorderSubcommittee

The San Diego chapter of theSierra Club has long wanted to havea group that would focus on envi-ronmental issues that affect bothSan Diego and Tijuana.

The Conservation Committeeon its July 11th meeting approved

the formation of a subcommittee todo just that.

If you are interested in borderissues and would like to help,please email Connie Garcia at, orLori Saldana at. Forinformation about upcomingmeetings please call 619/299-1743.

Participants will have anopportunity to help define the

objectives of this subcommittee,nominate a subcommittee chairper-son, and hear guest speakers.


16/17


All votes are secret. Mem-

bership numbers are verified, butthe name of the voter is neverdisclosed. If your number is not onthe ballot, the ballot will be dis-qualified. Ballots without member-ship numbers will be invalid.

The ballot on the last page ofthis newsletter is to elect newmembers to the San DiegoChapters Executive Committee(ExCom). The Executive Committeegoverns and acts on behalf of thechapter. It is the key committeethat makes important policydecisions and sets priorities for thechapter. Four (4 ) candidates willbe elected to serve a two yearterm.

VOTE FOR NO MORE THANFour ( 4). Writein candidates areallowed. Membership numbers arerequired.

All ballots (last page in thenewsletter) must be received by 5p.m., Sunday, October 1, 2000, atour office, 3820 Ray Street, San

Diego 92104.

Fold the ballot and put it inan evelope (or use page 32 as aself mailer) addressed to:

ExCom ElectionsSierra Club, San Diego Chapter3820 Ray St., San Diego, CA92104

Executive Committee Candidates

John WilksIn my view, the environment is

under siege within San Diego and Im-perial counties. Our duties are sacred:We enjoy the largest number of endan-gered, threatened and listed species,yet only 6% of our grass lands, 5% ofour coastal wetlands, and a fraction

of the other critical habitats remainand the Cleveland National Forest, theAnza Borrego Desert Park and theAlgondones Dunes areas, among manyother sensitive sites, are under severepressures.

The ExCom must be aggressive.Among other initiatives, we must per-suade the national office to bolstercoastal and wetlands assets. We mustinsist that the California Environmen-tal Quality Act and the Coastal Act arefollowed.

I moved to San Diego County in1946. I am aware that the transforma-tion I have witnessed in the previous50 years may pale, in comparison withthe contemplated development in thenext decade. We have a strong chapterwith significant potential.

During the past 20 months, inpreparation for my candidacy, I havetaken training (COL I, First Aid, WBC,Nature Knowledge Workshop, and Ad-vanced First Aid), assisted in programs(Earth Day and Walk for the Environ-

ment) and attended monthly meetingsof land use, conservation, and wildlifecommittees, as well as participated inother recreational outings. Withoutfirsthand knowledge of the operation ofthe chapter, I would not feel qualifiedto serve on the ExCom.

If elected, I propose we: publisha needs and preference survey ques-tionnaire to all members, establish aposition of External Communications

Director, establish a Border Issue TaskForce, formalize the position of thechapter liaison to the Angeles Chapter and perhaps other regional envi-ronmental groups. I will continue aschair of the Air Quality subcommitteeand project person for the reintroduc-tion of the Southern Sea Otter.

Wilks statement continued ...

Robert T. NanningaWriter/Producer

As a native of San DiegosNorth County, I have watched thesystematic destruction of theregions biotic communities onestrip mall at a time.

I have watched populationsskyrocket as resources dwindle, allto the mantra of Greed is good.This must be stopped. It is myopinion that San Diegos environ-mental community must becomeactivism oriented if it is to remainrelevant.

As a member of the SierraClub Executive Committee I willencourge the club to increase itspolitical force in the county, anduse it. By stepping up to do battlewith those who would sell out ourquality of life, the Sierra Club canlead San Diego into an environmen-tally sustainable future.

Wilks continued in next column

Voter

Guidelines


17/17


Richard MillerI am running for the Executive

Committee because I want to helpthe chapter attain its purpose:

To explore, enjoy and protectthe wild places of the earth; topractice and promote the responsibleuse of the earths ecosystems and

resources; to educate and enlisthumanity to protect and restore thequality of the natural and humanenvironment; and to use all lawfulmeans to carry out these objectives.

As well as an environmentalist,I am a small business owner and canbring both organizational andexecutive qualities to the committee.I currently serve on the Board ofDirectors for both North Park MainStreet and the North Park Commu-nity Association.

I have experience in bothgrassroots organizing and fundraising. I was instrumental instarting the Ray Street Celebration,an annual open house andfundraising event for the chapter. Ihave served on the FundraisingCommittee and currently serve onthe Political Committee and as chairof the Membership Committee.

I have been active in thechapter office, have attended na-tional training sessions, and amknowledgeable on how the chapteroperates.

I was honored at the JulyExecutive Committee meeting when Iwas asked to fill the vacated seat ofFred Buenavista and would behonored to receive your support.

Alex LandonI have been a long term member

of the Sierra Club. The organizationhas been at the forefront of protectingour environment, and it is importantthat the reputation of the Sierra Clubremains committed to conservationand our environment.

I grew up in Los Angeles andhave been in San Diego since 1968.Unfortunately, San Diego is facing thesame environmental problems thatLos Angeles faced a number of yearsago. There is still time to make animpact on saving San Diegos environ-ment and not allowing it to becomeanother Los Angeles.

As an attorney who haspracticed in San Diego County for 28years, I have learned that sometimesone must go to the courts to enforcethe law and protect the environmentwhen politicians are unwilling to doso. I feel that the Sierra Club shouldbe involved in seeing that the lawspassed to protect our environment arerespected and enforced.

If given an opportunity toserve on the Executive Committee ofthe Sierra Club, I would work to tryand involve more members in themission of the club, get our messageout to the San Diego community, andstrive to see our environment pro-

tected.

Sharon BoskovichI am a native Californian and

long-time member of the Sierra Club.

Because this state is my home, Ifeel strongly about maintaining it inthe best possible condition for ourgeneration and those to come. I reada disturbing article in the paper lastweek about San Diego County"sprawl."

A comment was made that otherenvironmentalists have rejected theSierra Club's recent coziness withdevelopers. Coziness? It is a sad daywhen the people most dedicated toprotecting our quality of life appear tobe selling out to those who are onlyinterested in financial profit. As amember of the Executive Committee, Iwould focus on toughening up thestandards so that no one would evermake such a statement again.

The issues I'm most interestedin working on are:

1) Making the Sierra Club a strongerforce in controlling urban sprawland in providing more open spaces.No more "coziness!"

2) Clean oceans; no more oil slicks.Work on legislation to end trans-porting oil on tankers.

3) World population. Promote educa-tion and birth control. Work withreligions to end prohibitions onbirth control.

Ballots must be returned by Oct. 1Vote for 4Include your membership number.

sep 2000 san diego sierra

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