Water woes - Sierra Club - Ventana Chapter

M A G A Z I N E O F T H E V E N T A N A C H A P T E R O F T H E S I E R R A C L U B

Volume 45, Number 6, 2006

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

www.ventana.sierraclub.org

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DEC, JAN, FEBDEC, JAN, FEBOUTINGSOUTINGS

WWaater wter woesoes

Editor: Debbie Bulger, [email protected](no change of address calls, please!)

Production:Debbie Bulger, Vivian Larkins,Dale Nutley

Writers:Rita Dalessio, Debbie Bulger,Denyse Frischmuth, Don Monkerud,Sierra Club California Staff,Dan Becker

Photographers:Robert Frischmuth, Joan Jones Holtz,Parents of Twins, Boon Hughey,Don Monkerud

Proofreaders:Jeff Alford, Jim Danaher,Charles Koester, Wolfgang Rosenberg

Distribution:Keith Wood, Jerry HouserDebbie Bulger, Esperanza Hernandez

Advertising Sales:Debbie Bulger

Late Night Food Delivery & Software:Anonymous

Chapter website:http://ventana.sierraclub.org

F R O M T H E E D I T O R

Printed on Recycled Paper2

While it is the intent of The Ventana toprint articles that reflect the positionof the Ventana Chapter, ideas

expressed in The Ventana are those of theauthors, and do not necessarily reflect theposition of the Sierra Club. Articles, graphicsand photographs are copyrighted by theauthors and artists and may be reprinted onlywith their permission.DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONSAll materials for publication must be received bythe deadlines listed below. No exceptions.SUBMISSIONS FORMATPlease limit articles to 800 words; letters to300. All submissions may be edited for clarityand length. Email to [email protected] hard copy to editor, address below.PHOTOSPhotos submitted to The Ventana must meetthe following requirements: No laser copies orinkjet outputs. Electronic photos should be nosmaller than 1200 x 1100 pixels or 300 dpi.Cover photos must be 3000 x 2000 pixels. Filmphotos, slides or negatives are fine. Please callthe editor if you have any questions.WHERE TO SEND SUBMISSIONS Send submissions to: Debbie Bulger, Editor1603 King Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060e-mail: [email protected] OF ADDRESSDo not call editor! Send address changes to:[email protected] NOTICEThe Ventana (015057) is published 6 times ayear, (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec.) paid bysubscription included in membership fee, byThe Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club, 1001Center St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Periodicalpostage paid Santa Cruz, California, and atadditional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to SierraClub, The Ventana, P. O. Box 604, Santa Cruz,CA 95061-0604.

2007VENTANA PUBLICATION SCHEDULE:

Issue Deadline Mailing Date#1 Jan. 22 Feb. 7#2 Mar. 19 Apr. 4#3 May 14 May 30#4 Jul. 23 Aug. 8#5 Sep. 24 Oct. 10#6 Nov. 26 Dec. 12

Articles received after deadline maynot be published.

The Sierra Club / Ventana Chapter Volume 45 Number 6, 2006

C H A P T E R C H A I R

Organic produce worth eating

With all the bad publicity recent-ly from some organic foodcompanies shipping out tainted

produce, some folks may be wonderingif the extra time, effort and money spenton purchasing quality organic produce isworth it. In my opinion, it definitely is.

A valuable source of informationabout the pesticides found on most of thefruits and vegetables we eat is availablefrom a not-for-profit organization calledEnvironmental Working Group (EWG)based in Washington DC. On their web-site, www.foodnews.com, EWG posts a“Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Pro-duce.” This guide lists the worst and best

Learning to lookLook closely. Look with care.Little birds are everywhere.

Until a few years ago, the sweetbird on our front cover was justan LBB to me, a “little brown

bird,” one of many indistinguishablechirpers on the ground, in the bushesand along the trail. Now I know it is aWhite-crowned sparrow, distinguishedby its handsome crown of black andwhite stripes.

I see White-crowned sparrows in myyard during the fall, winter, and spring,and in the Sierra during the summer. Iam able to identify them because I’velearned to look more closely.

A few years ago my husband and Istarted putting out bird feeders. Now wehave three, each different, and eachattracting different kinds of birds. Theirplacement, not far from our diningroom picture window, allows us toobserve the birds as we eat.

What used to be a blur of indistin-guishable LBBs is slowly coming intofocus. Artist and bird guide author,David Allen Sibley, recommends lookingat a bird. It’s that straightforward. Lookclosely at a bird and note details such asshape and color of the bill, food prefer-ences, and behaviors. Only after theobservation, should you open your bird

foods based on their pesticide content.The rankings are based on the results of43,000 tests conducted by the USDA andFDA between 2000 and 2004.

A detailed description of the testingcriteria is also available on the website.The highest pesticide concentration(with a score of 100) was found in peach-es, then apples, (89), sweet bell peppers(86), and celery (85). The lowest scores inthe list of 43 foods are avocado andonions each with a score of 1.

The study determined that whilewashing and peeling produce can help,they will not eliminate the toxins. Peel-ing also takes away nutrients.

Currently the scientific communityhasn’t completed all the studies neces-sary to precisely explain the effect of pes-ticides in food. However, there is grow-ing consensus that small doses of pesti-cides and other chemicals can adverselyaffect people, especially during vulnera-ble periods of fetal development andchildhood when exposures can havelong-lasting effects.

So it makes sense to buy organic andkeep our exposure to pesticides as low aspossible. Here in Monterey and SantaCruz Counties we are especially fortu-nate that organics are widely available.

—Rita Dalessio

book.Having the feeders in the yard gives

me close-up views of a surprising numberof birds. I have noticed the sparrowshang out in flocks much like teenagers. Ihave watched them feeding on theground and on the platform feeder. Thismorning, a White-crowned sparrowchased off a much-smaller goldfinchwhich was eating nearby. And I havewatched a White-crowned sparrow landon my lettuce-gone-to-seed gleaning asnack, then knocking the crunchymorsels to the ground for further eating.

I remember the day when I couldfinally distinguish the White-crownedsparrows from the Golden-crownedsparrows. It was the same sensation I hadin grade school when I was finally pre-scribed glasses. I could see the black-board and I could read the words. Awhole new world opened up for me. Lifewas no longer an impressionist paintingbut a focused film with millions of tinydetails I had previously missed.

The next time you look out the win-dow, sit on your front porch or in yourbackyard, or walk down to the corner;observe the birds around you. You justmight see something new.

I know all about looking closely; a lit-tle bird told me.

—Debbie Bulger

ATTENTION:Potential

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ATTENTION:Potential

Advertisers!Sierra Club Member Profile

Advertising in this newsletter packsmore clout into your advertising dollars.Sierra Club members are one of the mostvaluable audiences in America. They are“opinion leaders” and “influentials;” byany name they are some of America’smost sought-after advertising targets.Their own purchasing activity is substan-tial. But, more important, they influenceothers—in everything from opinion andoutlook to choice of products. They arenot only consumers, but also doers andleaders.

Club Members are among the mostactive, affluent audiences of adventuretravelers and year-round outdoor sportsenthusiasts your advertising dollars canbuy. It’s an unduplicated audience withthe power to buy your products andservices.

Sierra Club Members are Great ProspectsMedian Age: 41Male/Female: 63% / 37%Median Household Income: $56,227Attended/Graduated College: 81%Professional/Technical/Managerial: 36%

Outdoor Sports EnthusiastsBackpacking/Hiking 4 times more active

than the average adultMountain Biking 5 times more activeCross-Country Skiing 5 times more activeWhitewater Rafting 5.5 times more activeSource: 1996 MRI Doublebase

For Rate Information, Contact:Debbie Bulger - 457-1036

LETTERS

Please Recycle This Paper Again The Sierra Club / Ventana Chapter Volume 45 Number 6, 2006 3

Contact Your RepresentativesPresident George W. BushThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, D.C. 20500Comment line: (202) 456-1111FAX: (202) [email protected]

Vice President Dick Cheney(202) [email protected]

Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerState Capitol BuildingSacramento, CA 95814(916) 445-2841FAX: (916) 445-4633www.governor.ca.gov

Senator Dianne Feinstein331 Hart Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510(202) 224-3841; (415) 393-07071 Post Street, Suite 2450San Francisco, CA 94104go to website to email

Senator Barbara Boxer112 Hart Office BuildingWashington, D. C. 20510(202) 224-3553(415) 403-0100 (Voice)1700 Montgomery StreetSan Francisco, CA 94111go to website to email

U. S. Representative Sam Farr100 W. Alisal Street Salinas, CA 93901(831) 429-1976 (Santa Cruz)

(831) 424-2229 (Salinas)(202) 225-6791 (FAX, Washington, D.C.)[email protected]. Representative Anna Eshoo698 Emerson StreetPalo Alto, CA 94301(408) 245-2339FAX (650) 323-3498go to website to emailState Senator Abel Maldonado100 Paseo De San Antonio, Suite 206San Jose, CA 95113(408) [email protected]

State Senator Joe SimitianState Capitol, Room 4062Sacramento, CA 95814(916) 445-6747 FAX (916) [email protected]

State Senator Jeff Denham369 Main Street, #208Salinas, CA 93901(831) [email protected] Representative Anna [email protected] Representative John Laird701 Ocean Street, Room 318-BSanta Cruz, CA 95060; (831) 425-150399 Pacific Street, Suite 555DMonterey, CA 93940(831) 649-2832 FAX (831) [email protected]

The Ventana welcomes letters. Send to:LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Ventana, 1603 King StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95060

or email to [email protected] include a phone number withyour letter. Anonymous letters arenot accepted. Letters may be editedfor length.

Call the DAI am the Environmental Prosecutor in the

Santa Cruz County District Attorney’sOffice. Recently, we added a consultant toour staff, former Fish & Game Lt. DennisBaldwin. Our hope is that by using Dennis’sexpertise, in some instances we will be ableto respond to concerns about environmentalviolations more quickly than environmentalagencies are able to do. While I would notever want to discourage reporting violationsto the proper agency, I’d like to invite you toalso call us directly about your concerns. Mydirect number is 454-2553.

—Morgan C. TaylorAssistant District AttorneySanta Cruz County

by Denyse Frischmuth

By unanimous City Council vote,Pacific Grove became the first cityin Monterey County to sign the

U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agree-ment and the U.N.-sponsored UrbanEnvironmental Accords. Santa CruzCounty has two signatory cities: Santa

Pacific Grove commits to fightglobal warming

Cruz and Capitola. Worldwide, over 100cities have signed on to the Urban Envi-ronmental Accords, and 326 cities haveso far adopted the U.S. Mayors Climate

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My Name ______________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

State __________________Zip ____________email__________________________________q Please do not share my contact informationwith other organizations.q Check enclosed, made payable to Sierra ClubPlease charge my q Mastercard q Visa

Exp. Date_____/______Cardholder Name________________________Card Number __________________________MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES INDIVIDUAL JOINTINTRODUCTORY q $25REGULAR q $39 q $47

Join today andreceive a FREESierra Club Week-ender Bag!

Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club arenot tax deductible; they support our effective, citi-zen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Your duesinclude $7.50 for a subscription to Sierra magazineand $1.00 for your Chapter newsletter.

F94Q W 1500- 1Enclose check and mail to:Sierra ClubP.0. Box 52968Boulder, CO 80322-2968

Protection Agreement.The overlapping goals of these two

agreements include more efficient trans-portation, energy efficiency, wastereduction, alternative energy, and waterquality. The Accords and the Agreementwill serve as tools to guide Pacific Grovein its efforts to achieve and promote sus-tainability. The Pacific Grove city lead-ership recognizes that the old way ofdoing things is not what will get a securefuture for us, our children, and the gen-erations to come. Implementing smartenergy solutions will cut our dependenceon oil and save taxpayers dollars.

In recognition of the Pacific Grovecommitment, the Sierra Club presentedthe City a Cool Cities Award. MayorCort, who accepted the award for theCity, is a strong advocate for sustainabil-ity.

Sustainable Pacific Grove, a grassrootscitizen action group, is committed toworking with the City on implementingthe actions recommended in the ClimateProtection Agreement and the UrbanAccords. Citizen participation is a keycomponent for achieving the goals ofthese documents.

Members of Sustainable Pacific Grove watch as Pacific Grove Mayor Dan Cort recieves theCool Cities Award presented on behalf of the Sierra Club by Denyse Frischmuth

How to helpTo learn more or get involved in

implementation, contact DenyseFrischmuth at [email protected],or 643-0707.

Printed on Recycled Paper4 The Sierra Club / Ventana Chapter Volume 45 Number 6, 2006

To change address by email:[email protected]

Membership inquiries:[email protected]

Supervisors push forward withmega-development plan forMonterey County

Chapter volunteers and representa-tives from resident groupsthroughout Monterey County

have doggedly pursued a sound GeneralPlan for over seven years by participat-ing in hearings, analyzing massive docu-ments, and conducting public outreach.Now the Board of Supervisors is pushingto approve their version of the plan byDecember 19 (as of November 26, theFinal EIR was not even out.) Unfortu-nately, but not surprisingly, the majori-ty of the Supervisors has gone alongwith well-financed development inter-ests who stand to gain a great deal fromthe wholesale conversion of the openspace, farmland and steep hills that stillexist in this county.

Even though there are currently com-mute gridlock, overstretched public serv-ices, water shortages, and pollution, theSupervisors’ General Plan would usherin much more of the same. Steep slopeshistorically protected by law would beopened up for tree removal, grading,fencing and conversion to other uses.Subdivisions won’t be directed to areasthat have infrastructure, but would be

allowed virtually anywhere in the rurallands, further compromising oak wood-lands and other habitats, as well aswildlife corridors. Farmland is allowedto be paved over if farmland “adjacent”to the developments is protected. Thissurreal policy hints at the stealthapproach of this plan: Make grand state-ments about protection of naturalresources or farmland, but provide poli-cies that, when closely read, actuallyensure their destruction.

The Supervisors have also stopped thepublic from voting on duly qualified bal-lot measures that would overrule theirdisastrous decisions on the General Planand on the notorious Rancho San Juanmega-development North of Salinas.The Supervisors’ legal maneuvering andgamesmanship have been decried in themedia and among election watchdoggroups such as the League of WomenVoters—but still the Supervisors persist.

Once again, the community is forcedto go to the mat to stand up for thefuture of their environment and qualityof life. This is too important a battle toback down. Stay tuned.

by Sierra Club California Staff

Governor Schwarzenegger signedtwo of the Sierra Club’s fivehighest priority bills which

passed the Legislature in 2006. He signedAB 32 (Pavley and Nuñez), which puts acap on greenhouse gas emissions and AB1870 (Lieber), which adds a smoke test toSmog Check. He vetoed AB 1012(Nation), which would have increasedclean alternative fuels, SB 1796 (Florez),which would have helped to improveflood protection, and SB 927 (Lowen-thal), which would have enabledimproved security and air quality atspecified ports

In all, the Governor signed 25 of the 39bills which the Club asked him to sign.

The most important of these was AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act,which made California the first state toadopt a binding limit on greenhouse gaspollution. Sierra Club California willnow work with the Air Resources Boardand other state agencies to effectivelyimplement this landmark law. Enact-ment of AB 1870, the other priority billsigned into law, literally allows Califor-nians to breathe easier, as it eliminates

Global Warming Solutions Act, and Smoke Testtop legislative successes

the loophole that allowed visibly smok-ing vehicle tailpipes to pass Smog Check.

Another triumph was the passage ofSB 1360 (Kehoe), which creates on theinternet a central registry of conserva-tion easements. A comprehensive andcentralized list of the easement locationsand other relevant information aboutthem will help land use planners and thepublic to better protect these areas.

The November 7 election results weremixed. We won our biggest priority,defeating the takings initiative (Prop 90),and the parental notification initiative(Prop 85) that we opposed also wasdefeated. However, two important ini-tiatives that we supported were notapproved by the voters: clean energy(Prop 87) and clean elections (Prop 89).

Bonds fared much better, though, asvoters approved five infrastructurebonds, including three that we backed:water/parks/land conservation (Prop84); affordable housing, which has someexcellent smart growth/infill provisions(Prop 1C); and schools, which has greenschool buildings language (Prop 1D).

Environmental Impact Reports(EIRs) are often, and rightly,required when developments that

could have impacts on the environmentare considered. The Sierra Club is oftenat the forefront of the EIR reviewprocess, and we value it highly. Howev-er, members of the Monterey CountyLAFCO, the body that makes decisionson matters such as whether parts of thecounty may become independent towns(the incorporation process) has claimedwithout logic or law that an EIR isrequired in order for Carmel Valley toincorporate. The Sierra Club disagrees,and concurs with LAFCO’s own expertsand hired consultants’ opinion that anEIR is not required.

Why is incorporation desired, andwhy is an EIR not needed?

Carmel Valley is a jewel that drawspeople to its natural beauty, from JohnSteinbeck to today’s hikers and vistaseekers. The downside of such beauty isthat it attracts big developers who canmake millions of dollars by despoiling

the land. For years the County Govern-ment has ignored the concerns of resi-dents and environmentalists, as well aswater and road capacity shortfalls, andapproved one bad project after another.

Preservationists worked to organize avote on whether Carmel Valley shouldbecome self-governing as a town and getout from under the extreme pro-growthorientation of County Supervisors.

In December 2005, LAFCO approveda “Negative Declaration” which wouldallow an incorporation vote to proceed.In October of 2006, LAFCO abruptlyreversed itself and called for an EIRbefore a vote could go forward. As theMonterey Herald opined, this action wasan arrogant attempt to simply prevent avote from occurring and was not basedon any facts, law, or evidence.

Proponents of incorporation notethat an EIR would be required by lawwhen the proposed new town actuallyconsiders a Master Plan which wouldchange development policies. Whatwould an EIR before the vote study?

Carmel Valley residents are askingLAFCO to stick to the law and send theissue to the voters. Unfortunately, itmay take legal action to compel LAFCOto do the right thing. For more informa-tion contact Glenn Robinson,[email protected], 659-1152.

When EIRs are misusedCarmel Valley’s preservation efforts threatened


Water foulDavenport residents advised to boil their drinking water

When you brushed your teeththis morning, you probablyused tap water. This simple

daily ritual has been transformed into acomplicated event for the 375 residentsof Davenport, the small town just northof Santa Cruz on Highway 1. Instead ofusing tap water, residents must use bot-tled or boiled water. That’s because thewater is unfit to drink.

The “Boil Water Notice” which hasgone out to Davenport residents directsthem to use bottled or boiled water fordrinking, food preparation and toothbrushing. For Susan Young and her fam-ily it means that toddler twins Alistairand Jonathan must fill a cup with bottledwater and dip their toothbrushes. Itmeans that Susan must make sure hersons don’t drink any bath water or puttheir fingers in their mouths when theytake a bath.

In the kitchen, adhering to the BoilWater Notice takes planning. Familiescan’t wash fruit or salad greens in tapwater. The normal 140-degree waterfrom the dishwasher is not hot enoughto kill potentially harmful bacteria andorganisms. To clean dishes, residentsmust first wash them, then treat themwith bleached water per directions fromEnvironmental Health.

Although not all Davenport residentsare so careful as Young, the Countywarns that “Failure to follow this advi-sory could result in stomach or intestin-al illness.” Would you take a chance withyour young children?

The reason for the boil water notice isthe sediment or turbidity of the watersource. The State Water Resources Con-trol Board has placed the Davenportwater source, San Vicente Creek, on itsimpaired list, meaning the creek’s waterquality does not meet state water stan-dards under the 1972 Clean Water Act.

In addition, new filtration standardswere adopted by the State in January of2005. As a result, the County has raisedwater rates for Davenport by 70% in

order to pay for the necessary filtrationupgrade. This is the second winter thatDavenport residents have had the boilnotice.

The problem only occurs and the boilnotice is only in effect in the winter.Why does the turbidity level rise duringwinter storm events? Some say that it isdue to natural erosion of the mountain-sides during storms causing soil to enterinto and pollute San Vicente Creek.Others claim it is due to the ten or so res-idences that abut San Vicente Creekabove the water diversion point. TheState Water Quality Board gave the rea-son as “silviculture” (logging operations)when they listed the creek as “impaired.”

In June 2006, Tom Bolich, DistrictEngineer for the Santa Cruz CountyPublic Works Department, wrote theCalifornia Department of Forestry(CDF) asking that the CDF not allowtimber harvesting between October 15and May 1 stating the County’s “seriousconcerns about erosion and soil stability

during the winter months that couldoccur due to timber harvest operations.”

The silt-laden water is not onlyundrinkable for humans, it is also badfor the endangered and threatened ani-mals that inhabit San Vicente Creek.Coho salmon, steelhead trout and Cali-fornia red-legged frogs need cool, well-oxygenated water. Silt ruins spawning

gravel and can pre-vent young fish from see-ing food. Silt particles canabsorb heat in the sunlight,

thus raising water temperature, whichlowers oxygen levels. In addition, silt cansettle in pools reducing refuges for fishwhen water levels drop in summer.

Cemex, the cement plant in Daven-port, has logged the San Vicente Creekwatershed extensively (6,700 acres in thelast 20 years). As we go to press, theyhave submitted another timber harvestplan for the watershed.How to help

Replacing the “approve all timber har-vest plans” orientation of the CDF withan attitude of forest stewardship andwatershed protection is a long-term proj-ect. If you want to join the local SierraClub Forestry Task Force, call Jodi Fre-diani, 426-1697.

Toddler twins Jonathan and Alistair, 3, must be reminded not to put their hands in theirmouths during bathtime in Davenport.

WITTWER & PARKIN, LLP

147 S. River St., Ste. 221Santa Cruz, CA 95060Phone (831) 429-4055

Fax (831) 429-4057

Practicing in the areas of Environmental and Land Use Law

Join Sierra ClubCalifornia’s Leg-islative Action

Network

Make a difference

http://cal-legalert.sierraclubaction.org

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Printed on Recycled Paper6 The Sierra Club / Ventana Chapter Volume 45 Number 6, 2006

C A L E N D A R

Sierra Club Events

Non-Sierra Club events of interestThe following activities are not sponsored or administered by the Sierra Club. TheClub makes no representations or warranties about the safety, supervision or manage-ment of such activities. They are published only as a reader service.

Monday, January 1

New Year’s Pizza PartySierra Club Singles will celebrate withpizza. 6:00 p.m. at Tony & Alba’s, 226Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley (King’sVillage Shopping Center) $9 perperson; drinks are extra.Please be punctual, sowe know how muchpizza to order. Formore information,call Karen Kaplanafter 11:00 a.m.,335-3342.

Saturdays (dates below)

Habitat restoration sponsoredby California Native PlantSocietyVolunteer to restore native habitat inState Parks in Santa Cruz Co. Wear lay-ered work clothing. Bring water &gloves. Tools provided. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00p.m. We work rain or shine, but if thingsget particularly unpleasant, we call it aday. Contact Linda Brodman, 462-4041,[email protected]. website:www.cruzcnps.org.

Jan. 6, Sunset Beach State ParkJan. 27, Quail Hollow County ParkFeb. 10, Natural Bridges State Park

Second and Fourth Saturdays

Habitat restoration—Watsonville Second and fourth Saturdays each month.Sponsored by Watsonville WetlandsWatch. 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Meet atthe Fitz Wetlands Educational ResourceCenter located at Pajaro Valley High

School in Watsonville. Gloves, tools anda snack provided. Call Jonathan Pilch,728-4106 for more information. No expe-rience necessary.

Saturdays

Garland Ranch hikesThe Monterey Peninsula Regional ParkDistrict docents lead hikes at GarlandRanch Park every Saturday and inviteSierra Club members to join them. Anupdated list of all hikes may be found ontheir website: www.mprpd.org.

Free Wormshops

Learn how worms can eat your foodscraps and make beautiful compost foryour garden. FREE workshop for SantaCruz County residents. 1:00-3:00 p.m.Optional worm bin, $20. Call to reserveworm bin. Sponsored by Santa CruzCounty Board of Supervisors. Call KarinGrobe, 427-3452.

Sunday, Jan. 21, Grey Bears RecyclingFacility, 2710 Chanticleer, Santa Cruz

Spring, 2007

Channel Island CruisesGo on an island hopping excursion in theChannel Islands. Four- and Five-daycruises. See details in the display ad onleft. These trips are fundraisers to benefitSierra Club political programs in Califor-nia. Cost for 4-day is $775. Cost for 5-dayis $925. All cruises depart from Santa Bar-bara. To make a reservation send $100check made out to “Sierra Club” to JoanJones Holtz, 11826 The Wye St., ElMonte, 91732. For more info contactJoan at [email protected], 626-443-0706.Website: www.truthaquatics.com/hiking.htm.

Joan

Jon

es H

oltz

Deborah A. MalkinA T T O R N E Y A T L A W

Specializing in Wills, Living Trusts, Tax-saving Trusts,

and other forms of Estate Planning.Also offering assistance with Conservatorships and Probate.

Free initial consultationDiscount offered to Sierra Club members.

The Creekside Offices at 2425 Porter St., Suite 15 • Soquel, CA 95073 • 831-462-9100

volunteers needed to get phonemessages to activists

YOU are responsible, dependable, andsmart. The Club needs someone to transcribephone messages at its Santa Cruz office andget the messages to our activists. Must com-mit to 2 times/week. To apply, call 768-8187.

Cup contest

Do you love your old Sierra Club cup?The Club would like to see how you use it.Take a picture of your cup in use, in action,or on location and National will award a prizeto the photographer who takes the most creative,interesting, artistic photo. Submit photos online. Forcontest details see http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/membership/forsale/cupcompetition.htm.

Island Hopping in Channel IslandsNational Park

See whales, pinnipeds & wildflowers

April 13-16 May 4-7 July 20-234-day, 4-island cruises visiting San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz &Anacapa Islands. $775

August 25-29 September 15-195-day, 5-island cruises visiting all five islands included in ChannelIslands National Park: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa,& tiny Santa Barbara Island. $925.

All cruises depart from Santa Barbara. Prices include assigned bunk,all meals, snacks, beverages & services of ranger/naturalist. Thesecruises are fundraisers to benefit Sierra Club political programs in Cal-ifornia. To make a reservation send $100 check payable to Sierra Clubto Joan Jones Holtz, 11826 The Wye St., El Monte, 91732, 626-443-0706, [email protected].


Chapter joins suit to prevent grazing innew wilderness addition

The Ventana Chapter has joined anongoing lawsuit against the USForest Service for attempting to

reintroduce grazing on a portion of theKozy Kove Ranch in the southern coastof Big Sur. The other co-plaintiffs are theVentana Wilderness Alliance, Los PadresForest Watch in California and Wilder-ness Watch of Missoula, Montana whichhas two chapters in California. The law-suit was filed in September and is knownas the Silver Peak Lawsuit.

The Kozy Kove Ranch and surround-ing wilderness provide habitat for 13species of wildlife on the federal andstate lists of endangered or threatenedspecies, including the peregrine falcon,California brown pelican, Californialeast tern, and Southern sea otter, as wellas 14 species of plants recommended bythe Smithsonian Institute and the Cali-fornia Native Plant Society for specialprotection due to their imperiled status.

The shoreline offers coves shelteringelephant seals, sea lions, sea otters andnumerous shorebirds and fish. Thecoastline also has an extensive cultural

history, with abundant remains of thevillages, hunting camps and quarries ofthe prehistoric Esselen and Salinangroups that once flourished in the area.

Livestock grazing occurred on theKozy Kove Ranch starting in the 1880s,but was discontinued in 1990. Sincethen, no grazing has occurred on theranch. In 2002, almost half of the ranch,about 398 acres, was designated as feder-al wilderness, as a part of RepresentativeSam Farr’s “Big Sur Wilderness and Con-servation Act of 2002” becoming part ofthe existing Silver Peak Wilderness. InSeptember 2005, the Forest Serviceissued an environmental assessment anddecision notice allowing livestock graz-ing for commercial purposes on theranch.

The Chapter is opposed to livestockgrazing on the ranch for many reasons:

• Livestock would carry and spreadexotic and invasive species into the ranchas has occurred in other grazed areas.

• Livestock also would compact the

Return to WildernessDirector: Ed SchehlProduced by Raindancer Media

reviewed by Debbie Bulger

Picture this improbable scene: Aman climbs uphill through thewoods toward the camera with a

huge steel drum strapped to his back:“I’ve got a stone in my boot,” he pro-claims. “Quit whining,” comes the jok-ing retort.

The scene is part of the remarkablestory of people working together toclean up newly-designated wilderness.The Ventana Wilderness Alliance carriedout this ambitious project in the WillowCreek addition to the Silver PeakWilderness in southern Monterey Coun-ty. In all, 59 volunteers collected, brokeup into manageable pieces, bagged, andhauled out 10,280 pounds of trash in 267backpack loads. And they had a goodtime to boot!

The phenomenal feat is documentedin the 28-minute DVD, Return to Wilder-ness. The editing is superb; there is goodmusic and photography.

The debris was left by long-ago min-ers, hippies from the 60s, and later resi-dents. Before the trash removal, TheVentana Wilderness Alliance hiredexperts to evaluate the archeological sitesand conduct a biologic survey. Some his-toric artifacts were left on site.

Removing all that trash took exten-sive coordination by the VentanaWilderness Alliance including navigatingthe two-year approval process of theU.S. Forest Service. Besides work forbackpackers, there were jobs of all kindsincluding feeding the backpackers, cut-ting apart metal structures with weldingequipment, setting up the spectacularTyrolean traverse to transport loadsacross the creek so as not to negativelyaffect aquatic life, and carefully packingup hazardous materials such as discardedcar batteries.

If you missed this video either on pub-lic TV or at the Santa Cruz Environ-mental Film Festival fall showing, youmight want to show it at a potluck forsome of your friends. To set up a groupshowing, contact Tom Hopkins of theVentana Wilderness Alliance, [email protected].

This inspiring story deserves widerdistribution.

D V D R E V I E W

www.ventanawild.org P.O. Box 506, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 831-423-3191

soil, destroy vegetation, and expose bareearth especially near sources of freshwater.

• Livestock would negativelyimpact Native American sites on theranch. It is likely that livestock wouldcongregate in one area in particular—aflat piece of land near a stream—whereone can easily find broken pieces of pot-tery and arrowheads from the ranch’searly inhabitants.

• Allowing livestock grazing alsowould destroy the area’s solitude andbeauty favored by local hikers and pho-tographers.

If left unchallenged, the Forest Servicemay decide to allow livestock grazing inother wilderness areas where grazing wasnot established at the time of designa-tion.

Please patronize ouradvertisers.Let them know

you have seen their ad in The Ventana!

Boo

n H

ughe

y

Moving?Please fill out and mail the change

of address form on page 13 oremail:

[email protected] post office charges us 70 cents each if

they handle the address change. Pleasehelp the Club by using the coupon on

page 13.Thank you

Farr urges impeachmentIf you smile that Impeachment Pie

is on the menu in a restaurant indowntown Santa Cruz, you’ll be gladto know that Representative SamFarr is cosponsoring resolutions toimpeach George W. Bush. Althoughit is doubtful impeachment will bepursued by the Congress, Farr says,“nonetheless, I will work for justice.”

Comments neededIf you missed the public meetings

in both Monterey and Santa Cruz,you still have time to comment onthe Draft Management Plans for theMonterey Bay National Marine Sanc-tuary. The comment period is openuntil January 5. Comments can beemailed to [email protected]. The Plan can be viewed anddownloaded from www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan/.

N E W S C L I P SWill the Forest Service be allowed to introduce commercial grazing here at beautiful KozyKove Ranch?

The Sierra Club / Ventana Chapter Volume 45 Number 6, 2006 Printed on Recycled Paper8

by Don Monkerud

At a time when everyplace I haveever lived has been transformedby urban sprawl, it’s a comfort to

find a place that hasn’t changed in hun-dreds, perhaps thousands, of years. TheSierra wilderness is a sanctuary for thesoul. The night sky fills with stars, theMilky Way parades across the horizon,and I contemplate the mystery that myancestors sought to understand as theynamed the constellations, imagined oneset of gods after another, and attemptedto elucidate the meaning of life.

Lacking a conflict-ridden mythologyof religion, the mystery is enough. Themountains are filled with beauty; the

trees glow golden in the sun; mosssparkles in shades of green as the sunmoves across the sky; and granite boul-ders lie in a jumble, cracks twisting uptheir surface, each distinct in color andtexture. The debris of civilization fadesagainst a background of an abiding earth,and I remind myself to be aware of theworld around me, which brings newmeaning to life and fills every wakingmoment with the amazing reality ofimmediate experience.

Many forests such as this have fallento loggers’ chainsaws, contractors’ pavedroads and vacation home sites, coalmin-ers’ strip mines and developers’ stripmalls. Even the national parks are fallingprey to development. Will our moun-

tainous natural cathedrals fill with morepeople, more congestion, and more noiseto destroy the vibrant quiet of nature?

Being here reminds me of how mytime fills up with chores and errands thatproduce tension and anxiety. How can Ifind time to get in touch with myself, letalone the people whom I care about?Perhaps by observing? Flowers sprawlover the ground: red columbine, pinkshooting stars, magenta penstemon andorange tiger lilies. White breastednuthatches, Stellar’s jays, woodpeckers,chickadees and juncos fly freely amongJeffrey pine and red and white fir.

How will humanity adjust to over-population, mass migrations, regionalconflicts and wars, famines, floods, hur-ricanes and other global-warming disas-ters? Growth appears inevitable, and Iwonder whether these pressures willpush greater numbers into the remotewilderness.

Will this small mountain lake withthe murmur of voices across a cracklingfire continue to provide a retreat forfuture generations? Or will we have theforesight and the will to protect placeson earth that give us a quiet, remotespace to contemplate nature, our livesand ourselves?

Preserving Wilderness

Hope Valley, CA 961201-800-423-9949

www.sorensensresort.com

A year-round resort with cozy logcottages; a cafe serving hearty

gourmet cuisine and fine California wines. A High Sierra hideawayoffering many choices...fishing,

courses in fly-tying, fly-rod building,& fly-casting, hiking, cross-countryskiing, historic walks & hot springs.

Its backdrop...the grandeur of Hope Valley, with its wide-open meadows,

towering rugged peaks, and clear,rushing streams teeming with trout.

For innkeepers Patty and JohnBissenden, hospitality and first-class

service are trademarks.Come and be pampered at Sorensen’s.

Call or write for a free brochure.

Granite boulders lie in a jumble above Devil’s Bathtub in the Sierra Nevada.

Don

Mon

keru

d

New wilderness designatedin northern California

In October President Bush signed intolaw the Northern California Wilder-ness Act. As a result 273,000 addi-

tional acres of public land became desig-nated as wilderness including 21 miles ofWild and Scenic River. Protected areasinclude the King Range, the CacheCreek area, and additions to the SiskiyouWilderness and the Trinity Alps. Thedesignation covers public lands in DelNorte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocinoand Napa Counties, and the Black ButteRiver in Mendocino County.

The bill was passed unanimously bythe House and Senate last summer inefforts spearheaded by RepresentativeMike Thompson from Eureka and Sena-tors Barbara Boxer and Dianne Fein-stein.

We’re wildly happy.


by Dan Becker, Director, Sierra Club’sGlobal Warming Program

The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency’s annual Fuel EconomyGuide issued in October 2006,

documents that most automakers arefailing to use gas-saving technology tocut oil addiction, global warming and gascosts. It also shows that some auto com-panies and the Bush administration areblowing smoke when they tout E 85ethanol as a solution to oil dependenceand global warming.

The report provides official fuel econ-omy information for all but the heaviestmodel year 2007 cars, SUVs and otherlight trucks. In many classes of vehicles—from small cars to SUVs—there is anenormous gap between the most effi-cient vehicle and the average vehicle. Forinstance, this model year’s most efficientSUV is the Ford Escape hybrid, whichgets an estimated 34 miles per galloncombined city/highway fuel economy.Compared to the average SUV whichgets around 21 miles combinedcity/highway, the hybrid Escape willconsume nearly 2,000 fewer gallons ofgasoline and release 30 tons less heat-trapping global warming pollution.Even a segment competitor, such as theHyundai Santa Fe, gets significantlylower fuel economy—23 mpg city/high-way—compared to the hybrid Escape.

The best-in-class vehicles demonstratethat the auto industry has the technolo-gy to make vehicles get better mileage.But the low fuel economy average showsthat auto companies fail to put that tech-nology in most of their cars and lighttrucks. Instead of putting this technolo-gy to work, the auto industry continuesto oppose any effort to increase fueleconomy standards. As a result, the aver-age fuel economy of new vehicles sold inthe United States is the lowest since the1980s.

Making our cars and light trucks gofarther on a gallon of gas is the biggestsingle step we can take to saving moneyat the gas pump, curbing global warm-ing, and cutting America’s oil depend-

ence. Taking this step would save 4 mil-lion barrels of oil per day—more thanthe amount the U.S. currently importsfrom the Persian Gulf and could getfrom the Arctic Refuge, combined. Pres-ident Bush has the authority to make sig-nificant increases in federal fuel econo-my standards. While the EPA Adminis-trator claims that President Bush is“investing in energy innovations andbringing breakthroughs in fuel efficiencyfrom the labs to the streets,” the realityis quite different. In its six years in office,this administration has only proposedincreasing light truck fuel economy stan-dards by 2.4 miles per gallon by 2011—that is a mere 0.3 miles per gallon peryear and only for light trucks.

The EPA report also sheds light onthe EPA’s efforts to improve the fueleconomy window labels for new vehi-cles. This effort is intended to provideconsumers with better fuel economyestimates when they shop for a newvehicle. However, the EPA is unlikelyto include any new labeling require-ments for “flexible-fuel vehicles”(FFVs)—vehicles that can, but rarely do,run on ethanol—even though the reportdemonstrates that consumers will get sig-nificantly lower fuel economy whenoperating FFVs, resulting in higher fuelcosts and questionable environmentalbenefits when running on E 85.

Since the Big Three are aggressivelypushing FFVs as environmentallyresponsible vehicles, it is important thatconsumers are given accurate informa-tion. That is why the Sierra Club, alongwith other organizations, has petitionedthe EPA to address this problem byincluding specific labeling requirementsfor FFVs in its rulemaking.

Accurate consumer information onFFVs is particularly important becausedespite the auto industry’s public rela-tions hype, 99 percent of the time thesevehicles run exclusively on gasoline,according to a previous EPA report.That’s because only a few hundred of thenation’s 176,000 gas stations offer E 85.In fact, Department of Energy data indi-

cates that nationwide, there are only 4.5gallons of E 85 for each FFV on the road.Since they can’t fill up on E 85, FFVowners end up running their vehicles ongasoline, even though automakersreceive fuel economy credits for produc-ing the vehicles under the assumptionthat they operate 50 percent of the timeon ethanol.

Most new cars in reverse on fuel economyThis report makes it clear that most

automakers need to shift from ‘reverse’to ‘forward’ by putting more efficientvehicles on the road. If they don’t,American auto makers are likely to fallfurther behind their foreign competi-tion.

In September, hike leader Steve Leg-nard led a chapter outing to the topof Half Dome in Yosemite. The

strenuous day hike was 18+ miles with4500' of elevation gain. Many of youhave ascended the thrilling route upthe cables and can relate to the joyexpressed by new member, KellyGardner of Santa Cruz:

“My thanks and gratitude to ourleader, Steve Legnard, for getting us to

the top of Half Dome. It took 12hours, but Steve got 7 out of the 8 ofus to the top. The experience and theview were awesome, and the photosand people I traveled with were price-less. I wasn’t a member of the SierraClub when I saw the hike listed in TheVentana, but now I am a member. Ilook forward to getting back out inthe wilderness for hikes and cama-raderie.”

Awesome View

Con

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to

D E C E M B E R

Saturday, December 16WALK: POINT LOBOSJoin us on a 4-mile walk, starting from Hwy.1, to the Pit, then back past Whaler’s Cove tothe top of Whaler’s Knoll and back via south-ern trails. Meet at Albertson’s at 9:00 a.m. fora short carpool. Bring snack, water, andoptional binoculars for close-ups of animallife. Leader: Martha Saylor, 372-9215.

Saturday, December 16HIKE: GROVER GULCH/ BATES CREEKA 7-mile loop hike beginning from “TheLand of the Medicine Buddha.” We’ll hike upthrough Grover Gulch into the southwestcorner of Nisene Marks, and return along theridge above Bates Creek. This moderate hike,with 500' elevation gain, passes through sec-ond-growth redwood forest. Meet at Sears41st Ave. at 9:30 a.m. Bring water, lunch and$1 for carpool. Leader: Ed Gilbert, 685-8389.

Sunday, December 17HIKE: PINNACLES PEAKSNow is the perfect cool temperature to visitour local national park, Pinnacles. Experiencea climb of North & South Chalone Peaks, ajourney that very few people have dared toventure. Mesmerizing views of the DiabloRange and the Gabilan Mountains to the east;the Santa Lucia Mountains west; Moss Land-ing and Santa Cruz north; and the immenseSalinas Valley. 3500' elevation gain; strenu-ously-steep, 15-mile loop. Bring plenty ofenergy food, water, wear hiking boots, lay-ered clothing, warm gloves and $ for carpool.Call leader (leave message) for time, meetingplace and information. Leader: EsperanzaHernandez, 678-1968.

Wednesday, December 20HIKE: HAKONE GARDENS/ MONTALVOWe’ll start in Hakone Gardens, an 18-acreJapanese garden started by the Stine family in1915. Japanese gardeners were hired to bringa tea house from Japan and reconstruct it inthe center of a garden designed to be like Fuji-Hakone National Park in Japan. After lunchwe’ll walk the hillsides and formal gardens ofMontalvo Arts Center, a Mediterranean stylevilla nestled in the foothills above Saratoga.This center, the former home of James Phelana California Senator, is devoted to the devel-opment of art, architecture, music, and litera-

ture. 100s of concerts and shows are held hereeach year. Bring lunch and water. Someuphill; great views of Santa Clara Valley.Meet at Sears 41st Ave. at 9:00 a.m. to carpool($5 for gas and parking) or at the trailhead21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga and parkinside the gardens for a 10:00 a.m. start.Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Monday, December 25HIKE: GARZAS CANYON LOOPThis beautiful Garland Ranch hike is a greatway to celebrate Christmas! We’ll hike up theTerrace Trail through the Redwood Canyonand along Garzas Creek with 6 creek cross-ings (4 unbridged). 4 miles with 800' elevationgain. Meet at the Big Bear Diner Park & Rideat 9:30 a.m. or at the Garzas Canyon trailheadon East Garzas Road at 9:50 a.m. Bring waterand lunch. Call to confirm hike. Leader:Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Thursday, December 28HIKE: BLUFF CAMPThis lovely 8-mile hike with spectacular viewstakes us behind the Los Padres reservoir andalong the upper Carmel River. Moderatelystrenuous terrain at a leisurely pace with oneunbridged river crossing. Meet at the Big BearDiner Park & Ride at 9:00 a.m. to carpool toPrinces Camp in Cachagua. Bring lunch andwater. Call to confirm hike. Leader: LynnBomberger, 375-7777.

J A N U A R Y

Monday, January 1HIKE/SHARE SNACK: GARLAND RANCHA great outing to start your year. We’ll hike a5-mile loop up to the Mesa via Buckeye andWaterfall trails. Bring a snack & water for thehike and some food to share afterwards at theVisitor’s Center. Wear footgear with goodtread; be prepared for muddy trails. Rain can-

cels. Meet at Albertson’s to carpool at 9:00a.m., or at the Garland Ranch parking lot at9:20 a.m. Leader: Martha Saylor, 372-9215.

Wednesday, January 3HIKE: HIDDEN VILLA, LOS ALTOS HILLSHidden Villa Ranch is a 2300 acre organicfarm and wilderness preserve in the foothillsof the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was devel-oped by Frank and Josephine Duveneckbetween 1923 and 1977 and, upon theirdeaths, dedicated as a youth hostel and campfor environmental education programs.Chickens, pigs, horses, and goats are keptthere. We’ll hike over the Toyon Trail to theAdobe Creek Trail and return down theBunny Creek Loop. View spot on the openoak-studded hillside for lunch. Bring lunchand water for this 8 1/2 mile trail. Meet atSears 41st Ave. at 9:00 a.m. to carpool ($5 forgas and parking) or at 26870 Moody Rd., LosAltos Hills off Hwy. 280 at 10:00 a.m. Leader:Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Saturday, January 6HIKE: SAM MCDONALD & PESCADEROA 9 1/2 mile loop beginning at the RangerStation in Sam McDonald County Park, offupper Pescadero Road. 1320' elevation gain.we’ll hike a portion of the Big Tree Loop tothe Towne Fire Road then go south onto theBrook Trail Loop into Pescadero CountyPark. We’ll pass through a small old-growthredwood grove and cross Granger’s Bridgeover a beautiful gorge view of Towne Creekbefore returning to SM Co. Park. Next we’lltake the Heritage Grove Trail, detour to theSierra Club Hikers Lodge for a short break,then head downhill and through the small butbeautiful Heritage Grove back to our cars.Meet at the Santa Cruz County GovernmentCenter at 8:30 a.m. Bring water, lunch and $5carpool. Leader: Ed Gilbert, 685-8389.

Saturday, January 6HIKE: HOLT ROAD TO SNIVELY RIDGEWe’ll walk up from Mid Valley on HoltRoad, through the forest to the “closed” southtrail to Garland Ranch’s Snively Ridge andhigher if we want. We may return down tothe Park or back on the north trail to Mid


R A T I N G S

GENERAL INFORMATION:All outings begin and end at the trailhead.

Carpooling to and from the trailhead is strict-ly a private arrangement between the driverand his/her guests. Carpool drivers are notagents or employees of the Sierra Club.

GLS = Gay & Lesbian Sierrans. All arewelcome on GLS outings.EXPLANATION OF RATINGS:

The outings described vary in difficultyfrom leisurely walks to strenuous hikes. Thefollowing explanation are general guidelines.(For more information about the difficulty ofa particular hike, call the leader):

Walk: Between 2-5 miles, leisurely pace.Easy: No more than 5 miles; slight eleva-

tion gain; easy pace.Moderate: 5-10 miles; up to 2,000' gain;

boots; better than average fitness required.Strenuous: May involve off-trail hiking;

demanding pace; for experienced hikers ingood condition only.

M E E T I N G P L A C E S

DIRECTIONS:

Park and Ride/Black Bear Diner: Thisparking lot is on Rio Road in Carmel.

Albertson’s/Bagel Bakery: Heading southon Hwy. 1, pass through Monterey. One milepast the Ocean Ave. intersection, turn left onCarmel Valley Rd. Almost immediately, turnright at the light toward the stores. Albert-son’s and Bagel Bakery are on the right.

Santa Cruz County Govt. Center: Thelarge grey building at the corner of Ocean andWater in Santa Cruz. We meet at the corner ofthe parking lot nearest to the gas station.

Felton Faire: From Santa Cruz take Gra-ham Hill Rd. toward Felton. Just after youpass Roaring Camp (on the left), make a rightinto Felton Faire shopping center. We meet atthe edge of the Safeway parking lot nearestGraham Hill Rd.

41st Avenue Sears: From Hwy. 1 in Capi-tola, take the 41st Avenue exit and continuetoward the ocean on 41st Avenue toward theMall. Pass the main Mall entrance and turnright into the next entrance heading towardSears. We meet behind the bank located at41st and Capitola Road. Senior Sauntermeets in Sears parking lot close to 41st Ave.

MPC Parking Lot: Monterey PeninsulaCollege Parking Lot. From Hwy. 1 take theFisherman’s Wharf exit, go straight one block,turn left and left again into the first parkinglot, parking lot A. This is the site of theThursday Farmers Market. Plenty of parkingwithout a fee on weekends.

In the interests of facilitating the logistics of some outings, it is customary thatparticipants make carpooling arrangements. The Sierra Club does not haveinsurance for carpooling arrangements and assumes no liability for them. Car-pooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangementamong the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

Club events such as potlucks, slideshows and other

get-togethers are on page 7 in theCalendar listings.

Notice

O U T I N G S

Sunday, January 14HIKE: PINNACLES/NORTH WILDERNESSGet a totally different look at the Pinnacles.10miles with 1000' elevation gain. Bring a flash-light to go through the Balconies Caves whichhave been created by an ancient volcano erup-tion. Bring plenty of food, water, layeredclothing, warm gloves and $ for carpool. Forinformation, time and meeting place, pleasecall. Leader: Esperanza Hernandez, 678-1968.

Tuesday, January 16SENIOR SAUNTER: SUNSET BEACHWe’ll walk both the bluffs and the beach.Moderate 4 miles with not very steep hills.Dress for weather. Meet at Sears 41st Ave.before 9:30 a.m. or at Sunset Beach at thekiosk parking lot on the bluff at approx. 9:50a.m. Bring lunch, water, $2 carpool. RainCancels. Leader: Joan Brohmer, 462-3803.

Wednesday, January 17HIKE: WINDY HILL OPEN SPACEThis preserve, which lives up to its name,includes an area of high, grassy hills over-looking much of the S. F. Bay Area. We’llexplore a 7-mile trail from the bottom upclimbing through a forest of oak, madrone,and Douglas fir. This lower portion of thepreserve is less visited, but no less beautiful.

the ocean. Call for a reservation as permits areneeded. Meet at the Black Bear Diner Park &Ride at 9:30 a.m. Bring lunch and water.Leader: Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Friday, January 12HIKE: DEVIL’S PEAKStarting at Botcher’s Gap, we’ll go steadilyuphill through oak and madrone woods toSkinners Ridge, then up the steep, dry path toDevil’s Peak. Here we’ll be rewarded withpanoramic views from the coast to the interi-or of the Ventana Wilderness (and lunch).We’ll also see how the forest is recoveringfrom bulldozing during the 1999 fire. 8 mileswith 2000' elevation gain. Bring lunch andplenty of water. Meet behind Brinton’s at8:30 a.m. to carpool. Day-use fee we can shareamong car occupants. Rain cancels. Leaders:Cath Farrant and Mary Dainton, 372 7427.

Saturday, January 13HIKE: MOUNT MANUELStrenuous 10-mile hike with 3000' elevationgain to the top of Mt. Manuel. A great work-out on a trail that has an even grade with greatviews of the coast and the Ventana. Bringlunch, water and wear boots. Heavy rain can-cels. Meet at Albertson’s in Carmel Valley at9:00 a.m. Leader: Steve Legnard, 402-1422.

Valley. 9 miles, 1500' elevation gain. Expectpoison oak (no leaves); wear long pants. Bringwater and lunch. Meet at Mid Valley shop-ping center in Carmel Valley next to the bankon Berwick St. at 9:30 a.m. Heavy rain can-cels. Leader: Anneliese Suter, 624-1467.

Sunday, January 7WALK: SOBERANES POINTLet’s look for gray whales at the best spot onthe coast and also review the new book, GrayWhales by local whale gurus, Alan Baldridgeand David Gordon. The point is also the set-ting for Robinson Jeffers poem, “Place for NoStory.” A short hike, but grand scenery andgood company—you can’t lose. Meet at 10:00a.m. at the Black Bear Diner Park & Ride.Beginners welcome. Bring water, snack andwindbreaker. Rain cancels. For more info,call slow poke leader: Joyce Stevens, 624-3149.

Tuesday, January 9SENIOR SAUNTER: WEST CLIFF / NATURAL BRIDGESWe’ll walk from Lighthouse Field to NaturalBridges to visit the monarch butterflies in theeucalyptus grove, then take the Nature Trailto Moore Creek Lagoon and return for lunchby Visitors’ Center. Easy 4 miles. Meet atSears 41st Ave. before 9:30 a.m. or at 9:50 a.m.at the first Lighthouse Field parking lot justbefore the museum. Bring lunch, water, $2carpool. Leader: Jean Harrison, 425-5447.

Thursday, January 11HIKE: MILL CREEK REDWOOD PRESERVEHike the newest trail built by the MontereyRegional Park Dist. It’s gorgeous! 5 easy mileswith 250' elevation gain thru a lovely forest ofhuge redwoods, madrones, tanbarks and liveoaks. Viewpoint overlooking mountains and


Sierra Club encourages outingsparticipants to walk, bicycle, andtake the bus to outings meetingplaces.

b

Getting to outings

XX

Bring lunch and water. Meet at Sears 41stAve. at 9:00 a.m. to carpool ($4) or at the trail-head at 10:00 a.m. off Hwy. 280 Alpine Rd.Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Saturday, January 20HIKE: EAST MOLERALovely views of the coast, Pico Blanco, andthe canyon of the south fork of the Little Surreward us for our steep climb towards PostSummit. 6 miles and 1,800' elevation gain.Bring lots of water, lunch, hat, sun protectionand $ for the 45-minute carpool. Heavy raincancels. Meet at Albertson’s in Carmel at10:00 a.m. to carpool. Back around 4:00 p.m.Leader: Andrea Phelps, [email protected].

Sunday, January 21HIKE: WHALE PEAK/SOBERANES PT.Let’s trek around and up Whale Peak atSoberanes. We’ll hope for a clear day to watchfor whales. Bring binoculars if you havethem. If the trail on the ocean side of the peakis closed, we’ll do a two-pronged walk first onthe north side, then the south, and then go upthe hill for lunch. Dress in layers (windy ontop!!), bring lunch and water. Back by earlyafternoon. Rain cancels. Meet at Black BearDiner Park & Ride at 10:00 a.m. More info,call by Jan 19! Leader: Mary Gale, 626-3565.

O U T I N G S

for Womena new location

at 1517 Pacific Ave.featuring an expanded

selection ofwomen's activewear

Opening this Spring:

1521 & 1517 Pacific Ave. Downtown Santa Cruz 429.6300

Now open!


O U T I N G S

Tuesday, January 23SENIOR SAUNTER: RIO DEL MAR / SEACLIFF BEACHHiker’s choice of a level 4-miles along thebeach path or walk up Cliff Drive through aneighborhood for 1 mile and down to beachon a little-known path. Lunch at picnic tablesby Seacliff. Dress for weather. Bring lunch,water, sit upon, $2 carpool. Meet at Sears 41stAve. before 9:30 a.m. or the parking lot at RioDel Mar at 9:50 a.m. Rain cancels. Leader: PatHerzog, 458-9841.

Wednesday, January 24HIKE: PALO CORONA REGIONAL PARKThis is a 4350-acre former ranch with over500 species of plants that was opened thissummer for hiking by the Monterey Peninsu-la Regional Park District. The elevation of thepark ranges from sea level to 3400 ft. Our 6-mile trail leads up to a dramatic view ofCarmel Bay from Inspiration Point. Original-ly part of the land grant Rancho San Carlos,it was once owned by the Fish family whoentertained many distinguished guests includ-ing George Gershwin, Sinclair Lewis, and theLindberghs. We will also hike over to theriver and the pond area which is a wildlifereserve. Only a limited number of hikers areallowed. Call the leader to reserve a place.Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Saturday, January 27HIKE: WILDER RANCH/ GRAY WHALESTATE PARKWe’ll kick off the wildflower season with alook at fetid adder’s tongue, the 1st flowerblossoming. 8 miles with 1000' elevation gain.Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Santa Cruz CountyGovernment Center to carpool. Call Nick foradditional information. Leader: Nick Wyck-off, 462-3101.

Sunday, January 28WALK: ASILOMAR / PEBBLE BEACHCome on this 4-mile walk on streets and path-ways in Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, thenvia a trail between fairways to the beach andout to Point Joe. We’ll return on boardwalkswith ocean views, perhaps migrating whalespouts, finishing at Asilomar. Bring water anda snack. Done about noon. Meet across fromthe Fishwife Restaurant on Sunset Dr. @Asilomar Blvd. in Pacific Grove at 9:00 a.m.Leader: Martha Saylor, 372-9215.

Tuesday, January 30SENIOR SAUNTER: ASILOMAR SOUTHEasy 3+ mile walk on dirt paths, streets,sandy paths & boardwalk from Asilomar toPt. Joe & loop back. Meet at Sears 41st Ave.before 9:30 a.m. or by the Fishwife Restau-rant in Pacific Grove at 10:30 a.m. Dress forweather. Bring lunch, water, sit upon, $5 car-pool. Leader: Beverly Meschi, 475-4185.

Wednesday, January 31HIKE: GAZOS CREEKLet’s explore the logging area that is part ofSan Mateo County’s south coastal region. Wecan find remnants of old logging mill ponds,

flattened areas for stacking logs, and today anarrow canyon filled with ferns and greenerywatered by natural springs. 8 miles up a dirtroad at the top of the canyon from thePescadero Conservation Alliance ResearchStation. Meet at Sears 41st Ave. to carpool($4) at 9:00 a.m. or at the corner of Hwy. 1and Gazos Creek Rd. at 9:50 a.m. Bring waterand lunch. Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

F E B R U A R Y

Saturday, February 3HIKE: FALL CREEK EAST RIDGEA 9-mile semi-loop hike, with 1200' elevationgain, entering from SLV High School alongthe High School, Ridge, Truck and Big Bentrails in the east ridge section of this StatePark. Our return will follow the riparian FallCreek trail where we’ll see the machinery atthe sites of the old barrel mill, the lime quar-ry and the three granite-block lime kilns thatdate from the 1870s. Meet at the Santa CruzCounty Government Center parking lot at9:30 a.m. or at Felton Faire at 9:50 a.m. Bringwater, lunch and $2 carpool. Leader: EdGilbert, 685-8389.

Saturday, February 3HIKE: JACK’S PEAKWe’ll walk around Jack’s Peak clockwise,starting at the elementary school on OlmsteadRd. (near airport). 6 miles with less than 1000'elevation gain. Beautiful views of Montereyand Point Lobos. Bring water and lunch.Heavy rain cancels, dribble doesn’t count.Dress for winter weather. Confirm by calling.Leader: Anneliese Suter, 624-1467.

Sunday, February 4HIKE: FORT ORDThis relatively flat 10-miler explores the openspace on the old Army base. Heavy rain can-cels. Bring lunch, water and wear boots. Meetat the Home Depot in Seaside at 9:00 a.m. orthe old thrift store parking lot just inside themain entrance at 9:15 a.m. Leader: Steve Leg-nard, 402-1422.

Friday, February 9HIKE: PINNACLESStarting on the west side, we’ll hike an 8-plusmile loop that takes in the highlights of thisfascinating National Park: Juniper Canyon,High Peaks, Balconies and Caves. Wonderfulviews and some narrow, steep and maybe wetstretches. Leisurely pace. Bring lunch, water,sturdy shoes and a flashlight for the caves.Meet at MPC parking lot A at 8:30 a.m. (bringchange for the parking fee) or Chaparral park-ing lot, West Pinnacles, at 10:00 a.m. (Nation-al Park entrance fee). Rain cancels. Leaders:Cath Farrant and Mary Dainton, 372 7427.

Saturday, February 10HIKE: GAZOS/ MOORE CREEKSA combo of two shorter walks . First we’ll do4 miles on Gazos Creek with a waterfall andfinish with the same distance at Moore Creek,which is Santa Cruz City’s Open Space Pre-serve at the northwestern city limits. 1000' of

elevation gain. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the SantaCruz County Government Center to carpool.Call Nick for additional information. Leader:Nick Wyckoff, 462-3101.

Saturday, February 10HIKE: DANISH CREEKFrom the Los Padres Dam we’ll hike 3 milesup the Big Pines Trail and then drop down tothe creekside campsite on little Danish Creek.Should be fewer ticks and much less poisonoak than in the spring/summer. 9 miles with1400' elevation gain. Bring lunch and water.Meet at mid-valley Safeway shopping centernear the bank at 8:30 a.m. Leader: Larry Par-rish, 622-7455.

Sunday, February 11WALK: WILDER STATE PARKPlease join us for a leisurely walk on the Bald-win Creek loop trail in Wilder State Park.Meet at the County Government Center at9:30 a.m. for a short carpool to our startingpoint. Bring lunch. Back by early afternoon.Call leaders Celia or Peter Scott at 423-0796 ifyou have questions.

Sunday, February 11HIKE: PINE VALLEYThe Ventana Wilderness has an unforgettable

beauty that will stay with you eternally. We’llstart our ascending hike at China Camp, godown to Church Creek Divide, up to StoneRidge Trail, to the Bear Basin Connector toPine Valley where hopefully we will get tovisit my good friend legendary Jack English,who always has wonderful tales to share withus in his warm and cozy cabin by the creek.15-mile loop. Bring plenty of food, water, lay-ered clothing, gloves and $ for carpool. Callfor meeting place, time and information.Leader: Esperanza Hernandez, 678-1968.

Tuesday, February 13SENIOR SAUNTER: ANTONELLI PONDWe’ll start our 3-mile easy walk along thewest side of Antonelli Pond, visit the Home-less Garden, then on to Terrace Point to theSeymour Center. We’ll return to NaturalBridges via De Anza Lagoon for lunch. Meetat Sears 41st Ave. before 9:30 a.m. or onDelaware Ave. in Santa Cruz just past Swan-ton Ave. at Natural Bridges entrance. Bringlunch, water, $2 carpool. Leader: Jean Harri-son, 425-5447.

Wednesday, February 14HIKE: WUNDERLICH COUNTY PARKThis park is in Woodside off Interstate 280east of Skyline Blvd. We’ll start this moderate7-mile hillside hike in the oakwood brushland

417 Cedar St . , Santa Cruz 831-458-WELL.Visit our web site at www.wellwithinspa.com

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WEBMASTER The Ventana Chapter is look-ing for a volunteer webmaster. Must have atleast working knowledge and some experi-ence with html. Experience with PERL or Ca big plus. Duties include routine or unsched-uled website updates. No content editingneeded. For more information contactGeorge Jammal, [email protected].

Volunteers needed to get phone messages toactivists. YOU are responsible, dependable,and smart. The Club needs someone to tran-scribe phone messages at its Santa Cruz officeand get the messages to our activists. Mustcommit to 2 times/week. Little time commit-ment. To apply, call 768-8187.

VOLUNTEER NEEDED TO SELL TrailGuides from their home. Requires keepingstock at home, handling phone orders forboth individual sales and bulk orders forabout 10 main accounts at bookstores, thenfilling orders. Must be dependable. For moreinformation call Rita Dalessio, 659-7046.

Rates: $4.00 per l ine for S ier ra Club members.Payment must accompany a l l ads. Make checkspayable to : S ier ra Club. Approx imate ly 35 char-acters per l ine. Spaces and punctuat ion countas characters . Typewr i t ten or computer gener-ated copy prefer red.

CLASSIFIEDS

Ventana Chapter Mailing Address – The Ventana Chapter, P.O. Box 5667, Carmel, CA, 93921,

Phone: 624-8032 (Santa Cruz Group Phone: 426-4453) Website:www.ventana.sierraclub.org

Chapter Executive CommitteeChapter Chair Rita Dalessio 16 Via Las Encinas Carmel Valley, CA 93924 659-7046Vice Chair D’Anne Albers P.O. Box 2532 Carmel, CA 93921 375-1389Treasurer Joel Weinstein 140 Carmel Riviera Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 625-5586Other Members David Epel 25847 Carmel Knolls Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 625-3137

Julie Engell 15040 Charter Oak Blvd. Prunedale, CA 93907 633-8709George Jammal 601 Manzanita Ave. Felton, CA 95018 335-7748 Kimberly Marion 310A High St. Monterey, CA 93940 648-1417Denyse Frischmuth 283 Grove Acre Ave. Pacific Grove, CA 93950 643-0707

Admin Chair/Sec Mary Gale 25430 Telarana Way Carmel, CA 93923 626-3565Coastal Chair D’Anne Albers P.O. Box 2532 Carmel, CA 93921 375-1389Conservation CommitteeCo-Chairs Gudrun Beck 23765 Spectacular Bid Monterey, CA 93940 655-8586

Gillian Taylor 52 La Rancheria Carmel Valley, CA 93924 659-0298Local Wilderness CommitteeChair Steve Chambers 319 Caledonia St. Santa Cruz, CA 95062 425-1787Computer Database

Stephanie Kearns 740 30th Ave. #67. Santa Cruz, CA 95062 475-1308NC/NRCC Reps. George Jammal 601 Manzanita Ave. Felton, CA 95018 335-7748

Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187Population CommitteeChair Harriet Mitteldorf 942 Coral Dr. Pebble Beach, CA 93953 373-3694Political Chair Terry Hallock P.O. Box 22993 Carmel, CA 93922 915-0266Pot Luck CommitteeChair Sierra Club CouncilDelegate David Epel 25847 Carmel Knolls Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 625-3137Alternate Rita Dalessio 16 Via Las Encinas Carmel Valley, CA 93924 659-7046Transportation CommitteeChair Neil Agron 26122 Carmel Knolls Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 624-3038Outings Chair Anneliese Suter 9500 Center St. #53 Carmel, CA 93923 624-1467Membership ChairVentana Editor Debbie Bulger 1603 King Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 457-1036Pajaro River CommitteeCo-Chairs Lois Robin 4701 Nova Dr. Santa Cruz, 95062 464-1184

JoAnn Baumgartner P.O. Box 1766. Watsonville, CA 95077 722-5556Forestry Chair Jodi Frediani 1015 Smith Grade Santa Cruz, CA 95060 426-1697

Santa Cruz County Group of the Ventana ChapterGroup Office: 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz, near Actors’ Theatre Website:www.ventana.sierraclub.org

Mailing Address: Sierra Club, Santa Cruz Group, P.O. Box 604, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0604 Phone: 831-426-HIKE (426-4453), Fax: (831) 426-LEAD (426-5323), e-mail: [email protected]

Executive CommitteeChair Aldo Giacchino 1005 Pelton Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 460-1538Vice Chair Kevin Collins P.O. Box 722 Felton, CA 95018 335-4196Other members Richard Shull 110 Amber Lane Santa Cruz, CA 95062 425-5153

Kristen Raugust 454 Swanton Road Davenport, CA 95017 423-8566Shandra D. Handley 147 S. River St., Ste 221 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 477-1981Charles Paulden 415 Palisades Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95062 462-3423Bojana Fazarinc 25401 Spanish Rnch Rd. Los Gatos 95033 408-353-5536Dennis Davie P.O. Box 651 Capitola, CA 95010 427-2626Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187

Treasurer Aldo Giacchino 1005 Pelton Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 460-1538Conservation CommitteeChair Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187Forestry Task ForceChair Jodi Frediani 1015 Smith Grade Santa Cruz, CA 95060 426-1697Membership CommitteeVacant Outings Chair George Jammal 601 Manzanita Ave. Felton, CA 95018 335-7748 Transportation CommitteeChair Jim Danaher 340 Soquel Ave. #205 Santa Cruz, CA 95062 427-2727Water Resources CommitteevacantPolitical Committeevacant

D I R E C T O R Y O F C L U B L E A D E R S

Mail to: Sierra Club - P.O. Box 52968 - Boulder, CO 80322-2968

MOVING? Please use this coupon. Attach current mailing labelhere and write in new address below. (Please allow 4-6 weeks processing time)

Name

Address

City State Zip

To change address by email:[email protected]

Membership inquiries:[email protected]

behind the historic stable of the FolgerRanch complex. The 290 park acres consistof open meadows, canyons with numeroussprings, and dense second growth redwoodgroves. In 1872 Simon Jones planted fruittrees and grapes and started Hazel WoodFarm here. It is a steep park, but it has excel-lent graded trails. Bring lunch and water.Meet at Sears 41st Ave. at 9:00 a.m. ($5) or atthe entrance to the park at 4040 WoodsideRoad off Hwy. 280 at 10:15 a.m. Leader:Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Sponsored by the California/Nevada RegionalConservation Committee, Desert Committee

Saturday - Sunday, February 3-4NORTH ALGODONES DUNESWe will have two outstanding projects in thisImperial County wilderness area. On Satur-day we’ll assist Erin Dreyfuss, NaturalResources Specialist in the El Centro BLMoffice, perhaps doing a census of the Pierson’sMilkvetch or else sifting seeds of native plantsfor future restoration efforts. Sunday will be alonger hike to find and inventory five smallgame guzzlers for the BLM office, data theyneed for wilderness management and cooper-ation with the California Dept of Fish andGame. Saturday evening potluck, campfire,and stories about our desert. Contact leader:Craig Deutsche, [email protected],(310-477-6670).

Saturday - Sunday, March 24-25PRONGHORN PROTECTION CARRIZO PLAINWith little rainfall and few water sources, thespecies that live here are both hardy andendangered. Particularly beautiful are thepronghorn antelope, which evolved in thesewild, open spaces. Then cattle ranching left alegacy of endless fences, which are deadly tothe pronghorn. Join us for a weekend in thisremote area removing fencing. Work hard onSaturday, take some time Sunday to enjoy themonument. Car camp at Selby Campground.Bring food, all the water for the weekend,heavy leather work gloves, and camping gear.Potluck Saturday night. Alternate date in caseof rain. Resource specialist: Alice Koch. For

more information, contact Leaders: Cal andLetty French, 14140 Chimney Rock Road,Paso Robles, CA 93446, (805-239-7338). Pre-fer e-mail: [email protected].

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Steve ZmakI respectfully

seek your votefor a seat on theVentana Execu-tive Committeefor three reasons:

1. Protection of the environmentglobally, nationally, and locally is the

ment project in Monterey Co. history.The first time voters had the chance, theyrejected Rancho San Juan by 76%. Fear-ing a second drubbing, county officialshave refused to allow voters to vote onthe second Rancho San Juan referendum.

It has been a long road. Even thoughwe’ve accomplished a lot, there’s muchleft to do. I have been honored, as part ofExCom, to work alongside other Ven-tana Chapter members. I would be hon-ored to continue working on behalf ofthe Chapter. I hope you’ll vote to returnme to a second term on ExCom.

HeatherZissler

I am com-mitted to stim-ulating sustain-able changethrough grass-roots processes.

Before moving to Monterey I served asan Agriculture Extension Volunteer inthe Peace Corps for three years. InParaguay, I learned firsthand the positiveimpact that dedicated individuals canhave and the power of grassroots efforts.Through my work I also became awareof growing environmental threats andthe challenges we confront when tryingto minimize our ecological footprints.

It was as a direct result of my PeaceCorps experience that I chose to attendMonterey Institute of InternationalStudies. I would like to continue myinvolvement with grassroots conserva-tion efforts at the local, national, andinternational levels. I believe my previ-ous experiences in civil action, volunteercoordination, and educational outreachwill be an asset to the Sierra Club. Addi-tionally, I am interested in working onpolicy advocacy, long range planning,and fundraising events. Sierra Club’sname recognition and established frame-work are crucial to the continued successof educating our communities andencouraging environmentally-consciouspolicy-making decisions. I look forwardto becoming a member of your passion-ate team.

Thank you for your consideration.

KristenRaugust

I grew up inthe countrynorth of Dav-enport, a smalltown of 300people over-looking the Pacific. The area aroundDavenport is forested and agriculturalwith coastal bluffs and beaches. I own abakery and café there with my wifeStephanie and live in the Davenportarea.

As a young boy, I spent summers inthe Sierras where I really came to appre-ciate the natural environment and itsimportance to all living things. I becameactively involved in protecting the envi-ronment years ago when some propertyon the ocean was threatened for devel-opment as an RV park. Helping stopoverdevelopment in my little townforged my involvement in coastal accessand coastal viewshed issues and showedme the impact that over developmenthas on environment and habitat, leadingto my involvement in the Sierra Club.

Being a member of the Sierra Club hasallowed me to grow and learn aboutmany issues that threaten our environ-ment such as water, forest, wetlands, andtransportation concerns. It also hasshown me the urgency of preservationand protection and the kind of responsi-bility we all have.

I am currently serving on the ExComof the Santa Cruz Group.

David S.Kossack

A conserva-tionist since theage of 8, I havealways appreci-ated the oppor-tunity to ob-serve ecosystem

processes, but I often found only the lossof wildlands around my hometown onthe San Francisco Peninsula. In the late‘70s I lived in Central America for twoyears. Working for a fisheries unit inBelize provided me with the experienceof the reefs, mangroves and forests ofthis region and the mountains and cloudforests of Guatemala and Costa Rica. Myinterests in how things work led me toacademic degrees from Berkeley andDavis; the mixed blessing of seeing thatthings aren’t working has led me to

ShandraHandley

Since gradu-ating from lawschool, I haveworked inSanta CruzCounty for a

small law firm concentrating on envi-ronmental and land use issues. I havealso served the last three years on theexecutive committee for the Santa CruzGroup of the Sierra Club.

My environmental experience beganat an early age growing up in the moun-tains of Colorado where I learned toappreciate the importance of protectingour wild lands and preserving what wehave for future generations. With therecent birth of my first son I am evenmore concerned and driven to protectour environment. If you re-elect me fora second term on the executive commit-tee, I will continue to work to improvethe Santa Cruz area for today and thefuture.

GeorgeJammal

Sierra Clubbackground:Santa CruzOutings Chair

since 1991, Group ExCom Chair 1998 -2003, Chapter delegate to Sierra ClubCalifornia Convention for many years,website coordinator since 2001, ChapterExCom member and delegate to theCouncil of Club Leaders (CCL) 2006.

Throughout my involvement withthe Sierra Club I focused on organiza-tional development and relations withthe Club’s larger entities: Sierra ClubCalifornia and National. I was appointedto fill a vacancy on the Chapter ExComlast year and then elected by the ExComas the Chapter’s CCL delegate. TheCouncil of Club Leaders is the nationalentity that ties all the Chapters togetherand provides a link between the Chap-ters and the Board of Directors.

As your delegate to the CCL, I informthe Chapter about resources provided bythe CCL, represent the Chapter indebates, vote on resolutions to be sent tothe Board, and help the Chapter bring itsown resolutions to the CCL.

The CCL delegate position had beenunfilled for many years depriving theChapter of a voice at national. I ask foryour vote so I may continue to fulfillthis important link between the Chapterand national.

JulieEngell

Sierra Club’scontinued suc-cess hinges onthe way inwhich humancommunities

use land. This may be especially true forthe Ventana Chapter’s territory whererare plant and animal communities,incomparable landscapes and scarcewater resources collide with the forces ofsprawl and political corruption.

In Monterey County, our missiondepends upon adoption of a responsibleGeneral Plan—the 20-year developmentblueprint for the county’s rural areas.For seven years, I have been deeplyinvolved in this effort.

Additionally, during my first ExComterm, as chair of the Rancho San JuanOpposition Coalition, I led two referen-da against the biggest and worst develop-


Ventana Chapter Candidates

Santa Cruz Group Candidates

C H A P T E R E L E C T I O N S

invest myself in projects to protect andrestore the last pieces of functioningecosystems wherever I live. PreviousBoard experience includes the HalfMoon Caye Advisory Committee(Belize, Central America); Laguna BeachOpen Space Commission; Friends of theTecate Cypress; and presently, Founderand President of San Andreas Land Con-servancy (Davenport).

most important political issue to me. Weare an integral part of our environment;we are not above it. What we do to itaffects our quality of life today andtomorrow.

2. California’s Central Coast is oneof the last precious, preserved places inthe nation, and I’m determined to pre-vent it from being exploited.

3. In addition to being my home,Marina continues to undergo majorchanges in land use, population density,and resource consumption, mostly dueto its acquisition of Fort Ord land. I

believe there is a fundamental conflictbetween the actions of Marina’s currentleadership, and Marina’s General Planand Municipal Code that calls for a high-er standard of conservation, protectionof open space, reduction of vehicleusage, and green building practices. Overthe last year, I led the campaign attempt-ing to stop Wal-Mart from coming toMarina. I am the chairperson of Marina’sPublic Works Commission. I’d like totransition from a Sierra Club member toSierra Club leader with your vote.

Santa Cruz Regional GroupInformation: 426-HIKE (426-4453)Meeting place: Sierra Club Office 1001 Center St, Santa Cruz, Suite 11.

Executive Committee:Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 7:00 p.m.Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 7:00 p.m.Conservation Committee:Call Conservation chair for meetingtimes and dates: 768-8187


Ventana Chapter (Monterey Co.)

Information: 624-8032Executive Committee:Last Thursday of the month; Call formeeting place & time.Conservation Committee:Alternate 3rd Saturdays, 2:00 p.m.Beck’s house: 23765 Spectacular Bid,Monterey. Take Hwy 68 to York Rd. toSpectacular Bid.January 20, at 2:00 p.m.

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Review candidate statements on page 14 and mark your ballot below.Mail this entire page including your ballot in the envelope enclosed

with your Ventana.The ballot must be postmarked by January 2.Monterey County members may vote only for Chapter candidates.Santa Cruz County members may vote for BOTH Chapter and Group

candidates.For joint memberships, mark a vote in both columns.After you complete your ballot, TEAR OFF THIS ENTIRE PAGE

and return it in the envelope provided. Your mailing label on the back ofthis page ensures that the vote has come from a valid member of theClub. Ballots and mailing labels will be separated by the Chapter Secretaryto ensure a secret ballot. Mail your completed ballot to Mary Gale, ChapterSecretary, 25430 Telarana Way, Carmel, CA 93923. Call Mary Gale, 626-3565, if you have any questions.

Voting Instructions and Execu-tive Committee Ballot

What does the Executive Committee do?The members of the Executive Committee make Chapter and Group

policy for the Club. These representatives, elected by you, meet each monthto discuss issues and hear reports from subcommittees such as the Conser-vation Committee and the Forestry Committee. Executive Committeemembers make policy and financial decisions and supervise local Club oper-ations such as budget, fundraising, and local offices.

Candidate

Heather Zissler

Julie Engell

George Jammal

Steve Zmak

Ventana ChapterBoth Santa Cruz and Monterey members may vote for these

vote for up to 4individual or 1stjoint member

Candidate

Shandra Handley

David S. Kossack

Kristen Raugust

Santa Cruz GroupONLY Santa Cruz County members may vote for these

vote for up to 3

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Watching each other

Two swimmers watch in awe as acurious baby Atlantic humpbackwhale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

watches them. The photo, by SantaCruz activist Jodi Frediani, placed sec-ond in the Mysticetes category at the10th International American CetaceanSociety Conference “Whales withoutBorders” in Ventura, CA, Nov 10-12,2006. The photo was taken during awhale swim on the Silverbanks, Domini-can Republic.

The photo contest judge was NationalGeographic premier whale photographerFlip Nicklin.

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Water woes - Sierra Club - Ventana Chapter

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