2007, v46 - 6 ~ the ventana magazine - ventana chapter, sierra club

8/9/2019 2007, V46 - 6 ~ The Ventana Magazine - Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club

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MAGAZINEOFTHEVENTANACHAPTEROFTHESIERRA CLUB

Erica

Crawford

www.ventana.sierraclub.orgVolume 46,Number6, 2007

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

DEC, JAN,FEB

OUTINGS

Santa Cruz toban Styrofoam

Track the green-nessof

your electricity


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While iti s the intent ofThe Ventanato print articles that reflect the po-sition of the Ventana Chapter,ideasexpressed in The Ventana are those of the au-thors anddo notnecessarilyreflect thepositionof the Sierra Club. Articles, graphics, and pho-tographs are copyrighted by the authors andartists andmaybe reprinted only with theirper-mission.

DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONSAll materials for publication must be receivedby thedeadlineslisted below.No exceptions.

SUBMISSIONS FORMAT

Pleaselimit articles to 800words; letters to 300.All submissions may be edited for clarity andlength. Email to [email protected]. Mailhard copy to editor, address below.

PHOTOS

Photos submitted to The Ventana mustmeetthefol lowing requirements: No laser copies orinkjet outputs. Electronic photos should be nosmall er than 1200 x 1100 pixel s or 300 dpi .

Cover photos must be 3000 x 2000 pixels. Filmphotos, slides, or negatives are fine. Please callthe editorif youhave anyquestions.

WHERETO SEND SUBMISSIONS

Sendsubmissions to Debbie Bulger,Editor, 1603King Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.Email:[email protected].

CHANGEOF ADDRESS

Do not call editor! Send address changes to: [email protected] or use the mail incoupon in each issue.

POSTAL NOTICE

The Ventana (015057) is published 6 times a year,(Feb.,Apr.,Jun., Aug., Oct., Dec.) paid by sub-scription included in membership fee, by TheVentana Chapter of the SierraClub, 1001 Cen-ter Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Periodicalpostage paid Santa Cruz, CA and at additionalmailing offices.Postmaster:Send addresschangesto Sierra Club,The Ventana, P .O. Box 604 , Santa Cruz, CA95061-0604.Editors:Debbie Bulger, [email protected],Virginia Draper, assistant editorProduction:Debbie Bulger, Vivian Larkins,Dale NutleyWriters:Rita Dalessio,Debbie Bulger,

Julie Engell, BillMagavernVirginia Draper, John LairdPhotographers:Erica Crawford, A.J. Brouns,Debbie Bulger, Jeffrey Richman,Ventana staffProofreadersJeff Alford, Charles Koester, Virginia Draper,

Jim Danaher, Eloise Graham, RobinDruryDistribution:KeithWood, Esperanza Hernandez,

Beth Lilienthal, Debbie BulgerAdvertising Sales:Debbie BulgerCarpentry & Software:AnonymousChapter website:http://ventana.sierraclub.org

Articles received after deadline maynot be published

CH A P T E R CH A I R

FR O M T H E ED I T O R

2 The Sierra Club/Ventana Chapter, Volume 46, Number 6, 2007 Printed on recycled paper

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2008Ventana Publication Schedule

Issue Deadline Mailing Date#1 Jan. 14 Jan. 30#2 Mar. 10 Mar. 26#3 Apr. 28 May 14#4 Jul. 14 Jul. 30

#5 Sep. 15 Oct. 1#6 Dec. 1 Dec. 17

Army report trivializesenvironmental harm of FortHunter Liggett expansion

The US Armys plans to expand and

construct new facilities at the165,000-acre Fort Hunter Liggett inSouth Monterey County include addingup to 17,000 additional soldiers and theirdependents.This expansion is particularlydisappointing because Congress author-ized a study of the base for resource pro-tection in 1999. In 1995 the Defense BaseClosure and Realignment Commissionrecommended that parts of HunterLiggett were not needed by the Army,openingthe door for possible purchaseor

management of some areas by the Na-tional Park Service.Many hikers are familiar with Fort

Hunter Liggett because it is convenient topass through the baseon the way topartsof Los Padres Forest such as Indians, Es-condido Camp, and Junipero Serra Peak.

The Resource Protectionstudy releasedin 2004 found the following:

The Milpitas Hacienda designed by

Julia Morgan has national historic signifi-cance.

The oak savanna landscape pro-videsone of the few remainingvestiges ofthe Juan Bautista de Anza National His-toric Trail.

Over 600 archaeologica l s ites re-la ted to Native Americans have beenrecorded at Fort Hunter Liggett.

There isan unusually large numberof rare and sensitive plant species on thebase including over 72,000 acres of oakwoodland and savanna, a wide diversityofnative oaks, and critical habitat for therare and threatened purple amole,a nativeherb.

The base provides critical habitatfor tule elk, the San Joaquin kit fox, andother species.

Riparian areas and vernal pools on

the base support special species such asSanta Lucia mint, arroyo toad, and baldeagle.

In August, with the ramping up of theBush Administrations military agenda,the Army released the Draft Program-matic Environmental Impact Statementfor the bases expansion. This documenttrivialized or ignored the potential envi-ronmental damage that could occur onthis unique property if theexpansion goesforward. Construction is scheduled tobegin in 2008.

If you have an interest in protectingthis unique national treasure, please con-tact your Congressional Representativeand Senators Dianne Feinstein and Bar-bara Boxer.

Rita Dalessio

Eat fresh; eat local

T

his morning I enjoyed half a freshfuyu persimmon sliced over mybreakfast cereal. Im not kidding

when I say fresh. I picked it from theyoung tree in my front yard just beforeeating it .

Richard and I planted thisyoung tree about three years ago.This i s the firs t year that i t hasbornefruit, and only a single per-simmon this year.

The satisfaction afforded bygrowing someof our own food isenormous. It is also an adventureand a lesson in what foods are in

season when. Growing your own foodsaves energy. No gasoline was needed totransport this orangey orb from the treeto my kitchen. It was picked at the peakof ripeness. Sweet and satisfying.

My test for the ripeness of apples, per-simmons, and other tree fruits is to gen-tly pull on the stem. If the frui t comesfree, it is ready to enjoy. If it would takesome force to pick, I let it ripen for a fewmore days.

Of course, most of us are not farmers.

But manyof usdo havea patch ofspaceinour yard which would support a fruittree, a few tomato plants in among the

flower beds, a small garden.Gardening is an environmental act.

Buying locally-produced foods is good forthe earth.

The local market has started labelingfoods by their place of origin. Many arefrom local farms. Others travel furtherfrom around the state. The least desirable

and the biggest gas hogs arethose that come from far away.While most of us are not readyto give up our grown-far-awaycoffee, tea, and bananas, it is nota big stretch for us to buy asmuch as we can from producerswho live close rather than far.

Being aware of the local cycles of na-ture will not only make us smarter con-sumers, but will also fill our plates withthe freshest, most tasty foods. It may betempting to purchase pears from Ar-gentina in thespring and kiwis fromNewZealand in August, but waiting until theycome into season locally treats our palatesto the specialties of the season.

The crunch of a fresh apple holds morepleasure than the mealy fee l of one re-trieved from cold storage. We can experi-

ence the intensity of looking forward tofresh grapes in the fall when we haven'tbeen eating imported ones offseason. Wecan recapture the joy of eating fresh or-anges at Christmas.

Eating fresh food in season affords ex-quisite pleasure.

Debbie Bulger

Moving?Please fill outand mail the changeof address form on p. 15 or email:

[email protected] post office charges us 70 each

if they handle the address change.Please help the club by using thecoupon on p. 15.

Thank you!

Q


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The Sierra Club/Ventana Chapter, Volume 46, Number 6, 2007 3Please recycle this paper again

CO N T A C T YO U R R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

President 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, DC)[email protected]

U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo698 Emerson StreetPalo Alto, CA 94301(408) 245-2339; FAX: (650) 323-3498go to website to email

State Senator Abel Maldonado100 Paseo De San Antonia, Suite 206San Jose, CA 95113(408) [email protected]

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

State Senator Jeff Denham369 Main Street, #208Salinas, CA 93901(831) [email protected]

Assembly Rep. Anna [email protected]

Assembly 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]

L E T T E R S

The Ventana welcomes letters.Send to:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Ventana, 1603 King StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95060or email to [email protected]

Please include a phone number with yourletter. Anonymous letters are notaccepted.Let-ters maybe edited for length.

Stop Japanese whalingI am concerned with the Japanese de-

struction of the whales.Articles inform me that Japan intends

to destroy 1400 whalesin this whaling sea-son (for scientific purposes). All efforts to

date have failed to constrain Japanesewhaling.My suggestion is that if theSierra Club

and Greenpeace would propose to theAmerican people that they cease buyingJapanese automobiles for a period of sixmonths, that something might be accom-plished.

Such a boycott wouldnot involved theU.S. Government. It would be done byadvertising in newspapers and magazines.Such a program would be well received bymost Americans who are certainly sym-

pathetic to the whales and not at all sym-pathetic to the Japanese whaling industry.W.A. MedlenSanta Cruz

E-waste recycling opportunityRecently we noticed a newspaper an-

nouncement of a free drop-off for elec-tronic wasteon a Saturday in Santa Cruz.Not knowing if they would accept every-thing we had which we hoped to recyclerather than throw in the trash, we took itall: A non-functioning calculator, someold computer parts, a laser printer, and,

particularly annoying to us, a box full ofthrowaway CDs, cassette tapes, and video-cassettes we had accumulated over manyyears.

We are pleased to say that everythingwas accepted! We asked if this e-waste re-cycling fair would be repeated in the fu-ture. Yes, we were told, and here is thewebsite for more information: www.noE-waste.com.

This event was held by a companybased in Fremont by the name of Elec-tronic Waste Management. (We have no

other knowledge of, or any financial in-terest in, this company.) At that website,anyone can request e-mail notification offuture free electronic waste recyclingevents in your local area . We alreadyknew that the City of Santa Cruz con-ducts occasional pickups for recycling ofcertain kinds of electronic waste, but itsgood to know that al l the old CDs andcassettes can be recycled too, and wewould encourageeveryone to do so ratherthan throw them in the trash.

Jeff Alford and Brenda Barcelo

Santa Cruz

Sierra Club California has endorsedProposition 93, the Term Limits andLegislative Reform Act, on the Tues-

day, February 5, ballot.

Prop 93 would al low a legis lator toserve up to12 years in the Senate, the As-sembly, or a combination of both. Cali-fornia s current term limit a llows 14years, but these must be divided into amaximum of six years in the Assemblyand eight in the Senate.

Experience: Legislators need time inSacramento to learn about environmentalissues and the legislatures sometimes ar-cane rules. Today, in the Assembly espe-cially, even committee chairs and top

leadership havelimited experience.Oftenthey are appointed after only two years inSacramento; sometimes even brand-newlegislators areappointed. Prop 93 will givelawmakers more time to gain the essentialexperience andexpertise to deal with com-plicated environmental issues with long-term consequences.

Lobbyists: With less turnover of mem-bers, there will be fewer novice legislatorsmost vulnerable to industry lobbyistsfalse arguments and lies. Consider the his-

tory of global-warming legislation. In2002, first-term Assemblymember FranPavley authored Californias first impor-tant global-warming law, the clean-carsbill. In 2006, in her final term, Pavley au-thored her landmark AB 32, but only asmall minority of the assemblymembersserving then hadbeen in the legislature in2002. This year, when AssemblymemberRuskin's clean-car-discount bill, AB 493,lost on thefloor, not a single member hadbeen in the Assembly in 2002, and many

members bought some of the same bogus

Vote YES on Prop 93(term-limit reform)

arguments the auto industry had made in2002.

Oversight: Committeeschaired by ex-periencedlawmakers will be better able tooversee state agencies and bureaucrats.With more timeto serve in one house,leg-islators can gain knowledge of the innerworkings of agencies.We need lawmakerswith the institutional memory to followthe implementation of environmentallaws by state agencies. Consider again AB32. Like many bills, thislaw requires stateagencies to undertake a complex processof decisions on how to carry it out.Largely due to todays term limits, FranPavley is no longer in the legislature tohelp watch over the implementation ofher landmark bill.

Money: Under the current limits, oncemembers are elected to the Assembly andgo to Sacramento, they immediately startto eye their next elective office. With thepossibility of 12-year terms in the Assem-bly, lawmakers will feel less pressure toraise money, and have less reliance on spe-cial interests. They will be able to devotemore time to governing and policy-mak-ing. Prop 93 could also slow therevolvingdoor that sends many former membersinto lobbying jobsusually for industrysince public-interest jobs mean a big paycut.

The Sierra Club urges you to voteYES on Prop 93.

Sierra Club opposes electoralinitiative currently circulating

Have you beenasked tosigna ballot

initiative that would apportionthe California electoral votes be-tween the candidates rather than continuethe winner-take-all method currentlyused? Although it might sound fair onfirst glance, this methodwill provide a Re-publican advantage unless it is adopted byall states.

Sierra Club opposes this initiative pro-posal. The Golden State, l ike 47 otherstates, awards all of its electoral votes tothe winner of the states popular vote.

The initiative would award one electoralvote to the leading vote-getter in each con-gressional district, as is currently done inMaine and Nebraska.

While reforming the electoral college isa very legitimate topic for debate at thenational level, this particular initiative isa transparently partisan ploy undertakenby Republican political operatives whoare trying to offset the Democratic ad-vantage in California without doing any-thing to address the Republican advantage

in other big winner-take-all states such asTexas.We urge ourmembers notto sign peti-

tions for the measure which is entitledPresidential Electors. Political PartyNomination and Election by Congres-sional District.

PrimaryElection

is February 5

i


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by Bill Magavern

2007saw far fewer majornew laws en-acted to protect Californias environ-

ment than 2006. Bright spots includeflood protection, clean air, and endan-gered species protection.

A package of bills finally starts to bringsome sense to development in flood-proneareas. SB 5 (Machado) requires the state toprepare a Central Valley FloodProtectionPlan by 2012. AB 5 (Wolk) reforms, re-structures, and renames the state Recla-mation Board, the agency in charge offlood protection in the Central Valley.AB 70 (Jones) will provide for limited,

shared contribution between the state and

local governments when local govern-ments approve new developments in un-developed areas prone to flooding.

The Healthy Heart and Lung Act, AB233(Jones), sponsored by SierraClub Cal-ifornia and American Lung Association ofCalifornia, will improve enforcement oftoxic diesel emissions, and SB 719(Machado) will, at long last, reform theSan Joaquin Valleys lackluster Air Pollu-tion Control District. AB 118 (Nez)will raise $150 million annually for cleanfuel and clean air programs.

Governor Schwarzenegger surprisedmany observers by signing AB 821 (Nava)

requiringthe use of non-lead bullets whenhunting big game in condor areas.Legislation to reduce toxic threats fared

poorly this year on the whole, butSchwarzeneggers signing of the ToxicToys bill, AB 1108 (Ma), bans pthalates, aplastic softener, from products meant forinfants and toddlers.

2007 legislative session achieves progress;many key issues deferred

To change address by email:

[email protected]

Membership inquiries:

[email protected]

UCSC isone often campusesof theUniversity of California, whichcollectively ranked 4th in Sierra's

list of America's Top 10 CoolestSchools.

Some of the localprogramswhich con-tribute to the greening of the UC systeminclude

Local, organic foodUnder a unique farm-to-college pro-

gram developed by seven local farmers

and UCSC, about 30% of the producepurchased by UCSCs dining services thisyear wasgrown within 250 milesof SantaCruz and is certified organic.

Green dining hallsThree UCSC dining halls,BananaJoes

Cafe, and University Catering earned theCity of Santa Cruz Green Business desig-nation.

Green powerIn the spring of 2006 UCSC students

voted to assess themselves $3/quarter to

UC named 4th in Sierras list of coolest schools

supportgreenpower. With the student-generated fund, the campus purchased 50million kilowatt hours of clean energy inthe form of renewable energy certificates(RECs) fromSterling Planet.These RECsrepresent 100% of the campuss annualelectricity use. The EPA defines greenpower as electricity produced from solar,wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, andlow-impact small hydroelectric sources.

Transportation

UCSCs Transportation and ParkingServices (TAPS) operates vanpools, a newcar-sharing program, and other programsaimed at reducing single-occupant cars.

Zero waste eventAt a campus event in October, mem-

bers of the Student Environmental Cen-ter collected and recycled 200 lbs of pre-consumer food scraps, 82 lbs of alu-minum cans, 38 lbs of plastic water bot-tles, and over 40 bags of compostable foodscraps and biodegradable plates, utensils,

andnapkins.A pulpermachine turned the40 bags into more than 1000 lbs of usablecompost.

Other local schoolsOther local college campuses are also

focusing on becoming more green. At thesixth annual UC-CSU-CCC Sustainabil-ity Conference, CSUMB students got tophonors in the category of student sustain-abilityprograms for their Energy Innova-tions Fund (EIF). Under this program

students raise funds to provide loans foruniversity projects that reduce energy. Aloan from this fund helped to replace thebasketball courts 36 sodiumlight fixtureswith linear fluorescent ones, resulting inan estimated savings of $86/year per fix-ture.

Cabrillo College Board of Trustees re-cently announced plans to put the largestsingle solar installation in Santa CruzCounty on the Aptos campus. The arraywould save over 3,000 tons of carbon

dioxide per year.

Unfortunately, the Governor vetoedimportant bills to make our buildings andfuels greener. AB 888 (Lieu) would have

set green building standards for commer-cial buildings, starting in 2013. AB 1058(Laird) would have set green buildingstandards for new residential construc-tion, and AB 35 (Ruskin) would have re-quired CAL-EPA to set sustainablebuilding standards for the constructionand renovation of state buildings. SB 210(Kehoe) would have required the adop-tion of a low-carbon fuel standard by 2010that achieved at least a 10% reduction ofgreenhouse gas emissions and maintained

or improved air quality benefits.The Legislature deferred until next yearthe vital tasks of spurring smart growth,requiring utilities to generate more powerfrom renewables, and cleaning up thefilthy air at the mega-ports of Los Ange-les, Long Beach,and Oakland. SierraClubCalifornia and our allies had pushed the

Legislature to act in these vital areas, butmany key bills stalled toward the end ofthe session due to opposition from pow-

erful special interests. SB 974 (Lowenthal),the Clean Ports bill, was deferred untilJanuary at the request of the Governor.Both SB 375 (Steinberg), which seeks toreduce vehicular emissions throughsmarter land use patterns, and SB 411(Simitian), which would require utilitiesto generate 33% of their power from re-newable sources, failed to clear the As-sembly Appropriations Committee. AB558 (Feuer), which would have generatedinformation on the use of toxic chemicals,

died by a close vote of the Senate Appro-priations panel.There is substantial environmental

business to be taken up during the 2008election year. As our elected officialsknow that protecting health and ecologyis very popular with voters, we have rea-son to expect more progress next year.

What is the Community ALIVEProgram? It is a much-neededvolunteer program that you, our Community, can participate in tohelp restore native habitat and maintain trails in our local parksand open spaces. Through this program we can Act Locally InVolunteer Endeavors.

Visit www.mprpd.org , then call our Volunteer Coordinator,659-6065 to sign up for awards and prizes.

Sponsored by theMonterey Peninsula Regional Park District

Community ALIVE

just$50plants a tr ee in ourredwood parks

and helps pr eserve a for est

attractive car d sent

to recipient

tax-deductible as allowed by

law, non-pr ofit organization

501(c)(3)

For the holidays . . .

Give a Gift that Grows

Sempervirens FundPreserving redwood lands since 1900

tel: 650-968-4509www.sempervirens.org

call todayor order online:


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Please recycle this paper again The Sierra Club/Ventana Chapter, Volume 46, Number 6, 2007 5

Over the opposition of Sierra Clubrepresentatives Jim Danaher and

Kristen Raugaust , the Trans -portation Funding Task Force voteddown a motion thatfuturetransportationprojects in Santa Cruz County reducegreenhouse gas emissions.

The wording of thefailed motionmadeby Gine Johnson, Executive Director ofEcology Action was

The Plan funded by this ballot meas-ure shall be consistent with Assembly Bill32 by having the effect of a net reductionof greenhouse gas emissions, and each

project be at least greenhouse gas emissionneutral over the life of the measure.

Members who voted against the mo-t ion expressed concern with its exactwording, yet did not offer alternate lan-guage . Some said they felt the motionwould make road maintenance difficult.AB 32 requires the State to roll back emis-sions to 1990 levels by 2020, an estimated25% reduction.

The Task Force was created by theSanta Cruz County Regional Transporta-

tion Commission in 2005 to recommend

Transportation Task Force votes down greenhousegas reduction amendment

a ballot measureto raise money for trans-portation projects in Santa Cruz County.

Sierra Club believes we must work tolower greenhouse gas emissions startingnow. The scientists are clearwe need to

cut emissions 80% by 2050. The need to

Jeff MajorLynn RobinsonDon HoernschemeyerPaul ElerickEmily ReillyLee OtterTheresia RogersonAl SmithJohn Daugherty

Virginia Johnson

Dave WrightDebbie BulgerMicah PosnerPiet CaninDave CastersonJim DanaherKristen RaugaustBill LelandDonna Blitzer

Donna Ziel

How they votedIn favor of the motion: Voted against the motion:

Brenda BrennerThomas MullenBob BegunDene BustichiChris MannMajel JordanBruce KorbThomas PistoleEllen Pirie

Steve RobbinsJan BeautzTerry HancockZack Dahl

Charles EadieDaniel DodgeCesar LaraNed Van ValkenburghJerry BeyersdorffSandra ColeyShirley AllenBill ComfortChristina Manriquez

Steven AllenJim ConklinBill TysselingRobert Jones

Michael KrakowiakMaggie IvyTom RiderMichael WatkinsGustavo GonzalezKirby NicolPaul Marcelin-SampsonSharolynn UllestadTerry-Lynn Winston

Robert VallergaBonnie MorrDan ChauvetJim Van Houten

by Virginia Draper

Thanks to three new on-line data-bases, Ventana readers cannow seewhere their energy comes from and

how their present and future energychoices contribute to global warming.Thedatabases, released by theSierra Club,the Center for Global Development, andAppalachian Voices, make it possible tochart global warming emissions of indi-vidual coal-fired power plants worldwide.

The three databases are listed below:www.sierraclub.org/coalSierra Clubs New Coal Plant Tracker

lists every new proposedcoal-firedpowerplant in the U.S., where it i s in the per-mitting process, and how much globalwarming pollution it will emit.

www.CARMA.orgThis database by the Centerfor Global

Development, Carbon Monitoring forAction (CARMA) gives the global warm-ing emissions of over50,000 power plantsworldwide.

www.ilovemountains.org/myconnection

This Appalachian Voices website linkselectricity to mountaintop removal min-ing. If you enter your zip code, the data-base lets you know if the electricity youreceive is linked to the devastation causedby mountaintop removal mining.

Most Ventana readers receive theirpower from Pacif ic Gas and ElectricCompany (PG&E).

This reporter discovered the following:

Using CARMA, I discovered that

PG&E has75 power plants in California.Only one, in Downieville, has earned ared alerticon. It is considered dirty ona five-point scale because the 398 tons ofCO2 emissions compared to the 442megawatt-hours of energy produced give

it an Intensity rating of 1800. In con-trast, Moss Landing (operated by DynegyWest Generation), which emits muchmore CO2 (2,714,938 tons/year), gets a 3ranking because its 5,581,235 megawatthours of energy result in an intensity rat-ing of 973.

The CARMA web si te invites com-ments and corrections, and several blog-gers have expressed concern about therating system. Others question the deci-s ion to call nuclear and hydro power

green. This classification explains why

Track the green-ness of your electricity with these 3 databases

take action to move to clean energysources and cut global warming is urgentand immediate.

The Sierra ClubTransportation Policyopposes widening highways and states

that HOV lanes should come from con-

verting existing highway lanes rather thanfrom constructing new lanes. For moredetails on sensible transportation optionsin Santa Cruz County see http://sensibletransportation.org.

PG&E power plants get consis tent lysafer ratings: 57.45% of PG&E's poweris nuclear generated and 40.78% is hydro-electric. However, bloggers have pointedout there is still no solution for nuclearwaste, and hydroelectric technology en-

dangers the environment in various ways.Using the Appalachian Voices data, Ifound out that PG&E buys coal fromStockton Cogen, a company that is in-volved in mountaintop removal in Ken-tucky, West Virginia, and Virginia.Mountaintop removal endangers commu-nities, poisons water supplies, pollutes theair, and destroys our natural heritage.

Check out these websites and get in-volved in the transition to cleaner energy.

Enhance energy and sound efficienciesThe more includes plumbing, electrical

and other remodel/addition workYears of experienceContractors licenseBruce Kishler

Doors, Windows, & More

831-476-8044 408-472-4478

[email protected]


6/16


Sierra Club Events Non-Sierra Club Eventsof Interest

Saturdays

Habitat restoration sponsored byCalifornia Native Plant SocietyVolunteer to restore native habitat in StateParks in Santa Cruz Co. Wear layeredwork clothes. Bring water & gloves. Tools

provided. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Wework rain or shine, but if things get partic-ularly unpleasant, we call it a day. ContactLinda Brodman, 462-4041, [email protected]. Website: www.cruzcnps.org.

January 5, Twin Lakes State BeachJanuary 26, Quail Hollow Co. Park

The following activities are not sponsoredor administered by the Sierra Club. The

Club makes no representations or war-ranties about the safety, supervision ormanagement of such activities. They arepublished only as a reader service.

C A L E N D A R

Friday, January 11

Potluck & Slides: Desolation Wilder-nessNancy will share pictures from DesolationWilderness and other places she visited.The potluck begins at 6:30 p.m. Bringfood to share and your own washableplate, cup, utensils, cloth napkin, and serv-ing utensils. We love home-cooked food,but store-bought items (minimum value$5) make great contributions too. For di-rections call 336-2325.

Friday, February 8

Potluck and Slides: ItalyFeaturing slides and talk on an Interna-tional Sierra Club to Tuscany and Umbriain 2007. Discover the interesting featuresof Sierra Club International Trips focus-ing on conservation and sustainability incountries around the world.

The participants on this trip traversed thehill towns near Florence, hiked in the

Apennines, made cheese, visited Assisiwhere St. Francis started his movement of

UCSC Recreation offersWilderness First Aid

B

e prepared. If you spend time in thebackcountry or lead wildernesstrips, you should never have to ask,

What do I do now?This fast-paced and hands-on, two-day

course covers a wide range of wildernessmedicine topics for people who travel inthe outdoors. The Wilderness MedicineInstitute's curriculum includes many ad-vanced topics that other programs leaveout such as dislocations, focused spinal as-sessment, and epinephrine administration.In just two days, youll have the knowl-edge, skills and ability to make sound de-cisions in emergency situations.

Register on line at www.ucscrecre-ation.com. The course is held on theUCSC campus at Stevenson College andcosts $185. It will be held over the week-end of January 26-27, 8:00 - 5:00 p.m.

u Massage Therapy

u Skin & Body Care

u All Natural Skin CareProducts

Peace beginsWell Within

P R I V A T E SP A S & SA U NA S O V E R L O O K I N G

A JA P A N E S E G A R D E N

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

Docents needed forWatsonville wetlands

Training for new docents for Wat-sonville Wetlands Watch will beginon February 20 and continue for

six weeks. The course will be heldWednesday evenings and Saturday morn-ings at a cost of $35.

Docents who enroll will be treated toan inside look at the Pajaro Valley and itswide network of wetlands. Training willcover the ecology, wildlife, history, andrestoration of the wetlands, and will pre-pare new docents to lead walks and assist

teachers during field trips.For more information or to enroll,contact Volunteer Coordinator, KathyFieberling, 427-0654. The deadline for en-rollment is Feb. 10.

Then, the Monterey Penin sul a

Regional Park District is

looki ng for you !

The Park Di strict wants e nthusiastic ,

ski ll ed, dedi cated people as it expands its

nature, con servation, an d en vironmen tal-

related cour ses, programs, workshop s,

activities an d specia l even ts.Maybe you want to lead a thematic hike oroutdoors adventure. Perhaps you can offe ra sustainable co oking course or a culturalhistory class. Are y ou bursting to shareyour knowledge of natur e photograph y orto teach stud ents in an ar t or drawingworkshop ? Or is there anoth er outdoorstopic in which you could b e an instructor tochildren, adults and/or f amili es?

These ar e paid contr act positi ons.

Submit your progr am proposal a twww.mprpd.org for review . To learn more

about our Envir onmental

Education ef forts, please

contact Jackie Nelson

1 72- 196,x 1 9

I NTERESTED I N

DEVEL OPING &

TEACHI NG A COURSE ON

THE OUTDOORS?

love of nature, and observed Italian recy-cling practices. Joanne Moy will tell usabout her adventure.

Why not bring some Italian foods foryour potluck dish? Pasta, salads, cheeses,pizza, torta, gelato. The potluck begins at6:30 p.m. Bring food to share and yourown washable plate, cup, utensils, clothnapkin, and serving utensils. We lovehome-cooked food, but store-bought items(minimum value $5) make great contribu-tions too. Call Diane Cornell at 423-5925for location.

The Piazza del Duomo and Santa Maria, Assunto Cathedral, Spoleto, Umbria is only one ofmany beautiful places featured in the February 8 slide show on Italy.

A.J.Brouns


7/16


by Julie Engell

M

onterey Countys fifth attempt toupdate its 1982 General Plan

(GPU5) is trundling forwardonce again during the holidays, with adraft EIR tentatively scheduled for releaseat year's end. County staff anticipates theBoard of Supervisors will certify the finalEIR and adopt GPU5 sometime in March.

The EIR currently being drafted isbased upon what the board characterizesas a compromise between the board's pro-g r o w t h ,fourth Gen-eral Plan at-

tempt (GPU4)and MeasureA, an initia-tive whichlimited fur-ther rural sub-divisions tofive existing communities in the Countysunincorporated area. Both GPU4 andMeasure A were rejected by equal marginsat the polls, leaving the county in a gen-eral plan stalemate.

However, voters were unequivocal intheir rejection of Butterfly Village, thefirst phase of the massive Rancho SanJuan. Sixty-five percent of voters said noto Butterfly Village, a development thecounty first approved under the 1982General Plan and, facing a referendum, re-approved through policy under GPU4.

From Sierra Club's perspective, someprogress has been made toward a more ra-tional general plan. However, significantconcerns remain unresolved.

The board's following policy stipula-tions are steps in the right direction: Citing severe water and traffic

problems, which the board ignored dur-ing previous updates, Prunedale, ToroPark and San Benancio/Corral de Tierrawere removed as Rural Centers. RuralCenters are areas targeted for growth over

the next 20 years. Moreover, citing thesame concerns, the board directed thatfurther subdivision be prohibited inNorth County, along Highway 68, and in

the Greater Salinas Area north ofWilliams Road.

The board acknowledged long-standing area plan policies in Carmel Val-ley and directed staff to include a policylimiting additional subdivision there to266 new lots.

The board reinstated several 1982General Plana g r i c u l t u r a lpolicies whichhad been re-

moved frompervious up-date versions.Among themost impor-tant is a policy

which prohibits subdivision of agricul-tural land for non-agricultural purposes.

The board increased, from 20% to35%, the percentage of affordable housingcreated by new subdivisions.

The board limited the number of

times the general plan can be amended totwice per year.

The following concerns from GPU4remain unresolved:

The board retained the winery cor-ridor which includes potential for 40 arti-san wineries and 10 full-scale wineries.Wineries within the winery corridorwould require only a ministerial permitfor approval. This would bypass environ-mental review and public hearings oneach winery, which by definition, couldinclude a host of industrial, commercial,and visitor-serving uses.

Vintners also convinced the boardto allow cultivation on slopes of 25% orgreater with nothing more than a permit.Since 1982, Monterey County has pro-hibited cultivation on slopes over 25%.

Improvements still needed in new MontereyCounty General Plan

The board has retained Butterfly Vil-

lage as a "Special Study Area," clearlysignaling their intention, despiteoverwhelming public opposition, todevelop the area.

This is cause for concern, because it couldconvert to cultivation more than 500,000acres, much of it important habitat land.

The board also retained GPU4s

huge expansion of permitted activities de-fined as routine and on-going agriculturalpractices. Under these policies, evensome major industrial uses would be in-cluded and allowed with no environmen-tal review or public hearing.

Supervisors retained the GPU4 pol-icy reducing standards of service oncounty roads from Level of Service C toLevel of Service D. According to Supervi-sors, to prevent further deterioration incounty roads, they promised to imple-

ment a Capital Funding and Improve-ment Program, including regionaldevelopment fees, within 18 months ofadoption of the new General Plan. TheCapital Funding Program is supposed toaccount for all facilities and services re-quired by growth over the term of theGeneral Plan. Although Supervisors di-rected staff to update facilities costs annu-ally, they refused to link increased coststo development fees or establish any poli-cies which would prevent further,

growth-induced deterioration in public fa-cilities and services.

The board has also retained Butter-fly Village as a Special Study Area inGPU5, clearly signaling their intention,despite overwhelming public opposition,to develop the area.

The Ventana Chapter of the SierraClub will continue to demand that Mon-terey County produce a General Plan thatsatisfies the legal requirements of StatePlanning Law and the California Envi-ronmental Quality Act. We are gratifiedto see supervisors finally acknowledge thesevere water problems faced by manycounty residents. However, we are mind-ful of the ease with which the boardamends the General Plan to suit develop-ment interests.

by Assemblymember John Laird

This February 5, youll have a chanceto decide more than the presiden-tial primary, youll also get to build

momentum in the fight to address climatechange by keeping in place the CaliforniaLegislatures green teamthe team of leg-islators that delivered AB 32, the historicGlobal Warming Solutions Act.

Proposition 93, the Term Limits Re-form Act, will enable legislators to focuson the critical, long-term issues of our

time, rather than short-term career plans.The measure would allow legislators toserve up to 12 years in either the Assem-bly or the Senate. While this represents areduction of two years in the total num-

Keep the Green Team in Sacramento

ber of years a legislator could spend inSacramento, it enables all 12 to be servedin one house.

In my case, this would mean I wouldhave the opportunity to run for three ad-ditional two-year terms, rather than beingtermed out of office a year from now. Be-sides allowing me to gratefully continueto serve in a job I truly love, my col-leagues and I would have the opportunityto leverage our experience and relation-ships in the race to stop global warming.

Also, I would have a chance to work onthe next generation of my state-wide leg-islative efforts on water conservation andcoastal protection, as well as parks acqui-sition and management.

Approving Prop 93 will be a criticalstep forward for Californias environ-mental community. Im pleased the SierraClub has endorsed the measure, alongwith the California League of Conserva-tion Voters, the Planning and Conserva-tion League and others. To get involved,visit www.termlimitsreform.com.

Assemblymember Laird represents the27th Assembly District, is chair of the BudgetCommittee and serves as a member of the

Natural Resources Committee.

Farming and the Fate of WildNature, Essays in Conserva-tion-Based AgricultureEdited by Daniel Imhoff and Jo Ann

Baumgartner, WatershedMedia/Wild Farm Alliance, 2006

reviewed by Debbie Bulger

This collection of thoughtful essaysmay be just the gift you have beenseeking for a reader on your list.

The essays by well-known writers such asWendell Berry, Barbara Kingsolver, andAldo Leopold, as well as less familiar writ-ers explore the relationships of farmingwith nature.

The introduction asks the questions,How much wilderness can a farm orranching operation support and still re-main economically viable? And howmuch agriculture can take place in an areaand still support optimal levels of biodi-versity?

Richard Manning decries industrializedfactory farming and the subsidization ofcommodities as one of the worst thingsthat has ever happened to the planet in hisessay, The Oil We Eat.

Scott McMillion celebrates the con-struction skills of beavers in his essay,Wild Work Crew.

Becky Weed discusses economic forceswhich work against raising grass-fed ani-mals and favor feed-lot, grain-fed stockwhich provide income to the pharmaceu-tical companies both from the sale of an-tibiotics for the crowded animals andcholesterol-lowering drugs for the hu-mans who eat them.

The black and white illustrations thatbegin each essay are a nice touch. Thisbook will expand your understanding ofsustainable agriculture.

The book can be purchased throughthe Wild Farm Alliance website, www.wildfarmalliance.org or at Amazon.com.

B O O K R E V I E W

Club asks for EIR for SantaCruz County Code changes

The Santa Cruz County Planning

Department has proposed a set ofregulatory changes to the CountyCode that the Department says is in-tended to streamline the planning process.These proposed changes are lengthy andcomplex. If they are adopted, a rural sin-gle-family house on a 1+ acre lot couldhave a total of four dwellings without ad-dressing septic system capacity, traffic, orwater use.

At its December meeting, the Supervi-sors voted 3-2 delay action to the Febru-

ary 26 Board meeting. The Sierra Clubhas requested an EIR assessing the impactsof the proposed changes. Our next issuewill have a more detailed article.


8/16


NE W S C L I P S

by Debbie Bulger

Some of the best-dressed people on the

Central Coast show their environ-mental savvy by shopping at recycled

clothing stores. The options are many.There are thrift stores such as Goodwilland the Salvation Army, vintage clothingretailers, consignment stores, and yardsales.

Sydney Nash of Santa Cruz has beenfinding bargains since her college days. Ifeel so much better about being a con-sumer, she enthuses. Although price washer first motivator, she is now acutely

aware of how purchasing recycled cloth-ing helps the environment.

Often, older clothes are better made.Nash loves the silk Chinese jacket shefound which was expertly constructedin the 1950s.

You can find well-knownbrands, she pointed out. She waswearing a Banana Republic shirtpaired with Eddie Bauer pantswhen The Ventana interviewedher. The whole outfit cost less than

$10.Kathy Richman from Salinas

has been finding recycled bargainsfor over 20 years. An elementaryschool teacher, Richman wasoriginally attracted to second-hand stores because of the af-fordable childrens books shepurchased to use in her class-room.

You just never knowwhat youre going to find,

Kathy said. A couple ofweeks ago I got a nice cash-mere sweater for $3.25! Shop-ping at recycling stores enables me topurchase quality items that would be be-yond my budget if new.

Richman likes the idea of her pur-chases not contributing to our culture ofexcessive commercialism. Her two adultdaughters are following in her footstepsby also shopping at resale stores.

A glance at the phone book will re-

veal a plethora of places to shop whileactively recycling. Check the yellowpages under Consignment Service andThrift Shops.

Dressing smartly

Sydney Nash, left, and KathyRichman, below, know thesecret to finding bargains andbeing kind to the environ-ment.

Recycled clothing isthe latest fashion

Sand sanctuaryIn November the Land Trust of Santa

Cruz County announced its intention tobuy 189 acres of sandhills between Scotts

Valley and Felton. This rare habitat ishome to plants and animals found only inSanta Cruz County. The Land Trust istracking fundraising for this propertywith an hourglass on their website,www.landtrustsantacruz.org.

Another solar installationThe Santa Cruz Womens Health Cen-

ter has become the first downtown busi-ness to go solar in Santa Cruz. The newsolar panels will offset enough CO2 each

year to equal the annual running of twoaverage U.S. households. Plans are to addmore panels as budget permits.

Safer for condorsBeginning in July 2008, hunters must

use lead-free ammunition for big gameand coyotes in condor country in centraland southern California. This new law isa good first step. The next is to get thelead out of ammunition used for smallgame. Since 1992 at least 12 condor deaths

in California have been caused by leadpoisoning.

Coal plan settlementIn a landmark settlement this October

with Sierra Club and other environmentaland government organizations, AmericanElectric Power agreed to markedly reducehazardous emissions from its coal-burningplants by installing extensive pollutioncontrols. The company agreed to spend$4.6 billion on clean up and an additional

$60 million on mitigation as well as pay a$15 million fine. For more informationvisit www.sierraclub.org/coal.

Ethiopia, Mexico plant treesInspired by Nobel Peace Prize recipi-

ent Wangari Maathai, Ethiopia and Mex-ico are leading the movement to planttrees to combat climate change. A recentUN report noted that Ethiopia hadplanted 700 million new trees and Mexicohad planted 217 million. Once forested,

Ethiopia was reduced to only 4% forestcover in 2000. The UN Environment Pro-gram has received pledges to plant 2.24billion trees worldwide.

JeffreyRichman

Debbie

Bu

lge

r


9/16


Moving?Please fill outand mail the changeof address form on p. 15 or email:

[email protected] post office charges us 70 each

if they handle the address change.Please help the club by using thecoupon on p. 15.

Thank you!

by Debbie Bulger

Despite the chasing arrow logo andthe number on the bottom ofpolystyrene cups and takeout con-

tainers, this material is almost impossibleto recycle due to food contamination andother factors. If we are lucky, Styrofoamends up in the landfill. If it is mistaken forfood by a bird, it could be a death sen-tence.

With the unanimous approval of thePublic Works Commission on November19, the proposed Santa Cruz ordinance toban polystyrene take-out containers isheaded for the City Council on January22. The Sierra Club, Surfrider Founda-tion, Save Our Shores, The Ocean Con-servancy, Ecology Action, and otherenvironmental organizations support theban.

The City of Capitola adopted a similarordinance last year and is moving slowlywith enforcement. Santa Cruz County isalso preparing a comparable ordinancewhich is expected to go before the Boardof Supervisors in either December or Jan-uary. Representatives from around theMonterey Bay area have been meeting todeal with the problem of polystyrene con-tainers. When all local jurisdictions adoptsuch ordinances, the result will be a levelplaying field for all food vendors. SanFrancisco, Berkeley, Santa Monica, Oak-land, and other California cities have allbanned polystyrene takeout containers.

For over 18 years the City of SantaCruz has been encouraging restaurantowners to switch to environmentally-ac-ceptable food containers. As far back as1989 the City established a policy to elim-inate polystyrene foam packaging forfood. For 18 years compliance has beenvoluntary. In 2008 businesses must notuse poly-s t y r e n etakeout con-tainers ifthey wish toqualify as aCleanOcean Busi-ness.

The ad-vantages ofnot usingpolystyreneare many.Since poly-styrene can-not berecycled prac-tically, its usereduces thelife of the landfill, produces non-biodegradable litter, and harms wildlife.

Workers who manufacture polystyreneare exposed to eye, skin, and respiratoryirritation and headaches. Styrene is classi-

fied as a possible humancarcinogen by the EPA.Food containers madeof Styrofoam shouldnot be heated in a mi-

crowave since toxicchemicals can leachinto the food they hold.

Fortunately newchoices in food contain-ers abound. Besidescardboard containersthere are now take-outboxes made from sugar-cane stalk, cornstarch,and rice and potatostarch. If such contain-

ers end up as litter, theyeventually break down.What's more, theyre

compostable.Rafik Abelian, owner of the Coldstone

Santa Cruz set to ban Styrofoam take-outfood containers

Plastic is forever

Every single bit of plastic ever made isstill around. Thats because no organisms, nobacteria break down this non-natural prod-uct. Some plastic ends up in landfills, some isreused, and some finds its way into the gut-ter, then down the storm drain and into ourcreeks, rivers, the Bay, and eventually thePacific Ocean.

When it does, birds and animals beware.Because plastic does not biodegrade, it

breaks into smaller and smaller pieces bysunlight and other forces. Sea birds often

mistake the particles for food. Greenpeacereports finding a dead turtle in Hawaii withover 1000 pieces of plastic in its stomach andintestines.

There is an area of plastic in the PacificOcean twice the size of the state of Texas. It

just swirls in place because of the pattern ofthe ocean currents. Even tiny jelly fish-likecreatures in the ocean ingest plastic particlesthey mistake for plankton. In parts of thePacific, plastic outweighs plankton 6 to 1.

For more information visit

www.surfridersantacruz.org/plastics.html.

Creamery in downtown Santa Cruz, didnot wait for the ordinance. He has almostcompleted his stores switch to paper icecream cups. Since the creamery is a fran-chise, his inquiries to the Arizona-basedcorporation hastened its transition topaper ice cream cups for the entire com-pany.

When Chris Moran, Waste ReductionManager for the City of Santa Cruz, noti-fied Rafik of the City's intention to banpolystyrene take-out containers, Rafikwas using 3500-4000 Styrofoam cups aweek. Conservatively estimated, thatsover 180,000 containers/year! If one mul-tiplies that by the 1850 stores in the cor-poration, the impact of the company'sdecision to switch to paper is mind bog-gling. At press time the corporate officewas examining options for sustainable

smoothie containers.Rafik likes the new paper containersmuch better than the old polystyreneones. They are much more colorful andattractive, he enthuses. But more im-

portant, its the right thing to do.

How to help Contact the Santa Cruz City Coun-

cil and ask them to ban polystyrene take-out containers:[email protected].

Bring your own cup or container.While paper cups and sugarcane contain-ers are far better than Styrofoam, the bestalternative is to bring a reusable containerfrom home.

Thank businesses that do not usepolystyrene take-out containers. Patron-ize businesses that demonstrate that theycare about the environment.

Let your county supervisor knowthat you support an ordinance to banpolystyrene take-out containers.

If your city does not yet havesuch an ordinance, contact your councilmember.

Rafik Abelian dishes out ice cream in paper cups in downtown Santa Cruz.

Too often, polystyrene cups become litter likethis cup photographed on Mission Street inSanta Cruz.

Debb

ie

Bulger

Debbie

Bulger


10/16

and some congestion on the trail, especiallyaround the Fisherman's Wharf area. 30 miles,at a leisurely pace. Helmets mandatory. Raincancels. Bring water and lunch, which we'll eatat Lock Paddon Park in Marina. Leaders: CathFarrant and Mary Dainton, 372 7427.

Saturday - Thursday, December 29 - January 3HOLIDAY SERVICE CARRIZO PLAIN

The Carrizo Plain, east of San Luis Obispo, isa vast grassland, home to pronghorn, elk, kitfox, and a wide variety of birds. Welcome hike12/29, 3-1/2 days of work modifying barbedwire fencing, and another day for hiking/ex-ploring. Accommodations at Goodwin Ranchincluded. Limited to 12, $25 covers 5 dinners.For more info, contact: Craig Deutsche,

deutsche@earth link.net, (310-477-6670).Sunday, December 30HIKE: HOLT ROAD TO SNIVELY RIDGE

We'll walk up from Mid Valley on Holt Road,through the forest on the northern trail to Gar-land Ranch's Snively Ridge and higher, if wewant. We'll return down to the GarlandRanch. Moderately strenuous 9 miles, 1500' el-evation gain. Bring water and lunch. Meet atMid Valley shopping center in Carmel Valleynext to the bank on Berwick Street at 9:30 a.m.to carpool. Heavy rain cancels. Leader: An-

neliese Suter, 624-1467.

J A N U A R Y

Tuesday, January 1SENIOR WALK: ASILOMAR SOUTH

A NEW EVENT!! For those who are not foot-ball watchers come walk from Asilomar southto Pt. Joe and back. Easy 3 miles includes dirtpaths, streets, paths and boardwalks by theocean. Lunch at tables just north of Pt. Joe withgreat views. The Fishwife Restaurant is NOT

OPEN that day. Meet before 9:30 a.m. at Sears41st Ave. or by the Fishwife at 10:30 a.m. Dressfor weather. Bring water, lunch, $4 carpool.Leader: Bev Meschi, 475-4185.

Tuesday, January 1BIKE RIDE: WILDER RANCH CLIFFS

Let's start the new year with an ocean view ridealong the cliffs, and our first chance to work onour resolutions. 10-12 miles, mostly flat. Dressin layers, bring lots of water and lunch. Heavyrain cancels, light rain morphs into a hike. Noexcuses! Helmets mandatory. Meet at the Santa

Cruz Police Dept. at 10:00 a.m. Call to helpothers get bikes to meeting place. Leader: JohnHowerton, 476-4253.

Wednesday, January 2HIKE: WADDELL CREEK, BIG BASIN

A great time of year to start at the end of theSkyline-to-the-Sea Trail and walk up to BerryCreek Falls which could be in winter an awe-some torrent plunging more than 50 feet overmossy and fern-adorned sandstone cliffs. Thehike starts on a wide, flat trail through a varietyof scenery and then winds its way up through

the redwoods to the falls. Bring lunch andwater for this 10-mile hike. Meet at 9:00 a.m.at Sears 41st Ave. to carpool ($4) or at the trail-head on Hwy. 1 across from Waddell Beach at10:00 a.m. Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

way for a snack. Easy walkno more than acouple of miles. Rain cancels. More info fromLeader: Mary Gale, 626-3565.

Tuesday, December 18HIKE: MITTELDORF PRESERVE

This 4-mile loop begins near a rustic log lodge,has 8 bridged, creek crossings and 900' eleva-tion gain. We'll hike through a redwood forestand lunch at a spectacular vista. Moderate pacewith stops to enjoy flora & fauna. Meet at theBlack Bear Diner Park & Ride on Rio Road by9:30 a.m. Bring water and lunch. We need 4-and all-wheel drive vehicles. Call for reserva-tion. Leader: Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Wednesday, December 19HIKE: LODATO PARK, SCOTTS VALLEY

We'll hike the ridge overlooking Scotts Valley7 miles uphill through the redwoods, over toGranite Creek Rd. and Redwood Dr. in SantaCruz. Excellent views out over the ocean as wewalk through an area that was selectivelylogged over 20 years ago and is now a wilder-ness preserve. Bring lunch and water. Hikingboots suggested. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Sears 41stAve. to carpool, ($1) or at the trailhead forLodato Park at the end of Green Hills Rd.,Scotts Valley, in back of the last office buildingat 9:25 a.m. Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Sunday, December 23HIKE: WEST MOLERA

Moderately strenuous hike to West Molera.Great views of the Big Sur coast and a hiddenpocket beach. 8 miles and 1000' elevation gain.Wear boots, bring lunch and water. Meet atSave Mart in Carmel Valley at 9:00 a.m. Heavyrain cancels. Leader: Steve Legnard 402-1422.

Thursday, December 27HIKE: BLUFF CAMP

This lovely 8-mile hike takes us behind the LosPadres Reservoir and along the upper Carmel

River with one unbridged river crossing. Lunchbeside the river at Bluff Camp. Moderate pacewith stops to enjoy flora & fauna. Meet at theBlack Bear Diner Park & Ride by 9:00 a.m.Bring lunch and water. Call for reservation.Leader: Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Friday, December 28BIKE RIDE: PACIFIC GROVE-MARINA

Let's explore the new links in the Coastal Trailthrough Monterey and Sand City and see howthey connect with the Monterey / PG Rec.trail and the old Fort Ord bike path. Meet atLovers Point in Pacific Grove at 10:00 a.m. atthe start of the rec. trail. Our route will be al-most all on paved bike trails, with a little streetwork. Expect a relatively flat ride with a fewshort, sharp hills. Be prepared for headwinds


O U T I N G S

GENERAL INFORMATION:

All outings begin and end at the trailhead.Carpooling to and from the trailhead is strictlya private arrangement between the driver andthe riders. Carpool drivers are not agents oremployees of the Sierra Club.

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 of aparticular outing, call the leader).

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

Moderate: 5-10 miles; up to 2000' gain;boots; better than average fitness required.

Strenuous: May involve off-trail hiking;demanding pace; for experienced hikers in goodcondition only.

DIRECTIONS:

Black Bear Diner Park & Ride: This park-ing lot is on Rio Road in Carmel.

Save-Mart / Bagel Bakery: (formerly Al-bertsons) South of Monterey on Hwy. 1. Onemile past Ocean Ave., turn L on Carmel ValleyRd. Almost immediately, turn R at the light.Save-Mart/ Bagel Bakery on the R.

Santa Cruz County Government Center:The large grey building at the corner of Ocean& Water in Santa Cruz. We meet at the cornerof the parking lot nearest to the intersection.

Felton Faire: The shopping center at thejunction of Graham Hill and Mt. Hermon Rdsin Felton. We meet at the edge of the Safewayparking lot nearest Graham Hill Rd.

41st Avenue / Sears: From Hwy. 1 in Capi-tola take the 41st Ave. exit. Go toward theocean on 41st Ave. Pass the main Mall entranceand turn right into the next entrance nearSears. We meet behind the bank located at 41stand Capitold Road.

MPC Parking lot: Monterey PeninsulaCollege Parking Lot. From Hwy. 1 take the

Fishermans Wharf exit, go straight one block,turn L and L again into the first parking lotA. This is the site of the Thurs. Farmers Mkt.Plenty of parking with no fee on weekends.

In the interest of facilitating the logistics of some outings, it is customary thatparticipants make carpooling arrangements. The Sierra Club does not have in-surance for carpooling arrangements and asumes no liability for them. Carpool-ing, ridesharing, or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among

the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approvalby the State of California.

Participants will be required to sign a liability waiver. To read it before choos-ing to participate on an outing go towww.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/.

O U T I N G S R A T I N G S

M E E T I N G PL A C E S

D E C E M B E R

Thursday, December 13HIKE: NISENE MARKS

This 7-mile loop with 900' elevation gain be-gins on the Loma Prieta Trail, takes us through

a lovely redwood forest and along beautifulcreeks with several crossings. Moderate pacewith stops to enjoy flora & fauna. Meet in Sea-side at the Home Depot parking lot near thegas station by 8:45 a.m. or in Aptos in the park-ing lot behind Dance Synergy by 9:30 a.m.Bring water and lunch. Call for a reservation;limit of 8. Leader: Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Saturday, December 15HIKE: GROVER GULCH & BATES CREEK

A 6-mile loop beginning from "The Land of theMedicine Buddha." We'll hike up beautiful

Grover Gulch into the southwest corner ofNisene Marks and return along the ridge aboveBates Creek. 500' elevation gain throughmostly second-growth redwoods. Meet at Sears41st Ave. at 9:30 a.m. Bring water, lunch and$1 for carpool. Leader: Ed Gilbert, 685-8389.

Saturday, December 15HIKE: OLD COAST ROAD TO SAN JUANBAUTISTA

We'll hike from Old Coast Rd. over the hillsand down to San Juan Bautista to lunch and ex-plore the Mission and old town. Then back the

same way. 12 miles and 1000' elevation gain ata leisurely pace. Bring a hat, water, and lunch,or $ for lunch. Wear good shoes. Bring yourhiking poles. Meet at Home Depot in Seasidenear the gas station at 8:30 a.m. Heavy rain can-cels. Leader: Anneliese Suter, 624-1467.

Sunday, December 16MIDDAY STROLL: OLD MONTEREY

We'll check out parts of the historic walkingpath, admire old gardens, find where the rest-rooms are, look into the jail for Pelonwhat-ever. Let's meet in front of Colton Hall at 10:30a.m. If there happens to be a huge fiesta there,look for me in the big parking lot just past thelibrary across from the fire station. From therewe'll mosey along Pacific toward the shore andback, perhaps finding somewhere along the


11/16


Thursday, January 17HIKE: GARZAS CREEK

Our 4-mile loop with 800' elevation gain takesus through a redwood canyon and alongGarzas Creek with six picturesque crossings.

Moderate pace with stops to enjoy flora &fauna. Meet at the Black Bear Diner Park &Ride by 10:00 a.m. or at the Garzas Canyontrailhead on East Garzas Road by 10:20 a.m.Bring water and lunch. Call for a reservation.Leader: Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Saturday, January 19HIKE: SOQUEL DEMO STATE FOREST

This demonstration forest, one of only two inthe state, is used for forest practices researchand forestry training. Located high on a ridge(2600') and deep in a canyon (800') behind The

Forest of Nisene Marks, this forest is borderedon the north by Soquel Creek and is directlyabove the San Andreas Fault. We'll hike fromthe junction of Eureka Cyn Rd. and HighlandWy. through the upper reaches of NiseneMarks to the Ridge Trail, then to the BrailleTrail where we'll drop into the canyon and fol-low Hihn's Mill Rd. to hike's end at HighlandWy. 10-miles. Car shuttle. Meet at Sears 41stAve. at 9:00 a.m. Bring plenty of water, lunchand $4 carpool. Leader: Ed Gilbert, 685-8389.

O U T I N G S

Saturday, January 5HIKE: WILDER RANCH

An 8.5-mile loop, with 900' elevation gain,along the Engelsmann, Long Meadow, Chin-quapin, Eucalyptus, Old Cabin and Wild Boar

Trails in the east and north sections of this statepark. Well traverse several riparian forests andopen meadows with beautiful ocean vistas.Meet at the Santa Cruz County Govt. Centerparking lot at 9:30 a.m. Bring water, lunch and$1 carpool. Leader: Ed Gilbert, 685-8389.

Sunday, January 6HIKE: WHALE PEAK AT SOBERANES PT

How about a trek around and up Whale Peakat Soberanes? We'll hope for a clear day towatch for whales, so bring binoculars if youhave them. If the trail on the ocean side of the

peak is closed, we'll do a two-pronged walkfirst on the north side and then the south, andthen go up the hill for lunch. Dress in layers(windy up top!!), bring lunch and water. Backby early afternoon. Rain cancels. Meet at theBlack Bear Diner Park & Ride at 10:00 a.m.Leader: Mary Gale, 626-3565.

Tuesday, January 8SENIOR WALK: W CLIFF/NAT BRIDGES

One of our favorites. We'll walk from Light-house Field to Natural Bridges to visit theMonarchs and hopefully, take the Nature Trailto Moore Creek Lagoon. Lunch at the Visitor'sCenter. Easy 4 miles. Meet before 9:30 a.m. atSears 41st Ave. or at 9:50 a.m. at LighthouseField parking lot across from Surfing Museum.Leader: Jean Harrison, 425-5447.

Wednesday, January 9HIKE: FORT ORD PUBLIC LANDS

The rugged and scenic Chaparral Loop usesOld Reservation Rd. and canyon dirt roadsthrough beautiful oak groves, lush grasslands,and chaparral. After years of military use to

train soldiers in WWII and Vietnam, it is beingreclaimed as a park. It is named after a CivilWar general. Lots of wide vistas for viewinghawks, interesting rock formations, and viewsof the Gabilan and Santa Lucia Mts. Bringwater and lunch. 8 miles. Meet at 9:00 a.m. atSears 41st Ave. to carpool ($4) or at 9:15 a.m.behind the gas station at Rio del Mar and Hwy.1. To meet at the trailhead at 10:00 a.m. drivedown Reservation Rd. to where it meets Hwy.68, take Portola Dr. and in 0.2 mile turn ontoCreekside Terrace. The trailhead is at the endof the street. Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Saturday, January 12HIKE: CASTLE ROCK FROM KINGS CREEK

We'll explore an unusual access route almost tothe top of Castle Rock SP from Boulder Creek.Weather allowing, we'll see wonderful vistas

over Monterey Bay from 2600'. 8 miles with1700' elevation gain. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at theSanta Cruz County Government Center to car-pool. Call Nick if you need additional info.Leader: Nick Wyckoff, 462-3101.

Saturday, January 12KAYAK TRIP: ELKHORN SLOUGH

Elkhorn Slough National Estuary is Califor-nia's 2nd largest wetland area. Depart 10:00a.m. from Moss Landing, Kayak Connection'sdock. We'll go into the slough with the the tideand return when the tide changes direction. Ex-

pect to be back at around 4:00 p.m. Required:intermediate kayaking skills, sea-worthy equip-ment. Kayak rental available in Moss Landing,at Kayak Connection. If renting, arrive by 9:00a.m. so paperwork and fitting are done by10:00 a.m. Bring lunch, water, sun protection,wildlife story to share. We may have anElkhorn Slough docent to share interpretivetalk with us. For info call, only between 9:00a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Leader: Jukka, 429-8513.

Saturday, January 12FUTURE OUTINGS PLANNING

Interested in cross country skiing? backpack-ing? Utah? biking? overnight trips? hot springs?Yosemite? Show up for an informal night ofbrainstorming and idea sharing for possibletrips for the coming year. Lets get some ideasgoing now! Call for information. John How-erton, 476-4253.

Sunday, January 13WALK: GARLAND RANCH

Easy 4-mile hike. We'll go up to the Mesa viaBuckeye and Waterfall Trails, come back via

Fern, Mesa, and Lupine Loop Trails. Nice val-ley views; trails may be muddy. Meet at Al-bertson's to carpool at 9:00 a.m. or at Garlandparking lot at 9:20 a.m. Bring snack/lunch andwater. Rain cancels. Leader: Martha Saylor,372-9215.

Tuesday, January 15SENIOR WALK: SUNSET BEACH

We'll walk both the bluffs and the beach. Mod-erate 4 miles with only one small hill. Dress forweather. Meet before 9:30 a.m. at Sears 41stAve. or at the Sunset Beach kiosk parking lot at

approx. 9:50 a.m. Bring water, lunch, $2 car-pool. Leader: Joan Brohmer, 462-3803.

Sunday, January 20HIKE: PINNACLES

We'll celebrate the 100th anniversary of thePinnacles as a National Monument this week!Usually the warmest local place to hike in win-

ter. 10 miles with 1000' elevation gain. We'll belooking for condors, enjoying the great viewsand green hills. Bring 2 liters water, lunch, andideas for future hikes! Super heavy rain cancels.Call leader for carpool information. Leader:

John Howerton, 476-4253.

Tuesday, January 22SENIOR WALK: RIO DEL MAR

Choice of a level 4-miles along Seacliff and RioDel Mar or walk up Cliff Dr. in a neighbor-hood for 1 mile and back down to beach alonga little-known path. We'll also walk past the ce-

ment ship. Lunch at the picnic area. Meet be-fore 9:30 a.m. at Sears 41st Ave. or the parkinglot at Rio Del Mar by Rio Cafe at 9:50 a.m.


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Dress for weather. Bring water, lunch, $2 car-pool. Leader: Pat Herzog, 458-9841.

Tuesday, January 22HIKE: JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS

This gorgeous 4-mile lollipop loop on theEwoldsen Trail has 1600' elevation gain and fol-lows McWay Creek through dense coastal red-wood forest. Lunch at a panoramic overlook ofthe Big Sur coastline. Moderate pace with stopsto enjoy flora & fauna. Bring water, lunch, and

optional binoculars. Meet at the Black BearDiner Park & Ride at 9:00 a.m. Call for a reser-vation. Leader: Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Wednesday, January 23

HIKE: HENRY COWELL STATE PARKLet's enter the park from Hwy. 9, 6 milesnorth of the Hwy. 1 junction in Santa Cruz.Well get to the trail through the old-growth,virgin Redwood Loop past the visitors' centertoward the San Lorenzo River. The EagleCreek Trail will take us up to the ObservationDeck for a view over Monterey Bay. We'll cir-cle the campground and return along PipelineRd. Bring lunch and water. 8 miles through for-est, chapparal, and riparian areas. Meet at Sears41st Ave. at 9:00 a.m. to carpool ($3) or in frontof the visitors' center inside the park gate at

9:35 a.m. Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

Friday, January 25HIKE: BLUFF CAMP

Let's try again for this hike that was cancelledin Nov. because of the forest closure. Meet atthe Black Bear Diner Park & Ride at 9:00 a.m.

to carpool to Princes Camp in Cachagua. Our8-mile walk is across the dam and along theedge of the reservoir to lunch at Bluff Camp onthe upper Carmel River. Expect scenic andmoderately strenuous terrain at a leisurely pace.Bring lunch and water. Rain cancels. Leaders:Cath Farrant and Mary Dainton, 372 7427.

Saturday, January 26HIKE: RANCHO SAN ANTONIO CO PARK

This is a Santa Clara Co. Park on the east sideof the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge, just southof Black Mountain. Views from Mt. Tam tothe northwest to south San Jose, weather per-mitting. Interesting flora. It is at times a huffand puff 2000' elevation gain in 9 miles. I'll pacethe walk for a pleasant experience. Meet at 9:30a.m. at the Santa Cruz County GovernmentCenter to carpool. Call Nick for additional in-formation. Leader: Nick Wyckoff, 462-3101.

Saturday, January 26HIKE: TERRACE CREEK

Hike the Pine Ridge Trail to Terrace Creek, goup the wonderful narrow valley to the Old

Coast Rd., and then down to the Ventana Inn.This 14-mile, 2000' elevation gain strenuoushike in Big Sur has views of a beautiful creek aswell as the Big Sur coast. Meet at the Save Martin Carmel Valley at 9:00 a.m. to carpool. Wearboots, bring water and lunch. Heavy rain can-

cels. Leader: Steve Legnard, 402-1422.

Sunday, January 27HIKE: POST SUMMIT

A steep, strenuous climb via trail and fire road

to dramatic viewpoint overlooking the Big SurCoast. Ten miles, 3500' elevation gain. Bringlunch and at least one quart of water. Meet at8:00 a.m. at Black Bear Diner Park and Ride.Rain cancels. Leader: Eugene Sobka, 449-0873.

Tuesday, January 29HIKE: NISENE MARKS

This 8-mile loop with 900' elevation gain be-gins on the Loma Prieta Trail, takes us througha lovely redwood forest and along beautifulcreeks with several crossings. Moderate pacewith stops to enjoy flora & fauna. Meet in Sea-side at the Home Depot parking lot near gasstation by 8:45 a.m. or in Aptos in the parkinglot behind Dance Synergy by 9:30 a.m. Bringwater and lunch. Call for a reservation. Leader:Lynn Bomberger, 375-7777.

Wednesday, January 30HIKE: MEMORIAL COUNTY PARK

You can't really brag about climbing Mt. Ellenbecause the elevation is only 700', but the Pom-ponio Trail will take us to the top to a sunnyridge and back down past walls of ferns

through a grove of big second-growth red-woods. The Creek Trail along Pescadero Creekreturns us to the park picnic area. Bring lunch,water, and a walking stick for this 9-mile hike.Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Sears 41st Ave. to carpool($5) or at the corner of King and Mission at

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O U T I N G S

9:15 a.m. We'll be in the picnic parking area offPescadero Rd. at 10:20 a.m. to start the hike.Leader: Diane Cornell, 423-5925.

F E B R U A R Y

Saturday, February 2HIKE: FALL CREEK EAST RIDGE

A 9-mile, semi-loop hike, with 1200' elevationgain, entering from SLV High School along theHigh School, Ridge, Truck and Big Ben Trails.Our return will follow gorgeous Fall Creekpast the machinery at the ruins of the old bar-rel mill, the lime quarry and the lime kilnsfrom the 1870s. Meet at the Santa Cruz CountyGovernment Center at 9:30 a.m. or at FeltonFaire at 9:50 a.m. Bring water, lunch and $2 for

carpool. Leader: Ed Gilbert, 685-8389.Saturday, February 2HIKE: JACKS PEAK

We'll walk around Jacks Peak clockwise, start-ing at the school on Olmstead Rd. (near the air-port). 7 miles with < 1,000' elevation gain.Beautiful views of Monterey and Point Lobos.Bring water and lunch. Meet at the elementaryschool on Olmstead Road at 9:30 a.m. Heavyrain cancels; drizzle doesn't count. Dress forthe winter weather. Confirm by calling a fewdays before. Leader: Anneliese Suter, 624-1467.

Saturday - Sunday, February 2 - 3MECCA HILLS CAR CAMP

Explore the Mecca Hills Wilderness Area eastof Indio, CA. While ATVs roar through theAlgodones dunes to the south, well walk qui-

etly through the gravel washes and rocky hillsto several well-known, spectacular sites. Sat. wevisit Hidden Springs and the Grottos, and Sun.we'll explore Painted Cyn. Car camping willinclude the civilized amenities: potluck supper

and campfire Sat. night. Limit 12. Leader: CraigDeutsche, [email protected], (310-477-6670). CNRCC Desert Committee.

Sunday, February 3HIKE: MOUNT MANUEL

Usually known as the best (winter) t rail in theVentana, this hike has a steady uphill gradewith views of the Big Sur River and the coast.See an early start of the wildflower season andcoastal mid-winter at its best. 10 miles, 3000' el-evation gain. Bring 2 liters of water and lunch;dress in layers. Heavy rain cancels. Meet at the

Black Bear Diner Park and Ride at 9:00 a.m.Santa Cruz hikers call leader for carpool info!Leader: John Howerton, 476-4253.

Sunday, February 3HIKE: TORO PARK OR FORT ORD

Let's see what the weather and mood incline usto do for a not-too-fast hike up a canyon andalong a ridge. At Toro Park, Wildcat Cyn isfun; at Fort Ord, Engineer Cyn leads to a shortclimb to a mesa which might have Indian war-rior and Zygadene in bloom. Either hike callsfor layered clothing, good shoes, a stick if you

have it, lunch and water. Hard rain cancels.Meet at the newish parking lot inside the en-trance to the BLM lands off Reservation Rd. atPortola Dr. Need more help finding your way?Google it, or call leader before the morning ofthe hike! Leader: Mary Gale, 626-3565.

Ventana ChapterMailing AddressThe Ventana Chapter, P.O. Box 5667, Carmel, CA, 93921

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

Chapter Executive CommitteeChapter Chair Rita Dalessio 16 Via Las Encinas Carmel Valley, CA 93924 659-7046

Treasurer Joel Weinstein 140 Carmel Riviera Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 625-5586

Other Members Julie Engell 15040 Charter Oak Blvd. Prunedale, CA 93907 633-8709George Jammal 601 Manzanita Ave. Felton, CA 95018 706-4233

Beverly Bean 39 Calera Cyn Rd. Salinas, CA 93908 484-2451

Steve Zmak 3200 Crescent Ave. Marina, CA 93933 883-4459Heather Z issler 615 Lobos Ave. #B Pac. Grove, CA 93950 541-337-7511

Admin Chair/Sec Mary Gale 25430 Telarana Way Carmel, CA 93923 626-3565Coastal Chair Leah Rose P.O. Box 996 Pacific Grove, CA 93950 601-6477

Conservation Committee

Co-chairs Gudrun Beck 23765 Spectacular Bid Monterey, CA 93940 655-8586Gillian Taylor 52 La Rancheria Carmel Valley, CA 93924 659-0298

Local Wilderness Committee

Chair 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 706-4233

Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187Population Committee

Chair Harriet Mitteldorf 942 Coral Dr. Pebble Beach, CA 93953 373-3694

Political Chair Terry Hallock P.O. Box 22993 Carmel, CA 93922 915-0266Sierra Club Council

Delegate George Jammal 601 Manzanita Ave. Felton, CA 95018 706-4233

Alternate Rita Dalessio 16 Via Las Encinas Carmel Valley, CA 93924 659-7046Transportation Committee

Chair Neil Agron 26122 Carmel Knolls Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 624-3038Outings Chair Anneliese Suter 9500 Center St. #53 Carmel, CA 93923 624-1467Membership Chair

Ventana Editor Debbie Bulger 1603 King St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 457-1036Pajaro River Committee

Co-chairs Lois Robin 4701 Nova Dr. Santa Cruz, CA 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, next to 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), email: [email protected]

Executive Committee

Chair Aldo Giacchino 1005 Pelton Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 460-1538

Vice Chair Kevin Collins P.O. Box 722 Felton, CA 95018 335-4196Secr etar y Shand ra D . Handley 147 S . R iv er S t. , S te . 221Santa Cruz, CA 95060 477- 1981

Other members Kristen Raugust 454 Swanton Road Davenport, CA 95017 423-8566Charles Paulden 415 Palisades Ave. Sant a Cruz, CA 95062 462-3423

Bojana Fazarinc 25401 Spanish Rnch Rd. Los Gatos, CA 95033 408-353-5536

Dennis Davie P.O. Box 651 Capitola, CA 95010 427-2626David Kossack P.O. Box 268 Davenport, CA 95017 427-3733

Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187Treasurer Aldo Giacchino 1005 Pelton Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 460-1538Conservation Chair Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187

Forestry Chair Jodi Frediani 1015 Smith Grade Santa Cruz, CA 95060 426-1697Outings Chair George Jammal 601 Manzanita Ave. Felton, CA 95018 706-4233

Transportation Chair

Paul Elerick 1960 Jennifer Dr. Aptos, CA 95003 688-2304Political Chair Gary Lasky 2350 Felt Street Santa Cruz, CA 95062 476-5702

Coastal Chair Patricia Matejcek P.O. Box 2067 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 768-8187Water Chair Ken Reiller 990 Hecker Pass Rd. Watsonville, CA 95076 728-4046


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C L A S S I F I E D S

Rates: $5 per line for Sierra Club members. Pay-ment must accompany all ads. Make checkspayable to: Sierra Club. Approx. 35 charactersper line. Spaces and punctuation count as char-acters. Typewritten or computer generated copyonly.

HAVE YOU DISCOVERED SHAVER LAKEyet?? www.shaverlakelogcabin.com.

WEBMASTER. The Ventana Chapter is look-ing for a volunteer webmaster. Must have atleast working knowledge and some experiencewith html. Experience with PERL or C a bigplus. Duties include website updates. No con-tent editing needed. For more information con-tact George Jammal,[email protected].

POLITICAL COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERSAre you actively interested in political issues?The Political Committee is looking for membersto work on Club endorsements for candidatesand issues for the coming elections. To volun-teer, call Gary Lasky, 476-5702.

HAVE YOU PLANTED A NATIVE TREE?Call the editor, 457-1036.

Ventana Chapter Candidates Santa Cruz Group Candidates

As Chapter Chair, I have worked withother Executive Committee members toprotect natural resources in MontereyCounty. We are currently one of thefastest growing counties in the state. Pow-erful special interests with money and in-fluence seek to develop, especially largesubdivisions on unincorporated countyland and in the coastal zones. If re-electedto Ex Com, I will continue to opposeprojects that threaten our air quality,water supply, farmland and wildlife.

Using the expertise and legal clout of theSierra Club I will work to ensure that en-vironmental laws and procedures are en-forced in our area.

As a hiker, I am also very committedto protection of the vast Ventana Wilder-ness. Our Chapter is actively promotingthe preservation of this national treasureto ensure that these spectacular wild landswill continue to be a sanctuary for hikersand wildlife.

My concern about the environmentfirst arose in my childhood with the per-

manent closure of a nearby beach. Loveof the Monterey areas natural environ-ment drew me here. Im strongly moti-vated to protect our beautiful area.

My engineering studies and career gaveme the opportunity to pioneer in pollu-tion control in the electro-plating andfoundry industry. We demonstrated thatclean practices were both profitable andeffective, leading other plants to emulateour example.

As Ventana Chapter board member

and treasurer, I have enjoyed working toachieve the Sierra Club goals. As treasurerI have used the knowledge gained from anMBA in Finance and Accounting and innumerous Sierra Club workshops to keepour chapter finances in good order. I haveput our accounting system on QuickBooks to make it compatible with SierraClub National's accounting and have in-creased the return on our assets 5-fold.

I am earnestly dedicated to natural re-source conservation, policy advocacy, andcommunity empowerment. I have beenfortunate enough to exercise these pas-sions in both my work as the Agricultureand Land-Based Training AssociationsAgricultural Conservation Associate aswell as through my academic pursuit of adual Master of International Environ-mental Policy and Business Administra-tion at the Monterey Institute ofInternational Studies.

I am certified in Conservation ProgramLeadership, Conflict Resolution, andWilderness First Response. Previously, Iworked to restore degraded desert envi-ronments in Joshua Tree National Park,

I have been the Chair of the ExecutiveCommittee of the Santa Cruz Group forthe past three years, and also served con-currently as the Groups Treasurer for the

last two years. Before and after joining theExecutive Committee I have engaged in

Ive been a resident of Aptos since1970. My wife Sharon and I have twoadult children, Paul Jr., and Denise whoare living in Aptos.

I am retired, after commuting over thehill for 30 years. I saw Santa ClaraCounty in the '60s change from beautifulagricultural land to huge expanses of as-phalt. We vowed not to let it happen inSanta Cruz County. We knew Santa Cruzhad a chance of keeping its soul if peoplestood up for the environment.

I am presently serving as chair of theCampaign for Sensible Transportationthat helped defeat Measure J which wouldhave widened Highway 1. I also serve as

2007, v46 - 6 ~ the ventana magazine - ventana chapter, sierra club

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