1 Santa Lucian • April 2014 Santa Lucian - Sierra Club · Mesa Refinery Watch in Avila Beach on February 27 to discuss the reckless growth ... risks to community and worker health

Santa Lucian • April 20141

The official newsletter of the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club • San Luis Obispo County, California

Protecting andPreserving theCentral Coast

SantaLucian

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d ePandora’s Botch 2

SLO vs. open space 3

Muir in flowers 4

Energy efficiency steps it up 8

Taking Issue: factory farms 10

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

Please recycle

This newsletter printed on100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-

based inks

April 2014Volume 51 No. 4

Santa LucianSanta Lucia Chapter of the Sierra ClubP. O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

- page 2

Don’t Miss:

Nature Festival atWind Wolves

April 12-13

- see page 6

Board EndorsementMade in Error

Last month’s Santa Lucian reported anendorsement of a candidate for theClub’s Board of Directors. Thisendorsement did not follow the Club’sprocedures for chapters to endorsecandidates and is retracted. Amongother errors, we failed to notifycandidates of our intent to considerendorsements so each of them couldprovide information about theirqualifications to serve as Director. Weregret this mistake. While our endorse-ment has been retracted, we encourageall members to vote for the candidatesof their choice.

The release of the EnvironmentalImpact Report (EIR) for the plan toaccommodate crude oil by rail at theSanta Maria Refinery was met by ablizzard of public comments, includingours (see “Shale Oil Target: NipomoMesa,” February), and as a result willnot be heard at the Planning Commis-sion on April 24. The hearing may bepostponed up to seven months whilethe County and Phillips 66 re-write andrecirculate the EIR. The overwhelming response to therefinery rail spur can be attributed totwo factors: the potential impacts onSLO County’s environment andcitizens are extremely alarming, and theEnvironmental Impact Report that wassupposed to assess and mitigate thoseimpacts did an extremely bad job. The Santa Lucia Chapter zeroed in onthe EIR’s multiple assertions that thelikely source of crude oil would be theBakken shale formation of NorthDakota – the oil that has been thecause of massive explosions and firesthat have attended multiple recent oiltrain accidents. Such accidents havebeen on the rise as the industry hascome to rely more and on the nation’srickety rail system for increasing U.S.crude oil output, resulting in a skyrock-eting number of oil by rail shipments. The Sierra Club, Communities for aBetter Environment, Natural ResourcesDefense Council, Food & WaterWatch, SF BayKeeper, and the

California Nurses Association wereamong those who pointed out the needfor that EIR re-do. Here are some, butnot all, of the reasons why:

Despite the applicant’s many denials,the project is illegally piecemealed –leaving out the impacts of previous,future, and remotely located compo-nents of the project and thus eliminat-ing their impacts from environmentalreview;The EIR fails to provide a stable,accurate and detailed project descrip-tion, thus undermining every aspect ofthe impacts analysis;The EIR does not accurately evaluatenumerous project impacts, including airquality, greenhouse gas emissions,public health and safety, and biologicalresources;The EIR does not provide sufficientanalysis of the project’s cumulativeimpacts;The EIR does not adopt feasiblemitigation measures.

And finally, there is the card trick thatforms the basis of virtually all the EIR’sdeficiencies: The environmental reviewdoes not disclose the likelihood thatthe primary purpose of the rail spurproject would be to bring tar sands oilfrom Canada to the refinery. By citingonly Bakken shale oil – a light crude –as a specific source, the EIR evidentlysought to avoid disclosing the seriouslocal pollution, climate impacts andchemical safety hazards that therefining of heavy, high-sulfur tar sandscrude oil presents for the public andthe refinery’s own workers. But theseries of Bakken oil train explosionshad just begun at the time the EIR wasbeing prepared. Thus the sleight-of-hand that sought to get the project out

of the tar sands frying pan dropped itinto the Bakken crude oil volcano. As noted by Sierra Club et al:

Oil Train Hits a Bump

Planning session Representatives of the Santa Lucia and Los Padres Chapters of theSierra Club, ForestEthics and the Center for Biological Diversity met with members ofMesa Refinery Watch in Avila Beach on February 27 to discuss the reckless growth ofcrude-by-rail, threatening to come to our neck of the woods.

It is impossible to provide anyintelligent evaluation of thepotential environmental effectsand risks to community andworker health and safety ofpartially refining Canadian tarsands crudes in Santa Maria,unless the DEIR first disclosesthis critical component of theProject. At a minimum, the DEIRshould have established whetherthis Project would result in thecompany’s use of a different orlower quality crude oil feedstock,whether in Santa Maria or anyforeseeable location… andevaluated such consequentimpacts. Until then, the DEIRProject Description is inaccurate,incomplete and renders theanalysis of significant environ-mental impacts inherentlyunreliable.

At a public meeting on the NipomoMesa on March 13, a standing-room-only crowd watched the YouTubevideo “Voices Against Oil Trains.” “When we showed this video, therewas a decided gasp from the audi-ence,” said Larry Shinderman, amember of local watchdog group MesaRefinery Watch. “Up until now, theyknew that the benignly named ‘RailProject’ was an insidious plan byPhillips to change their business modelby sending 20,800 tanker cars into therefinery rather than their currentmethod of sourcing ‘feedstock’ bypipeline. But seeing the billowing fireball drove the point home.” Stay tuned.

Santa Maria Refinery rail spur project can’t detour around the California Environmental Quality Act

2Santa Lucian • April 2014

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EDITOR

Greg McMillanLindi DoudLinda SeeleyThomas A. CyrEDITORIAL COMMITTEE

The Santa Lucian is published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental information andletters to the editor are welcome. The deadlinefor each issue is the 13th of the prior month.

send to:

Editor, Santa Lucianc/o Santa Lucia Chapter, Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA [email protected]

Santa Lucia Chapter

2014 Executive CommitteeMichael Jencks (12/15) CHAIRPatrick McGibney (12/14) VICE CHAIRLinda Seeley (12/14) SECRETARYPat Veesart (12/16) MEMBERLindi Doud (12/14) MEMBERGreg McMillan (12/16) MEMBERVictoria Carranza (12/15) MEMBER

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERSLindi Doud, Patrick McGibney TREASURERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Michael JencksConservation Sue HarveyDevelopment Greg McMillanNuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

Climate Change Task Force Heidi Harmon [email protected]

Other Leaders

CNRCC Delegates Linda Seeley, alt: Greg McMillan John Burdett

Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Outings Joe Morris [email protected]/Kayak openWebmaster Monica Tarzier [email protected] Guide Gary Felsman

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The Executive Committee meetsthe second Monday of every monthat 5:30 p.m. The ConservationCommittee meets the secondFriday at 1p.m. at the chapteroffice, located at 974 Santa RosaSt., San Luis Obispo. All membersare welcome to attend.

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Linda Seeley [email protected]

Pandora PannedNuclear roadshow bombs at Cal Poly

Assistant CoordinatorVictoria Carranza, [email protected]

On March 11, the third anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Cal Polychose to mark the occasion and besmirch its academic reputation by hosting ascreening of the pro-nuclear propaganda film Pandora’s Promise. Essentially a 90-minute commercial for nuclear power and the BreakthroughInstitute, an anti-environmental think tank, the “documentary” presents theconversion stories of five people who used to have concerns about nuclearenergy but have changed their minds and now embrace nukes as a low-carbonenergy source and the salvation of the world. When released theatrically last year, the film bombed at the box office andreceived scathing reviews (“You need to make an argument. A parade of like-minded nuclear power advocates who assure us that everything will be all rightjust doesn’t cut it.” - New York Times). It also got no love when CNN showed it,pulling in 345,000 viewers in a time slot that previously saw 1.36 million tune infor the CNN documentary Blackfish. Its producers are now making the roundswith free screenings on college campuses to try to drum up interest. The Cal Poly screening featured co-producer Michael Shellenberger, a co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute, which exists to promote a corporations-will-save-us message. Breakthrough stumps for genetically engineered food,dismisses renewable energy and the idea that putting a price on carbon wouldaid the development of renewables, and derides protesters of the Keystone XLpipeline because they use fossil-fueled buses to get to protests. (In an ongoingsparring match with prominent Climateprogress blogger Joe Romm, Shellen-berger has posted Romm’s picture on the Breakthrough website alongside apicture of Joe McCarthy. Romm is relentless in pointing out the flaws inBreakthrough’s premises and is therefore “hyper-partisan” and a “climateMcCarthyite,” according to Shellenberger.) Disingenuous and intellectually insulting on multiple levels, Pandora’sPromise downplays, dismisses or omits the drawbacks of nuclear power andgives no screen time to any critic presenting a rational critique of the industry. Foremost among omitted facts is what the film’s call for a future nuclear utopiawould actually require and the cost of this alleged solution to global warming.The trillions of dollars needed to build enough nuclear power plants to reducecarbon emissions by any significant amount — 1,500 new reactors on lineworldwide by 2050 – represents funds that would be sucked away from thedevelopment and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Thatmoney suck is well represented by the unstable white elephant known as thefast breeder reactor, which Pandora’s Promise holds up as the all-new, improvedversion of nuclear energy while omitting to mention the tendency of its coolingsystem to burst into flames. $100 billion has been spent on the effort to makebreeder reactor technology work, an effort that, in forty years, has resulted inzero operating commercial reactors. The financial reality of nuclear power is the reason why former NuclearRegulatory Commissioner Peter Bradford has commented “Saying that nuclearenergy can solve climate change is like saying caviar can solve world hunger.” Writing in The Nation, Mark Hertsgaard summed up the key failure ofPandora’s Promise in its trashing of alternatives such as energy efficiency andrenewable power. The film’s dismissal of wind and solar – the fastest growingenergy sectors in the world — is “an embarrassingly dated critique,” he wrote,and, per the Rocky Mountain Institute, “each dollar invested in improvingenergy efficiency produces seven times more reduction in greenhouse gasemissions than a dollar invested in nuclear.” (See “Let’s Get Efficient,” page 9.) The most disingenuous aspect of Pandora’s Promise may be its treatment ofthe Fukushima disaster. The film deals with Fukushima by framing it in the pasttense – depicting it as an historic event whose impacts have been measured andcatalogued, rather than an ongoing crisis with an unknown end point — andclaiming that it wasn’t really a big deal because nobody has (yet) died as aresult. It fails to present an example of any other type of industrial accident that,with a single event, has the potential to turn hundreds of square miles of landinto uninhabitable sacrifice zones and destroy an entire economy. The end result, Hertsgaard notes, is a film that is the work of “a propagandistwho cherry-picks ‘facts’ to fit his agenda.” After the screening, Gordon Thompson, executive director of the Institute forResource and Security Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was given tenminutes to present a Powerpoint presentation that quietly refuted as many ofPandora’s whoppers as possible within that allotted time frame. Shellenbergerwas then given time to present his own Powerpoint — which raised the question“why?” in the minds of many in the audience, who had just seen a 90-minutepitch for Shellenberger’s point of view. For a non time-constrained response, we can thank the thoughtful folks atBeyond Nuclear, who have produced the report “Pandora’s False Promises:Busting the pro-nuclear propaganda,” available at beyondnuclear.org, whichaddresses “virtually all of the myths, lies and omissions typically found in pro-nuclear rhetoric, and is intended to address these long after Pandora’sPromise fades into deserved oblivion.”

Pandora’s antidote Three weeks afterMichael Shellenberger and Pandora’s Promisecame to Cal Poly, David Lochbaum of the Unionof Concerned Scientists, author of Fukushima:The Story of a Nuclear Disaster, came to SanLuis Obispo’s Steynberg Gallery and deliveredthe real-world version of nuclear power.


Bishop Peak:We Get toShare It. LeavesYou Baby IfYou Don’t CareFor It

SLO’s deteriorating openspace is about politicalpriorities

On March 11, President Obamadesignated Point Arena-StornettaPublic Lands as part of the CaliforniaCoastal National Monument. Located along the south coast ofMendocino County, these public landsinclude 1,665 acres of views, tide poolsand coastal wetlands. “In his State of the Union speech,President Obama promised to use hisauthority to protect more of our publiclands for future generations,” saidSierra Club Executive Director MichaelBrune. “We commend him for makingthis irreplaceable coastal refuge one ofthem. This special piece of Americadeserves to be recognized as part ofthe California Coastal NationalMonument.” The Point Arena- Stornetta PublicLands area includes more than twomiles of coastline, portions of theGarcia River, the Garcia estuary and afive-acre island—Sea Island Rocks. Itswildflower meadows and shifting sanddunes provide a home for otters, seals,

Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, San LuisObispo, CA 93406

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The proposed Trans-Pacific Partner-ship (TPP) trade deal has drawn heavycriticism (See “Not This TradeAgreement,” April 2013, “Trade isGood When It’s Fair,” Nov./Dec. 2013and “Sierra Club Opposes Fast-TrackRush on International Trade,” Feb.2014.) The Sierra Club and 500 otherenvironmental, labor and farm groupsoppose granting the White House“fast track” authority to speed the pactthrough Congress. TPP will enshrinecorporate control of decisions previ-ously subject to democratic pro-cesses—decisions over intellectualproperty, the environment, labor rights,food, finance and more. The deal, still being negotiated insecret, has spawned protests aroundthe world. But there’s one thing thatTPP hasn’t generated: news. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) hascalled it “the largest corporate powergrab you never heard of.” He’s right.Per Fairness and Accuracy in Report-ing (FAIR), over 14 months—fromJanuary 2013 through February 2014—TPP was never covered in any detail bythe three major television networks. It’s time to let the news networksknow that a big, secret trade deal thathas mobilized thousands of activists isa story that needs to be covered. Sign FAIR’s petition now. Tell ABC,CBS and NBC that the Trans-PacificPartnership—and the opposition toit—is news.

Go to fair.org, click the Action Alerttab under “Take Action,” and scrolldown to “Mar. 14: No More MediaSilence on TPP.”

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Coastal National Monument Gets New Jewel

pelicans and a host of other wildlife. The designation marks the firstexpansion onto land for the coastalmonument and it will serve to protectimportant habitat for migratory birds,salmon, and several endangeredspecies, including the Point Arenamountain beaver and the Behren’ssilverspot butterfly. There was broad local support fromthe community, conservationists andbusiness leaders for including PointArena-Stornetta public lands in thenational monument. The move was alsochampioned by Congressmen Thomp-son and Huffman, and by CaliforniaSenators Boxer and Feinstein, whohelped lead efforts to protect the area. “Local citizens have been workingwith the Bureau of Land Managementto support appropriate use of the area,but the scarce resources available havebeen overburdened by the demandsplaced on this fragile, special place,”said Sierra Club Redwood ChapterChair Victoria Brandon. “Today’s

designation will encourage effectivemanagement to ensure the permanentprotection of Point Arena- StornettaPublic Lands for the enjoyment of ourchildren and grandchildren.” The California Coastal NationalMonument is comprised of more than20,000 small islands, rocks, exposedreefs and pinnacles along 1,100 miles ofcoast between Mexico and Oregon.Permanently protecting Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as part of thenational monument provides signifi-cant conservation and recreationbenefits, including the potential formore than ten miles of CaliforniaCoastal Trail extending from the City ofPoint Arena to Manchester State Park. “Once again we see President Obamalistening to the widespread desireamong Americans for permanentlyprotecting our outdoor heritage forfuture generations. We hope he willcontinue to heed the call to protectother special places as nationalmonuments,” said Brune.

Dear Media:Report on the TPP

Wouldn’t it be nice, as many bumperstickers have inquired, if schools weregiven all the funding they need and thePentagon had to hold bake sales? Or as the same sentiment is oftenphrased: The government can alwaysfind money for what it wants to spendmoney on; for everything else, theanswer is “we can’t afford it.” Thus we come to the City of San LuisObispo’s response to the increasinglyalarmed and angry residents of theBishop Peak neighborhood, who arewatching one of the Nine Sisters beingincreasingly trashed, along with theirneighborhood. The answer to theirpleas has been: sorry, the City can’tafford to adequately maintain the city’s

open space. There’s no money to hireenough rangers to enforce open spacerules, such as no night hiking. But in fact, the City can afford it. Ithas the money. But because it doesn’thave the policy, that money has goneelsewhere. Residents searching for accountabil-ity for the lack of adequate open spacefunding should peruse the minutes ofthe SLO City Council’s special meetingof January 26, 2013, the 2013-15financial plan goal-setting workshopwww.slocity.org/cityclerk/minutes/2013/012613/012613minutesWeb.pdf . Councilmembers voted on theirpersonal priorities for city fundingthrough 2015. On the “Open Space

Goal,” they decided on howimportant it was to each of them to“commit funding to expand openspace & provide adequatestaffing, planning and otherresources to maintain andenhance open space quality andamenities.” On a scale of 1 to 5,with 5 being the highest priority,this is how the rankings went:

Jan Marx: 4John Ashbaugh: 4Andrew Carter: 3Kathy Smith: 2Dan Carpenter: 1

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TAKE ACTION


Mach 1868 “When I set out on the long excursionthat finally led to California, I wandered,afoot and alone, from Indiana to theGulf of Mexico, with a plant-press onmy back, holding a generally southwardcourse, like the birds when they aregoing from summer to winter.... Idecided to visit California for a year ortwo to see its wonderful flora and thefamous Yosemite Valley. All the worldwas before me and every day was aholiday, so it did not seem important towhich one of the world’s wildernesses Ifirst should wander. Arriving by Panama steamer, I stoppedone day in San Francisco and theninquired for the nearest way out oftown. “But where do you want to go?”asked the man to whom I had appliedfor this important information. “To anyplace that is wild,” I said. This replystartled him. He seemed to fear I mightbe crazy, and therefore the sooner I wasout of town the better, so he directed meto the Oakland ferry. So on the 1st of April, 1868, I set outafoot for Yosemite. It was the bloom-time of the year over the lowlands andcoast ranges; the landscapes of theSanta Clara Valley were fairly drenchedwith sunshine, all the air was quiveringwith the songs of the meadowlarks, andthe hills were so covered with flowersthat they seemed to be painted. Slow,indeed, was my progress through theseglorious gardens, the first of theCalifornia flora I had seen. Cattle andcultivation were making few scars asyet, and I wandered enchanted in long,wavering curves, knowing by mypocket map that Yosemite Valley lay tothe east and that I should surely find it. Looking eastward from the summit ofPacheco Pass one shining morning, alandscape was displayed that after allmy wanderings still appears as the mostbeautiful I have ever beheld. At my feet lay the Great Central Valleyof California, level and flowery like alake of pure sunshine, forty or fiftymiles wide, five hundred miles long, onerich furred garden of yellow compositae.And from the eastern boundary of thisvast golden flowerbed rose the mightySierra, miles in height, and so gloriouslycolored and so radiant, it seemed notclothed with light, but wholly composedof it, like the wall of some celestial city.Along the top and extending a goodway down, was a rich pearl-gray belt ofsnow; below it a belt of blue and darkpurple, marking the extension of theforests; and stretching along the baseof the range a broad belt of rose-purple;all these colors, from the blue sky to theyellow valley smoothly blending asthey do in a rainbow, making a wall oflight ineffably fine. Then it seemed to me that the Sierrashould be called, not the Nevada orSnowy Range, but the Range of Light.And after ten years of wandering andwondering in the heart of it, rejoicing inits glorious floods of light, the whitebeams of the morning streamingthrough the passes, the noondayradiance on the crystal rocks, the flushof the alpenglow, and irised spray ofcountless waterfalls, it still seems aboveall other the Range of Light.” (from TheYosemite by John Muir)

[On this first trip to the Sierras, Muirdescribes exploring the San Joaquin

Valley. We get a good look at the vastSan Joaquin grassland. The CarrizoPlain is the last intact remnant of thisonce vast grassland. The bees hedescribes are California native bees.]

“When California was wild, it wasone sweet bee garden throughout itsentire length, north and south, and allthe way across from the snowy Sierrato the ocean. Wherever a bee might fly within thebounds of this virgin wilderness –through the Redwood forests, alongthe banks of the rivers, along thebluffs and headlands fronting the sea,over valley and plain, park and grove,and deep, leafy glen, or far up the pinyslopes of the mountains – throughoutevery belt and section of climate up tothe timber-line, bee flowers bloomed inlavish abundance. Here they grewmore or less apart in special sheetsand patches of no great size, there inbroad, flowing folds hundreds of milesin length – zones of polleny forest,zones of flowery chaparral, streamtangles of rubus and wild rose, sheetsof golden compositae, beds of violets,beds of mint, beds of bryanthus andclover, and so on, certain speciesblooming somewhere all the yearround. But of late sheep have made sadhavoc in these glorious pastures,destroying tens of thousands of theflowery acres like a fire, and banishingmany species of the best honey plantsto rocky cliffs and fence corners,while, on the other hand, cultivationthus far has given no adequatecompensation, at least in kind; onlyacres of alfalfa for miles of the richestwild pasture, ornamental roses andhoneysuckles around cottage doorsfor cascades of wild roses in the dells,and small, square orchards and orange

groves for broad mountain belts ofchaparral. The Great Central Plain of California,during the months of March, April, andMay was one smooth, continuous bedof honey bloom, so marvelously richthat, in walking from one end of to theother, a distance of more than fourhundred miles, your foot would pressabout a hundred flowers at everystep.... The radiant, honeyful corollas,touching and overlapping, and risingabove one another, glowed in the livinglight like a sunset sky – one sheet ofpurple and gold, with the brightSacramento pouring through the midstof it from the north, the San Joaquinfrom the south and their many tributar-ies sweeping in at right angles from themountains, dividing the plain intosections fringed with tress. Along the rivers there is strip ofbottom-land, countersunk beneath thegeneral level, and wider toward thefoot-hills, where magnificent Oaks,from three to eight feet in diameter, castgrateful masses of shade over theopen, prairie-like levels. And closealong the water’s edge there was a finejungle of tropical luxuriance, composedof wild rose and bramble bushes and agreat variety of climbing vines,wreathing and interlacing the branchesand trunks of Willows and Alders, andswinging across from summit to summitin heavy festoons. Here the wild bees

reveled in fresh bloom long after theflowers of the drier plain had witheredand gone to seed. …But, though theseluxuriant, shaggy river-beds were thusdistinct from the smooth, treeless plain,they made no heavy dividing lines ingeneral views. The whole appeared asone continuous sheet of bloombounded only by the mountains. When I first saw this central garden,the most extensive and regular of allthe bee pastures of the State, it seemedall one sheet of plant gold, hazy andvanishing in the distance, distinct as anew map along the foot-hills at myfeet.... Because so long a period of extremedrought succeeds the rainy season,most of the vegetation is composed ofannuals, which spring up simulta-neously, and bloom together at aboutthe same height above the ground, thegeneral surface being but slightlyruffled by the taller phacelias,pentstomens, and groups of Salviacarduacea, the king of the mints. Sauntering in any direction, hundredsof these happy sun-plants brushedagainst my feet at every step, andclosed over them as if I were wading inliquid gold. The air was sweet withfragrance, the larks sang their blessedsongs, rising on the wing as I ad-vanced, then sinking out of sight in thepolleny sod, while myriads of wild beesstirred the lower air with their monoto-nous hum – monotonous, yet foreverfresh and sweet as everyday sunshine.Hare and spermophiles showedthemselves in considerable numbers inshallow places, and small bands ofantelopes were almost constantly insight, gazing curiously from slightelevation, and then bounding awaywith unrivaled grace of motion. Yet Icould discover no crushed flowers tomark their track, nor, indeed, anydestructive action of any wild foot ortooth whatever. The great yellow days circled byuncounted, while I drifted toward thenorth, observing the countless formsof life thronging about me, lying downalmost anywhere on the approach ofnight. And what glorious botanicalbeds I had! Oftentimes on awaking Iwould find several new species leaningover me and looking me full in the face,so that my studies would begin beforerising. (from The Mountains ofCalifornia by John Muir).

from the pen of

JohnMuirExcerpts from The Wilderness World ofJohn Muir, edited by Edwin Way Teale

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The Empower Poly Coalition is teaming up withthe Center for Sustainability and other campusorganizations to host an Earth Day SustainabilityFair to highlight the many initiatives related tosustainability and well-being across campus. The event will bring together students, faculty,staff and community members to educate eachother about the issues we care about. The eventwill fill the Multi-Activity Center (MAC) from 4-6:30pm with interactive demonstrations, informa-tion booths, focused hangouts, music and more. For information about the event, visit: http://cfs.calpoly.edu/earth_day.html.

Earth Day Sustainability Fair April 22


Mr. Chairman, Ranking MemberCorker, members of the committee, it isan honor to appear before you todayto discuss whether Keystone XL is inthe national interest. I’m MichaelBrune, Executive Director of the SierraClub. The Sierra Club, and the more thantwo million people who submittedcomments last week to the StateDepartment, know this pipeline is notin our national interest. The KeystoneXL tar sands pipeline would cutthrough more than a thousand miles ofAmerican farms and ranches, carryingoil that is more toxic, corrosive, difficultto clean up, and more carbon intensiveall the way to the Gulf, where most ofthe oil would be exported. Like many of you, I am a parent, and Iam deeply concerned about the worldwe are leaving for our children. Onelesson my wife and I try to teach ourkids is the need to set goals and remainfocused as you strive to achieve them.Our country has a clear, science-basedgoal to limit climate pollution. We mustkeep this in mind and recognize thatachieving that goal is incompatiblewith permitting this pipeline. None of the scenarios in the StateDepartment’s analysis show howKeystone XL could be built in a waythat insures our nation can meet thoseclimate goals. In fact, Keystone XLwould significantly exacerbate climatepollution because it would increase thedevelopment of tar sands substantially.A report from Carbon Tracker foundthat Keystone XL would spur addi-tional production of roughly 500,000barrels per day, the emissions equiva-lent of building 46 new coal plants. I would like to enter this report intothe record today. Although the climate impacts of tarsands are sufficient reason to rejectthis project, there are others: Any spill from this pipeline could becatastrophic. Transporting tar sands crude into theUnited States poses a heightened riskto communities and their air and waterthan conventional oil. Diluted bitumenis heavier and more toxic than conven-tional crude. When it spills in a water-

“Keystone XL jeopardizes our drinking water, farmland, climate, and health. The sadtruth is that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is all risk and no reward.” - Michael Brune

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Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune (center) and Columbia University Earth Institute adjunct professor James Hansen (right)listen to retired Marine Corps General James Jones Jr. testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a hearing about theproposed Keystone XL pipeline project on Capitol Hill, March 13.

Ready for President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline? Ustoo! During the weekend of April 26-27, the Sierra Club will be joining with acoalition including Indigenous representatives, ranchers, representatives fromrefinery communities, and others that would be directly impacted by Keystone XLin a mobilization asking the President to “Reject and Protect.” This will mark aweek of events around the country alongside an encampment and march inWashington D.C. Sierra Club is proudto support communitiesat this potentially finalmoment in the Key-stone battle, and wewelcome solidarityevents on April 27, theculminating day. Formore information,contact ZabrinaArnovitz [email protected].

way, it sinks. Just one tar sands oil spillin Michigan fouled more than 35 milesof river. After three and a half years andmore than a billion dollars, that spillstill has not been cleaned up. Take alook at this image from a neighborhoodin Mayflower, Arkansas where anExxonMobil pipeline ruptured, spillingmore than 7,000 barrels of tar sandsinto resident’s backyards and drive-ways. Even without spills, the Keystone XLwould risk the health and livelihood ofcommunities living near each stage ofthe project. Petcoke is a byproduct oftar sands production, and its a majorhealth hazard for U.S. communities.Fuel-grade petcoke contains highlevels of toxins, including mercury,lead, arsenic, selenium, chromium,nickel, and vanadium. Huge petcokepiles from refining processes havebegun to appear in cities like Chicagoand Detroit. Furthermore, Keystone XL would noteven benefit American consumers. Thisoil is intended for export. Keystone XLwould deliver tar sands to refineries on

the Gulf Coast that already export mostof their refined product, have increasedtheir exports nearly 200 percent in thepast five years and are planning toincrease these exports further in thefuture. Keystone XL would also be be athreat to national security. Because itwould facilitate the development of oneof the world’s most carbon intensivesources of oil, it is important toconsider the impacts that theseadditional greenhouse gas emissionswould have on people worldwide andAmerica’s national security. Since 2010, key national securityreports have indicated that floods,droughts, and rising seas brought onby a destabilized climate in places ofgeostrategic importance to the U.S.multiply threats and risks for Ameri-cans working in those areas. Climate disruption directly affectsour armed forces. Admiral SamuelLocklear, head of the U.S. Military’sPacific Command, believes the singlegreatest threat to his forces is theinstability sparked by climate disrup-tion. Finally, clean energy will power a newAmerican economy. Let’s not delay.

Remarks of Sierra ClubExecutive DirectorMichael Brune before theU.S. Senate Committee ofForeign Relations regard-ing determination of thenational interest of theKeystone XL tar sandspipeline, March 14, 2014.

America is a land of innovators.Today the factories of Detroit, thelaboratories of Silicon Valley, and thenext generation of American consumersare already investing in and profitingfrom clean technology. Thanks to fuel-efficiency standards, gasoline demandin the U.S. is decreasing and projec-tions show decreases through 2040and beyond. Investing in the clean energyeconomy is supported by Americanbusinesses, workers, and all who careabout clean air, water and a stableclimate. That’s a win-win-win scenario.Compared this to Keystone XL, whichjeopardizes our drinking water,farmland, climate, and health. The sadtruth is that the Keystone XL tar sandspipeline is all risk and no reward. Secretary Kerry has called climatedisruption “the world’s most fearsomeweapon of mass destruction,” and lastweek, he instructed all U.S. diplomatsand employees around the world to“lead by example through strong actionat home and abroad” to fight theclimate crisis. America can lead onclimate, by saying no to this pollutingpipeline, and saying yes to cleanenergy. Thank you.

Save the Dates: April 26-27 - Reject and Protect

TAKE ACTION

Avila Bird Sanctuary: It’s official The signs proclaiming Avila Beach a bird sanctuarywere installed on the morning of March 6 on Avila Beach Drive -- one by Cave LandingRoad as you come off the 101, and the other between the Cal Poly pier and the creekoverpass. Congratulations, Shirley Goetz! (See “Avila Bird Sanctuary is Nigh,” March.)

Signs ofthe Times


Saturday, April 12th7 am to 4 pm: BIRDING BIG DAY HIKE.Up San Emigdio Canyon and back. Slowpaced with many stops for birding, but beprepared to walk up to 7 miles. Wearappropriate clothing, hat, sunscreen,comfortable hiking shoes; bring binoculars,plenty of water, a lunch and snacks.* Ages 12 & up* Limited to 12 participants* Leader: Mike Stiles* Meet at: Crossing kiosk

8 am to 1 pmEL CAMINO VIEJO TO CLOUDBURSTCANYON. Get in the back county of thepreserve. 4 miles round-trip, from SanEmigdio Trailhead, through sagebrush andstream bottom. If you’re up for thechallenge, this hike is for you.* Ages 13 & up* Limited to 25 participants* Leader: Suzanne Randell* Meet at: Wildflower Loop pkng lot

8:30 to 9:30 am: SKULLS PRESENTA-TION & DISCOVERY. A few observationsof an animal’s skull can tell us what theanimal ate, whether it was predator or prey,and which senses were most important tothe animal’s survival. Use your sense tomatch which skull corresponds to whatanimal at Wind Wolves Preserve.* All Ages* Limited to 40 kids. Parents and guardianscan participate too.* Leader: Jana Borba* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

9 to 11 am: INSECT & OTHER AR-THROPOD HIKE. Discover the insects,spiders, pillbugs, millipedes, etc. that liveat Wind Wolves Preserve. Slow-paced 1 to2 mile hike; meander through grassland,shrubland, and riparian woodlands to look

for arthropods on the plants, dead logs,streams, ponds, leaf litter, under stones.* Ages 4 & up* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Mary Moreno* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk* Spanish translator available

9 to 11 am: WIND WOLVES PRESERVELANDSCAPE & THE CALIFORNIACONDOR. A drive up the canyon to learnabout the Wind Wolves landscape and howit works for the California Condor. A shorthike after stopping the van at the ElCamino Viejo trail head with view of theDevils Kitchen Syncline on the flank ofEagle Rest peak.* All Ages (no strollers)* Limited to 13 participants* Leader: Martin Fletcher* Meet at: Bridge to Adventure* May walk up to 2 miles

9 am to 12 noon: SPRING WILDFLOW-ERS & PLANTS HIKE. Take a leisurelyhike up the trail to search for wildflowersand learn some of their names. Very slowround-trip hike, suitable for mature childrenand sure-footed adults. Bring water,binoculars and camera so we leave onlyfootprints.* Ages 5 & up* Limited to 15 participants* Leader: Ali Sheehey* Meet at: Wildflower Loop* May walk up to 2 miles

10 am to 12 noon: BEGINNINGBIRDING WALK. Families will enjoy afun morning exploring riparian, saltbush,and grassland habitats to discover the birdsthat live in these areas. Wear sturdy shoes,bring water, binoculars and spottingscopes. A few binoculars will be provided.* All ages (no strollers)* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Andy Lundin* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

10 am to 12 noon: BASIC NATUREPHOTOGRAPHY FOR FAMILIES. Willdepend on the interests of attendees.Topics will include better design andcomposition of pictures, informal instruc-tion and a nature walk. Open format withdiscussions and hands on help.* Ages 10 & up* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Dr. Navdeep Singh* Meet at: Crossing Ramada

11 am to 12 noon: THE ART OF A TREEDRAWING CLASS. Drawing isthe mother of all the visual arts. It is wherewe learn to see. We will be using drawingmaterials such as charcoal and pigmentsfrom vegetable tints found on the preserve.* Ages 8 to 18* Limited to 12 kids. Parents and guardiansmay participate too.* Leader: Norma Neil* Meet at: Crossing Ramada

11 am to 12 noon: STORYTIME & WALKIN NATURE IN SPANISH. Take a shortwalk in nature and then sit and listen to astory read allowed out in the fresh air.* All ages* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansmay participate too.* Leader: To be determined* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

1 to 2 pm: THE ART OF A TREEDRAWING CLASS. Drawing isthe mother of all the visual arts. We will beusing drawing materials such as charcoaland pigments from vegetable tints found onthe preserve.* Ages 8 to 18* Limited to 12 kids. Parents and guardiansmay participate too.* Leader: Norma Neil* Meet at: Crossing Ramada

1 to 2 pm: REPTILE BOOTH. Join us atour reptile presentation to learn about someof the fascinating animals native to ourpreserve. See and compare a variety ofsnake species and learn about theirbehavior. Perfect for reptile lovers as wellas those that want to become more com-fortable with reptiles.* All ages* Limited to 40 kids. Parents and guardiansmay participate too.* Leader: Sami Neymark* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

1 to 3 pm: PLANT & ANIMAL CON-NECTIONS HIKE. Hike along multiplehabitats to discover the interrelationshipbetween the animals and plants that livethere. Learn how native plants supportanimal life with shelter from the elements,defense against predators, and food.* All ages ok, under 10 recommended* Limited to 15 participants* Leader: Melissa Brashers* Meet at: Bridge to Adventure

1 to 3 pm: INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES &DROUGHT IN ARID REGIONS. Hikeand discussion of the ecology of thesouthern San Joaquin Valley, non-indi-genous vs. indigenous species, problemsassociated with invasive species, and plantadaptations for coping with drought.* Ages 12 & up* Limited to 30 participants* Leader: Dr. Pratt & Dr. Jacobsen* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk

1 to 3 pmMOMMY & ME NEST BUILDING First Parents and children gather safenatural items off the floor, as well as,collect soil and water, and place on table,mixing all ingredients together to make MudNests for our bird friends. Then we take ashort hike in search for birds and use ourbird flipbook to identify the bird species.* All ages* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Linda Vasquez* Meet at: Crossing Pond* Spanish translator available

2:15 to 3:15 pm: STORYTIME & WALKIN NATURE. We will be reading The BusyTree and The Lorax outdoors, have a briefdiscussion, then go see what we can find innature. Walk will be short and slow-paced.* Ages 5 to 10* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Cindy Carver* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

3:30 to 5 pm: AQUATIC INSECT HUNTFOR KIDS. Discover the excitement of lifein the water! Hands-on program. Childrenwill search for aquatic insects with nets,identify and examine them with bug

viewers. Our pond is an excellent opportu-nity to view frogs and birds. Kids will havefun while learning about adaptations, lifecycles, and the world around them.* Ages 5 to 15* Limited to 12 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Mat Mendoza* Meet at: Crossing Pond

3:30 to 5:30 pm: EARTH ART FOR KIDS.Celebrate the earth by creating EarthArtfrom natural materials found during a shortguided hike. Then assemble your ownunique artwork. All artwork will remain ondisplay for future viewing.* All ages* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Meag England* Meet at: Crossing Ramada

3:30 to 5:30 pm: IN SEARCH OFMAMMALS AROUND THE PRE-SERVE. Join Ranger Nick on a backcountry tour in search of mammals. WindWolves’ diverse landscape provides greatopportunities to experience rare encoun-ters. You will learn about the manymammals that make Wind Wolves theirhome, including mule deer, tule elk,coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, groundsquirrels, cottontails, jackrabbits, blackbear, raccoon, kit fox and kangaroo rats.* Ages 7 & up* Limited to 14 participants* Leader: Nick Carver* Meet at: Wildflower Loop* Van tour

6:30 to 7:30 pm: CAMPFIRE PRO-GRAM: SONGS & STORIES. Come enjoyan hour long campfire program with songsand stories.* All ages* Limited to 50 participants* Leaders: Tara Douhan & SherrylClendenen* Meet at: Crossing Ramada

7 to 8 pm: GUIDED MEDITATION INNATURE. Take a short walk withmeditation teacher Tonya through a ripariancorridor and out to an open grassland to doan hour-long guided meditation.* Ages 12 & up* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Tonya Bryant* Meet at: Bridge to Adventure

7:30 to 9:30 pm: FAMILY NIGHT HIKE Two-hour moonlit hike, starts just beforesunset and ends after dark. Discussion ofnighttime wonders including nocturnalanimals, fluorescent minerals, biolumines-cent insects, and constellations.* All ages (no strollers)* Limited to 50 participants* Leaders: Tara Douhan & SherrylClendenen* Meet at: Crossing Ramada

Sunday, April 13th7 to 10 am: BIRDING BIG SIT. See howmany birds can be seen or heard from a 17'circle. Bring binoculars and a spottingscope if you have one, and plenty of water.* Ages 12 & up* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Mike Stiles* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk

Wind Wolves Preserve Nature Festival If you want to slow down andreconnect with nature, it would be hardto do better than the magnificent WindWolves Preserve – 100,000 acres ofpristine wildlife habitat east ofMaricopa and the southern edge ofCarrizo Plain National Monument. Wind Wolves is holding its firstNature Festival the weekend of April12. A remarkable staff of rangers,naturalists, biologists and educatorshost the preserve’s outdoor educationprograms and work on restoration andscience-related projects. They havebrought together an astonishing arrayof talent who will be offering guidedhikes, wildlife and wildflower viewing,preserve tours, and more. Activities areongoing from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.Saturday, and from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00p.m. Sunday. Booths and exhibits withthemes including reptiles, skullidentification, student art gallery,scavenger hunts and Friends ofCalifornia Condors will be open from 10a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Entrance to the Preserve and allactivities are free. Advance registrationis required for all activities and can becompleted online at www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_windwolves.html or by calling 909-797-8507.


7:30 am to 12 noon: NATURAL HIS-TORY HIKE. A leisurely trek up canyon toexplore the geology, discuss the NativeAmericans that used the area, and plantsand animals we encounter. Bring water,binoculars, camera, and field note book.* Ages 4 & up* Limited to 15 participants* Leader: Ali Sheehay* Meet at: Crossing Pond

9 to 11 am: DONOR SHUTTLE TOUR. Wind Wolves Preserve is proud to offer ashuttle tour of our mid-slope and valleyfloor habitats. Upon donating blood to themobile Houchin Blood Bank vehicle, youwill punch your ticket on a majestic tour ofCalifornia’s scenic rolling hills, ripariancorridors, and grassland prairie. Potentialwildlife sightings include mule deer, tuleelk, coyotes, many varieties of raptors andbirds, reptiles, rodents. Houchin hasparticular donor requirements. CallCourtney at (661) 858-1115 to scheduleyour blood donation time. Let us know ifyou would rather cash in your shuttle tourfor another date. Shuttle does not allow forcar seats, family members may accompanyonly if there is room on the shuttle.* Ages 18 & up* Limited to 24 participants* Leaders: Melissa Dabulamanzi andRobert Shahan* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk

9 to 11 am: GEOLOGY TOUR OF SANEMIGDIO MOUNTAINS AND CAN-YON. A two-hour excursion, 10 milesround-trip by van, traveling the length ofSan Emigdio Canyon. Close-up view of thedevelopment of the canyon and formationsof the San Emigdio Mountains. We’ll makethree stops to discuss how the canyon wasformed and local and regional geology andobserve sediments and rocks. Half mile ofwalking.* Ages 13 & up* Limited to 13 participants* Leader: Michael Toland* Meet at: Wildflower Loop

10 to 11 am: STORYTIME & WALK INNATURE. We will be reading The BusyTree and The Lorax outdoors, have a briefdiscussion and then walking to see what wecan find in nature. The walk will be shortand slow-paced.* Ages 5 to 10* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Cindy Carver* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

10 am to 12 noon: BEGINNINGBIRDING WALK FOR FAMILIES. A funmorning exploring riparian, saltbush, andgrassland habitats to discover the birds thatlive in these areas. Bring sturdy shoes,water, binoculars and spotting scopes. Afew binoculars will be provided.* All ages (no strollers)* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Andy Lundin* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

10 am to 12 noon: OUTDOOR SURVIVALPREPAREDNESS. Learn how to preventgetting lost when hiking through demon-stration and activities. Take home a whistle,safety cards and a certificate!* Ages 4 to 18* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Meag England* Meet at: Crossing Ramada* Spanish translator available

10 am to 12 noon: GOING NATIVE:UNDERSTANDING THE KAWAIISUWORLD. Jon Hammond and Kim Durhamwill be leading a hike focusing on nativeplants and wildlife and the way these havebeen utilized by Native Americans andearly settlers, as sources of food, craftmaterial and medicine. Hike participantswill be taught how to identify somecommon plants and shown how some wereused, such as making cordage frommilkweed or dried nettle stalks. Hikers willalso be shown how to understand theirsurroundings.* All ages* Limited to 30 participants* Leaders: Jon Hammond & Kim Durham* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk* Moderate hike

11 am to 12 noon: STORYTIME & WALKIN NATURE IN SPANISH. Take a shortwalk in nature and then sit and listen to astory read allowed out in the fresh air.* All ages* Limited to 20 kids. Parents and guardiansmay participate too.* Leader: To be determined* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

12 noon to 2 pm: DONOR SHUTTLETOUR. Wind Wolves Preserve is proud tooffer a shuttle tour of our mid-slope andvalley floor habitats. Upon donating bloodto the mobile Houchin Blood Bank vehicle,you will punch your ticket on a majestictour of California’s scenic rolling hills,vigorous riparian corridors, and grasslandprairie. Potential wildlife sightings includemule deer, tule elk, coyotes, many varietiesof raptors and birds, reptiles, small rodentsand more. Houchin has particular donorrequirements. Call Courtney at (661) 858-1115 to schedule your blood donation timeduring the festival. If you would rather cashin your shuttle tour for another date, let usknow. Shuttle does not allow for car seats,family members will only be able toaccompany if there is room on the shuttle.* Ages 18 & up* Limited to 24 participants* Leaders: Melissa Dabulamanzi andRobert Shahan* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk

1 to 2 pm: CALIFORNIA CONDORHISTORY & RESTORATION PRESEN-

TATION. Watch a presentation withspectacular photos of the CaliforniaCondor. Learn about its history and biologyand long road to recovery.* Ages 10 & up* Limited to 35 participants* Leader: Martin Fletcher* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

1 to 3 pm: PLANT & WILDLIFECONNECTIONS HIKE. Hike alongmultiple habitats to discover the interrela-tionship between the animals and plantsthat live there; how native plants supportanimal life with shelter from the elements,defense against predators, and food.* All ages (no strollers)* Limited to 25 participants* Leader: Megan Lundin* Meet at: Bridge to Adventure

1 to 3 pm: INSECT & OTHER ARTHRO-POD HIKE. Discover the insects and otherarthropods (spiders, pillbugs, millipedes,etc.) that live at Wind Wolves. Slow-paced1 to 2 mile hike, meander through grassland,shrubland, and riparian woodlands. Lookfor arthropods on plants, dead logs, ponds,streams, leaf litter, and under stones.* Ages 4 & up* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Mary Moreno* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk

1 to 3 pm: MOMMY & ME: NATURETHROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD. Children will be given crayons, coloredpencils, paint palettes. The rest is magic.Children can express their views of thepreserve coloring away in nature.* All ages* Limited to 15 kids. Parents and guardiansare welcome to participate too.* Leader: Linda Vasquez* Meet at: Crossing Ramada* Spanish translator available

2:15 to 3:15 pm: ENDANGEREDSPECIES OF WIND WOLVES PRE-SERVE. The talk will focus on rare andendangered species in the San JoaquinValley with emphasis on those that occuron the Wind Wolves Preserve, habitats thatspecies are found in, why they areendangered, and the role the Preserve playsin helping conserve these species.* Ages 9 & up

* Limited to 35 participants* Leader: Brian Cypher* Meet at: Administrative OfficeFountain

3 to 4:30 pm: TRACKINGCLASS AND FIELD PRAC-TICE HIKE. Learn about tracksand signs of unique NorthAmerican wildlife. Identificationand distinction between tracks ofdifferent types of animals, andother signs that animals leavebehind as they live their dailylives. The little things in naturebecome the big things as trackingreveals the untold stories of whatanimals do for survival.* All ages (no strollers)* Limited to 20 participants* Leader: Moses Dabulamanzi* Meet at: Bridge to Adventure

3 to 6 pm: WILDFLOWERIDENTIFICATION HIKE. Anup close and personal experiencewith Wind Wolves’ flora. Duringa wet year, our grasslands can becovered with Fiddleneck, WildHyacinth, California Poppy and

Santa Maria

Nipomo

much more. During a dry season, ourperennials shine, such as Bush Lupine andBladder Pod. We will be using the commonnames of the plants we find with a fewscientific names thrown in for excitement.By the end of the hike we will be burstingwith new knowledge and have shared agreat experience.* Ages 5 & up* Limited to 30 participants* Leader: Jana Borba* Meet at: Wildflower Loop

3:30 to 4:30 pm: REPTILE BOOTH. Learnabout some of the fascinating animalsnative to our preserve! See and compare avariety of snake species and learn abouttheir behavior. Perfect for reptile lovers aswell as those that want to become morecomfortable with reptiles.* All ages* Limited to 40 kids. Parents and guardiansmay participate too.* Leader: Sami Neymark* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

3:30 to 7:30 pm: NATURE PHOTOGRA-PHY - INTERMEDIATE. We will ventureinto the canyons of the preserve to dosome landscape and scenic photography.All styles of cameras are welcome; forthose with digital SLRs and advanced pointand shoots or mirrorless systems, we willalso practice high dynamic range photogra-phy, a beautiful technique for landscapephotography that expands the tonal rangeand dramatically improves colors. A wideangle lens and tripod strongly suggested.* Recommended for photographers withintermediate experience* Limited to 13 participants* Leader: John Harte* Meet at: Administrative Office Fountain

7 to 9 pm: NIGHT HIKE: IN SEARCHOF OWLS. Trail dips in and out of ourcreek bed and under pretty big cotton-woods and dense willow and mulefatthickets. We will stop many times along theway to listen in silence for any owls callingin the night. Taped recordings will also beplayed in a hope to lure in some of thesespecies.* Ages 8 & up* Limited to 9 participants* Leader: Ross Schaefer* Meet at: Crossing Kiosk

A celebration of City Farm - San Luis Obispo

All are invited to join Central Coast Grown on opening day for City Farm SanLuis Obispo, Sunday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join the Mayor of SLO at the groundbreaking ceremony, create memories byplanting veggies on Nico Farms, City Farm’s first tenant, constructing eco pots toplant at home, and taking pictures in the photo booth. You’ll even get a chance toname the Nico Farms tractor. Bring your favorite homemade picnic foods to enjoywith some local snacks. Live music by Off the Griddle and puppet shows for thekids. Bike valet provided. City Farm is located at 1221 Calle Joaquin, in the heart of the city’s Calle JoaquinAg Reserve. Head east on Los Osos Valley Road from the 101, turn right ontoCalle Joaquin, and drive until you see the farm at the end of the cul-de-sac. More info at centralcoastgrown.org/city-farm/fun-raiser/

On a tractor with no name Nico Farms’ first planting at SLO City Farm, March 19.

Stev

en M

arxApril 6: Urban Farm Fun-Raiser

Take the 101 to Highway 166 easttoward Maricopa. A few miles pastMaricopa, look for a “Wind WolvesPreserve” sign on your right. Turnright onto the access road andtravel south for 3 miles. Turn right,proceed through the main entrancegate and follow the signs.


by Andrew Christie, Chapter Director

Analogies can be useful. But if we try to claim that two different big, complexissues are alike, we tend to get ourselves into trouble, as a recent Tribune letter-writer did when presuming to assert “facts vs. beliefs” about climate change andgenetically engineered food. Those who push this analogy believe that the overwhelming scientific consen-sus on climate change is matched by a similar consensus on the safety ofgenetically modified food. But it’s not, and the repetition of this belief by GMO advocates doesn’t make itso. There is no equivalency between the real scientific consensus on climatechange and the claim of alleged consensus on the safety of genetically engi-neered food. A comprehensive peer-reviewed 2011 survey of hundreds of GMO studies ininternational scientific journals found “an equilibrium in the number [of] researchgroups suggesting, on the basis of their studies, that a number of varieties of GMproducts (mainly maize and soybeans) are as safe and nutritious as the respectiveconventional non-GM plant, and those raising still serious concerns.” There is no comparable equilibrium to be found in peer-reviewed climateresearch, on one side of which there really is an overwhelming scientific consen-sus on the reality of human-caused climate change and only a handful of outlierstudies suggesting otherwise. An insignificant number of scientists oppose theconsensus on climate change. On GMOs, roughly the same number of scientistscan be found on both sides of issue. This is why the European Network of Scientists for Social and EnvironmentalResponsibility concluded that “the claimed consensus on GMO safety does notexist. The claim that it does exist is misleading and misrepresents the currentlyavailable scientific evidence and the broad diversity of opinion among scientistson this issue.” They also found that animal feeding studies that “have revealedtoxic effects or signs of toxicity in the GM-fed animals…have not been followedup by targeted research that could confirm or refute the initial findings.” Also: “A peer-reviewed survey of the views of 62 life scientists on the environ-mental risks of GM crops found that funding and disciplinary training had asignificant effect on attitudes. Scientists with industry funding and/or thosetrained in molecular biology were very likely to have a positive attitude to GMcrops and to hold that they do not represent any unique risks, while publicly-funded scientists working independently of GM crop developer companies and/orthose trained inecology were morelikely to hold a‘moderately nega-tive’ attitude to GMcrop safety and toemphasize the un-certainty and igno-rance involved.” All the more reasonto support CaliforniaSenate Bill 1381 tolabel geneticallyengineered foods.

On March 5, 2014, 191 Republican and 184 Democratic members of the Housejoined to pass the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014 (HR 2126), spon-sored by Representatives David McKinley (R-WV) and Peter Welch (D-VT). Theact is focused on saving energy in buildings. “For the last one hundred years, utilities have operated under the premise thatdemand for electricity would grow every year,” said Jesse Berst, Chairman of theSmart Cities Council. “Then came the Great Recession, which caused growth toflatten. And now, maybe, comes the Great Intercession -- the federal governmentinterceding to insist that federal buildings reduce energy use and to ‘encourage’commercial buildings to do the same. Energy efficiency is already on a roll, but Ibelieve this intercession will take it to a new inflection point. Do you really needthat new power plant? Can you really afford to upgrade that substation? It maybe time for long-range planners to rethink their assumptions.” To date, bills addressing energy efficiency have focused on how real estateowners and developers may lower energy consumption at the “whole-building”level. But in fact, owners and managers of large buildings control only about 50percent of their structures’ total energy; tenants consume at least half. The BetterBuildings Act takes a holistic approach by considering office tenants’ impact onenergy consumption and behaviors. Notably, the act brings the Energy Star ratingfor whole buildings to the next level by authorizing a “Tenant Star” program tocertify leased spaces in buildings as energy efficient. Considering the overwhelming success and private sector acceptance of EnergyStar for buildings – which are located in all 50 states, represent billions of squarefeet of commercial floorspace, and saved American businesses over $2.7 billion inutility bills in 2012 alone – it is sound energy policy to evolve this program to the“Tenant Star” level of leased spaces. The act also includes:

* A provision to encourage benchmarking and public disclosure of energy usein commercial buildings, following a strategy several cities around the countryhave adopted to encourage more efficiency; * The Energy Efficient Government Technology Act for federal agencies todevelop strategies to implement energy-saving information technologies frombuilding energy management to telework, and to improve efficiency of federal datacenters, and * A provision to address concerns that recent efficiency standards for waterheaters could interfere with their use in demand response programs run by ruraland other utilities. The provisions are designed to address some key barriers of lack of informationand perverse incentives that prevent building owners from implementing cost-effective energy efficiency measures. These measures also are in the new versionof the Senate’s energy efficiency bill (S. 2074), sponsored by Senators JeanneShaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH), along with other important efficiencymeasures. If the Senate passes that bill, Americans can start reaping more of theutility bill savings, jobs, cleaner air, and more secure energy that energy efficiencycan provide.

Let’s GetEfficient

De-Fence! A volunteer work project to removeand replace existing four-strand barbedwire fencing with two strands ofbarbed wire on top and one strand ofsmooth wire on the bottom is ongoingin the Carrizo Plain National Monumentfor the benefit of the pronghornantelope, the fastest land mammal inthe western hemisphere. The pronghorn cannot /will not jumpover the wire, but they will go under, sothe smooth wire is used to replace thebottom wire, and is placed higher offthe ground than the original wire.

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Over the weekend of February 8 and9, Los Padres Forest Watch volunteersjoined a Carrizo crew led by Sierra Clubvolunteer Craig Deutsche and theCalifornia/Nevada Desert Committee ofthe Sierra Club. The crew included“Condor John” Hankins from theClub’s Los Padres Chapter, JonMcCabe and Craig Carey, author of thenew book Hiking and BackpackingSanta Barbara & Ventura. They made short work of some badwire, securing safe passage for thepronghorn.

Are GMOs Like Climate Change?


Going, going.... Whether it’s unwillingness to pay to protect Bishop Peak or willingness toconsider turning the Urban Reserve Line into Silly Putty, the SLO City Council is setting itspriorities, and the city’s open space -- the basis of citizens’ well-being -- isn’t one of them.

Based on those rankings, maintainingand enhancing open space missed thecut as a Major City Goal by one vote. Worthy of note: Funding to maintainand acquire Open Space for the City’speaks was ranked as the highestpriority of residents in the City’slargest recent survey (the 2012 “LandUse and Circulation Update Survey”),in which every city household wassurveyed and 2,200 responses werereceived. But because of the council’svotes, maintaining and enhancingopen space is not even a major citygoal. Thus, it has been funded – and

de-funded — accordingly. Also worth noting: “Implement theadopted Economic DevelopmentStrategic Plan” did make the cut as aMajor City Goal. From this came anEconomic Development Committee,which has “informed” the update of theLand Use and Circulation Element ofthe City’s General Plan. There was noEnvironmental Committee or strategicplan to likewise inform the update, noopen space/natural resources task forcetasked with coming up with anythingthat could be considered for the statusof a major goal to be adopted andimplemented. But the 2012 resident survey providedclear information on the desires of SanLuis Obispo residents. Subsequently,city staff refused to include thatinformation in three major staff reports,continuing to omit this information afterreceiving specific, repeated requests todo so. A city’s general plan is commonlycalled the city’s land use constitutionbecause all land use decisions of thecity must be consistent with it. On page16 of the council’s current draft plan, inthe “Community Values” section(www.slo2035.com/images/library/land_use_cc_recommended.pdf), theresults of that survey are reported, andthe priorities of city residents areunmistakable. Only two categories ofcity services in the survey received amajority of responses in the affirmativein both of the listed categories “Re-spondents seeking more of these” and“Respondents willing to pay more forthese:”

Rolling Back Righetti Hill

“It’s such a big county, with all thoserolling hills that aren’t being used.There are lots of places for develop-ment.”

- Mark Schniepp, Director, UCSBEconomic Forecast

Central Coast Economic SymposiumTelegram-Tribune, Nov. 6, 1990.

Back in May 2011, we mentioned adistinction SLO had just achieved inthe pages of Men’s Journal. In afeature in the magazine entitled “The18 Coolest Towns in America,” therewas San Luis Obispo, with the notationof the “stratospheric levels of emo-tional well-being” as recorded in theGallup poll and the happiest-town-in-America title bestowed by the DanBuettner book, Thrive. The article cited “Ordinances [that]keep development from creeping upthe city’s signature hillsides” as one ofthe features that makes SLO so cool. We pointed out the fact that ordi-nances keeping development fromcreeping up the city’s signaturehillsides didn’t mean much in 2007when a SLO city council headed byPavin’ Dave Romero was determined togreen-light four annexation anddevelopment proposals that were setto bust the Urban Reserve Line andcreep right up those hillsides. Back then, Johnson Avenue neigh-borhood residents organized andforced the City Council to relocate tothe Vets Hall to accommodate thecrowds that showed up for the meeting

Acquiring and maintaining openspace for peaks and hillsides (58%and 54.1%, respectively). Acquiring and maintaining openspace for City greenbelt (54% and51.6%).

Peakcontinued from page 3

Staff and the council disregarded thismandate from the citizenry when settingthe City’s goals. So just to be clear: The City can’tafford to save Bishop Peak because ofpolicy, not penury.

at which those development proposalswere heard. In the face of overwhelmingtestimony on mudslides, giant watertanks, traffic and the destruction of theview, Pavin’ Dave threw in the toweland had to vote against the develop-ments he supported.

Today, those who would bustthe Urban Reserve Line anddevelop SLO’s signaturehillsides have learned to be moresubtle. Now Righetti Hill is onthe chopping block, along withthe concept of development

permitted to take placeonly inside – notoutside – the areadesignated by the city’sUrban Reserve Line. Now it’s a matter of science:The developers have newand improved measurementsof the gradations between a20 percent slope and a 30percent slope. And, ofcourse, SLO’s projectedfuture housing requirementsmust be met… and whatbetter place to meet themthan in places with million-dollar views, despite the factthat, annoyingly, Citypolicies remove those areasfrom consideration aslocations to be used to meetgoals on housing numbers? In 2012, on the occasion ofthe retirement of Neil Havlik,San Luis Obispo’s firstNatural Resources Manger,we pointed out that what theTribune called the “messyand intense” struggle withthe city’s business commu-nity that was necessary to

also resulted in the creation of the co-equal positions of Natural ResourcesManager and Economic DevelopmentManager. That’s why the NaturalResources Manager was able to makethe deals that preserved 6,500 acres ofopen space and wildlife habitat. At the March 4 city council meetingwhere the pitch was made to amend theOrcutt Area Plan to bust the UrbanReserve Line and start marching devel-opment up the slopes of Righetti Hill,the council voted 4 to 1 – Mayor JanMarx dissenting – to move the planforward in the planning process. Thisdespite a plea from that very sameformer Natural Resources Manager,Neil Havlik, the man who created theopen space that the plan for RighettiHill and the Urban Reserve Line wouldobliterate. “Rather than adjusting theUrban Reserve Line to accommodatehousing numbers,” Havlik pleaded withthe council, “adjust the housingnumbers to accommodate the UrbanReserve Line.” Good idea. Time will tell if this citycouncil can grasp it.

www.projecthopeandfairness.org

sierraclub.org/solar

create the Natural ResourcesProtection Program in 1994


Summary: New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff ticks off everything wrong with factory farming-- from cruelty to animals to environmental destruction to the devastation of small farms -- beforecoming to the conclusion that you can’t beat cheap, efficiently produced industrial food so whaddayagonna do? All responses are from the essay “Seven Deadly Myths About Industrial Agriculture,” asprinted in Fatal Harvest (Island Press).

Taking IssueReviewing problematic environmental coverage & commentary in our local media

“America’s unhealthy industrialized meat market,” by Nicholas Kristoff, The Tribune, March 14, 2014.

Upshot: If you added the real cost of industrial food — its health, environmental, and social costs— to the current supermarket price, not even our wealthiest citizens could afford to buy it.... It isindisputable that this highly touted modern system of food production is actually less efficient,less productive than small-scale alternative farming. It is time to re-embrace the virtues of smallfarming, with its intimate knowledge of how to breed for local soils and climates; its use ofgenerations of knowledge and techniques like intercropping, cover cropping, and seasonalrotations; its saving of seeds to preserve genetic diversity; and its better integration of farms withforest, woody shrubs, and wild plant and animal species.

Factory farming has plenty ofdevastating consequences, butit’s only fair to acknowledge that ithas benefited our pocketbooks.

It’s easy to criticize the currentmodel of industrial agriculture, farharder to outline a viable alternative.Going back to the rural structurepresented by the inefficient familyfarm...isn’t a solution; then we’d beback to $6.48-a-pound chicken.

Under closer analysis, our suppos-edly cheap food supply becomesmonumentally expensive. The myth ofcheapness completely ignores thestaggering externalized costs of ourfood, costs that do not appear on ourgrocery checkout receipts. Conven-tional analyses of the cost of foodcompletely ignore the exponentiallyincreasing social and environmentalcosts customers are currently payingand will have to pay in the future. Weexpend tens of billions of dollars in taxes, medical expenses, toxicclean-ups, insurance premiums, and other pass-along costs tosubsidize industrial food producers. Given the ever-increasinghealth, environmental, and social destruction involved inindustrial agriculture, the real price of this food production forfuture generations is incalculable.... Subsidies add almost $3billion to the “hidden” cost of foods to consumers.... All of these environmental, health, and social costs are notadded to the price of industrial food. When we calculate the realprice, it is clear that far from being cheap, our current foodproduction system is imposing staggering monetary burdens onus and future generations. By contrast, non-industrial foodproduction significantly reduces and can even eliminate most ofthese costs. Additionally, organic practices reduce or eliminatethe use of many chemicals on food, substantially decreasing thethreat of cancer and other diseases and thus cutting health-carecosts. Finally, small-scale sustainable agriculture restores ruralcommunities and creates farm jobs. If the public could only seethe real price tag of the food we buy, purchasing decisionswould be easy. Compared to industrial food, organic alternativesare the bargains of a lifetime.

Small farms produce moreagricultural output per unit areathan large farms. Moreover, larger,less diverse farms require far moremechanical and chemical inputs.These ever increasing inputs aredevastating to the environmentand make these farms far lessefficient than smaller, moresustainable farms. Proponents of industrialagriculture claim that “bigger isbetter” when it comes to foodproduction. They argue that thelarger the farm, the more efficientit is. They admit that these hugecorporate farms mean the loss offamily farms and rural communi-ties, but they maintain that this issimply the inevitable cost of

efficient food production. Andagribusiness advocates don’t just promote big farms; they also push bigtechnology. They typically ridicule small-scale farm technology as grosslyinefficient, while heralding intensive use of chemicals, massive machinery,computerization, and genetic engineering — whose affordability and implemen-tation are only feasible on large farms. The marriage of huge farms with “mega-technology” is sold to the public as the basic requirement for efficient foodproduction.... Agribusiness and economists alike tend to use “yield” measurements whencalculating the productivity of farms.... It is true that the highest yield of asingle crop is often achieved through industrial monocultures [but] small-scaleintegrated farms produce far more per unit area than large farms. Though theyield per unit area of one crop — corn, for example — may be lower, the totaloutput per unit area for small farms, often composed of more than a dozencrops and numerous animal products, is virtually always higher than that oflarger farms. As summarized by the food policy expert Peter Rosset, “Surveying the data,we indeed find that small farms almost always produce far more agriculturaloutput per unit area than larger farms. This is now widely recognized byagricultural economists across the political spectrum, as the ‘inverse relation-ship between farm size and output.’” He notes that even the World Bank nowadvocates redistributing land to small farmers in the third world as a steptoward increasing overall agricultural productivity.

Special Delivery

On February 20, a bill requiring amoratorium on fracking was introducedin the state legislature. On the weekendof March 8, despite our pro-frackingGovernor’s presence at the CaliforniaDemocratic Party’s Convention in LosAngeles, the party included a plank inits 2014 platform endorsing an immedi-ate moratorium on fracking. “The shift in the prevailing political

winds has been a remarkable one,” saidSierra Club activist and Democraticdelegate Richard Miller after theconvention. One week later, more than 5,000Californians (SLO contingent at left)descended on Sacramento to tell theGovernor that his “fabulous economicopportunity” needs a big time-out. Take the gentle hint, Governor.

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ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is April 12. To geta rate sheet or submit your ad andpayment, contact:Sierra Club - Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA [email protected]

CYNTHIA HAWLEYATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONLAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

P.O. Box 29 Cambria California 93428Phone 805-927-5102 Fax 805-927-5220

Les KangasSolar Energy ConsultantREC Solar, Inc.775 Fiero Lane, Suite 200San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Office: (805) 528-9705Cell: (805) 305-7164Toll Free: (888) OK-SOLAR (657-6527)Fax: (805) 528-9701

2012 Crop Grass Fed BeefEstate Grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Available Now-Delivery AvailablePlease Get in Touch For More Information

Greg and Linda McMillan

805-238-4820 [email protected]


Outings and Activities CalendarSeller of travel registration information: CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State ofCalifornia.

This is a partial listing of Outingsoffered by our chapter.

Please check the web pagewww.santalucia.sierraclub.org for

the most up-to-date listing ofactivities.

All our hikes and activities are open to all Club members and the general public. Please bring drinking water to alloutings and optionally a lunch. Sturdy footwear is recommended. All phone numbers listed are within area code805 unless otherwise noted. Pets are generally not allowed. A parent or responsible adult must accompanychildren under the age of 18. If you have any suggestions for hikes or outdoor activities, questions about theChapter’s outing policies, or would like to be an outings leader, call Outings Chair Joe Morris, 549-0355. Forinformation on a specific outing, please call the listed outing leader.

Island Hopping in Channel Islands National Park. 3-Days, 3-Islands: April 12-14, May 4-6, June 8-10, July 22-24, August 24-26, September 14-16. Join us aswe explore these enchanting islands! Hike wild, windswept trails bordered withblazing wildflowers. Kayak rugged coastlines. Marvel at pristine waters teemingwith frolicking seals and sea lions. Train your binoculars on unusual sea and landbirds. Watch for the highly endangered island fox. Look for reminders of the

Chumash people who lived onthese islands for thousands ofyears. Or just relax at sea. Aranger/naturalist will travel withus to help lead hikes, point outitems of interest and presentevening programs. All cruisesdepart from Santa Barbara. The$590 cost includes an assignedbunk, all meals, snacks, andbeverages plus the services of aranger/naturalist. To reserve space, send a $100check, written to Sierra Club toleader Joan Jones Holtz, 11826The Wye St., El Monte, CA91732. For more informationcontact leader; 626-443-0706;[email protected].

Activities sponsored by other organizations

Sun., Apr. 6th, 2 p.m. SLO City Walk:San Luis Cemetery. Guided stroll pastgravesites of famous pioneers likeAngel, Cass, Murray, Sinsheimer, andCivil-War vets, plus the old “potter’sfield’ for indigents and, of course, thelandmark pyramid. Learn the compel-ling stories of settlers in 19th-centurySan Luis Obispo. Duration about1 1/2 hrs. Meet in south parking lot,adjacent to the pyramid, 2890 S.Higuera St. Leader: Joe Morris, 549-0355.

Sat., Apr. 12th, Previtt Loop Hike, 8a.m. A challenging, very strenuoushike of 13 miles and 2800 ft. elevationgain, but worth it for the beautifulscenery: redwood groves, great oceanviews, rolling grassland, and anexploration of the Previtt Creekdrainage area. Expect to be out all day,and assume poison oak on the trail.Bring lunch, plenty of water, protectiveclothing, and dress for the weather.Meet at the Washburn Day Use Areaof San Simeon State Beach, about 1 1/2miles north of Cambria, off Hwy 1. Ifyou are going, let leader know ahead oftime. Those wishing to carpool fromSLO be at Santa Rosa Park toleave at 7:15 a.m.— no guaranteeothers will be there to join you.Contact Carlos in case of rain. CarlosDiaz-Saavedra, 546-0317.

Sat.-Sun., April 12th-13th, Hot

Springs/Cold Nights in Black RockDesert. Visit Trego Hot Spring in BRDesert, about 100 miles north ofReno—exact itinerary depending onplaya conditions (drivable as ofJanuary, but can change). May stay atone spring with good all-weatheraccess. Primitive camping, bring waterand all food. No RVs or trailers allowed.Dogs on leash OK. Bad weathercancels. Further info.: David, 775-843-6443 Great Basin Group/CNRCC DesertCommittee.

Sun., April 13th, 10 a.m. WildflowerWalk and Identification. Easy, one-mile walk in the Elfin Forest in LosOsos to view and identify commonCentral-Coast wildflowers like manza-nita, lupine, coffeeberry, heather, sage,and others. From South Bay Blvd.,turn west on Santa Ysabel toward theocean, then right on 11th St. to end.Leader: Vicki Marchenko,[email protected] or 528—5567.

Sat., Apr. 19th, 9 a.m. Salmon andSpruce Creek Trails to Dutra Flat. Amoderate 8.4-mile hike in beautifulsouthern Big Sur area, with 2200 ft.elevation gain. Beginning at theSalmon Creek trailhead, hike ascendsthrough Salmon Creek and SpruceCreek canyons into open brush land,with views of Silver Peak, thendropping down into Dutra Flat camp.

Meet at Washburn Day Use area ofSan Simeon State Beach, off Hwy 1,about 2 miles north of Cambria. Bringlunch, water, and dress for the weather.Prepare for possibility of ticks andpoison oak. We will probably stop foreats after the hike. Rain cancels. Info:Leader, Chuck Tribbey, 441-7597.

Sat-Sun., April 19th-20th CarrizoService and Flowers Outing with aday of service in Carrizo Plain Nat.Monument and a day of sightseeingand/or hiking. Wildflowers can bespectacular if sufficient rain. Weathertypically cool in evenings and comfort-able in the day. Service is removingand modifying fences to give prong-horn antelope greater mobility;recreation determined by interests ofgroup. Contact Leader:Craig Deutsche, [email protected] or 310-477-6670 CNRCCDesert Committee.

Sun., Apr. 20th, 10 a.m. SycamoreSprings Trekking-Pole Hike. “Pole-cats” dedicated to leading local hikes,modeling benefits of effective use oftrekking poles. Hike is 2 miles, 600 ft.elevation change. Meet near theentrance of Sycamore SpringsResort, 1215 Avila Beach Drive.Confirm beforehand you are comingwith Leader: David Georgi, 458-5575 [email protected].

Thurs., April 10, 5:30 pm -8:30 pm, Seabird AwarenessWorkshop, hosted by theSeabird ProtectionNetwork. Central CoastAquarium, Avila Beach. Thisfree workshop is a great opportu-nity to learn more about seabirdsfrom local experts. Spaceis limited to the first 50 peoplewho register. For info, [email protected] orcall (805) 400-8531.

Joe MorrisSierra Club(805) [email protected]

It’s Time to Make Your Reservationfor Ojai Wild! Sat., Apr. 12: The 7th Annual Ojai Wild! is just around the corner. Join Los PadresForest Watch in celebrating 10 years of forest conservation victories! This eventhelps us raise critical support for the protection of our beautiful Los PadresNational Forest & Carrizo Plain. It’s also great fun - and you’re invited! Whether you come for the food & drink, the great live music, the excitingauctions, the amazing surroundings, or the good company ... just come! Ticketsare $80 for adults, $20 for kids 14 and under, and $600 for a reserved table withpriority seating (seats 8-10). Get your tickets online, or contact Diane at 805-617-4610 x2 or [email protected].

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Documents

1 Santa Lucian • April 2014 Santa Lucian - Sierra Club · Mesa Refinery Watch in Avila Beach on February 27 to discuss the reckless growth ... risks to community and worker health