Santa Lucian • Sept. 2008 Santa Lucian - Sierra Club

Santa Lucian • Sept. 2008 1

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

I n s i d eI n s i d eI n s i d eI n s i d eI n s i d eHuasna rising 3

When developers attack 4

Planes, trains and planning 6

Call for Club candidates 8

Faith and the environment 9

Letters 9

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

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September 2008Volume 45 No. 8

Santa LucianSanta Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club

P. O. Box 15755

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

Protecting and

Preserving the

Central Coast

SantaLucian

General Meeting

Join the Fight Against

Climate Change!

Changed your light

bulbs? Reduced your

footprint? Yes, there is

more that you can do.

Join us at 7 p.m. on

Friday, Sept. 26.

- see page 2

- 40 Years on the SLO Coast -Santa Lucia Chapter

1968-2008 The World They MakeCalifornia college students

take on global warming

Bullet DodgedAs we predicted (“Hold That Line!,”July/August), the lame duck aggres-sive-growth majority on the CountyBoard of Supervisors attempted amajor piece of mischief with fivemonths to go on their terms. But what was supposed to be a quietcoup overthrowing the way land useplanning is done in SLO Countyinstead went down in flames at theAugust 12 meeting of the CountyBoard of Supervisors. Staff had placed a proposal on thatday’s agenda recommending that theBoard process amendments to theCounty’s General Plan that wouldseize from the Planning Commis-sion and hand to staff the authorityto review tract maps, the basis forsubdivisions and the heart of allland use planning decisions. Coming two months afterelections re-made the ideologicalmakeup of the Board, the attempt togrease the rails for bad projects evenafter a new pro-environment Board– and their Planning Commission-ers – is seated in January wasobvious. The authority of the citizen

commission that oversees land useplanning was to be eliminated. The plan was exposed by a SantaLucia Chapter e-mail alert a few daysbefore the hearing and a front-pagestory in the Tribune (“Applicants forpermits plan end run”) published theday before. Protect Our PropertyRights (POPR) went on KPRL anddesperately tried to rally its pro-development forces for the hearing, tono avail. Alerted residents turned outin force to give the Supervisors anearful about their wish to keep thepublic process public and to attest tothe fact that the Planning Commis-

sion works just fine. (In an eerie political parallel, theday before the hearing the Bushadministration announced its inten-tion to take authority for EndangeredSpecies Act decisions out of the handsof federal wildlife agency scientistsand give it to the agencies overseeingindividual developments. Locally andnationally, January can’t come soonenough.) The “staff proposal” was over-whelmingly rejected by virtuallyeveryone who spoke, all identifying

Public outcry halts land planning power grab

The state Attorney General’s officeand the Local Government Commis-sion hosted the all-day workshop“CEQA and Climate Change” onAugust 7 at the Fess Parker Resort inSanta Barbara, attended by plannersand regulators from San Luis Obispo,Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. They came to get the latest word onthe requirements of the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act (CEQA)

and other regulations now beingformulated to deal with the impacts ofglobal climate change. The legal bottom line: Localagencies must assess whether aproposed project’s greenhouse gasemissions are individually or cumula-tively significant. If significant, thatimpact must be mitigated by any

Law Closing in onClimate Change

The 2008 Sustainability Conference,held annually by California’s threepublic university systems, took placeat Cal Poly over the weekend ofAugust 1, with addresses by Lt.Governor John Garamendi and ApolloAlliance President Jerome Ringo onFriday, and a student bull session onstate and local energy policy onSaturday night. The Saturday evening event wasdubbed “Focus California” (handsomet-shirts provided courtesy of the SantaLucia Chapter) after the “Focus theNation” event held at Cal Poly andmore than 1,200 other collegecampuses in January. A panel ofexperts and a series of breakoutsessions focused on recent legislationand local initiatives to combat globalwarming and encourage reduction ofenergy use and the development ofrenewable energy. Santa Lucia Chapter CommunityDevelopment Coordinator Ken Smo-koska led off with a summary ofrecent encouraging developments inthe county: The Air Pollution ControlDistrict has created a Climate ActionPlan; four cities have joined ICLEI -

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The next generation is preparing to take on the world’s greatest challenge.

By Andrew Christie, Chapter Director

2 Santa Lucian • Sept. 2008

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EDITOR

Karen MerriamCleve NashJack McCurdyEDITORIAL BOARD

The Santa Lucian is published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental informationand letters to the editor are welcome. Thedeadline for each issue is the 11th of theprior month.

send to:

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

Santa Lucia Chapter

2008 Executive CommitteeKaren Merriam CHAIR

Jack Morrow

Cal French MEMBERJohn Ashbaugh MEMBER

Steven Marx TREASURER

Cleve Nash MEMBER [email protected]

Judith Bernstein MEMBER

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Chuck TribbeyConservation Sue Harvey [email protected] Cal FrenchActing Program Chair Letty French [email protected] Andy GreensfelderNuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

WaterTask Force Jack Morrow

Other Leaders

Open Space Gary Felsman 805-473-3694Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Chapter History John Ashbaugh 805-541-6430

ActivitiesOutingsGary Felsman 805-473-3694Canoe/Kayak open

Webmaster Monica Tarzier [email protected]

General InformationSanta Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Chapter DirectorAndrew [email protected]

Americorps StaffDevelopment CoordinatorKen [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Andrew Christie

[email protected]

VICE CHAIR [email protected]

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Volunteer CoordinatorShaba Mohseni

Office hours Monday-Friday,11 a.m.- 5 p.m., 547-B MarshStreet, San Luis Obispo

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Fear and Oil

Let us consider the uses of fear andrage, and the search for scapegoats. Let us consider, for example, “Johnand Ken.” Los Angeles expatriates may recallthe duo. John Kobylt and KenChiampou are conservative talk-radioicons whose trademark is to latchonto an issue -- most famously, therecall of Governor Gray Davis -- andhammer at it for weeks or months,always in the context of fury at liberalelites, big government, tree-huggers,terrorist-coddlers, etc. Once they found this formula, John& Ken used it to swell the ranks oftheir listeners to a peak of one millionardent fans. They make use of theirposition to engage in on-air right-wing grassroots organizing, mountingpolitical stunts in the service of thecorporate conservative agenda andexhorting listeners to inundate theirlegislators with protests againstprogressive legislation. Former California Assembly-member, now Senator, Fran Pavleyremembers one such campaign from2004, shortly after she introduced AB1493, the Clean Car bill, the first inthe nation to mandate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from cars andtrucks. The bill passed – and is nowknown nationwide as the “PavleyLaw” — despite the millions of dollarsspent by oil companies, car dealer-ships and the California Chamber ofCommerce in the effort to kill it. John& Ken were major players in thateffort, using this frame: A crazywoman in the state legislature was

going to take the SUVs away frombrawny, fun-loving Americans. It wastime to bring the hordes of angrylisteners to full eruption. “Every day at five o’clock, for threemonths,” Pavley recalls, “John andKen would lead off their showtelling listeners that they had to killthis bill; that if it passed it wouldforce them to drive small cars, thatthey would be limited in the numberof miles they would be allowed todrive in a year. They filled the air-waves with misinformation.” At onepoint, the duo organized an SUVmotorcade that drove to Sacramentoand surrounded the Capitol building,the drivers haranguing legislatorsthrough bullhorns. Things quickly got out of hand.Several legislators started receivingdeath threats. Pavley had to be evac-uated from her office when a mancalled up and said he was on his wayover with a baseball bat. “That’s when I realized how danger-ous the media could be,” says Pavley. The two phone messages tran-scribed above tell us that it doesn’ttake much in the way of professionalrabble rousing to incite the masseswith inflammatory nonsense and dragthe public discourse from a vigorousexchange of opposing ideas down tothe level of obscenities screamed onanonymous phone calls. The mediasimply has to report a lie , and $4.50@ gallon gasoline does the rest. Both phone calls were received

“So pleased to know that the Sierra Club will soon be busted, along with theenvironmental lobby. The mistake was the $4 gasoline or the $5 gasoline orthe $8 gasoline you were hoping for is not gonna happen. The Americanpeople are listening; they’re awake now. They’re awake, at least about theenergy costs. So you guys are gonna be moving. It couldn’t happen to a nicerbunch.” - anonymous phone call received at Santa Lucia Chapter office, Jun. 20, 2008

“Yeah, Sierra Club, you guys are the reason the [ ] gas is so high! You[several screamed repetitions of popular 12-letter obscenity]! I know were youlive, you [ ], ya got that?!”

- anonymous phone call received at home ofSanta Lucia Chapter Director, Jun. 4, 2008

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Get yGet yGet yGet yGet y our hands onour hands onour hands onour hands onour hands onggggg lobal wlobal wlobal wlobal wlobal w ararararar mingmingmingmingming

General Meeting

7 p.m., Friday, September 26St. Stephens Episcopal Church1334 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo- Pismo Street entrance, parking lot off Pismo

The race against global warming starts now!

It’s time to get hands-on in the fight against climate change. Join the Sierra Club in a campaign that will make a difference. We’re nowrecruiting volunteer teams to work with the cities of Grover Beach, PismoBeach, Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles and Morro Bay in undertakingprograms to cut their green house gas emissions. Come find out if your city has signed the U.S. Mayors Climate ProtectionAgreement, how you can help them do so, and how you can work with theSierra Club and your city’s staff to create a climate action plan!

The Executive Committee meetsthe fourth Tuesday of everymonth at 2:30 p.m. at the chapteroffice, located at 547-B Marsh St.,San Luis Obispo. All membersare welcome to attend.


The Reactionary Principle

Don’t get mad, get organized: Ron Skinner and Anna Gabriel.

Inaction for public health

The precautionary principle, whichencourages policies that protecthuman health and the environment inthe face of uncertain risks, is a highlycontroversial topic in environmentaldebates. The 1998 Wingspreadconsensus statement characterizedthe precautionary principle this way:“when an activity raises threats ofharm to human health or the envi-ronment, precautionary measuresshould be taken even if some causeand effect relationships are not fullyestablished scientifically.” Thestatement went on to list four centralcomponents of the PrecautionaryPrinciple:

1. taking preventive action in the faceof uncertainty;2. shifting the burden of proof to theproponents of an activity;3. exploring a wide range of alterna-tives to possibly harmful actions; and4. increasing public participation indecision-making.

Skeptics often ask: isn’t this just afancy new name for what any respon-sible environmental health scientisthas always done? On the contrary, precaution bringsimportant new insights into environ-mental health policies, and thescience which informs them. Toillustrate this, it may be useful to givea name to the policy framework inwhich environmental health researchcurrently operates: it is the reaction-ary principle. Under this system,anyone is free to introduce a newhazard into the environment, andgovernments must wait until anoverwhelming body of evidence isaccumulated before intervening. Eachnew regulatory action is challengedwith the objective of slowing down orstopping public oversight of produc-tion and distribution of chemicals andtechnologies. We can see reactionaryprinciple inaction in the unconscio-nable delays in regulating a long listof hazards whose risks were clear longbefore effective actions were taken tocontrol them: asbestos, benzene,dioxins and PCBs. While these are“old” hazards, a reactionary approachis evident as well in many currentcontroversies, including the potentialhealth risks from hexavalent chro-mium, artificial butter flavoring, and

When the price of oil started itsepic climb, oil companies startedlooking to cash in. A local case inpoint: Excelaron’s application for acounty permit to drill new oil wellsin the Huasna Valley and re-openold ones that were abandoned 25years ago. They wish to do this withoutgoing to the bother of a fullassessment of environmentalimpacts. They’re happy to proceedon the basis of a 1980 Environ-mental Impact Report, and CountyPlanning staff is happy to obligewith a Mitigated Negative Declara-

tion, the lowest level of environmen-

tal review. Residents of Huasna and ArroyoGrande, learning that eight tankertrucks are proposed to come roaringthrough town every day for the nexttwenty years, have taken a differentview. The first public announcement ofthe plan triggered, with remarkablespeed, the resurrection of the HuasnaValley Association, last seen in 1980,to voice the concerns of citizens andpreserve the rural/agricultural settingof the Huasna Valley. The responsehas been a textbook example of howan alarming development proposal inone’s back yard maketh activists of usall – including developers who livethere and who find the notion ofencounters with 4,000-gallon tankertrucks on the area’s narrow, windingroads and breathing their exhaust tobe as disconcerting as their neigh-bors do.

HuasnaRising

the anti-microbial agent triclosan. The reactionary principle operatesthrough these key components(referring back to the list for precau-tion may be useful):

1. requiring incontrovertible evidenceof harm for each hazard before takingpreventive action;2. placing the burden on the public(or government agencies) to showthat each chemical, material ortechnology is harmful;3. not considering potential healthand environmental impacts whendesigning new materials and tech-nologies; and4. discouraging public participation indecision-making about control ofhazards and introduction of newtechnologies.

Perhaps framing the status quo thisway helps the reader to see the kindsof changes in the science-policyinterface which precaution encour-ages. What can be done to shift fromreaction to precaution? One impor-tant step would be to reduce thecorrupting influence of economicinterests on the scientific evidenceused to develop environmental healthregulations. Recently, investigatorshave documented how some corpora-tions seek to impede regulationthrough the intentional manufactur-ing of uncertainty about the hazard-ousness of their products. Clearly,removing conflicts of interest andintentional manipulation of datawould make it easier to act in a moreprecautionary way. But there is morethat responsible environmental healthscientists can and should do. I willmention two examples. A critical step in the recognitionand control of environmental hazardsis causal inference – deciding if theevidence linking an exposure and adisease is sufficient to judge that thisis a real cause, and not simply acorrelation or association. A precau-tionary approach would emphasizethat this judgment is not purelyscientific; an ethical principle ofenvironmental health scientists – akinto the physician’s “first do no harm”dictum – holds that they should askthemselves: “when do we knowenough to act as if something is

causal?” This will depend not only onthe strength of evidence but also onthe availability of alternative ways ofachieving the same social good andon the consequences of inaction oracting in error. For example, shouldn’t we requireless evidence of harm before remov-ing artificial butter flavor frommicrowave popcorn than beforebanning a life-saving drug withpotentially hazardous side effects?And shouldn’t we require less evi-dence of harm before restricting theuse of a synthetic chemical to keepyour gym socks smelling good thanthe same chemical when it is used asa disinfectant to interrupt the spreadof dangerous hospital infections? Atpresent, scientists are not taught tothink this way about the question ofhow much evidence is enough tojudge an exposure as a real hazard. A second example of how precautioncan change scientific research: whenresearchers continue to study thesame known hazards while thousandsof widely dispersed chemicals remainwithout basic toxicology, they may

Are you prepared for an emergency? So asked the bold print on the frontof my monthly electric bill. On theback of the envelope were suggestionsfor earthquake and other disasterpreparedness, including maintainingan emergency supply kit. Anotherwarning: “Assume downed power linesare energized and keep yourself andothers away; call 911 and 1-800-PGE5000.” I will gladly assume downed powerlines are dangerous and energized.However, the more risky assumptionmay be that I can call 911 or any

inadvertently be promoting inactionby implying that more must belearned before action can be taken. Toavoid this, environmental healthscientists can learn from colleagues inclimate science. There is now a(nearly) global consensus that humanimpacts on climate are likely to haveserious negative consequences. Climate scientists have managed tocommunicate an important yetcomplex message: much more needsto be learned about climate and weknow enough that we cannot remainsilent about the need for action. Thesescientists have stepped out of theirroles as data gatherers and analysts,and spoken publicly about the needfor action. While striving to do the best sciencepossible, environmental healthresearchers should be aware of thepotential impacts of their researchand of their social responsibility to doscience that protects human healthand the environment. The precaution-ary principle is useful in focusingattention on the need for this balance.

other emergency number. On July 29, a magnitude 5.4earthquake in Chino Hills made thisconcern a reality. As reported in theLos Angeles Times the next day:

That nearly universal instinct to callloved ones — or someone — strainedthe capacity of the regional phonenetwork, perhaps instructive forofficials planning emergency re-sponses to the next massive earth-quake. Verizon lost some phone service

David Kriebel can be reached at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production,University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA 01854; [email protected]

By David WeismanAlliance for Nuclear Responsibility

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By David Kriebel, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production


SLSLSLSLSLAPPe d !APPe d !APPe d !APPe d !APPe d !From Chapter Reports

On May 20, three developers sued aPaso Robles resident for participatingin the public planning process andwriting and speaking about thepotential impacts of their proposedsand and gravel mining operations ona tributary of the Salinas River. Therehave been five such permit applica-tions in the last year. Paul Viborg, John Pehl and ColinWeyrick are all seeking ConditionalUse Permits from the County. In their

lawsuit, they demand an un-specifiedamount in damages, claiming thatColleen Enk -- and “John Does 1-50inclusive,” a legal placeholder used inlawsuits for co-conspirators to benamed later -- by opposing theirprojects, was responsible for “tortiousinterference with business, libel anddefamation, intentional infliction ofemotional distress” and “civil con-spiracy.” All this was claimed to have come

about by virtue of the defendant“utilizing questionable and oftenunreasonable methods” – i.e. she “haspersonally met with County of SanLuis Obispo planners, as well as othergovernment agencies, on numerousoccasions, and despite knowing thefacts provided to her, has nonethelesssubmitted a litany of written appeals”and has “recruited others…and in sodoing has conspired to attack theprojects.” Said actions were alleged to

have been “undertaken willfully,wantonly, maliciously, and in recklessdisregard for Plaintiff’s rights….” Are you shaking your head indisbelief? The legal action is known asa Strategic Lawsuit Against PublicParticipation, or SLAPP suit. Theclaims of this particular SLAPP suitare based on the premise that theCounty engaged in “thorough andcomprehensive review and anal-ysis…and appropriate environmental

Local developers seek to silence opposition


mitigation measures have beencarefully evaluated and incorporatedinto the mitigation agreements withthe County” -- a dubious premise, aswe’ll see shortly, but the point of aSLAPP suit is not to win a case on itsmerits. The point is to make opposi-tion go away by getting the word outin a targeted community: Shut up, orelse.

J’accuse! Enk’s Salinas River NeighborsAssociation has long watch-doggedindustrial sand and gravel miningoperations on the Salinas. The filingof the SLAPP suit coincided with thefailure of Chad Pankey, anotherSalinas mining applicant, to gain aConditional Use Permit at a May 8Planning Commission hearing. Thepermit would allow 145,000 cubicyards of sand and gravel to be scrapedfrom the river bed annually for 20years. Accommodating CountyPlanning staff had urged the issuanceof the Mitigated Negative Declaration– meaning all environmental prob-lems would be taken care of, no fullenvironmental review required. The San Miguel Advisory Councilhad voted 7-0 to recommend that thecounty deny the Pankey applicationand affirmed that the cumulativeimpacts of all five proposed minesneeded to be studied before theCounty approved any of them. Thenthe California Department of Fish andGame pointed out some inconvenient

truths about the MND’s inadequacies.That was when the writing went onthe wall: All such projects should besubject to a cumulative EIR, the mostthorough of the project analysisoptions mandated by the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act. Enk wasSLAPPed three weeks later. The intent and the strategy wasclear. “They tried to serve me at home,the night before the Planning Com-mission hearing,” said an incredulousEnk, who also notes that someonecalled her employer the month beforeto complain that she was inappropri-ately engaged in non-work relatedactivities on the job. “Customerswould come in and say ‘Colleen, whatare we gonna do about these sandmines?’ and we’d talk about that,” shesaid. The Viborg/Pehl/Weyrick group’sattorney brought pressure to bear onthe Department of Fish and Game viaa Public Records Act request demand-ing all documents and correspondencerelating to the DFG’s role in thepermit process. For good measure, hefired off a warning to North CountyWatch on behalf of “a group ofconcerned sand and gravel operators”alleging “a number of erroneous facts”in a letter of comment NCW sent tothe Planning Commission on thePankey mine proposal. The letteradmonished the group that in sodoing it had exposed itself to “legalscrutiny,” undermined their “’positive’mission, and cause[d] potentially

unnecessary injury to legitimatebusiness proposals.” The lawyerrequested “that a letter to thePlanning Commission with appropri-ate corrections to the false assertionsbe sent.” The request was impossibleto honor, as he did not specify whatthe alleged false assertions were. In their 1996 book, SLAPPs:Getting Sued for Speaking Out,George Pring and Penelope Cananresearched the phenomenon of theSLAPP suit since its birth in the1980s. They found that it “was notjust free speech under attack. Itwas...the right to petition govern-ment for a redress of grievances, the‘Petition Clause’ of the First Amend-ment. Americans by the thousandsare being sued, simply for exercisingone of our most cherished rights: theright to communicate our views toour government officials, to ‘speakout’ on public issues. Today, you andyour friends, neighbors, co-workers,community leaders, and clients canbe sued for millions of dollars just fortelling the government what youthink, want, or believe in.” Enk’s crime, and the source of thedevelopers’ ire: The Salinas RiverNeighbors Association filed a requestfor review of the proposed NegativeDeclaration for the Pehl miningproject, the County’s assertion thatthe project would create no signifi-cant environmental impacts. Theirappeal stated that the County’sassessment failed to recognize or continued on page 10

analyze cumulative impacts ofproposed and existing sand and graveloperations on the Salinas, thereforethe initial study was inadequate andthe project requires an EnvironmentalImpact Report. And, unfortunately for the confidentassertions of the people suing her, tworegulatory agencies agree with Enkand The Salinas River NeighborsAssociation. The plaintiffs sued, onemight say, despite knowing the factsprovided to them.

Facts are troublesome things At that May 8 Planning Commissionhearing on the Pankey permit, theDepartment of Fish and Game steppedin with a position sharply at odds withthe County on environmental impactsand the use of a Negative Declaration.Fish and Game affirmed that theproject required an EnvironmentalImpact Report, and ripped theCounty’s once-over-lightly analysis forits vague assumptions, lack of amonitoring program or any require-ment for an extraction rate as apercentage of replenishment, or anassessment of potential significantimpacts to threatened steelhead andtheir habitat. They pointedly notedthat the proposed project is adjacentto Fish and Game’s Big Sandy WildlifeArea and its riparian resources, whichthe agency is rather fond of. A month later, the Regional Water

Saturday, September 27, from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m., is your chance to roll upyour sleeves and help clean up yourlocal creek before the rains! Check inat:* Nipomo – Adobe Plaza,Host : N ipomo CSD 929-1133

* Arroyo Grande – Explora-t ion Stat ion at 867 RamonaAve, Host : CCSE 473-8221

* Pismo Beach – Explorat ionStat ion at 867 Ramona Ave,Host : CCSE 473-8221

* SLO – Mission Plaza, Host :Land Conservancy 544-9096

* Atascadero – ColonyHouse, Host : AMWC 470-3148

* Templeton – TempletonCSD Office, Host : TempletonCSD434-4914

* Paso Robles – Larry MoorePark, Host : City of PasoRobles 237-3861

* Cal Poly – Dexter Law n,Host : Cal Poly EH& S Dept .756-6664

Sept. 27 is Creek Day

We Do PayPal!The Santa Lucia Chapter has plungedinto the 21st century: It is nowpossible for you to donate to uselectronically, 24 hours a day, withoutour even asking you to (but we willkeep asking you to). Go towww.santalucia.sierraclub.org andlook for the friendly orange button.


By Eric Greening

For tons of metal to haul themselvesaround using scarce resources everytime one medium-sized primatewishes to go somewhere is an act ofexcess that has never before happenedin the billions of years of life onEarth, and it requires the conversionof millions of years of stored solarenergy into local and global pollution.We have no way to predict theoutcome of this uncontrolled experi-ment, but every reason to be alarmedabout our future unless significantchanges are made in how we getaround. The latest “Transportation Perfor-mance Indicators Report” from theSan Luis Obispo Council of Govern-ments (SLOCOG) shows that vehiclemiles traveled in this county stillgrow at a rate faster than population,an unsustainable and physically andsocially poisonous trend. Thisdirection must be reversed. The seriousness of the challengeshould not be underestimated. WhenCalTrans widened Cuesta Grade, theyspent over $3 million on funding ofalternate options to reduce conges-tion during the construction period;the result, which they considered amodest success, was an increase inaverage vehicle occupancy from 1.24people to 1.28. After construction wasfinished and these mitigations ceasedbeing funded, habits returned to theirprevious rut. In other words, the vastmajority of vehicles on the road did,throughout this experiment, carry,and still do carry, one person. Transportation policy in ourcounty should work toward the goalsof confronting single-occupantdrivers with the true costs of theirhabit while providing not only a rangeof other transportation choices, butmaking sure that these alternatechoices do not consign their users tofourth-class citizenship, but aregenuinely practical and pleasant. Our county’s transportationpolicies and priorities (and thefunding of transportation projects)are primarily the work of SLOCOG.Unfortunately, even if there were astrong local will to make significantchanges in the ways we get around(and there has been good lip serviceand some positive changes amid thebad news), we are hampered by stateand federal funding policies thatthwart our efforts. The FederalGasoline Tax falls dismally short ofmeeting the costs of maintaining thefederally funded system; notwith-standing, the most substantialinfusions of federal “pork” into ourcounty are not for system mainte-nance but for highway expansion (see:Highway 46). Meanwhile, state funding movessteadily AWAY from confrontingdrivers with true costs. The currentgovernor got into office on a platformof chopping the Vehicle License Fee,thereby relieving drivers of most ofthe cost of maintaining local roads.Meanwhile, gasoline taxes shrink inreal dollars and as a proportion of theprice paid at the pump. Costs thatshould confront people every timethey buy or register a vehicle or stickthe key in the ignition are shifted towhere there is no connection betweenbehavior and cost. We need to fund local road upkeepwith local gasoline taxes and VehicleLicense Fees to make up for thestate’s negligence. We need to oppose any local salestax proposal for transportation unless

By Gerald Fox Eric Greening’s article in the July/August edition of the Santa Lucian(“Is Light Rail at the end of theTunnel?”) touched on some interest-ing issues. Over the past 25 years, Portland,Oregon, has built almost 50 miles ofnew light rail transit (LRT), as well asa 4-mile central city streetcar line anda 15-mile commuter rail line thatopens this fall. Over $2 billion hasbeen spent on urban rail projects,which continue to enjoy broad publicsupport. As Eric points out, the fundamentalproblem with introducing LRT in SLOis that there are no corridors withenough travel demand to justify thevery high cost. (Over $50 million permile for recent projects). Moreover,the region has yet to adopt thesupportive land use policies (sprawlcontrol, increased urban densities,redevelopment of underused urbanland, traffic reduction etc.) that areneeded to provide a supportivecontext for a successful urban railprogram. But there are still opportu-nities to develop rail in the CentralCoast region. Portland was the first U.S. city tointroduce modern streetcars, of thetype now seen in many European

it funds alternatives (walking andbicycling routes, transit capital andoperations and rail) more generouslythan roads and largely restricts theroad portion to maintenance ratherthan expansion. Any development which wouldrequire an increase in road capacity isin the wrong place and should not beapproved. The same principle shouldinform our view on parking capacity.We need to replace “parking require-ments” with true-cost pricing ofparking spaces, paid for by those whoneed them, not subsidized by thegeneral public. The cost of providing a

consequence of quarrying thematerial from a mountain or riverbed,and of transporting it to the site.CEQA review of such projects rarelytakes this into account, but this fullaccounting must be made habitual. Public transit needs to be trulycompetitive with the private automo-bile in responsiveness and conve-nience, while showing a considerableadvantage in cost to the user due toeconomy of scale. Routes must bedesigned to maximize connectivity,and frequent service must be availablenot just at standard commute hours,but throughout the day and evening,7 days a week. Many jobs in thiscounty do not end at 5:00 pm, andpeople with day jobs should not bedenied access to evening shopping,meetings, classes, entertainment, andgatherings by lack of an automobile.If being car-free truncates social life,it is a choice few will make. There needs to be a balance ofexpress and local fixed route service,recognizing that both meet valid andimportant needs, although servingsomewhat different populations.Express riders tend to be people whocould drive, but choose the bus as analternative. This behavior must beencouraged. Local riders tend to bepeople without cars who walk orbicycle to the nearest stop. Forcingthem onto express runs may actuallyconsiderably lengthen their travel

time due to the time required to getto the express stop. Being car-freeneeds to be encouraged at least asstrongly as having a car and choosingto leave it home. Thus, express runsneed to be seen as a supplement to,not a substitute for, local runs thatdirectly serve the places people live,work, and take care of their needs anddesires. Our bicycle infrastructure must bebased on the understanding that thereis no substitute for a Class I bike pathseparated from traffic. Class IIbikeways subject riders to traffic,people emerging from parked carsinto their travel lane, and otherdangers and indignities. Often, theprovision of Class II bikeways leads tothe widening of pavements and anactual increase in automotive domi-nance of the roads. Where bikewaysparallel roads, a 2-way Class I separatepathway should be investigated as anoption to two Class II bikeways on

cities. Streetcars are similar to LRT,but unlike light rail, streetcars makeextensive use of existing streets toavoid the cost and disruption ofacquiring new right-of-way. Wherepossible the tracks are inserted inexisting pavement, and consequentlythe cost per mile can be far less thanLRT. With the slower speeds and morefrequent stops, streetcars are mostsuitable for short urban corridorsconnecting major activity centers. Anumber of U.S. cities are now build-ing new streetcar lines as part of theirurban enhancement plans. Specifi-cally streetcars are attractive becausethey: - Demonstrate a permanentcommitment to enhanced transitservice. They provide a framework forurban renewal, enhanced central citydensity, and auto trip reduction, andencourage replacement of surfaceparking with higher density develop-ment. (This also helps cut back onsprawl)- People enjoy riding streetcars,which is reflected in higher ridershipthan the equivalent bus service, andlike to live within walking distance ofa streetcar line.- Streetcars can encourage a car freelifestyle, particularly if there are

supportive programs, such as com-munity car-share services available (asthere are in Portland).- Streetcars are environmentallyfriendly. They are quiet, require nooil, and produce no exhaust. Street-cars go with wind power as part of asustainable future- Streetcars offer multiple direct andindirect ways to reduce greenhousegases and lessen the need for oil. In SLO, the corridor between Cal Polyand Downtown may be a goodcandidate for a modern streetcar line.The distance is short so the costwould be less, and there is a high levelof travel demand. There are numer-ous opportunities for supportive landuse actions. Cal Poly could redevelopsome of its surface parking. Higherdensity development could beencouraged within walking distanceof the streetcar. And downtown wouldhave a new way to attract more peoplewith fewer cars. The line couldeventually be extended to the railroadstation. But the really big rail opportunityon the Central Coast is improvementof the existing Union Pacific rail line

Aviat ion needs to berecognized as an indust rythat w ill probably declineas fue l becomes scarcerand more expensive, andwe should not be basingcurrent dec isions on itsexpansion, much lessfunding such expansionw ith public money.

Rail Development Opportunitieson the Central Coast

How Shall We Be Moved?

parking space in a typical urban nodein this county is in the range of$20,000 to $25,000 a year. A condopurchaser with modest income andno automobile could, if the price ofthis “free parking” is worked into thecost of all units, essentially be forcedto commit the labor of an entire yearto provide a parking space for adriving neighbor. Units for car-freepeople must be substantially moreaffordable than those for car owners,thus restoring not only social justicebut an obvious incentive for behaviorwe are trying to encourage. Inherent in every road project (andevery other project that requiresimported base) is the environmental

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through San Luis Obispo. This railline could provide fast reliable trainservice through the entire corridorbetween Los Angeles and San Fran-cisco, including all the communitiesalong this route. This line was built during the stagecoach era, and follows a slow andmeandering course for some 400miles. It became the premier rail linebetween LA and the Bay Area, withmore than five express trains a day.Since the 1950’s, it has been allowedto deteriorate, with the removal ofpassing tracks, reduction of signaling,and arrears of track maintenance. Yetthis corridor, anchored by the state’stwo biggest urban areas and linkingnumerous medium-sized cities, couldbecome once again a major transpor-tation artery. And with the need tofind alternatives to driving, thedecline in local air services and theprospect of some changes in federalpriorities after the next election, thetiming couldn’t be better. Faced with the converging pres-sures of peak oil and the need toaddress global warming, local air ser-vices are being cut back, and are un-likely to be reinstated. This is a world-wide trend, and cannot be reversed byexpanding SLO Airport, as the Countyproposes. One advantage of enhancedrail service is that one train can servemultiple destinations along the route,as it is far easier to stop a train than aplane. Thus SLO would acquire fastaccess to Santa Barbara and pointssouth, as well as points north. In addition, an improved rail linewill attract long distance trucks off

the freeway system, improvingconditions on Highway 101, andreducing fuel needs and greenhousegases. And because the rail line alreadyexists, it can be improved incremen-tally, rather as Highway 101 wasupgraded over several decades. Eachimprovement to the rail line, andeach service enhancement will yieldmore ridership, and greater return tothe communities it serves. An early and relatively low cost startmight be to reinstate passing tracksso that the speed and reliability of theexisting service could be improved.Then signaling and grade crossingscould be improved, and restrictivesegments of the alignment straight-ened out. Eventually major improve-ments, such as tunneling under theCuesta Grade (as was proposed in the1930’s) could result in world classtrain service on the Coast Route. This is no idle dream. All over theworld countries are reinvesting in railas a strategy to position them for afuture after peak oil, when globalwarming and environmental concernsbecome a major factor in publicpolicy. It’s time to make a start. Eric also touched on the HighSpeed Rail proposal that will be onthe November ballot. The high speedrail project would build a new rail lineto provide very fast train service (200mph) between San Francisco and LA,with few stops between. The goal ofthis line would be to relieve theovercrowded airports (if they are stillovercrowded in a few years), provide acompetitive alternative to flying

(which may become crucial if airservice cuts become more severe),and to provide a high quality alterna-tive to driving. The Coast route willconnect with high speed rail at severallocations. The USA has lagged behind the restof the developed world in rail develop-ment, and catching up will be costly.Not catching up will eventually costfar more. If High Speed rail fails inNovember, many will see it as arejection of rail that will set backCalifornia for decades to come. The Sierra Club can play a majorrole in helping to change our trans-portation priorities: 1) Advocate for an immediate starton upgrading passenger service onthe Coast Route. Oppose spendingany more public funds on theexpansion of SLO and other localairports, and press for the repro-gramming of funds to projectsmore appropriate to our futureneeds. 2) Support the High Speed RailInitiative. 3) Encourage the City of SanLuis Obispo to study the feasibilityof a city streetcar.

Gerald Fox recently retired asManager of Rail Corridor Develop-ment for TriMet, the PortlandTransit Agency, after 22 yearsworking on Portland’s light railsystem, which operates 600 busesand 110 railcars for the 1.5 millionpeople in the Portland region. Hehas been a member of the SierraClub for over forty years.

Update:On August 14, the state legisla-ture passed AB 3034, the Safe,Reliable High-Speed PassengerTrain Bond Act, with the supportof the Sierra Club. As we went topress, the bill was awaiting theGovernor’s signature, caught inthe state budget war. This bill would ensure that theHigh Speed Rail Bond on theNovember ballot containsimportant environmental andfiscal safeguards and accordinglywill help assure voters that theirmoney will be wisely invested ina system that can dramaticallyimprove California’s environ-ment while providing mobilityoptions that improve our qualityof life.

each side of the road. We should worktoward connecting all of our commu-nities with safe bikeways. Our pedestrian infrastructurecomprises everything from sidewalksto trails, and needs to be understoodfrom the perspective not only ofrecreation but transportation andmeeting genuine mobility needs. Thedefinition of walkable communitiesneeds to include everything fromsafety to convenience. Close attention must be paid,particularly in urban areas, toinsuring that walking routes arecomplete and not interrupted, orfragmented by dangerous streetcrossings. Special attention needs tobe paid to insuring that schools,libraries, and other communitycenters of interest to young peoplehave safe continuous pedestrianaccess from all directions from whichusers are likely to come. Whenresidential or commercial projects areproposed, pedestrian connectivitywith such places need to be primaryconsiderations. The County needs to co-ordinatewith, respectively, the state andfederal governments to fully imple-ment the County’s share of theCalifornia Coastal Trail and the Juan

Funds will support Club’s CoolCities program

The Santa Lucia Chapter of the SierraClub has received a $10,000 grantfrom the San Luis Obispo CountyCommunity Foundation that will gotoward implementing the U.S. MayorsClimate Protection Agreement for thecities of SLO County, the first steptoward curbing global warmingpollution. The project will benefit thecommunity by enabling rapid actionon the part of cities and the county insetting and meeting green house gasemission reduction targets. The Sierra Club was chosen toreceive the grant from over 70applicants and is among 30 recipientsof Community Foundation grants thisyear totalling $221,773. This year’sgrantmaking program is madepossible through the generoussupport of the Foundation’s Commu-nity Endowment and many donorfunds held at the Foundation. In tenyears, the SLOCCF has given outmore than $12 million in grants toassist nonprofit agencies. For moreinformation on the SLOCCF or anyfunds, call 543-2323 or log ontowww.sloccf.org.

Chapter Gets Grantfrom CommunityFoundation

Rail Developmentcontinued from previous page

Bautista de Anza National HistoricTrail. The potential impact of trails onwildlife must not be forgotten despitetrails’ much smaller ecologicalfootprint than roads, and trails mustbe designed to minimize intrusioninto areas of cover needed by wildlifeand fragmentation of habitat. Trailsmust be recognized as projects underCEQA, even when proposed asmitigation for other projects. While leapfrog development of allkinds should be halted or at leaststrongly discouraged, to the extentthat agricultural clusters and otherrural developments may nonethelessbe approved, we need to recognizethat a requirement of trails servingsuch development is not an infringe-ment of private property rights, but aneeded mitigation allowing self-powered circulation to non-driverssuch as kids, who would otherwise beisolated from full participation in anynearby community. Aviation needs to be recognized asan industry that will probably declineas fuel becomes scarcer and moreexpensive, and we should not bepremising current decisions on itsexpansion, much less funding suchexpansion with public money, evenwhen done with the expectation that

the money will be paid back by futureairport users. It appears increasinglylikely that such payback is a fantasy,and funds invested in this unsustain-able and environmentally onerousmeans of transportation would bebetter used for earth-friendlieralternatives. This is particularly trueof parking facilities, which bringtogether the two most unsustainabletransportation modes in a co-dependent relationship. If our rail system were up to thestandard in many other countries,demand for air service would vanish. This and all other transportationissues can and should be discussedand debated in connection with theupdate of our Regional TransportationPlan by SLOCOG. On August 6th, theSLOCOG Board let a contract forpreparation of an EIR on this docu-ment, and the public is encouraged tofully participate in the creation of,and environmental review on, thisblueprint for our transportationfuture. Will we continue to haul tonsof metal across the landscape everytime a medium sized primate needssomething, or will we learn to movewith efficiency and grace, as befits aprimate distinguished by itsbrainpower?


after President Bush warned Congressthat they had better not go home forthe Independence Day weekendwithout taking action to relieve thepain at the pump – i.e. open up morepublic lands to oil drilling. The day before, Senator JohnMcCain, in what was billed as“a major address on energy,” saidpretty much the same thing. In a word, no. In June, the House Committee onNatural Resources issued a report onthe recent history of permits to drillfor oil on public lands and the calls toopen more federal land to oil develop-ment. The report made it clear: Theoil companies and their politicalbackers, including Senator McCainand President Bush, are not tellingthe truth. It found:- Of all the oil and gas believed toexist on the Outer Continental Shelf,82% of the natural gas and 79% ofthe oil is located in areas that arecurrently open for leasing.- 3,802 permits were issued to drillfor oil on public land in 2003. In2007, more than 7,500 permits wereissued.- From the 28,776 permits to drill onpublic land issued by the Bureau ofLand Management since 2004,

the oil companies have drilled 18,954wells, stockpiling about 10,000unused permits.- The number of permits issued foroil development of public landsincreased more than 361% between1999 and 2007. The price of gasolinewent up right alongside them, atabout the same rate. The report goes on, at devastatinglength, but the point is made by theend of page two: “There is simply nocorrelation” between more drillingand lower gasoline prices. Of the oil that is being drilled here,drilled now, oil companies areexporting 1.6 million barrels a day. Energy efficiency measures alonecan save more energy than there is tobe had in all the oil we could everextract from our coastal waters andwildlands. The path to energy inde-pendence, and, incidentally, awayfrom the brink of global climatechange, is through efficiency andrenewable energy. This is not what our scared, angryanonymous callers are being told --not by President Bush or SenatorMcCain or John and Ken. In the spacebehind the cloth shirtfronts of thosegentlemen, well-manicured fingersgrasp the rod that controls the move-

ments of the jaws, causing the mouthto open and close as the prepared textis read. The words enrage and in-flame. They assure the scared, angrypeople that the Democrats and theLiberals and the EnvironmentalExtremists and the Sierra Club aremaking the price of gas go up, andgives them a mission and theirmarching orders: Force your electedrepresentatives to open up thetreasure chest of the nation’s naturalresources and shake every lastrockfish, cormorant and caribou intothe accounts of Big Oil. Drill here,drill now! And if in the course of carrying outthis and any similar such mission, you

Fear & Oilcontinued from page 2

should happen to make a few threat-ening phone calls to environmentalgroups, or grab a baseball bat andhead over to a legislator’s office, or, asthe Associated Press reported Jim D.Adkisson did last July, grab a shotgunand walk into the Tennessee ValleyUnitarian Universalist Church andopen fire because of “his belief that allliberals should be killed because theywere ruining the country...” well,that’s your business. Who knowswhere such unfortunate individualsget such ideas? Who can say how theycame to choose their random targets? Except, of course, we all know, andwe must all say so, loud and clear.

TAKE ACTION

Our legislators return to Congress this month and will immedi-

ately face enormous pressure to lift the moratorium on offshore

drilling. More than 40,000 people have signed the Sierra Club’s

letter telling Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that we know

“drill here, drill now” is a Big Lie, and we want her to stand up to

Big Oil. Go to: www.santalucia.sierraclub.org and click on “Tell

Congress: No drilling off our coasts!”

California Air Resources Boardattorney Leslie Krinsk; County AirPollution Control Officer Larry Allen;and Anne McMahon, Federal Pro-grams Manager for the CaliforniaCoastal Commission, fielded ques-tions on policy and activism. Singled out for special emphasis was

the multiple pitfalls of the plan.Outgoing Supervisor Ovitt defendedthe proposal (giving a strong hint asto who was really behind it), but thevigorous public protest gave an adroitSupervisor Gibson the space to headit off at the pass, with an assist fromSupervisor Patterson, and insteadcraft a committee of two Supervisors,two Planning Commissioners and twostaff who will consider ways toincrease the efficiency of the planningprocess and come back to the Boardon October 14. The Board willconsider suggestions and send it toPlanning Commission on December11 for a study session. In one of the day’s most tellingcomments, Anne McMahon suggestedthat the Board’s attention “might bebetter spent on assessing how to savestaff time and expedite public hear-ings by working with applicants whohave unrealistic expectations andinsist on pursing development pro-posals that are inconsistent with thecounty’s own general plan, policiesand ordinances.” It might be helpful,

she noted, if applicants could beencouraged to “be more realistic sowhen their project reaches the Plan-ning Commission or you, it is consis-tent with your policies and generalplan and less likely to be controversialand require long, drawn-out hearings,appeals or lawsuits.” Michael Winn of the NipomoCommunity Services District echoedthe sentiment when he suggested theBoard “look to the nature of theproposals the Planning Commission isrequired to consider and fix.” FellowNCSD member Ed Eby concurred thatthe proposals were “going in thewrong direction.” The most interesting idea of the daywas the suggestion that that Subdivi-sion Review Board, currently 100percent County staff and the entitythat staff had suggested take over thePlanning Commission’s regulatoryauthority, be turned into a body ofcitizen appointees by the Supervisors. It is an idea the new subcommitteeand the Board should seriouslypursue.

Bullet Dodgedcontinued from page 1

Students vs. Climate Changecontinued from page 1

Local Governments for Sustainability;the Empower Poly Coalition andSierra Student Coalition have sprungup on campus; the Strategic EnergyAlliance for Change has formed andhosted two major energy conferences;the SLO Chamber of Commerce hasestablished a Sustainability andResources Committee based on theSeattle model; and the Santa LuciaChapter sponsored a European energystudy tour this spring that includedDenmark’s Samso Island, whichconverted to 100 percent renewableenergy in ten years. Panelists Jim Patterson, Chair ofthe County Board of Supervisors;

the scoping of AB 32, California’slandmark Global Warming SolutionsAct. Students were urged to familiar-ize themselves with the scopingprocess for the new law and formgroups to comment on it and improvethe measures proposed to implementthis crucial measure. Patterson and Allen cited theCounty’s collaboration with the SierraClub on putting the Air PollutionControl District’s Climate Action Planinto effect. Allen urged students to getinvolved with the Sierra Club’sClimate Action Groups, working withcities in the County to create abaseline for each city’s greenhousegas emissions, the first and mostcrucial step in any climate actionplan. (See this month’s GeneralMeeting, page 2.) To the question of what collegestudents can do, Allen replied “If youmove together, you cannot bestopped.”

Sierra Club leader Ken Smokoska (fourth from right) huddles with fellow Focus California organizers inCal Poly’s Chumash Auditorium.

Senator-elect Fran Pavely came to SLO and the Sierra Club California convention at Rancho El Chorro inJune to tell Club leaders about the fight to pass the Clean Car Act and to urge our support for efforts inthe state legislature to curb global warming.

Call for CandidatesIn November, Chapter members willvote for the candidates who will leadthe Santa Lucia chapter on itsExecutive Committee in 2009. Weencourage members to run for theExCom and become a part of thedynamic action of Sierra Club leader-ship on energy, global warming, waterand land use issues. The ExCom meets in December toappoint the chair, vice-chair, secretary

and treasurer, as well as program,conservation and outings chairs. We also appoint a delegate to theCouncil of Club Leaders, a liaison tothe national Sierra Club. Candidates are elected for a term ofthree years. Deadline for nominationsis September 15. Contact LettyFrench at [email protected] orcall Andrew at the Sierra Club Office,(805) 543-8717.


Sierra Club replies:

Mr. Schmidt’s letter repeats numer-ous errors and distortions about thehistoric land conservation agreementthat permanently protects 90% ofTejon Ranch. Mr. Schmidt ignores the scientificreview that the Sierra Club, NRDC,California Audubon, Planning andConservation League and the Endan-gered Habitats League undertookwith Tejon Ranch over many months.Our fundamental principle was thatan agreement would create a perma-nent reserve that was sustainable overcenturies and consistent with speciesprotection and recovery. We retainedexcellent, regionally knowledgeablescientists, the Conservation BiologyInstitute and the Southcoast Wild-lands Project on both the review andreserve design. Contrary to Mr. Schmidt’s claims,the 240,000 acres protected under theagreement do not include previouslyprotected land. There never was aprior agreement to protect 100,000acres. Trust for Public Land had pro-posed such an agreement, but it wasnot completed. Much of that land isundevelopable, and that was why theSierra Club insisted that Tejon Ranchdo more. To their credit, they did. At least 62,000 acres of Tejon Ranchare developable, in particular large,flat areas in the Antelope Valley and

Tejon, Take 2

The Santa Lucian article about aSierra Club-brokered deal to protect240,000 acres of the Tejon Ranch(“240,000 Acres of Tejon,” June) madethis sound like the greatest conserva-tion achievement in Californiahistory. I have a different view: that theagreement is bad for the Club, bad forits members, bad for the environ-ment, and deadly to the environmen-tal movement’s integrity and corevalues. The deal is of questionable landconservation value. The 178,000 acresto be protected with conservationeasements (granted only as develop-ment proceeds over 30 years),includes 100,000 acres alreadypreserved in a 2003 Trust for PublicLand deal. The remaining 78,000 areso rugged they’re acknowledged byTejon Ranch developers as undevelop-able. The potential gain is an option tobuy 62,000 acres of conservationeasements for around $200 millionprior to a date in 2010. Where will themoney come from? Proponents sayfrom the state. Really? With the statebroke? The deal is stacked in favor of TejonRanch. They get what they mostwant: a clear path to developmentapprovals for an incredible 30,000acres, population about 80,000, (plusan adjacent 32,000 acres of commu-nity recreational land, counted amongthe 178,000 acres preserved) withoutany roadblocks from Big Greenorganizations. The Club and othersagreed to get out of the way. They willnot participate in EIR proceedings,public hearings, nor take anybody tocourt about anything. They willsimply be AWOL for the next 30 years. This is a remarkable thing becauseTejon Ranch’s development plans arethe worst sort of smog-producing,traffic-inducing (jobs 50 miles away),land-eating sprawl, contemplated fora fragile environment home to dozensof endangered or threatened speciesand California’s best wildflowerdisplays, where water is so scarce it’salready stretched too tight by ascattered population numberingaround 15,000. Tejon Ranch is one of the few placescondors still hang out undisturbed.One of the developments the Clubagreed not to criticize or impede(3,400 large lot estate homes, luxuryhotels, well-watered golf courses, avast decorative lake kept full bypumping water out of the highdesert’s ground) is in designated

condor criticalhabitat. Just after thedeal was an-nounced, theAssociated Pressreported TejonRanch is payingcondor scientistsfor their silenceduring develop-ment proceed-ings, much as it had silenced theClub. Three of the handful of Tejonsite-specific condor experts thusjoined Tejon’s payroll. Other condor scientists, some ofwhom had rejected Tejon’s pay-for-silence offer, denounced the deal as “ahuge net loss for conservation,” anddeclared there “are no grounds forcelebration.” Yet such experts wereshut out from two years of secretnegotiations. Also shut out were activist Clubmembers in the Tejon area. TheClub’s Condor Group have doggeddevelopment in the mountains foryears, and are full of thoughtfulcritiques of Tejon’s plans. They knowthe area, know what questions to ask,know the losses development means.Upon the deal’s announcement, aSierra Club lawyer contacted CondorGroup members and told them toshut up — that henceforth theycouldn’t speak about what had beentheir major activist work! SomeCondors quit the Club rather thansurrender their Constitutional rightof free speech. Most troubling of all, the Club hasgiven up the right to be the SierraClub we thought we knew. Instead ofbeing an independent activist watch-dog over major development thatharms the natural environment and apromoter of progressive land develop-ment patterns, under this deal theClub becomes an accomplice inexactly what we thought it stoodagainst.

Richard SchmidtSan Luis Obispo

southern SanJoaquin. Ouragreement willprotect those acresforever throughthe purchase ofconservation ease-ments. The ease-ments, whoseprice will be deter-mined by a state-

approved appraisal,will be paid for by conservation bondsalready approved by state voters. Mr. Schmidt is mistaken when hedescribes 32,000 acres of conservedland as “community recreationalland.” Most of that acreage is withinthe boundaries of the Tejon MountainVillage proposed development andwill be managed as habitat. It will notbe ball fields or developed park space. Obviously, to gain protection for90% of the Ranch, we needed to givesomething to Tejon Ranch. That ishow negotiations work. Having re-tained some of the finest land conser-vation and environmental law attor-neys in California, we reached anagreement that we concluded gave usstrong and enforceable conservation,allowing us to agree to forgo opposi-tion to three developments on theRanch. Those developments mustundergo all governmental review.Suing on these developments was not,in our collective experience and judg-ment, going to deliver the conserva-tion outcome that we realizedthrough negotiation. The conservation agreement willpermanently protect 86% of condorcritical habitat on Tejon Ranch. TejonMountain Village would occupy about8% of condor habitat, but we negoti-ated pullbacks of development fromthe parts of this habitat most fre-quented by condors. We have beentold by leading condor scientists thatour agreement is consistent with con-dor recovery. The developers of TejonMountain Village will also undergofederal scrutiny of how their proposeddevelopment will affect condors. Mr. Schmidt repeats the undocu-mented accusation that Tejon Ranch

silenced condor scientists who re-viewed their development plans. Eachof these scientists has spent yearsworking on condor recovery. We havespoken personally with the scientists,and they and the Ranch insist thatthey are free to criticize the develop-ments and to comment on condormanagement at Tejon Ranch. Mr. Schmidt is again in error whenhe claims that local Sierra Club mem-bers working on the Tejon issue wereshut out. In fact, they were invited tojoin with other Sierra Club Tejon ac-tivists in advising the Club’s negotiat-ing team. Because Tejon Ranch is apublicly traded corporation, the nego-tiations, like many settlement nego-tiations, were confidential. Some Clubactivists chose not to participate un-der conditions of confidentiality butothers chose to. Both of the affectedSierra Club chapters and groups wereprovided with tours and briefings, andboth chapter executive committeesvoted to approve the final agreement. The Sierra Club cannot and will notdictate what its members may say asindividuals. As the Club did agree notto challenge the three proposed devel-opments so long as they conform tothe proposals identified in the agree-ment, our attorney and Club leadershave informed Club members thatthey may not oppose the develop-ments in the name of the Sierra Club.To say the Club interfered with anyindividual’s freedom of speech is anindefensible distortion. The Sierra Club has fought hard toprotect wild places and to win im-provements in land use planning, andwill continue to do so. Tejon Ranchwas a once-in-a-lifetime opportunityto protect almost a quarter millionacres of a unique landscape while itstill had one owner. The Sierra Clubseized that opportunity and we takepride in securing this place for futuregenerations.

Jim Dodsonformer Sierra Club Director

Bill CorcoranSenior Regional Representative

You’re Welcome

Letters

The May 2008 issue of the SantaLucian was incisively and informa-tively written. Many articles werecutting edge advocacy promotingprotection for natural resources inSan Luis Obispo County. Theyaggressively confronted anti-environ-mental interests. This is what the Sierra Club is allabout. It makes me proud to be amember of the Santa Lucia Chapter.My thanks to the authors and editorand I look forward to the next issue.

Sherman W. GrisellePaso Robles

send to: [email protected], orP.O. Box 15755, San Luis Obispo, CA93406. Letters may be edited for space.

California condor

Don Henderson

Representative Lois Capps hostedpanels bringing together the environ-mental and faith communities at“Faith, the Environment and You,”held at SLO’s First PresbyterianChurch on the evening of August 6. “I sense a new movement,” saidCongresswoman Capps. “People offaith in increasing numbers areturning their attention to environ-mental issues. From abolition towomen’s right to vote and the civilrights movement, people of faith haveurged us to do the right thing. Iexpect to beurged thisevening.” ReverendSusan Brechtagreed, saying“Evangelicalshave openedtheir eyes andears to what ishappening.”According to asurvey con-ducted by theBiodiversityProject, 67% ofAmericans say

Faith & the Environmentthat they care about the environmentbecause nature is God’s Creation. The Sierra Club’s EnvironmentalPartnerships Program is dedicated tobuilding coalitions with communitiesof faith. Through public education,organizing resources and materialscreation, the Partnerships Programsupports Club volunteers and peopleof faith who want to work together toexplore, enjoy and protect the planet.For more information, go towww.sierraclub.org/partnerships/faith/


Huasnacontinued from page 3

The rapid organizing of an in-formed citizenry has been due largelyto the work of Ron Skinner, theproprietor of Huasna Valley Farm,and Anna Gabriel, a cement truckdriver. When Excelaron presented theplan to the community in May, thetone of the meeting was very much“here’s this done deal, we’re justletting you know,” according to analarmed Gabriel, who called the SierraClub the next day to ask if there wasanything residents could do about it.We assured her that the announce-ment of a project and filing for aconditional use permit is the begin-ning, not the end, of the publicprocess, and that process indeed hasto be public, with a no-ticed hearingat the County Planning Commission,before a permit can be issued. Weadvised Skinner on independentconsultants the HVA could hire toreview the project’s air and waterquality impacts. With Gabriel putting the word outto her neighbors – “We’ve gotta dosomething about this, we can’t waitfor somebody else to do it” — Skinnertook a crash course in land useplanning and interviewed everyCounty staffer he could buttonhole.Residents were organized, friendswere enlisted to help out, a websitewas created, a meeting called, aTribune Viewpoint published, and theHuasna Valley Association rose again. At the July 24 town hall meetingthat marked the HVA’s return toaction, some 70 people turned out ona Thursday night to hear Skinnerreview the impacts of the proposedproject. He quickly laid out the mainpoints: Number one: “We’re notopposed to people’s rights to developtheir mineral rights on their property;we’re opposed to doing so in a waythat harms our community.” Numbertwo: Excelaron is not looking toperform a public service and reducethe price of gasoline; if they extractedevery possible drop of oil remainingin the marginal Huasna oil field, itcould not slake the nation’s hydrocar-bon habit for more than twelve hours.He ticked off the roll-call of thecounty’s oil exploration disasters –Guadalupe, Avila, the SLO tank farm –as the crowd nodded and murmured. Excelaron Operations CoordinatorKit Matlick spent a large portion of

his speaking time in a painfully parsedeffort to depict the project as a localenterprise with the best interests ofresidents at heart, staffed by localfolks – i.e. a two-person outpostestablished by Australian Oil Com-pany Ltd., which he attempted toportray as something other than anAustralian oil company. Severalattendees politely commended himfor his courage in showing up. Residents showed they knew theright questions to ask, including“How many people here have been ina wreck or a near miss with a bigtruck on Huasna Road?” (90 percentof the hands in the room went up.)Healthy suspicion greeted theCounty’s sketchy traffic studies and itsdetermination that the roads are “safefor all legal traffic.” Matlick handed out an Excelaronfact sheet that included this exquisitepiece of double-talk: “The County hasnot determined that the 28-year-oldEnvironmental Impact Report issufficient. In fact, they have takenquite the opposite position. Thereason the County has chosen to issuea Mitigated Negative Declaration isbecause it feels that all potentialimpacts have been analyzed, andmore importantly, can be mitigated.” In other words, the County hasdetermined that the 28-year-old EIRis sufficient. The best question came at the endof the night, when a woman asked:“It’s obvious what the oil companywould get out of this, but what benefitis there to us? And what does theCounty get out of it?” To thatquestion, as yet, there is no answer. The Planning Commission isscheduled to hold the hearing onExcelaron’s permit on October 9th.The HVA is preparing a request forreview of the Mitigated NegativeDeclaration. Checkwww.huasnavalley.org for updates. And if you enjoy the beautifuldrives or bicycle rides to be had overHuasna Townsite Road, Branch MillRoad or East Cherry Lane, or haveoccasion to breathe the air or drinkthe water in South County, you mightwant to send them a check. Mail it to: Huasna Valley Association PO Box 1164 Arroyo Grande, CA 93421

Tuesday in several quake-affectedareas. “We have some outages on ourland-line side,” said Jonathan Davies,Verizon spokesman. “We’re not sureyet if it’s physical damage or just dueto high call volumes.”

The Associated Press noted that“Sprint Nextel Corp. reported a spikeof 800 percent right after the quakeand Verizon Wireless saw the volumejump by 400 percent over that of atypical day. It wasn’t clear how longthe systems were overloaded...” For those living in San Luis ObispoCounty, there are the dual concerns ofearthquakes and the presence of theDiablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.In the media coverage of the ChinoHills quake, many stories mentionedthe proximity to the San OnofreNuclear Generating Station (SONGS).No damage occurred at that plant, butthe proximity of other potentiallydangerous facilities (refineries,chemical plants) was not mentioned.This demonstrated the extra measureof concern nuclear plants bring tomind in a seismic event. The County Office of EmergencyServices will be participating insimulated emergency responsetraining exercises for Diablo Canyonin late September and October. Thepossibility of a failure of the phonesystems as experienced in July mustbe thrown into the scenario. Countyresidents already experienced thisproblem in the December 2003 SanSimeon earthquake, when ChristineFerrara of the SLO Utilities Divisionstated that, “Cell towers connected tofailed water tower tanks will also fail(and at a critical time). TCSD tankshad cell towers, epoxy connections allfailed.” Five years later, we learn that notjust the physical communicationssystems, but the servers and “ether”systems, are themselves not inher-ently robust in times of crisis. Forcounty emergency planners to laborunder the misapprehension that“informal” systems of notification willfunction, without putting them to thetest (simulated or otherwise) leavesour population at risk. Which raises a concern that comeswith nuclear power: The need for anemergency evacuation plan—a neednot required of wind or solar power.It is a need that also comes with aprice tag. At the last NRC meeting inSLO, a County official said thatattempting a full scale real-timeevacuation drill would be prohibi-tively costly and inconvenient. “Whocould afford to be away from theirbusinesses all day?” she inquiredrhetorically. The Alliance for Nuclear Responsi-bility has been active in ensuringpublic input for the California EnergyCommission’s upcoming study of thefull costs, benefits and risks of nuclearpower. Perhaps the county would liketo put a price tag on the cost of anactual evacuation drill—not acomputer simulation—that takes intoaccount all the variables of humanbehavior, mechanical failures, and“chaos” theory. It is a price that mustbe included in the CEC study if thefull costs of nuclear power are to beunderstood. Visit the websitewww.a4nr.org for updates on publicinput and participation in this study. Living in California means livingwith great beauty, great opportunity,and unseen seismic dangers beneathour coastal bluffs. I know my earth-quake kit is updated and prepared.But I don’t know if the utilities andour government are up to the task.

SLAPPed!continued from page 5

Nuke Emergency?continued from page 3

feasible means. Planners preparingenvironmental project reviews “can’tjust talk about impacts and make nodetermination,” said Sydney Coats-worth of EDAW, a San Franciscoenvironmental consulting firm. The other bottom line: Statefunding will be going to communitieswith high-quality, low-impactdevelopment. Deputy Attorney General Ken Alexnoted that 90 percent of the Sierrasnowpack will be gone by the end ofthe century if we continue to producegreenhouse gas emissions at ourpresent rate. Against that backdropand all it implies, there was goodnews: The state has now given citiesand counties the authority to passbonds to pay for the up front costs ofinstalling residential solar power. Alex commended the Sierra Club’s“Cool Cities” program, which hasbeen in the forefront of the nationalmovement for local action againstglobal warming, securing commit-ments from more than 800 cities tothe principles of the U.S. MayorsAgreement on Climate Change,

promising to reduce their greenhousegas emissions 7 percent below 1990levels by 2012. This echoes the goal ofthe Kyoto Agreement, and “so far[these cities] are ahead of prettymuch everywhere else” in the effort toachieve that goal, he said. Anthony Eggert of the California AirResources Board delivered thesobering statistic that Vehicle MilesTraveled (VMT) could wipe out thegains from all such efforts. We aredriving more, and longer distances, ata rate of twice the population growth.The good news: “Smart mixed-usedevelopment” has been shown toreduce VMT by up to 50 percent. “People commute 200 miles becausethe roads have been built that allowthem to do that,” said David Sargentof the architectural firm Moule &Polyzoides. “People respond to theenvironment they’re given. We needto focus on moving people, not cars.”

Law vs. Climate Changecontinued from page 1

Board weighed in, pointing out thatthe negative declaration focused onimpacts on only a single tributary, notthe entire river system, noting “TheSalinas River does not have an infinitecapacity to yield sediment for com-mercial purposes.” The Water Board concluded: “Thesubject mitigated negative declarationis insufficient to address potentialenvironmental impacts from theproposed project.” Also, their com-ments on the Viborg/Calkins projectapplied to “all operations that affectthe river’s sediment transport. All in-stream mining could contribute,individually and cumulatively,significant environmental impacts tothe river system.... CEQA GuidelinesSection 15064 requires the leadagency to prepare a draft EIR. Weurge you to do so.”

SLAPP this Pring and Canan’s work is cited byJohn Stauber and Sheldon Ramptonin “SLAPP-Happy: Corporations ThatSue to Shut You Up” (PR Watch,Volume 4, No. 3), along with theremarks of New York Supreme Court

Judge J. Nicholas Colabella, who saidof SLAPP suits that “those who lackthe financial resources and emotionalstamina to play out the ‘game’ facethe difficult choice of defaultingdespite meritorious defenses or beingbrought to their knees to settle. Shortof a gun to the head, a greater threatto First Amendment expression canscarcely be imagined.” More than 80 percent of all SLAPPsuits are settled or dismissed beforethey get to court. The Viborg/Pehl/Weyrick concoction was no exception,and was dropped before a judge couldget his hands on it or it could run upagainst California’s anti-SLAPPstatute, which takes a dim view ofdevelopers and lawyers who think thatusing the legal system to assault thepublic process, harass local residentsand threaten grass-roots citizensgroups exercising their Constitutionalrights is a nifty way to get what theywant -- like crushing gravel to createa smooth, paved surface. With the suit dismissed, Enk is nowfaced with the prospect of eitherpaying attorney’s fees or suing thedevelopers to collect. “They scared alot of people off when they did this,”she said. “This suit achieved what theywanted to in that respect, but we’llkeep going. We’re fine.”

TAKE ACTIONArm yourself against SLAPP suits. Goto the website of the anti-SLAPPproject at: www.casp.net

Grace under pressure: Colleen Enk

Full text at www.santalucia.sierraclub.org -- click on, “A cleanenergy future for San Luis Obispo.”


ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is Sept. 15. Toget a rate sheet or submit your adand payment, contact:Sierra Club - Santa Lucia Chapter

P.O. Box 15755

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

[email protected]

7 11

541-2716 [email protected]

Law Offices of Jan Howell MarxA Client Centered Practice

Business

Mediation

Environmental Law

Elder Law

Real Estate

Wills and Trusts

9/19: Los Osos Town Hall:Collection System Alterna-tives. Hear the experts on thehistory of wastewater collectionsystems, regulatory environ-ment, STEP vs. gravity. Q&A,inspect agravitygrinderpump andthe inside ofa cutawaySTEP tank.Friday, Sept.19, 7-9 p.m.South BayCommunityCenter.

Meet ings of NoteMeet ings of NoteMeet ings of NoteMeet ings of NoteMeet ings of Note9/13: Saving Our Water...One Drop At a Time. Anopen house with water purveyors, local businesses andnon-profit groups, activating water conservation throughself-education. Learn about water audits, plant andgarden tips, no-salt water softeners, on-demand hotwater systems, conservation tips, irrigation demo, appro-priate technologies and partnerships in water quality.Booths 1-4 p.m., Potluck and ice cream social 5-6 p.m.,followed by HopeDance presentation of FLOW: ForLove of Water, a documentary about the global watercrisis. Organized by WaterHealth 2 Outreach and friends.Free. Saturday, Sept. 13, 1-4p.m., South Bay CommunityCenter, Los Osos. More infor-mation atwww.wateroutreach.org


Photo by Joaquin Palting

Outings and Activities Calendar

Hiking Classifications:

Distance: 1 = 0-2 mi., 2 = 3-5 mi.,

3 = 6-9 mi., 4 =10-12 mi.,

5 = 12 mi. or more.

Elevation Gain: A = 500',

B = 1000', C = 1500', D = 2000',

E = 2500', F = 3000' or more.

All of our hikes and

activities are open to all Club

members and the general

public. If you have any

suggestions for hikes or

outdoor activities, questions

about the Chapter’s outing

policies or would like to be an

outings leader, call Outings

Leader Gary Felsman (473-

3694). For information on a

specific outing, please contact

the outing leader. Outings

Leaders please get your

outings or events in by the 1st

for the next month’s outings.

September 13-17;5 islands ($925)

Explore the wild, windsweptislands of Channel Island Na-tional Park. In spring the islandsare ablaze with wildflowers. Insummer, the pristine waters ofthe Marine Sanctuary enticeswimmers, snorkelers andkayakers. All year long, enjoyunusual plants and flowers, sealsand frolicking sea lions, sea andland birds. Cruise departs from SantaBarbara aboard the 68’ twindiesel Turth. Fee includes anassigned bunk, all meals, snacks,beverages, plus the services of aranger/naturalist who will travelwith us to lead hikes on eachisland and point out interestingfeatures. To make a reservation mail a $100check, payable to Sierra Club, to leader:Joan Jones Holtz, 11826 The Wye St.,

Island Hopping in Channel Islands National ParkSierra Club California Fundraising Cruises Scheduled for 2008

El Monte, CA 91732. Contact leader formore information (626-443-0706;[email protected])

Mon., Sept. 1st, 0930 LABORDAY BIKE -TOUR OF WOOD-LANDS, Meet at Willow X AlbertWay. Easy ride with many stops to seethis “instant city”. Call (929-3647) ore-mail <[email protected]> a fewdays before for details. HelmetsRequired Sponsored by Elder Bill.(Dog Owners be sure of location priorto bringing your pet.)

Wed., Sep 3, 10, 17, 24, 5:30p.m. Informal Hikes. See website, ore-mail Gary Felsman for details. E-mail is located on the website,www.santalucia.sierraclub.org

OCTAGON BARN - SouthHiguera, SLO, 2nd & 4th Saturdays,9am-12pm. Roofers and othervolunteers willing to climb and swinga hammer are requested to helpskilled craftsmen in replacing thefinal roof panels at the Octagon Barn.Additional volunteer work is neededto sort shingles, spruce up the site,and organize tools & materials. Learnfirst-hand how historical restorationworks and be part of the transforma-tion of San Luis Obispo’s iconicOctagon Barn. Stop by to check itout! If you’re not “handy” contact usabout joining the Barn Committee toplan and strategize on opening theBarn for community use next year.Call 544-9096 for details. Sponsored

by The Land Conservancy of San LuisObispo County.

Sat., Sept. 6, 9 a.m. InformalEast Cuesta Ridge Hike. Destinationthe Radio Towers. approx. 8 miles rt.This is a dirt road walk. Meet at thetop of the Cuesta Grade, Northbound101 side. Dress for the weather, hopeit is cool. I may or may not be there,Gary

Sept. 14th, Sun.,0930BIKERIDE in NIPOMO AREA. Easyride with many stops. Kids welcome.Call (929-3647) or e-mail<[email protected]> a few daysbefore for details. Helmets RequiredSponsored by Elder Bill. (Dog Ownersbe sure of location prior to bringingyour pet.)

Sun., Sept, 14, 10 a.m. PoleCats - Eagle Rock Nature Trail- isdedicated to leading local Sierra Clubday hikes and modeling effectivetechniques for using trekking poles.Join us on Sept. 14, 10 AM for an easyhike on the Eagle Rock Nature Trail.The trailhead is located across fromCuesta College at El Chorro RegionalPark. From SLO, take Highway 1North and turn east (right) at the firstof two turn signals to El ChorroRegional Park. Follow the signs to theDay Use area, passing the ball fieldsand Botanical Garden. Park in the DayUse area at the end of the park, justbefore the locked gate. Contact DavidGeorgi at [email protected] 458-5575 for upcomingactivities. Bipeds welcome.

Sat., Sept. 20, 0930, POINTSAL CLEAN-UP Meet at end ofBrown Rd. With road being closed,nothing like the old days when we gottons at parking lot on PS Beach —now, maybe 30 items. Call (929-3647)or e-mail <[email protected]> afew days before for details. HelmetsRequired Sponsored by Elder Bill.(Dog Owners be sure of location priorto bringing your pet.)

Sat., September 27th, 9 am-12noon, SLO County Creek CleanupDay. Join hundreds of volunteerscounty-wide in removing trash fromlocal creeks. The Land Conservancy ishosting a cleanup in the City of SanLuis Obispo starting from MissionPlaza. Additional sites need volunteersthroughout the County. Visitwww.CreekDay.org for more informa-tion & to sign up.

Sat., Sept. 27, 8:30 am - 12:30pm. TogetherGreen Days at theSweet Springs Nature Preserve. A

new initiative from Morro CoastAudubon. Even the biggest environ-mental challenges can be tackled,.Help restore the Sweet Springspreserve. Dozens of opportunities justwaiting for your talents – whether it’spulling invasive weeds, removingeucalyptus debris, stabilizing banks,planting native plants or wateringnew seedlings. Gloves, long pants,long sleeves, sturdy shoes. Munchiesand a chance to win a free “TogetherGreen” T-Shirt and cap. RamonaAvenue, between 4th and Broderson,Los Osos. Visitwww.morrocoastaudubon.org or callHolly at 239-3928.

Sun., Sept, 28, 10 a.m. PoleCats - Quarry Trail. Dedicated toleading local Sierra Club day hikesand modeling effective techniques forusing trekking poles. Join us on Sept.28, 10 AM, for an easy hike on theQuarry Trail. Meet at the CabrilloPeak trailhead. From SLO, go 12miles north on Hwy 1 to Los Osos/Baywook Park exit just before MorroBay. Go south on Southbay Blvd. anddrive .7 miles to the State Parkentrance. Continue straight for .2miles and look for the dirt parking loton the left. It is easy to miss. Do notwait at the Live Oak trailhead, whichis shortly after the Quary trailhead.Contact David Georgi [email protected] or 458-5575 for upcoming activities. Bipedswelcome.

Sat.-Sun., Sept 27-28, Serviceand hiking in the Carrizo Plain: Thisis an opportunity to visit and to assist

an outstanding and relatively un-known national monument. Saturdayis the National Public Lands Day andwe will assist monument staff and joinwith other volunteers working onimprovements for the Selby Camp-ground. Sunday is reserved forrecreation. Our group will plan amoderate hike in the CalienteMountains. The views are spectacular;and the monument is known for thenumber and variety of raptorspresent. Contact leader CraigDeutsche, 310-477-6670, [email protected] CNRCCDesert Committee.

Sun., Sept. 28, 0930 NATUREHIKES in the Nipomo Area Call(929-3647) or e-mail<[email protected]> a few daysbefore for details. Sponsored by ElderBill. (Dog Owners be sure of locationprior to bringing your pet.

Join us on October 5th for a SpecialVolunteer Orientation Gathering

When: 3-6 p.m.Where: Sierra Club Office, 547 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo.What: A complete overview of what our Chapter is up to, our variousprograms, campaigns and committees, and the opportunity to sign up andget involved where you are passionate and feel you can help the most! Enjoy a beautiful garden setting, plus food provided by the Chapter, andmeet our staff and committee members. These are exciting times to beinvolved, so get engaged! Sunday, October 5th. RSVP required: E-mailShaba Mohseni at [email protected] or call 543-8717.

Documents

Santa Lucian • Sept. 2008 Santa Lucian - Sierra Club