Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018 1

Mar/Apr. 2018Volume 55 No.2

T h e o f f i c i a l n e w s l e t t e r o f th e S a n ta L u c i a C h a p t e r o f t h e S i e r ra C l u b ~ Sa n L u i s O b i s p o Co u n t y, C a l i f o r n i a

SANTA LUCIAN

Santa LuciaChapter

InsideInsideInsideInsideInsideThe SLO rules on pot 2

Mar. 17: Marine Sanctuary 3

Vote: Oil vs. water 8

Outings 12

Officials Speak Out onOffshore Oil in SLO

Offshore Oil FindsIts Happy Place

What them worry? As hundreds of local governments across thecountry filed protests against the Trump offshore oil leasing plan, SLOCounty Supervisors Peschong, Compton, and Arnold enforced a discreetsilence on the largest proposed increase in offshore oil drilling in U.S.history at the Feb. 6 meeting of the board. See “This Island SLO” in theFeb. 15 New Times by Santa Lucia Chapter Director Andrew Christie,and the sequel, “Tight Little Island,” page 6.

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Californians Say No to Oil DrillingBut is the Interior Dept. really listening?By Wendy Becktold, Sierra , Feb. 9, 2018

SACRAMENTO continued on page 6

managed to show up anyway,hoping to be heard. Before the hearing, a broadcoalition of organizations andtribal groups including the

Sierra Club, the Center forBiological Diversity, OceanProtectors, and Brown Girls

Two weeks after conserva-tive Supervisors Lynn Comp-ton and Debbie Arnold en-sured that the County wouldremain officially mute on theTrump administration’s 5-yearplan to open 90% of our coastto offshore oil drilling (See“Offshore Oil Finds Its HappyPlace” at right), Rep. SaludCarbajal, joined by Supervi-sor Bruce Gibson, SLOMayor Heidi Harmon, MorroBay Mayor Jamie Irons, andMonterey Bay NationalMarine Sanctuary AdvisoryCouncil Chair P.J. Webbpresented a united frontacross the street from theCounty Government Center.

OFFSHORE continued on page 8

Carbajal, Gibson and Harmon.

Sendyourcom-ments

my

Kathleen Steltsspends a lot of timeexploring tidepools. She’s adocent with theLaguna OceanFoundation inLaguna Beach,California. Shelikes to educatevisitors about thedelicate creaturesthey find on therocks. “I tell thekids, ‘See thatcrab? If you poke it,it would be likesomeone walkingup to you andpunching you in the face,’”she said. When Stelts heard the newsin January that InteriorSecretary Ryan Zinke wasproposing to open up Cali-fornia’s coast for oil and gasdrilling, she felt like she hadjust been punched in the face.That’s why on the morning ofFebruary 8, she woke up atdawn, piled into the car withfour of her friends, and drove400 miles north to attend theonly public hearing inCalifornia about the plan. The proposal seeks to makemore than 90 percent of U.S.coastline available to oil andgas leasing, starting in 2019.The hearing on Feb. 8 washeld in Sacramento, far fromany beach, but hundreds ofpeople from coastal communi-ties throughout the state

Send your

comments by

March 8:

Savethecoast.org

2 Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018

The Executive Committee meetsthe second Monday of each monthat 4p.m in the chapter office,located at 974 Santa Rosa St., SanLuis Obispo. All members arewelcome to attend.

Santa Lucian

Lindi DoudSandy SimonEDITORIAL COMMITTEEDenny MynattPRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

The Santa Lucian is published six times a year. Articles, environmental informationand letters to the editor are welcome. The deadline for each issue is the 13th of theprior month.

send to: Editor, Santa Lucian, Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, San Luis Obispo, CA93406. sierraclub8@gmail.com

Santa Lucia Chapter

2018 Executive CommitteeChuck Tribbey (12/19) CHAIRChristine Mulholland (12/18) SECRETARYSue Harvey (12/19) MEMBERJennifer Von Der Lohe (12/20) MEMBERViolet Cavanaugh (12/20) MEMBERNancy Cole (12/20) MEMBERDawn Annoni (12/18) MEMBER

Chuck Tribbey COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERSKevin O’Gorman, Lindi Doud CO-TREASURERS

CommitteesPolitical Violet CavanaughMembership/Development Dawn AnnoniConservation Sue HarveyNuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker Linda Seeley

Printed by University Graphic Systems Cal Poly, San Luis ObispoMailing preparation services courtesy of the Silver Streaks

Office hours Monday-Friday,1:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.974 Santa Rosa StreetSan Luis Obispo

Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406805-543-8717

CNRCC Delegates Lindi Doud, Patrick McGibney John BurdettCalendar Sales OpenOutings Bill Waycott

Chapter Director Andrew Christie sierraclub8@gmail.com

Webmaster Monica TarzierTrail Guide Gary Felsman50th Anniversary Coordinator Jennifer Von Der Lohe

Facebook AdministratorKim Ramos

Bookkeeper Sandra Cirilo

EDITORAndrew Christie

Come hear retired Cal Poly professor and premier botanist David Keil, speak onthe extraordinary flora of San Luis Obispo County. A major contributor to theJepson Manual and Flora of North America, Dr. Keil edited The Wildflowers ofSan Luis Obispo and is preparing the second edition of Vascular Plants of San LuisObispo County.

The recently adopted Cannabisordinance for San Luis ObispoCounty made numerous compro-mises. One such compromise was thecounty’s agreement with the state tomake all licensing discretionary inorder to bypass the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act at theinitial stage of adopting an ordi-nance. This means that a stringentbiological/environmental review willnow be required for each project. Items of review include but are notlimited to water use, water runoff,pesticide use, and endangeredspecies impact. An environmentalreview is likely to be complex andcostly, and at least in some instancesrequire a full Environmental ImpactReport. The county will be requiredto consider the cumulative effect ofcannabis cultivation in the Carrizoand surrounding areas. Reviewwould not be limited to the environ-mental impacts of a single cultivationsite. This is an important aspect of thecontinued preservation of sensitivehabitats such as the Carrizo Plain.California Valley is zoned SuburbanResidential, and thus is not permittedfor commercial Cannabis cultivation.However, Agriculture lands greaterthan ten acres in size may bepermitted within the Carrizo Plan-ning Area.

Copeland Pavilion, 3rd Floor,French Hospital Med. Center,1823 Johnson Ave., SLODoors open at 6:30Program: 7-8 p.m.

Sierra Club General MeetingWed., March 21, 7 p.m.The Flora of SLO Countywith David Keil

Here are the rules

Want toGrow Pot?

POT continued on page 9

Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018 3

Whether new to the Sierra Club or new to San Luis Obispo, welcome all tothe Santa Lucia Chapter. We’re very glad to have you aboard!

Transfers:Andrea L & John WilliamsDeborah AlexzanderJana SlezakovaJill TremblayCarola BundySusan SchlaikjerTyler Conrad

New members:Alan DoctorAmanda WoodAndrea L & John WilliamsAnn BernhardtAnn RappCathy ManningCindy ChambersDavid Boicourt

Deborah AlexzanderDuk-Ki KratavilFay BoslerFerris JarvisGreg ThomasHadley KleinJana SlezakovaJeffrey AuerbachJill TremblayJohn & Roz FreemanJohn DalbeyJolein HeinleinKathryn VoiceLawrence DubrulLiz JohnstonLynn KamplainMaggie BrowningMaria Page

Mark ShinbrotHoward MainhartCarola BundyPamela GarzaPeter FrithSandra GibersonSasha SzytelSavanna CooperScott FisherSherri StoddardShirley HolgateSusan SchlaikjerToni BarnettTyler ConradVicki HotalingWendy KnightWolf & Rabbit Provisions

Welcome New Members!

The event is free butyou much register toattend. Go totinyurl.com/CalPolyChumash and secureyour seat!

On Saturday, March17, join us at CalPoly’s ChumashAuditorium for anafternoon of informa-tion, activism, andundersea wonders.Marine biologists andconservation advo-cates will discuss theprotections thatdesignation of theChumash HeritageNational MarineSanctuary can bring tothe Central Coast’smarine habitat. The highlight of theday will be a specialvideo presentation byHolly Lohuis, a marinebiologist with Jean-Michel Cousteau’sOcean Futures Society.

Get Your Tickets for Our March 17 Chumash Sanctuary EventAs environmental threats to the Central Coast mount, now is the time to push for sanctuary

In all the controversyover the announcedclosure of the DiabloCanyon Nuclear PowerPlant – how muchsooner the plant couldor should close, howmuch money theCounty will get, whatwill replace the powergenerated from theplant – little notice hasbeen paid to what islikely to become one ofthe biggest land use

issues on the CentralCoast: What willbecome of the 12,000acres of pristinecoastal real estate thecompany owns aroundthe plant outside of itssecurity zone? The Friends of WildCherry Canyon wasformed to protect aprime piece of PG&E’sproperty that has beena particular target ofrecent pressure by the

developer HomeFedCorp. The Sierra Cluband FWCC made surethat the Diablo Canyonlands were introduced

into the formal proceed-ings at the PublicUtilities Commissionwhen PG&E submittedits proposal to retire the

plant. As a result, theCommission’s adminis-trative law judge

Will PG&E Make aKillingOffDiablo?12,000 acres of prime coastal land isup for grabs

DIABLO continued on page 4

free tickets: tinyurl.com/CalPolyChumash

4 Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018

handed down aproposed decision inNovember 2017 notingthat “While some ofthe land is owned by asubsidiary of PG&E,PG&E has committedto take no action withany of the lands andfacilities, whetherowned by the utility ora subsidiary, beforecompletion of a futureprocess including apublic stakeholderprocess, and states thatthe parties will not be

prejudiced by exclud-ing these issues fromthe current scope ofthis proceeding. PG&Eis directed to abide bythat commitment.” Questions have nowarisen about thattimeline and thatcommitment. A briefmention appeared atthe end of an article inthe Feb. 10 edition of

The Tribune indicatingthat when it comes tothe disposition ofDiablo Canyon lands,PG&E is letting nograss grow in the spacebetween shutdown anddecommissioning. Onemonth after the PublicUtilities Commissionapproved the retire-ment of the plant, welearned that:

The company will alsomove ahead with es-tablishing a communityengagement panel toget the public’s inputinto the decommission-

ing process, includingwhat should be donewith the property andthe surrounding lands.

But it now appearsthat process may bemoving even faster. OnJanuary 10 – the daybefore the PublicUtilities Commissionapproved PG&E’srequest to retire the

power plant –Home Fedadvisor DenisSullivan sent anemail to thecompany’s WildCherry Canyonproject manageron the crucialissue of “fee title,”the transfer of landownership thatwould makepossible thedevelopment ofWild CherryCanyon and anysurrounding lands.Sullivan wrote, “Ithink we can get a

deal withPG&E to getthe fee,” andwent on todescribe adevelopmentalmost twicethe size ofGrover Beach. In light ofthis communi-que, PG&Eneeds toanswer aquestion:

Have they been intalks with a developeror their agents about adeal for the transfer ofthe Diablo Canyonlands, or taking anyother action “withrespect to any of thelands and facilities,whether owned by theutility or a subsidiary,before completion of afuture process includ-

ing a public stake-holder process,” withan aim of transferringfee title ownership ofsome or all of the landsheld by PG&E or itssubsidiaries, contraryto assurances made tothe Public UtilitiesCommission and itsAdministrative LawJudge? Is PG&Econvening a “commu-

In December 2006, the California CoastalCommission came within a whisker of requiring aconservation easement over 9,130 acres of theland outside Diablo Canyon’s security zone inexchange for a permit to replace the plant’s failinggenerators; a permit the plant needed to keepoperating past 2014. As the replacement permit would allow for thedevastating impacts of the plant’s cooling system

Diablocontinued from page 3

nity engagement panel”with the intent of care-fully gathering publicinput, then carefullydisposing of that inputin the nearest receptacleand proceeding withplans already made tosell off the priciest realestate on the CentralCoast to the highest

Say what? The Jan. 10 HomeFed email illustrated why“community engagement panels” are for those who can’tget deals.

Not Their First Rodeo

RODEO continued on next page

The Diablo lands have always beenPG&E’s biggest bargaining chip

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Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018 5

San Luis ObispoGroundwater Protec-tion Ordinance SLO County wateractivists are gatheringsignatures to put aninitiative on theNovember ballot thatwould prohibit theexportation of ground-water outside thecounty. Volunteers areneeded to help collectsignatures to qualifythe initiative for theballot. Most of SLO Countyis dependent ongroundwater resourcesfor our water needs.

bidder, greatly cushion-ing the pain from thewrite-off of its non-viable nuclear powerplant? Another goodquestion: Who are theCounty Supervisorsthat HomeFed execsknow are “in ourfavor at the mo-ment” and whomthey can “push” to“progress a deal” fora project that localresidents over-whelm-ingly rejectedthree years ago?How much “push-ing” took placebetween Sullivan’sJan. 10 email andour alert to themedia on Feb. 22? “Placing a newcity on these pristinelands would be anenvironmentaltragedy of the firstorder,” said Friendsof Wild CherryCanyon’s KaraWoodruff. “HomeFed’sprofit motive isclear; any concernfor the needs of thecommunity is not.”

Diablocontinued from previous page

Put Oil and Water on the BallotThe measure willprotect all groundwaterbasins in the county,whether or not they arein overdraft, prohibitingthe pumping of ground-water for export,transfer, or use outsidethe boundaries of anybasin, including anywater that is “perco-lated, infiltrated, stored,recharged, or otherwiseplaced into the groundwater basin (includingbanked surface water).” Help put this initiativeon the ballot by signingthe petition and collect-ing signatures. If you

would like a fewpetitions to circulateamong friends andfamily, or want to goall out and collecthundreds of signa-tures, contact SueHarvey at 805-239-0542, susan@ifsusan.com.

Ban Fracking andOil Expansion inSLO CountyPetitions are nowcirculating to preventfracking and oilindustry plans for avast expansion ofoperations in our

county. We are at a cleanenergy crossroads. Ascitizens, we have thepotential to controllocal energy resources.And oil extractionpractices, especiallythe “extreme oil” de-rived from steam injec-tion, fracking, and theuse of exotic chemicalsand acids, pose threatsto our surface andgroundwater. The largeamount of water usedand the undergrounddisposal of toxic waterthreaten water quantityand quality.

Go to protectslocounty.org to learnmore about theCoalition effort,upcoming events, andhow to volunteer ordonate. If you want tohelp gather signaturesand you are a regis-tered voter in SLOCounty, contactterrieleivers@gmail.comand a city captain willbe in touch with you.

on marine wildlife to continue all the way to theend of its license period or beyond, the easementwould have ensured that the land was never de-veloped, conserving a significant portion of theCentral Coast in perpetuity. The Sierra Club made that argument when weappealed PG&E’s Coastal Development Permitto the Commission. Commission staff agreed and

Rodeocontinued from previous page

urged that an easement be required as a conditionof the project permit. Unfortunately, the project came before theCommission during the brief window of timewhen PG&E sock puppet Katcho Achadjian was asitting Coastal Commissioner. Katcho made amotion to delete the 9,000-acre easement from theproposed project conditions, claiming that the

DREAM Initiative —a 1999 county ballotmeasure that urgedlong-term conserva-tion of DiabloCanyon lands —would suffice for thepurpose. Commissionstaff pointed out thatthe DREAM Initia-tive was advisory,unenforceable, anddid not compelPG&E to create aconservation ease-ment. Katcho batted thisfact away and votedto strip out theeasement, and amajority of thecommissionersgenuflected to thewishes of PG&E andthe commissionerfrom the district (See“When Diablo Wins,You Lose,” Jan.2007.)

6 Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018

California’s business community isalso galvanizing against the pro-posal. Many see oil drilling as afundamental threat to a coastaleconomy that contributes nearly$20 billion to the state’s GDP andgenerates half a million jobs. Over1,000 West Coast companies havelaunched the Business Alliance forProtecting the Pacific Coast, whichis modeled after a similar alliance onthe East Coast. Affiliates include thePacific Coast Federation of Fisher-men’s Associations, Klean Kanteen,North Face, Patagonia, and the SurfIndustry Manufacturers.

The SLO County Board of Supervisors – andthe county’s land, air, and water – have felt thelash of extremely conservative majorities before,but the current crop is a particularly tight group:Supervisor Peschong served as a consultant to theelection campaigns of Supervisors Arnold andCompton prior to his own campaign – and theyvote as a unit whenever possible, which isvirtually always, except when Peschong has torecuse himself on any issue related to fossil fuelsbecause his career fairly oozes petroleum. As New Times reported one year ago:

“For Peschong, donations included a combined$1,175 from Chevron’s Philip Maysonave,Sempra Energy, and Vaquero Energy, as well asthousands from political consulting firms acrossthe country that have contracted with oil or gascompanies—similarly to Peschong’s consultingcompany, Meridian Pacific Inc., which hascontracted with Phillips 66. Among the donationsfrom consulting firms was $2,500 from FP1Strategies in Washington, D.C., which, on itswebsite, touts its role in a campaign to expandoffshore drilling in the United States.”

In short, these are perhaps the worst possiblesupervisors to be seated on the dais at the momentwhen the Central Coast is faced with the particularexistential threat of the Trump offshore oil plan. Worthy of note: These are the three favoritesupervisors of the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture,and Business (COLAB). All have been feted at theright-wing lobby group’s annual fundraiser (left).Compton and Arnold have asserted that they arenot proponents of offshore oil drilling. Are theyreally breaking with their most enthusiasticbackers over this issue? Here’s an experiment foran enterprising reporter interested in givingSupervisor Compton a chance to shore up her my-record-is-clear offshore oil bona fides in her bidfor re-election: Show her this quote fromCOLAB’s 2/5/17 newsletter and ask if she agreeswith each of these statements: “The Sierra Club and its local Santa LuciaChapter promote [a Chumash HeritageNational Marine Sanctuary’s] key benefit asbeing that oil, gas, and other kinds of mineralextraction activities are prohibited in FederalMarine sanctuaries. How stupid! If there wereoil and gas offshore, you would think theCounty and others would support its recovery.Why would they slit their proverbial wristsover this kind of quackery? The royalties andtaxes would help fix the horrible road andinfrastructure deficit in the County (hundredsof millions). Of course new oil and gas develop-ment is already banned….” Agree or disagree, Madam Supervisor? And ifyou disagree, what specific actions do you pro-pose to take in the fight to keep oil rigs off ourshores and oil off our beaches?

What is the B in COLAB? Compare and contrast thepassage from the article above and the quote fromCOLAB at right.

Tight Little IslandSacramentocontinued from page 1

SACRAMENTO continued page 7

Surf hosted a robustrally outside thecapitol building. Theywere joined byassembly members AlMurat-suchi, MoniqueLimón, and Jim Wood;State Controller BettyYee; and other electedofficials. One common themeamong speakers wasZinke’s announcement,shortly after the planwas published, thatFlorida would beexempt from offshoredrilling. In her speech,Yee said to cheers,“Thank you for yourconcern for thebeaches of Mar-a-Lago. Now pleaseshow the same concernfor us.” Protesters chantedand waved colorfulsigns with messageslike “Take a Knee forthe Environment” and“I Like My BeachesWithout Black Tides.”A handful dressed upas sea creatures, and alone polar bear wan-dered the crowd.Robin Knox and herdaughter, Jessica, hadtraveled from Oaklandto be there. As a youngadult, Knox had held acity job that broughther out to the beach. “What you see isdifferent when youwork there than whenyou just visit,” shesaid. “You see trash.You see dead fish thatwere obviouslypoisoned by somethingin the water. That wasa turning point forme.” Since then, she’svolunteered regularlyfor beach cleanups.Two years ago, Jessicatold her she wanted totake part in a localorganization calledBrown Girls Surf. “I

thought she was crazy,because I didn’t knowblack people surfed,”Knox laughed. Theorganization encour-ages women of colorto take up surfing, andJessica was attendingthe rally as one oftheir youth leaders. Opposition to theInterior Department’splan has been wide-spread in coastalstates but particularlyin California, whereoffshore drillingdevelopments havebeen banned in statewaters since 1969 andno new federal leaseshave been issued since1984. According to a2017 statewide

survey, 69 percent ofCalifornians oppose anynew off-shore drilling. “You don’t get to thatnumber without supportacross party lines,”Assemblyman Murat-suchi told Sierra justbefore the rally started.He is coauthoringlegislation with assem-blywoman MoniqueLimón that wouldprohibit any newinfrastructure transfer-ring oil and gas fromfederal waters back toland. “We’re basicallytrying to take away theeconomic incentive foroffshore oil drilling,” hesaid. State senator

Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018 7

The best sign in Sacramento “Krill, baby krill.”

Sacramentocontinued from page 6

Hannah-Beth Jacksonis introducing acompanion bill in thestate senate. Other state officialshave also come outstrongly against theplan to drill offshore.Governor Jerry Brownhas been a vocalopponent, and at least26 cities and countiesin California havepassed resolutionsagainst offshoredrilling for oil and gas. The day before thehearing, the StateLands Commissionwrote in a letter tofederal officials,“Given how unpopularoil development incoastal waters is inCalifornia, it is certainthat the state would notapprove new pipelinesor allow use of existingpipelines to transportoil from new leasesonshore.” On Feb. 8, theCalifornia Assemblypassed a joint resolu-tion expressing itsopposition to theproposed leasing plan.Assemblyman JimWood, who coauthoredthe resolution, said in astatement, “I representmore coastline than anyother assembly districtin California—300beautiful miles of it tobe exact. Our coastlineis rugged, majestic, and

pristine, and it shouldstay that way.” California’s businesscommunity is alsogalvanizing against theproposal. Many see oildrilling as a fundamen-tal threat to a coastaleconomy that contrib-utes nearly $20 billionto the state’s GDP andgenerates half a millionjobs. Over 1,000 WestCoast companies havelaunched the BusinessAlliance for Protectingthe Pacific Coast,which is modeled aftera similar alliance onthe East Coast.Affiliates include thePacific Coast Federa-tion of Fishermen’sAssociations, KleanKanteen, The NorthFace, Patagonia, andthe Surf IndustryManufacturers. Noah Oppenheim isthe executive directorof the Pacific CoastFederation of Fisher-men’s Associations,which represents over750 fishing familiesand companies. “We’refundamentally depen-dent on a sustainableseafood supply for ourmembers’ livelihoods,and offshore drilling isa dire threat to thoselivelihoods,” he said ina phone interview.“We’re not just worriedabout drilling; we’reworried about allaspects of the oileconomy.” The Feb. 8 hearing

was among the first of23 scheduled aroundthe country over a 60-day comment period.The format of theevent was unconven-tional: Rather thanhaving the opportunityto speak from apodium, participantswere expected to millaround the room andtalk individually toBureau of OceanEnergy Management(BOEM) officials, whowere stationed byposter boards detailingtopics like “environ-mental scoping.”Tables were set up inthe corner of the roomwhere participantscould write theircomments on paper orenter them online. The frustration waspalpable. “I came togive a public comment,not have a one-on-onewith a BOEM em-ployee,” one man wasoverheard saying. Attimes, groups of peopleerupted into chants of“Where’s the hearing?”The format of themeetings is actually ahold-over from theObama administration,but the inability tomake a verbal state-ment is feeding thesense that the BOEMdoesn’t really want tohear what people haveto say. “It’s demoralizing,”says Izzy Goodman, aSierra Club organizerwho attended a hearingin Salem, Oregon. Thedecision to hold onlyone meeting per state,and to locate them onlyin state capitals, mostof which are locatedinland, is not helpingmatters. “Clearly,BOEM officials arejust doing the minimalthat they need to do,”says Athan Manuel, thedirector of SierraClub’s Lands Protec-tion Program.

Oppenheimagrees. “IfBOEM reallywanted toengage withoceanstakeholdersand hearfrom fisher-men what theimpact of oildrillingwould be totheir liveli-hoods, theywouldschedulemeetings withthe stake-holdersthemselves. Theywould go to ports. Theywould meet with theirrepresentatives, like us.They didn’t do any ofthat.” As Thursday’shearing wound down,Stelts was outside onthe sidewalk with her

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Can You Hear Us Now? On Feb. 3 at FrenchHospital’s Copeland Pavilion, the Sierra Club, Surfrider,ECOSLO, and the Coalition to Protect SLO County hostedthe West Coast premiere of “Shore Stories,” six shortfilms on the inspiring history of the fight against offshoreoil in coastal states. Attendees picked up their “NoOffshore Drilling” signs and used them four days later atthe California Coastal Commission hearing in Cambria(top right). The Coastal Commission voted unanimouslyto oppose the Trump plan.

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friends, their signsdangling by their sides.Was she glad she cameall this way? She paused. “Yes,”she said. “But insidewas disappointing. . . .It doesn’t seem likethey were reallylistening.”

8 Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018

With nearly 10,000feet of elevation gainand nine miles of steep,muddy terrain, CerroChirripó is not on thetypical Costa Ricatravel log. Thisstrenuous climb is bothdifficult to reservethrough the visitorrestrictions of the parksystem and physicallychallenging, as the trailfollows steep hillsidesand valley walls. Thepayoffs are huge. If youtime it right during theday at the right time ofyear, you can see boththe Atlantic and thePacific from thenation’s highest peak.Join the Sierra Club atAscendo in SLO,Sunday, April 22nd,from 6 – 7p.m. Admis-sion free, buying drinksencouraged.

Travel Log: Hiking Chirripo, Costa Rica

At the Feb. 21 rally,atten-ded by over ahundred people, MayorHarmon noted that atthe time of the historic1969 Santa Barbara oilspill, the year she wasborn, “This was not apartisan issue.” Supervisor Gibsoncalled the Trump/Zinkeplan “flatly unaccept-able” and made use ofa lone heckler shoutingobscenities from thecourthouse steps topoint out that thosewho oppose the over-whelming majority ofCalifornians on thisissue “whine in thedarkness alone” andcan be ignored. Rep. Carbajalpointed out that whenTrump signed theexecutive order toexpand offshore drill-ing, he also repealedthe oil rig safetyregulations that wereput in place after theDeepwater Horizondisaster. Carbajalreminded the crowdthat he has introducedthe California CleanCoast Act in Congress,which would ban allfuture offshore drillinghere, and urged all togo to the Bureau ofOcean Energy Manage-ment’s website byMarch 8 to “tell themCalifornians are unitedon no offshore oil.” As we go to press,the Morro Bay CityCouncil has scheduleda meeting to considersending a resolution toBOEM opposing theTrump/Zinke plan. If itdoes, it will join agrowing number ofCentral Coast cities, incontrast to three silentcounty supervisors.

Offshorecontinued from page 1

Sierra Club California has launched an adver-tising campaign that aims to push back againstgrowing pressure by waste incinerators to extendand expand their industry in one of the mostpolluted air basins in the country. A series of billboards and online ads in Fresnoand Sacramento note that trees, dead or alive, arean essential component of a healthy forestecosystem. The campaign promotes the hashtag#IAmNotFuel and implores that California stopburning trees in incinerators to create dirty,polluting energy. In 2015, Governor Brown signed an executiveorder requiring utilities to purchase a minimumamount of electricity from biomass incinerationfacilities that burn dead trees from California’sforests. This executive order and subsequentlegislation saved five old, non-economic wasteincinerators in California that were slated to shutdown due to high energy costs and competitionfrom cheaper wind and solar facilities. About three years later, the biomass incineratornear the Malaga neighborhood in Fresno is stillburning 24 hours a day. The facility featuresoutdated emissions controls and releases pollut-ants that are linked to chronic bronchitis, lungcancer and heart disease. Nearly 30 percent ofFresno’s population is under the age of 18 and atleast one in five students in local school districts

suffer from chronic lung ailments, such as asthma. “The last place that should be increasing wasteincinerator activity is California,” said KathrynPhillips, director of Sierra Club California, thelegislative and regulatory advocacy arm of theSierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California. “TheCalifornia legislature has established goals to cutclimate pollution and local air pollution andincrease the amount of non-combustion, cleanrenewable energy we use. Waste incineratorsundercut those goals even as they dirty the air.” Drought and beetle infestation have contributedto massive tree deaths in forests around California,with the most impacted areas in the SouthernSierra. U.S. Forest Service estimates are that 129million trees have died.

Sierra Club California Launches Campaign toProtect Air & Forests from Waste Incinerators

http://bit.ly/IAmNotFuel

Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018 9

We have a hand-full of thesebeauties left inthe office, andten months leftin the year. Wepass the savingson to you! Whenyou buy directfrom the Chap-ter, you supportthe Sierra Club’s conservation workin San Luis Obispo County.wall calendar: $13.50 $9.00desk calendar: $14.50 $9.00

Make check out & send to:

2018 Sierra Club Calendar

Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Last Chance - Clearance!

Pesticides. Approvedcannabis cultivationoperations employingthe use of pesticidesshall also obtain theappropriate pesticideuse permitting from theDepartment of Agricul-ture /Weights andMeasures. Pesticides and ferti-lizers shall be properlylabeled, stored, andapplied to avoid andprevent contaminationthrough erosion,leakage, or inadvertentdamage from rodents,pests, or wildlife. Pesticide useenforcement. Thefollowing areas may beentered or inspectedduring business hours,or at any other reason-able time in order todetermine compliance:1. Fields, areas, struc-tures, and greenhouseswhere pesticides arehandled, stored or ap-plied; 2. growing cropsand harvested com-modities; 3. equipment(including protectiveclothing and equip-ment) used to store,transport or handlepesticides; 4. changeareas and other facil-ities used by employ-ees; and 5. pesticidesand tank mixturesthereof. Officials mayinspect the pesticide-related records ofgrowers, pest controlbusinesses, and othersduring business hours. Water. Cannabiscultivation will requirea permit from the Cen-tral Coast RegionalWater Quality ControlBoard. Until the per-mitting process is inplace, all cannabiscultivators shall adhereto the environmentalmeasures outlined byRWQCB. Cannabiscultivation sites thatrequire a land use

permit and are in agroundwater basin atLevel of Severity IIIpursuant to the lastBiennial ResourceManagement Systemreport shall provide anestimate of water de-mand prepared by alicensed professionalengineer or other ex-pert on water demand,as approved by theDirector of Planningand Building, and adetailed description ofhow the new waterdemand will be offset.All water demandwithin a groundwaterbasin at Level of Sever-ity III shall offset at aminimum 1:1 ratio,unless a greater offsetis required throughland use permit appro-val. All water demandwithin an identifiedArea of Severe Declineshall offset at a mini-mum 2:1 ratio, unless agreater offset is re-quired through land usepermit approval. Offsetclearance shall be ob-tained through aCounty-approved waterconservation programfor the respectivegroundwater basin,prior to the establish-ment of the use or re-ceipt of BusinessLicense Clearance.Irrigation water sup-plies for cannabis cul-tivation shall not in-clude water transportedby vehicle from off-sitesources. On October 17, 2017,the State Water Boardadopted the CannabisCultivation Policy andGeneral Order/WasteDischarge Require-ments for CannabisCultivation. The Policyincludes requirementsfor surface water diver-sions and waste dis-charges from cultiva-tion sites. In manycases, water rights canbe obtained onlinethrough the Cannabis

General Order andSmall Irrigation UseRegistration Portal(Cannabis ProgramsPortal), a streamlinedoption for obtainingappropriative waterright for surface waterdiverters to irrigatecommercial cannabiscrops. Air quality. Can-nabis cultivation siteslocated on an unpavedroad shall provide, at aminimum, a mitigationplan for continuingdust control from theproperty frontage tothe nearest County-maintained road. Theplan may be modifiedto adjust for changedconditions or improvethe effectiveness of thedust reducing technol-ogy. The plan and allmodifications to theplan are subject toreview and approval bythe Review Authority. There must beevidence of roadmaintenance providedby the County, State,special district, home-owners association orother organized main-tenance, such as a roadmaintenance agree-ment. An agreementmust be signed tosupport and not protestthe formation of anassessment district orthe creation of anotherfunding mechanism. Other supplementalinformation that maybe required includesagricultural buffers, abotanical report, bio-logical report, geologicreport, archeologicalreport, a fire safetyplan, and a noise study.This information canbe more clearly de-fined by obtaining apre-application meet-ing with the County.Requests for meetingsmay be made atwww.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Planning-Building/.

Potcontinued from page 2

What Smokey said We can’t promote individualvendors, but do a web search on “smokey forest firesdefunded” and several purveyors will pop up, deliveringthis message in several different styles.

Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

10 Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018

Outingscontinued from page 12

use of trekking poles. From Shell BeachRoad, go west on ElPortal until you reachthe above intersection.Go right and park nearthe illegal gate. Thehike will go up the fireroad to the trail andthen follow the trail forless than a mile,returning to the fireroad and back to theparking area. 1.5 miles,100 feet elevationchange. For moreinformation, call toconfirm. ContactDavid, (805) 458-5575. Rain cancels andno dogs.

Sat., Mar. 17th, 8:30am, AmericanCanyon to BuckeyeCamp Hike. Out andback on the same trails,entirely in the beautifulGarcia Wilderness. Astrenuous 12-mile hikewith 2,000 ft. elevationgain. The condition ofthis trail is unknownbe-cause it is not easilyaccessed, but there willdefinitely be poisonoak. We will cross ashallow section of theSalinas River at thebeginning of this trekand some minor creekcrossings later. Youmay go just part way,as this is an in and outon the same trails.Bring lunch and water.Expect to be out allday. We have to passthrough a locked gateto drive to the trailhead. Meet in SantaMargarita at the PacificBeverage Co. Rain willpostpone. Behaveddogs on leash wel-come. Contact Carlos(805) 546-0317.

Sun., March 18th,9:00 am, RinconadaTrail Plant Walk. Aplant walk on the Rin-conada trail in LosPadres National Forest.

Starts in an oak wood-land, then ascends intochaparral on a northfacing slope, and to theridge top with 360o

views. Total distance 4miles with an elevationgain of 800 feet and atotal hike time ofroughly three hours. Meet at the trail head,approximately 10 mileseast of Hwy 101 onPozo Road (3 milesbeyond the turnoff forSanta Margarita Lakeand 25 miles from SanLuis Obispo). Carpool-ing is an option, meetat the Park and Ride,Hwy 58 exit and Hwy101 at 8:30 am. Bringwater and snacks.Sturdy shoes, sun-screen, hat, and layeredclothing recom-mended. No RSVPneeded. No dogsplease. Bring paper andpencil to take notes anda camera. A plant listmay be available at thebeginning of the hike.For more information,contact Bill Waycott,

(805) 459- 2103. Rainor the threat of raincancels.

Sun., Mar. 18th, 2:00pm, San Luis ObispoHistoric Walk:Mission-Era Emi-grants and Gold-Rush Renegades. An

easy, guided stroll pastthe Mission courtyard,three adobes, the oldstagecoach stop, andother landmarks, tohear stories of the earlydays of old San LuisObispo. Families andchildren welcome, nodogs please. Meet

under the clock at thecorner of Montereyand Osos Streets.Contact Joe, (805)549-0355.

Sat., March 24th,9:00 am, AdobeSprings Trail. A 5-mile round trip hike

Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018 11

Outingscontinued from page 10

at the intersection ofBluff Drive and ElPortal (with Indio alsointersecting). PoleCatsis a group dedicated todemonstrating theeffective use oftrekking poles. Direc-tions: from Shell BeachRoad, go west on ElPortal until you reachthe above intersection.Go right and park nearthe illegal gate. Thehike will go up the fireroad to the trail andthen follow the trail forless than a mile, return-ing to the fire road andback to the parkingarea. The hike is 1.5miles, 100 feet eleva-tion change. For moreinformation, call toconfirm. ContactDavid, (805) 458-5575.Rain cancels and nodogs.

Sat., April 21st, 7:30am, Santa Lucia Trailto Pimkolam (Ju-nipero Serra) Peak.Join the leader on thisspring hike to thehighest point in thenorthern Los PadresNational Forest. Thisis an out and backstrenuous hike of 12miles with 3,800 ft. ofelevation gain. This isfor experienced andconditioned hikersonly. The hike begins atMemorial Park (IndianStations) campground. We hike across abeautiful meadow withwonderful rockformations. The trailascends steadilythrough oak woodlandsand then chaparral to asaddle, where we catchthe summit spur trail. As we approach thesummit, we enter a pineforest and eventuallyarrive at an old firetower at the summit at5,862 feet. There is apossibility of ticks andthere will probably bepoison oak in placesalong the trail. Bring

plenty of water, lunch,snacks, and dress forthe weather. Meet atthe Las Tablas ride-share parking lot at7:30 am, in Templetonwhich is on the southside of the road, justwest of Highway 101,after taking the LasTablas exit. We willcarpool to the trailheadwhich is about a 90-minute drive. Raincancels. Please do notbring dogs on thishike. This will be anall-day adventure soplan accordingly. Confirm with theleader if you areinterested in going onthis hike. For info andconfirmation, callChuck, (805) 441-7597.

Saturday, April 28th,9:00 am, WillowSprings Trail. A 4.2-mile hike with scenicviews of Los PadresNatl. Forest back-country. Bring a hat,sunscreen, plenty ofwater, long-sleeveshirt, long pants, andsturdy walking shoes.For carpool, meet at8:30 am, at the inter-

with views down theCuyama Valley with achance of beautifulwildflowers! Bring ahat, sunscreen, plentyof water, long-sleeveshirt, long pants, andsturdy walking shoes.Carpool – meet at 8:30am, at the intersectionof Hwy 101 and Hwy166 (west on HuttonRd., parking byCuyama Lane). Ifmeeting at trailhead,arrive by 9 am, go tothe Adobe Springtrailhead off Hwy 166,about 21 miles east ofHwy 101, on theleft. Polite dogs onleash allowed. ContactAndrea, (805) 934-2792.

Sat., March 31st, 9:00am, Salmon CreekTrail to EstrellaCamp. Join the leaderon this moderate 6.4-mile hike in the SilverPeak Wilderness ofsouthern Big Sur. There is about 1,600 ft.of elevation gain. Thetrail follows the southslope of the canyon andcrosses Spruce Creekafter 2 miles. There areocean views down thecanyon. After 3.2miles, there will be alunch stop at EstrellaCamp on the EstrellaFork of Salmon Creek. We will return the sameway. There may beticks and there will bepoison oak beside thetrail. Bring lunch orsnacks, water, anddress for the weather. Meet at the WashburnDay Use area of SanSimeon State Park 1.5miles north of Cam-bria. Rain cancels.Dogs on leash areallowed. If there isinterest, we will stopfor food after the hike. Contact Chuck, (805)441-7597.

Sun., Apr. 8th, 2:00pm, Old TownCambria HistoricWalk. Easy, guidedstroll past Victoriancottages, 1880s store-fronts, saloons, and theChinese temple inCambria’s East Village,to learn the storiesof its early pioneers.Families and childrenwelcome, no dogsplease. Meet in front ofthe Olallieberry Inn,2476 Main St. ContactJoe (805) 549-0355.

Sat., April 14th, 8:50am, East CuestaRidge to LopezCanyon Trail. Be-cause Lopez CanyonTrail is not easilyaccessed, and seeslittle use, we will walkMt. Lowe Rd. (E.Cuesta Ridge) the 4.6miles from the gate atHwy 101. Dependingon our energy level, wewill go down theLopez Canyon trail asfar as we feel comfort-able and then retraceour steps. In the past,we have gone as far asUpper Lopez Camp,which is approximately7 1/2 miles. There isgoing to be somepoison oak once youenter Lopez Canyon.Expect to be out allday unless you want togo part way up theroad and depart beforethe rest of the group.We will meet at SantaRosa Park at 8:30 amto carpool to the top ofthe Cuesta Grade. Ifyou are from the northcounty you can meet usat the gate at the top ofthe Cuesta Grade atabout 8:50 am. Bringyour lunch and water.Behaved dogs on leashare welcome. Rain willpostpone to a laterdate. Contact Carlos(805) 546-0317.

Sat., April 14th, 10:00am, Shell Beach. Meet

Saturday, May 5th, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm,Sierra Club New Outings Leader Train-ing. If you are interested in becoming anoutings leader on the Central Coast, thistraining is for you! The leader training startswith a 4-hour class at the Sierra Club office,located at 974 Santa Rosa Street, San LuisObispo, CA 93401. We will go over theguidelines and handbook issued by the SierraClub. To be certified, in addition to this 4-hour class, you will need to complete a basicFirst Aid course, as well as create and lead aprovisional hike along with one of ourcurrent outings leaders. To enroll in thisclass, please contact Bill Waycott,bill.waycott@ gmail.com, (805) 459-2103, atleast one week prior to the class start date.

section of Hwy 101and Hwy 166 (west onHutton Rd., parking byCuyama Lane). Ifmeeting at trailhead,arrive by 9 am, go toWillow Springtrailhead off Hwy 166,about 20 miles fromHwy101. Trailhead is 4miles past Pine CanyonFire Station. Park onright beyond the gate.Polite dogs on leashallowed. ContactAndrea, (805) 934-2792.

Sun., Apr. 29,10:30am, LagunaLake CommunityTrail Run + Yoga. Joinhike leader and yogainstructor Nan Cole ona Community Trail Run+ Yoga Class at LagunaLake Park. An easy runwith views of LagunaLake, Cerro San LuisObispo and BishopPeak. We’ll meet at therestrooms left of theentrance, run a 1.5-mileloop and practice aone-hour Vinyasa-stylepractice on the grass.Bring water and yogamat. For more informa-tion, contact Nan atcole.nancy.j@gmail.com.

12 Santa Lucian • Mar./Apr. 2018Sierra ClubSanta Lucia ChapterP. O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

OUTINGScontinued on

page 10

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

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 accompany childrenunder the age of 18. If you have any suggestions for hikes or outdoor activities, questions about the Chapter’souting policies, or would like to be an outings leader, call Outings Chair Bill Waycott, (805) 459-2103. Forinformation on a specific outing, please call the listed outing leader.

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.

Island Hopping in Channel IslandsNational Park. April 8-10; May 6-8; June10-12; July 15-17; August 19-21; Septem-ber 23-25; October 21-23. Join us for a 3-day, 3-island, live-aboard tour of the ChannelIslands. Hike windswept trails bordered withblazing wildflowers. Kayak rugged coastlines,marvel at pristine waters teeming with frolick-ing seals and sea lions and an occasionalwhale. Watch for the highly endangered islandfox. Look for reminders of the Chumashpeople who lived on these islands for thou-sands of years. Or just relax at sea. All cruisesdepart from Santa Barbara. $675 cost includesassigned bunk and all meals. A park ranger/naturalist will help lead hikes and giveevening programs. Kayaking overseen by ourconcessionaire; all hikes on trails, class 1terrain. This is a fund-raiser to support theSierra Club political program in California. Toreserve space send a $100 deposit to “Califor-nia Sierra Club PAC” to Joan Jones Holtz,11826 The Wye St., El Monte, CA 91732. Forinformation: Joan Jones Holtz: jholtzhln@aol.com; 626-443-0706. Wayne Vollaire:avollaire1@ gmail.com; 909-327-6825.

Sat., March 3rd, 8:30am, Eastern SLOCounty. Come exploreone of my favoriteplaces east of Pozo.This outing is explor-ing the front country ofthe Avenales Ranch forthose that don’t know.We will use ranchroads, some crosscountry as we explorethis wonderful area.Hike will be 8 - 10miles with 1,500 ft. ofelevation gain. Bringlunch, water, sturdy

shoes. Dress for theweather. No dogsplease as there will becattle. Meet at PacificBeverage Company inSanta Margarita, CA.Contact Gary (805)473-3694.

Sun. March 11th, 9:30am, (less strenuousouting) Lompoc. Meetat Halcyon Park&Ridein Arroyo Grande, offHwy101, southboundexit. A simple directionto Lompoc will be

given. Hike at leisurelypace on a 3-mile loopin La Purisima MissionState Historic Park.Small parking fee w/senior discount. Welltrained dogs allowedon leash. Bring water,sturdy shoes, a snack toshare. Free 45-minutepost hike guided tourof the historical siteoptional. Estimatedreturn time to ArroyoGrande is 3 pm. Contact Eliane, (805)748-7815.

Sun., March 11th,10:00 am, ShellBeach. Meet at theintersection of BluffDrive and El Portal(Indio alsointersect-ing). Pole Catsis dedicated todemonstratingthe effective