jan 2004-2 san diego sierra

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page 2 • San Diego Chapter • January/February 2004 • Hi Sierran

AADDRESSDDRESS

CORRECTIONCORRECTION ??Send your current

mailing label and yourcorrect address to:

Sierra ClubPO Box 52968

Boulder, Colorado80322-2968

Or e-mail membershipnumber and yourcorrect address to:address.changes@

sfsierra.sierraclub.orgPlease allow 4 - 6 weeks

for processing.

HI SIERRAN, JAN/FEB 2004

USPS–896140The Hi Sierran (USPS 896140) is pub-lished bi-monthly by the San DiegoChapter of the Sierra Club, 3820 Ray St.,San Diego, CA92104–3623, for membersin San Diego and Imperial counties.One dollar of the annual membershipfee is for a subscription to the HiSierran. Periodicals Postage Paid at San

Diego, CA.

POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Hi Sierran, Sierra ClubMembers Services, PO Box 52968,Boulder CO 80322–2968.

HI SIERRAN STAFFEDITOR & Art Director

Sergio Salvador, 619-993-8465

HiSierranEditor@...

COM. CHAIR /OUTINGS EDITOR

Pauline Jimenez

619-660-9898

HiSierranOutingsEditor@...

CONSERVATION EDITOR

Ellen Shively, 619-479-3412HiSierranConservationEditor@...

ACTIVITIES EDITOR

Sharon Taylor-Huppert, 619-449-6458

HiSierranActivitiesEditor@...

ADVERTISING

Sergio Salvador, 619-993-8465

HiSierranAdvertising@...

The suffix for all above e-mailsis: @sierraclubsandiego.org

I would like to open this firstedition of 2004 by wishingeveryone a wonderful new yearand thanking all of you for car-ing enough to become mem-

bers of the largest environmen-tal movement in the United States. It is also thattime of the year when many of us reflect back on thepast year. Environmentally speaking, we have a lotof things to reflect upon. Here are just a few:RURAL LANDS INITIATIVE. The Chapter has madethis our most important environmental priority for2004. Chapter volunteers worked long hours gath-ering signatures to qualify the countywide initiativefor the March 2004 ballot. This sprawl-stopping ballot measure will steer growth away from about700,000 acres of rural lands in the County, providinga cornerstone for county planning. I urge you to join us in ensuring that this measure passes in

March. To learn more, visit the Rural LandsInitiative website at cwfi.net or contact EricBowlby at 619-284-9399, or [email protected] VALLEY ROAD. One of our biggest suc-cesses here in San Diego was the permanent closureof a 1.1 mile section of Sorrento Valley Rd next tothe Torrey Pines estuary and State Park. New plansinclude a nature/pedestrian/bicycle trail throughthe Park. The process was years in the making andincluded a legal fight against the EnvironmentalImpact Report (EIR) that the City had already pre-pared, calling for the expansion of road capacity.Fortunately, the issue concluded with the newly-

VIEW FROM THE CHAIRby Richard Miller, Chapter C

HS

elected Mayor Dick Murphy and CCouncil taking our side and creating a nEIR that justified the closure. This succ belongs to the countless hours and effortsClub members, notably San Diego C

Councilmember Scott Peters, CarolChase, Eric Bowlby, Devore Smith, KathrBurton, Jan Fuchs, Shannon Davis and maother dedicated environmental activists.CITY OF SAN DIEGO CENTRAL POL

FACILITY. We were able to attain bet buffers and six acres of new dedicated palands in an urbanized, low-income commnity with an 80-acre park deficit. We awon the final dedication of additional signicant acreage that had been at risk. SieClub activists worked with volunteers frothe California Native Plant Society aother community volunteers to reduwildlife and plant losses next to a channesection of Chollas Creek. The City was finly compelled to acquire six acres upstreaalong the creek which will result in tadditional acres of active recreation and foacres of permanently preserved open spaYMCA PROJECT IN MISSION VALLEY.were able to improve the wetland buf between the project and San Diego Riand were able to get permeable surfaparking lot improvements. We wantedmuch better project, but were at least ablewin major concessions.

MAY 1-2:LEADER TRAINING (COL I)Mark your calendars now for May 1 and 2....

and then watch for signup instructions in the March/April Hi Sierran if you

want to be an outing leader. Any Sierra Club member at least 18 years of age

can take training and lead outings. You don't have to be a super athlete. You

should have gone on at least four outings first, so that you are familiar withour way of doing things. A Sierra Club member number is required in orde

to sign up for training. If you received this bulletin in the mail, your membe

number is right above your name on the mailing label. Don't have a number?

There's a membership form somewhere in this bulletin, or you can join

online at www.sierraclub.org. Join NOW, because it takes weeks to get tha

number. If you miss this training, the next one is in the fall.



page 3 • San Diego Chapter • January/February 2004 • Hi Sier

Mayor Dick Murphy and family

at Mission Trails Regional Park.

Mayor Dick MurphyThanks

The Sierra ClubFor Your Endorsement

San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy's

Top Ten Environmental Accomplishments

1. San Diego River Conservancy created to

protect and restore the San Diego River

from Julian to the Pacific Ocean.

2. Sewer spills reduced more than 50% since

2000.

3. Beach postings and closures down more

than 50% since 2000.

4. Community Forest Initiative underway to

plant 100,000 trees on public property by 2020.

5. Sorrento Valley Road permanently closed

adjacent to Torrey Pines State Reserve.

6. Bus Rapid Transit project under

construction on Interstate 15.

7. City of Villages Smart Growth Plan

enacted to discourage urban sprawl.

8. Water recycling being implemented--

4 million gallons per day of sewage being

recycled for irrigation use.

9. Fifty megawatt renewable energy goal

adopted by City.10. U.S. Green Building Council's LEED

standard approved to ensure energy and

water conservation in new city facilities.

7290 Navajo Road Suite 207 San Diego, California 92119

(619) 464-2020 www.Murphy4Mayor.com

Re-elect Mayor Dick Murphy




Conservation Highlights!

One of the backlashes of our recent record-breaking wildfires hasbeen a widening of the raging inferno between the "builders" andthe "environmentalists.” Over-reactive policies such as the nation-al Healthy Forests Restoration Act are heralded as the carteblanche solution. Finding middle ground seems to be a much more

reasoned approach. The City of San Diego’s EnvironmentalServices Department has published a brochure giving sensibleinformation on brush thinning, fire prone natives and fire zonecompatible plantings. Call the office for a copy or contact the CityEnvironmental Services Department at 619-533-4444.

SOUTHBAY UNITES.The Chapter should have a voice in many issues in South Bay:The MidBayFront Development adjacent to the Chula VistaNature Center; the Otay River Valley Regional Park, the BorderFence, etc.. If you are in the southern areas of our county, includ-ing Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and surround-ings, send your phone number and email address to EllenShively for inclusion on an activist’s network. We’ll keep you

updated on upcoming citizens meetings and send you the list of vital contacts. Send to [email protected] or call 619-479-3412. An urgent current issue involves canyons along the OtayRiver being considered for sewer construction. Theresa Accerohas developed a petition which we would like to circulate.Would you be willing to help?

TEA PARTIES

Ken Smokoska is first rate at coalition building for renewableenergy, Transportation fuels efficiency, Energy conservation andimproving Air quality. Using the catchy "TEA Party" moniker,he is bringing stewardship programs of churches (RECAP),Rotary’s "Global Warming" campaign and union apprenticeshipprograms under a common umbrella. His vision is to organize a

solid program of educational outreach on solar energy, compactfluorescent lighting, and city planning for user-friendly masstransportation. When the San Diego region is making substan-tial progress, he plans to take the organizing principles to thestate’s other Sierra Club chapters. Eventually, the whole statecould be routinely ordering fuel-efficient vehicles, employingalternative energy sources, and ensuring better environmentalquality! To see an array of energy efficient light bulbs, come tothe office on Ray Street or check out the website atwww.sandiego.sierraclub/teaparty.html . You can save money whenordering these bulbs from us and benefit the Chapter. ContactKen Smokoska, [email protected] , (619) 299-1743.

RURAL LANDS INITIATIVE (RLI) ON MARCH BALLOT

January and February are vital months to promote the RuralLands Initiative, as March 2 is voting day. Still in the dark aboutthe elements of the RLI? Look up the website at cwfi.net. WhenDuncan McFetridge gave the monthly program in November,he showed a slide of the Laguna Meadows at dusk, remindingus that natural places don’t need weeding, watering, or soilamendments. Nature has a way of providing for and sustainingitself in an elegant way. Our Chapter has taken a lead role in get-ting out the vote for the RLI campaign. Call Eric Bowlby at 619-284-9399 to become an activist in preserving our backcountry.

HS

NONNATIVE PLANTS IN RUFFIN CANYON , INCLUDING PALMS AND PAM

GRASS , ARE A PRIORITY FOR THE SIERRA CLUB. PHOTO BY GLENN TORB

compiled by Ellen Shiv

LAND USE MITIGATION REVISITED:

Jeanette Hartman, the new Co-chair of the Land Use Committells us that she has undertaken a new initiative for the CommittShe will be looking at the Multiple Species Conservation progrand Multiple Species Habitat Preservation programs in the couto determine if they need to be strengthened and, if so, what role Sierra Club can play to assist with this effort. She is beginning interviewing people who work with the MSCP and MSHP to obtinformation about the current status of the programs, what's woing and what's not working. During the second phase of the initive she will develop actions that the Sierra Club can take to hwith the programs. Ms. Hartman developed the idea for this wafter weeks of document review in which a trend for mitigatproject impacts through the MSCP was observed, leading to question of whether this mitigation is truly effective. If you ha

any information you would like to share with Jeanette about tsubject, please call 858-752-9320 or [email protected].

DESERT COMMITTEE NEWS

The Off-Road Vehicle season has arrived. While the BLM conctrates its law enforcement efforts in the Glamis Dunes area, manythe Limited Use and Wilderness Areas of western Imperial Couare under siege by illegal off-road activity, dumping, illegal caming and campfires, and target shooting.

During the winter and spring of 2004, the Desert commtee will be making day-long monitoring trips to survey the extenthe damage. If you love the desert and would like to assist Desert Committee, please contact Larry Klassen, Greg Moll, EHarmon, or Cheryl Reiff for more details at 619 299-1743.

SANDAG Regional Comprehensive Plan is out for public reviand comment. If you are interested in understanding some of forces that guide the growth in San Diego region, you should rethis plan. The plan covers goals and policies for future developmin San Diego county, including highway and public transit, lause, healthy ecosystems, and social justice. It is based on smgrowth policies where future growth is directed to areas alreadeveloped with little or no new development planned for opspace regions. To read about the plan go to the SANDAG web http://www.sandag.cog.ca.us/ and click on Regional ComprehensPlan.




* BEQUESTS: Make a gift to support the environmental worof future generations in your will or living trust. Sampl

bequest language is available.* RETIREMENT PLAN ASSETS: Use your tax-deferred retirement plan assets to benefit the environment.* LIFE INCOME GIFTS: Transfer assets to The Sierra CluFoundation and you and your chosen beneficiary receiv

income for a term of years or for life. After the conclusion othe term, the remainder of the life income gift is distributeto The Foundation.* RACHEL CARSON SOCIETY: We honor and recognize indviduals who make a commitment to the environment bincluding the Sierra Club or The Sierra Club Foundation itheir estate plans.

There is a variety of ways to makelasting contribution toward a bettworld and ensure the environmeis protected for generations to comBelow is a summary of the variouways you can make a financial commitment to the San Diego Chapt from your will, living trust, or othestate plans to protect our sacrenvironment.

Will it

toHappen!

We welcome the opportunity to show you the potential benefits of making gift to support our work. Personal discussions, visits, or written present

tions incur no obligation on your part, and all information discussed iconfidential. To learn more about this opportunity to support the Sierra

Club legacy in San Diego, call Cheryl Reiff at 619-299-1741.

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Rebates from the State of California are

available when your solar electricsystem is generating more power than

you are using, so why wait? That’s right -you get credit for the excess electricity

returned to the grid ANDa 2-kilowatt system eliminates 4,700 lbs.of carbon dioxide emissions in the first

year alone!

Exercise the power to spin yourelectric meter backwards!

Solar Electric Energy, Inc. Your Hassle-Free Solar Solution!

Call 888-977-6527 for more information

5% OF EACH INSTALLMENT DONATED

TO THE SIERRA CLUB WITH THIS COUPON

!

Sierra Club

Bicycle Section

• BIKE RIDES ON ROAD

AND TRAIL

• WEEKENDS AT ANZA

BORREGO & WARNER SPRINGS

• POTLUCK SUPPERS

AND MORE

Bike Section Membership............................. $12

SD County Bicycle Coalition Membership(normally $25 if joining the coalition separately).... $10

Make check out to “Sierra Club Bicycle Section,” and mail thecheck with form to: Sierra Club Bike Section4543 Maryland St., San Diego, CA 92116

The monthly ride list for the Sierra Club Bike Sectio

is also available via the World Wide Web:sandiego.sierraclub.org/bicycle/

Prospective members can receive a free samplenewsletter by e-mail: [email protected] or by

calling Terry Frey (619)282-0425

FOR A MEMBERSHIP FORM TO JOIN THE SIERRA

CLUB SEE P. 10

FOR A FREE NEWSLETTER CALL: 619-282-0425




Write ups for

Awards needed!There are many people in the chapter and in the community whose actionare inspiring, exceed expectations or have lent a helping hand during thlast year. Our chapter will honor these outstanding activists, leaders anvolunteers during the Annual Awards Ceremony at 7:30pm on Marc13th (desserts and beverages will be provided). The evening gives us aopportunity to show our appreciation and enjoy an entertaining programDon't let this opportunity pass by without selecting someone you knowwho deserves this recognition. Nominating forms are available at thoffice to guide you in writing a short narrative. All completed applcations must be received by February 1st. Let us give praise to our deserving environmental heroes.

CONSERVATION AWARDSCONSERVATION ACTIVIST: For outstanding work on a particular conservation project or committee.

RAINBOW WARRIOR: Faced incredible odds to fight for a particular envi-ronmental issue.

EMILY DURBIN AWARD: For land use issues.

EDWARD ABBEY AWARD: For preservation, conservation or educationabout the desert.

VERNA QUINN AWARD: Strong environmental advocacy through conser-vation planning.

JOURNALISM AWARDEnvironmental Journalism: For a local radio, TV or print journalist.

OTHER AWARDS:UNSUNG HERO: Contributes immeasurably in a supporting role.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Beginning activist in conservation.

ONE-CLUB: Blends Outings activities with Conservation issues.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: Unparalleled efforts protecting our environment.

OFFICE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Chapter office and bookstore.

COMPUTER SUPPORT: Support the IT activities of our office.

BUSINESS CONSERVATION: Contributed to an environmental cause, ‘greenbusiness’ or sponsors community environmental education programs.

STUDENT VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: High school or college age, workedwith the Sierra Club to further its goals and principles.

GRASSROOTS ACTIVIST: Organized the volunteer pool and grassroots concept to achieve Sierra Club goals.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION: Facilitates learning in a natural setting.

COMMUNITY ACTIVISM: For the town or city that has helped preserve theenvironment through legislation or other means.

FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT: For the politician who has shown unre-lenting commitment to environmental issues.

COL EMERITUS: Retiring COL.

COL LONGEVITY: For a still-active COL who has worked in OutingsCommittee over a long period of time (15+yrs)

SPECIAL APPRECIATION: Success in a particular project or issue.

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT: Successfully managed leadership rolesover a period of years.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: For a member who has exhibited a sustainedlevel of leadership and commitment in service to our chapter.

SILVER CUP: Our highest award for leadership which significantly movedthe chapter forward. HS

Sat., Jan. 31, 2004 • 9 - 4 pmFirst UU Church of San Diego

4190 Front St.Workshop Reservations & Information 303-413-8066 • [email protected]

www.Cohousing.org

A One Day WorkshopSponsored by:

Getting it Built:“The Nuts and Bolts of Creating a

Cohousing Neighborhood”

Getting it Built:“The Nuts and Bolts of Creating a

Cohousing Neighborhood”




The Wilderness

Basics Course

Learn to backpack &meet fellow hikers!

Starts January 27that Scottish Rite Centerin Mission Valley 7 pm

Cost is $95

858-272-9229

www.wildernessbasics.com

http://www.wildernessbasics.com

WILDERNESS BASICS

COURSE SCHEDULE 200

Day HikeJan. 31

Day HikeFeb. 7

Swap MeetFebruary 10, 6:15pm

Car CampFebruary 14-15

REI NightFebruary 22, 6:30pm

Land Navigation BackpackFebruary 28-29

A-16 NightFebruary 8, 6:30 pm

Mountain/Desert BackpacMarch 13-14

Snow CampMarch 26-28

Graduation WeekendApril 24-25

Dear Editor,I must take exception with some comments in the Recall Recap.Why, in the name of anything holy or important, would the SierraClub, me, you, my sister, be interested in implementing ArnoldSchwarzenegger’s vision? Has the Club given up on its own visionand subjugated it to that of a developer-funded, big money,Hummer-driving Republican?

Do you honestly believe the Governor-Elect? And whywould you? He lied right out of the box, after all, saying he wouldtake no special interest money, then turned around and took great big gobs of it, from people like Alex Spanos and Doug Manchester.So why trust him now?

It’s easy to put a bunch of noble and laudable goals andideas on paper, especially when you know there’s not a snowball’schance in Borrego of it happening, given our current budget extrem-is. It’s a wholly different cloth to cut to propose things that mightwork but that will come with a cost, socially, fiscally, and morally, aswell.

The Sierra Club needs to work for our agenda, our beliefs,

our vision, not Arnold Schwarzenegger’s. To do otherwise is toabandon our principles to the Healthy Forests Initiative, the ClearSky Initiative, and whatever other Orwellian plans President Bushand Gale Norton and Mike Leavitt have in store for us. That is notwhat I signed up for, and I hope that is true for the rest of the SierraClub membership.

Gregg Rosner, El Cajon

Dear Editor,For more than 5 years I have sent messages to the San Diego CountyBoard of Supervisors, through Diane Jacob, Bill Horn, and RonRoberts, about the fire danger of allowing more homes in Countyopen space. I specifically stated that deaths would result and fire-fighters would be in danger since many of the homes were being built on knolls without any ability to protect them since it wouldrequire a fire crew to fight their way to each knoll and wait for thefire. Any objective person knows that we live in a desert with dry air,strong winds, and low humidity. Over the years the Board has triedto down-zone our open space to allow more homes. The animalsthat were displaced did not have a vote but the land owners whoadmitted that they bought the land on speculation to make a profitapparently voted for the anti-environmental Supervisors. Now,without any public hearing, Diane Jacob is announcing on televisionthat building permit fees are being waived to allow reconstruction.The Board is unqualified to have a long-term plan for the well-beingof everyone. The only local elected official who has the vision andcourage to tell the truth is San Diego City Council Member Donna

Frye. Ms. Frye would be able to do a better job if she were surround-ed by people with a vision that were able to resist the business lobbyinstead of being blinded by their own ambitions and a need to hearthemselves talk.

Larry Barker, San Diego

Sierra Club Bookstore

3820 RAY STREET • SAN DIEGO, CA 92104One block east of 30th St, just south of University in the

community of North Park

* MONDAY - FRIDAY

NOON - 5 PM

CALL BEFORE COMING DOW

(619)299-1797

ALL PROFITS BENEFIT THE SAN DIEGO CHAPTER

DISCOUNTS: 10% MEMBERS; 20% COLS AND CHAIRS

IN ADDITION TO OUR WIDE SELECTION OF BOOKS , WE ALSO FEATUR

MAPS ON CD-ROM , SIERRA CLUB DAYPACKS , AND NOTE CARDS

* Operated by Sierra Club volunteers - please call ahead of your visit!

Letters to the editor

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!Letters policy: Submit your letters of 200 words or less via email to:[email protected]. Your submission is not a guarantee of publication and we reserve the right to edit all content for errors in spelling and/or grammar. Letters do not necessarily represent the beliefs of the Hi Sierran staff orthe Sierra Club.

jan 2004-2 san diego sierra

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