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Kim Matthews, the great expert resource ecologist from Hungry Valley State Park, will be our presenter at the Saturday, April 8th meeting of the Condor Group. Kim has taken us on several "extra trips" in Hungry Valley–to see wildflowers, to see the fabulous oak preserve, to observe the world of lizards–and always we have seen more new things. This has convinced all of us that there is more to Hungry Valley Off-Road Vehicle State Park than off-road vehicle riding. We will have a chance to hear and see more about these less known aspects of Hungry Valley. Of course, there will be a question and answer period after the presentation. Program time is 7 PM.
Potluck at 6 PM. Please bring your own table service and a dish to share. Raffle: We need some more contributions. Anyone bringing things to add to the raffle prizes gets ONE FREE raffle ticket! Bring someone who has never been to the Club meeting: TWO free raffle tickets. All this happens in the Pool Pavilion Room of the Pine Mountain Clubhouse. These meetings are open to all, members and non-members. You are welcome to come just for the program if that is your preference. See you there!
The Condor Group is joining in the PMC community-wide project to raise money for more emergency and fire protection in our area. The PMC Fire Station Fund sponsoring the Spring Fling, the latest in money-raising endeavors, has welcomed the Condor Group’s offer of help in the form of preparing and presenting a display of wildflowers commonly found in this area. (Shrubs and trees also! Right now it looks to be a sparse flower year.) Single specimens of some of the varied beautiful blooms will be identified and commented on via posted cards by each. A wildflower walk at 2 PM in the afternoon will also be offered to all interested.
The main feature of the Spring Fling will be a barbecue with a variety of accompaning dishes, and music and games for children. The affair will be at Camp Condor starting at 12 noon and finishing at 8 PM. Donation: $25 for each adult, $10 for each child. What a wonderful way to help a good cause and have a great time such as this as part of your Memorial Day weekend! Call Edie for more details if needed. 661.242.1464
Folks from Ridgecrest, from Visalia, from Porterville and Tehachapi, from Bakersfield will be there –and we should be too! You will enjoy meeting all these fellow Club members because we are all in this explore, enjoy and protect business together.
Air–the condition of which concerns us all–will be the topic of the speaker of the evening, David Crowe, who has just retired as executive directior of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Board.
Reservation form for the banquet is on page 8. Come join fellow Sierrans to celebrate all that has been accomplished and to be encouraged to push on.
It's been a long time since you have had news of the
First: Yes, the suit against the water extraction project is still proceeding. The month of June is the tentative date for the hearing. Just to remind you, this suit, using the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) legislation, claims that County of Los Angeles did not demand an adequate survey of the possible impacts this water extraction proposal would have on the environment and wrongfully issued a permission for development under a mitigated negative declaration. The Condor Group is asking that the more complete demands of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be met, claiming among other items that no consideration of nearby wetlands was given, inadequate plant and animal surveys were made, as well as impacts on visual appreciation of wildflowers among other things.
Second: Speaking of wildflowers: A Proposal for a Gorman Hills Wildflower Preserve came as unexpected surprise to the mountain communities. A Landscape architecture class at UCLA had taken on the development of a plan for a Wildflower Preserve on the Gorman Hills as a class project.
No one up here, as far as we know, knew anything about this until plans for the presentaton of the project were being made by the officials in charge early in December, 2005. An afternoon presentation in December was the first public showing, followed by another evening presentatiion at the Mountain Commniies Town Council in January.
A terrific power point show had been developed, and almost the first words that showed up on the screen were, "A wildflower preserve should be created on the Gorman Hills." The program suggested that 2600 acres should be developed and gave some plans and steps needed to be taken to make a preserve a reality.
There is a large public out there interested in such a preserve. The newspapers–LA Times, Bakersfield Californian, and the local Mountain Enterprise–have all picked up on the story. This publicity has widened the interest in learning about the proposed project: a California Native Plant Society group in Los Angeles has asked for a presentation; students from the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara are making a documentary on the subject; wildflower photographers are asking for more information as to the prospects for the actualization of this project.
There are several concerns: First, all the land suggested is in private hands. A primary question would be to discover if there are any willing sellers or donors of land that would make protection of this incredible area possible. Second, if willing sellers could be found, what are the possible sources of money available to make such a purchase of land? Third, future management of the preserve would be a long-term challenge.
At the time of this writing, no group or persons have stepped up to organize a plan to investigate the possibilities of making this proposal come true. However, two persons from the Condor Group are going to start to make a survey of what may be happening in the outside world in regard to possible support for such a preserve. If there are any other persons who wish to join in on looking into these possibilities, please call Barbara Nusbaum, 661.242.1843.
Third: Tejon Mountain Village. This is the housing development that Tejon Ranch hopes to build around CASTAC Lake and up into the nearby canyons. Located in view of I-5, this project has been described as being designed to attract the ultra-rich into building their second, third and/or fourth "homes" in this setting. This is an area of great environmental concern, particularly in terms of wildlife movement, condor range, need to protect oak woodlands, and all the other common sprawl concerns such as traffic, air pollution and infrastructure costs.
Fourth: Tejon Natural Heritage Park Committee. Some environmentalists’ reaction to the above and other Tejon Ranch projects has resulted in the formation of this committee. Tejon ranch lands, 270,000 acres, are recognized as one of ten biological hotspots of the world crying for protection. The planned developments, Centennial (23,000 homes,) and Mountain Village as presently proposed, would be incredibly destructive in terms of the protections the area needs. In reaction to these proposals, this new group has been formed. The participants in this group of environmentalists have made tentative agreements among themselves to such ideas as these:
The Ranch
- puts up for sale 245,000 acres (only 100,000 acres are presently on the table),
- cuts back on the size of present proposed projects,
- allows location and boundaries of projects to be determined by protection needs of wildlife, precious oak groves as well as native grasslands.
In return, the environmental groups would not resort to court suits that would delay and/or prevent developments entirely. The Tejon Natural Heritage Park Committee, in which the Sierra Club is a participant, is ready to talk. The question now is:will Tejon take up the challenge and sit down to the table?
A caution: nothing is cut in stone. No guarantees have been made in regard to anything.
Fifth: Frazier Park Estates looms on the scene. This is a project for 700 houses, plus apartments and a commercial area that, if approved, woujd be bounded on one side by Peace Valley Road, on the north side by Frazier Mountain Parkway and finally by Hungry Valley and Mt Pinos District Forest Service lands. The local high school would be part of the south border of the proposed development. At a public meeting, the project met with much opposition on the grounds of being growth-inducing, concern over uncertain water supplies, seismic concerns, air concerns, destruction of local communty bonds, moving huge quantities of soil in order to build, and more. No one in the crowded meeting room spoke in favor of the project.
There will be opportunities to comment on this project over several months. However, the first deadlne is March 10th. The full plan should be on the web by the time you receive this publication, and a paper copy of the plan is available at the Frazier Park Library. You can also call Kern County for a CD of the plan: 1.800.552.5376 Address: Planning Department, 2700 M Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301.
More: Off-road vehicle trails. Sale of Forest Lands. Startling statement from the National Forest Service: off-road vehicles going off trail are the greatest threat to forest lands health. Action is being taken to map out all the trails that presently exist in the Forests, designated and user-created. Finished documents will be put on the web. The public will be able to study the maps and present comments as to which trails should remain open, which should be permanently closed. Watch for further announcements. Sale of forest lands: Basically it would be okay if income from hard-to-manage lands that were sold would be used to add replacement lands. No sales of land for mining and drilling purposes should be allowed.Money should not be designated for rural schools.
Concerns about the Carrizo Plain management. There are fears that the management plan of this Monument will be weakened in favor of the commercial interests of the ranchers who have permits for cattle grazing on the lands. See fuller details in the Roadrunner, including an opportunity to help remove fences in order to let the introduced antelope to roam more freely.
Dates: April 1—2. contact Leaders: Cal and Letty French, 14140 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446, 805.239.7338. Prefer e-mail ccfrench@tcsn.net. Santa Lucia Chap/CNRCC Desert Comm.
One of the most amazing productions of this past year was the creation and continuing development of a website HTTP://WWW.CUDDYVALLEY.ORG/ - It is a miracle that has come to us.
Our area has been struck by the prospect of a whirlwind of housing developments. Area citizens have opinions about the expected and unexpected impacts. They want to express themselves regarding these matters in an informed way.
This website provides just what is needed: pertinent and vital information directly from the government in the form of the documents themselves, constantly updated as more appears, arranged in an orderly fashion for easy access. The current proposals, if approved, will dramatically affect our communities for better or worse, depending on one’s opinion. The information will help all who care and want to take actions in dealing with the situation. You can also find bibliographies of materials on California history (including Tejon Ranch, of course), and other background information to help you dig deeper for more understanding of why we are where we are.
Much more is on this website! Flitzing around on the site, you can find a most cheerful picture of three black (canine) spots in the snow wishing you a Happy New Year, you can find oodles of pictures of flowering plants found in the Cuddy Valley, and often an interesting quote at the end of a communication, as well as a picture of the website master and his family. Now his name is revealed–Jan de Leeuw.
Jan de Leeuw. Distinguished Professor and Chair, UCLA Department of Statistics; recruited from the Netherlands (their loss, our great gain), a resident of Cuddy Valley, has a desire to take part in the great debate and battle over proposed land uses not only in our immediate area but in nearby counties and the state of California as a whole. He has the know-how and has made extended, time-consuming efforts to gather information, put it in a quickly accessible form on the web, and keep it up-to-date. He has done this not only as a resource for his personal efforts in writing comments that have filled the newspapers but also for the rest of us, you and me, who need this type of research to have a basis for expressing our own opinions to the community as well as to governmental officials up and down the line.
Thank you, Jan, for all you have done and continue to do. Your work is so appreciated by so many in so many places.
Sierra Club members from all over the state come together at this meeting to exchange information on environmental issues, to discuss and vote on actions that are agreed upon by the body as a whole. Our state staff attends and gives reports on what is happening in the legislature. It is also their opportunity to hear from Sierra Club members what directions we think they should follow in legislative matters.
The meeting starts at noon on Saturday. Preceding this meeting at large are special topic meetings. Topics have varied from Sequoia to sprawl, from high speed rail to Yosemite. Usually starting at 10 AM, these special meetings are a further opportunity to become informed on specific topics of concern.
This conference is held in the Envronmental Education Camp developed by the San Luis Obispo School District. Sleeping accomodations are cabins with bunkbeds. You must bring your own sleeping bags. There is a central shower and restroom. This is in a beautiful setting in the foothills, with lots of opportunities to bird and hike before, in between and after the meetings.
More information: contact Lori Ives, Registrar, 112 Harvard Ave PMB 297, Claremont, CA 91711
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY IF YOU PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN SIERRA CLUB HIKES: Everyone is welcome, Sierra Club members and non-members, to join in any of the outdoor activities. Requirements: You must be in condition for type of hike, equipped appropriately for the activity, and prepared to sign a Sierra Club release from liability. You must be willing to follow leader’s directions. Be sure to bring any personal medicines you might need. Customary appropriate equipment includes good hiking shoes, plenty of water, snack, sunglass suntan lotion, layered clothing. Long pants recommended. Unprepared for the prospective hike? It will be a no-go for you.Please let the leader know ahead of time that you are intending to participate. Change of plans may be necessary. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE DISAPPOINTED, BE SURE TO MAKE THAT CALL.
DATES AND TIMES FOR ALL HIKES: Fourth Saturday of each month, 8 AM. Usual meeting place is the parking lot of Pine Mountain Club’s clubhouse. Call Dale, 661.242.1076, or Ches, 661.242.0423. Persons planning to hike with us need to call to indicate they are coming.
Mar 18—19 (Sat—Sun) Calif-Nev Regional Conservation Committtee meeting,< FACE="Helvetica"> San Luis Obispo. See page 4 for more information.
Mar 25 (Sat) Our initial hike for the year will be the first part of the Piedras Blancas National Recreational Trail , the only national recreation trail in our area. It is at at the far west end of Lockwood Valley Road. The trail begins near the Lower Reyes campground and continues along a creekbed with, hopefully, running streams and wildflowers. Our destination is the Upper Reyes campground, located in a beautiful cedar grove. The hike is quite short, only six miles long, and quite easy with approximately 900 feet elevation gain. Afterward we can have burgers and beer at the rustic Camp Sheideck. Ask about meeting arrangements possibilities at Lockwood Valley Road and Frazier Mtn Road.
April 1 (Sat) 5:30 PM The Kern Kaweah Chapter’s annual Banquet takes place on the evening of this day. Just sign up and plan to come to the evening gala of the Spring Chapter Banquet. (See p. 1.)
April 8 (Sat) Research Ecologist Kim Matthews, presenter from Hungry Valley State Park. (See p. 1.) PMC Pool Pavilion Room, Potluck 6 AM, talk 7 PM.
April 22 (Sat) Antimony Mountain, a new destination for our area hikers. First we will drive a couple of miles beyond the Pleito campground on a Forest Service road. Then we will be hiking to the site of the old antimony mine near Antimony Peak. This is a rather arduous hike with three fairly steep climbs, each with elevation gains of 600 to 1000 feet. The hike will be approximately 8 miles long. There are lots of interesting vistas plus the chance to explore the site of the old antimony mine. Antimony from this site was hauled downhill to the smelter that many of us have explored on the San Emigdio Creek hikes.
May 27 (Sat) Mt. Pinos to the Boy Scout Camp Road. A long hike, but mostly downhill. We will begin at the Chula Vista parking lot and hike to the summit of Mt. Pinos. From there we will take the Peak-to-Peak trail past Sawmill Mt. down to Sheep Camp, Lilly Meadows and the Three Falls. There should be lots of wildflowers at this time of year. Because of its length the hike is recommended for experienced hikers only. Bring ample snacks and lots of water. Wear good hiking shoes. Because we will need to arrange transportation to both the Chula Vista parking lot and the pickup point on Boy Scout Rd., it is imperative that you sign up for this hike at least three days beforehand. PMC residents will meet at the parking lot at 8 AM, and hikers coming from the east can arrange to meet us at the Y at about 8:15.
Ches Arthur. Chair, Member of Kern Kaweah Excom; Dale Chitwood, Vice Chair& Hiking Chair, Lynn Stafford, Secretary; Jan De Leeuw; Katherine King; Harry Nelson; Barbara Nusbaum; Mar Preston;
Dorothy Vokolek. In addition Fay Benbrook, Treasurer. Mary Ann Lockhart, Conservation Chair.
Water is always in the news in the mountain communities. Now the latest issue concerns extracting our water and shipping it to, of all places, Los Angeles. An outside company proposes to drill 17 wells on the slopes of the mountains alongside Gorman Post Road where wildflowers bloom gloriously in the springtime. The water taken from the hills will be stored first in 24 tanks to be built along the same road. Then the water would be hauled south to be bottled and shipped to who knows where.
Potentially, the consequences could be far-reaching. The possibility of this scheme actually happening, despite opposition by the Sierra Club’s Condor Group and others, raises many questions involving potential damage to the environment. Effects on water supply, native plants and animals, wetlands are just some of the concerns. Just as disturbing is the effect that cast-off plastic water bottles are having worldwide.
Considering that much bottled water is no healthier than tap water in the U.S. and that it is consumed in this country largely because of convenience rather than need, the harmful and expensive effects of the bottles on the environment are inexcusable. According to the Earth Policy Institute, the consequences for the planet and for consumers’ purses are horrifyingly grave.
"Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand on bottled water is increasing, producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy," a report by the Washington-based organization said. "Although in the industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it can cost up to 10,000 times more." The Institute estimates that since some bottled water costs as much as $2.50 a liter ($10 a gallon), bottled water costs as much or more than gasoline.
Water is usually packaged in bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from crude oil, and then transported by boat, train or land. With 26 billion liters consumed in 2004, or about one eight-ounce glass per person, the U.S. was the largest consumer of bottled water in the world. Mexico was second and China was third. Making the plastic bottles to meet the U.S. need consumes more than 1.5 million barrels of oil or enough to fuel 100,000 U.S. cars for one year, the Institute said. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles in this country end up as garbage, and those buried can take up to 1,000 years to biograde. In 2004,40 percent of the PET bottled deposited for recycling in the U.S. were shipped to China.
Ironically, the rapid growth of bottled water has led to water shortages in some places where water has been removed. This has occurred especially in developing countries, but similar claims have been made in this country also. The Institute reported that 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water to which minerals have been added that have no marked health benefits. Harry Nelson
Your opinion does have an effect
but only if it is expressed.
You are urged to inform yourself, take the time and make the effort to learn about topics of concern and then express yourself. Telephoning and writing local officials, putting letters in the local and not so-local papers, joining with others in adding pressure when and where it counts are all ways to be heard.
Join an alert list to receive notices of statewide and national import that often need immediate response. Sign up for Sierra Club California list serve: <cal-legalert.actionnetwork@sierraclubaction.org> Call Art Unger to receive alerts on local issues: 661.323.5569. Read the Roadrunner and this publication for background on local issues. Then–
This book is amazing. Jim Lowery, a tracker with a nationwide reputation for excellence in every area of tracking skills, has produced a fine book that goes way beyond just identifying which animal has made which individual track.
There is information in this book for persons on all levels of "appreciating nature"–the home owner who spots a footprint in the garden and wonders who, the casual walker whose eye is attracted to a print on the path and looks around to see if the animal who has made it is around or maybe spots a conglomerate set of prints that stimulates even more of the detective instincts in a person.
For example, there are the chapters that lead one into further analyses of tracks: Chapter 3, Track Pattern Basics. First topic: Alternating Pattern. With an illustration of the alternating pattern found in some tracks, the author gives these pointers: "This consists of fairly equally spaced double prints, with hind track superimposed over the front one on the same side. If you see this pattern, first confirm that these are double prints, and by noticing soil movements, that the rate of speed is slow. If so, then the pattern almost always belongs to a member of the cat, dog or hoofed animal group, or it belongs to an opossum or a badger." This basic identification possibility of which animal left footprints is then followed with more details as to what to look for and considering this and other track patterns.
The introduction to this chapter suggests that learning how to interpret track patterns "will lead you to 'becoming' the animal, which is the very essence of tracking" because tracks can reveal the mood of anmals, which direction the head is turned, customary habits and more.
The body of the book deals with specific animals treated indiviually. A local mammal whose handiwork is prominent in wooded and shrubbed areas is the woodrat. The woodrat is the builder of those amazing constructions of varying sizes of sticks, boughs and often pine cones, usually found around the bases of trees, or fallen logs, that you see so often as you walk our local trails
Turning to the information secton on the woodrat, you find how tracking can lead you to discover certain habits of this animal: paths made around their homes can lead you to determine how far the animal goes in his search for food, where he goes, which homes are occupied, which homes are "connected," and so on.
This book keeps its promise: "Remember that the opportunity to interact with the animal ... you are tracking is special and sacred." The signs the animal left behind can lead you "inward to the animal’s mood and outward to its whole ecology. ... From them(tracks) patterns emerge that capitivate and astound and a story with many levels is carried away."
PS. An additional attraction of this book is that many of the photos used as illustrations have been taken in this area. Jim Lowery, the author, lives in our Frazier Park vicinity. He and his wife conduct a variety of classes dealing with tracking and the out of doors in general. The address for ordering the book and information on classes can be obtained from Earthskills at www.earthskills.org or Earthskills, 1113 Cougar Court, Frazier Park, CA 93225. Phone: 661.245.0318.
Is this the beginning schedule for an exercise program? Could be–but in reality it is the pattern that weed pullers develop when they are at work. And so, here is an opportunity for you to get that exercise you need AND help keep our environment freer from invasive weeds.
Star Thistle, Knapweed, Peppergrass–these are the main invasive weeds in this area. Learn how, when and where to pull. Get the directions on how to identify, where to work and finally where to dispose of your pullings, and you will be well on your way to becoming a champ .
Call Edie and Lynn, your guides to the world of weed extermination: 661.242.1464.
From the Chair
As we approach the beginning of our hiking season for 2006, it might be well to explore some issues we have touched on before. Our hikes are all somewhat physically demanding. If you are unsure about your abilities please consult with either Dale Chitwood (661.242.1076) or Ches Arthur (661. 242.0423) in terms of your welfare as well as that of the other hikers. A thought to keep in mind is that no one wants be a burden to other hikers. You also need layered apparel (long pants are recommended), a floppy hat, sunscreen, sturdy hiking boots, snacks and water. Be sure to bring along any medicinal products you might need. Another reminder: when you sign in for the hike you are also signing a Sierra Club release from liability. Our March hike is Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail. It is accessed via Lockwood Valley Road, to Camp Sheideck and beyond. We will be climbing the north slope of Pine Mountain and return. You might wonder why Pine Mountain is there and Pine Mountain Club here. Does anyone know? Happy Trails. Ches
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