THE ROADRUNNER
June-July, 2001
A Bi-monthly Publication
of The Kern-Kaweah Chapter Of The Sierra Club
Box 3357, Bakersfield, CA 93385-3357
(661) 323-5569
E-mail: kern-kaweah.chapter@sierraclub.org
SUMMER SAFARIS
Conditioning Hikes Thursday evenings. Bakersfield area. Start 7 PM at the Chevron station at the corner of Hwys 178 and 184. Call Leaders: Eva/Gordon Nipp (661) 872-2432 or Larry Wailes (661) 861-1186 for details.
SloGo WALKS (sun). Every Sunday until further notice. Meet 8 AM at Pine Mt. Club tennis courts. VERY easy going. 11/2 hour in length
June 2 (sat). Genetic Status and Restoration of California Golden Trout in the Kern River Basin. Slides. Presented by Jan Cordes. 6 PM potluck, 7 PM program. Pool Pavilion Room, PMC club house.
June 8(thur). Mineral King Coffee. 6 PM. Brewbakers, Visalia (call 559-739-8527 to verify).
June 9 (sat). Carpool Excursion to Kern Museum Village (Admission $5 or less). 8 AM, tennis courts, PMC; 8:30 AM Flying J east lot. Bring lunch. (Call 661-242-7024)
June 9-10 (sat-sun). Convention Sierra Club Cali-fornia. San Luis Obispo. (see article, p. 3)
June 18 (mon). Ray Kelso will show slides of his recent trip to Machu Picchu (Peru). Maturango Museum, 100 E. Coso St. 7:30 PM. Call Dennis at (760) 375-7967.
June 20 (wed). Bakersfield Drop-in Talk Conservation Dinner. Garden Spot, 3320 Truxtun Ave. (NW corner of Truxtun and Oak). All you can eat for about $7. 6 to 8 PM. Look for Sierra Club sign on our table. Leaders: Lorraine/Arthur Unger (661) 323-5569).
June 23 (sat). Cottonwood Lakes area hike. Call Dennis at (760)375-7967 for details.
June 23 (sat). Hike Piedra Blanca Trail. Strenuous. Lunch, water for sure. 8 AM, PMC tennis courts; 8:20 AM at Mini-mart, Cuddy Valley and Lockwood intersection. (661-242-0423).
June 26 (tues). Birdwatching Walk. Quatal Canyon. Meet 8 AM, tennis courts, PMC. Call 661-242-7922.
July 4-8 (wed-sat). Ruby Mountains (Nevada) Backpack. Moderately strenuous 5 day backpack, including car shuttle; mountain passes over 10,000’, glacier-carved valleys, desert views; For information/ reservations send name, address, phone numbers, backpacking experience with SASE to Leader: Henry Egghart, 7975 Rusty Road, Reno, NV 89511. (775)852-5309 e-mail: hegghart@nvbell.net
July 7 (sat). Noon. KK Ex-com. scheduled in Beale Library, Bakersfield. Call 661-324-1923 to verify.
July 13 (fri). Mineral King Coffee. 6 PM. Borders Books. Visalia (call 559-739-8527 to verify).
July 14 (sat). Carpool excursion to Carpinteria Tide Pools. 8 AM, tennis courts, Pine Mt Club; 8:30 AM, Fraz Park, Flying J, east lot. Bring lunch.
July 18th-22nd (wed-sun). National Sierra Club at Sequoia. Open to all Sierra Club Members ( p. 5)
July 21 (sat). Coyote Flat (SW of Bishop) drive and hike. 4wd probably needed. Contact Dennis at (760) 375-7967 or dennis93555@yahoo.com for further information.
July20-22(fri-sun). Sequoia Seminar Conservation outing. Quaking Aspen Campground, Sequoia National Forest. (fri-sat) tour with forest activists (sat) through Slate Mountain Proposed Wilderness (sun). Send 2 large self-addressed stamped envelopes, with home and work phones, ride-sharing info, $25.00 check with your Sierra Club No. ($27.50 for non-members) to Pasadena Group, Sierra Club. Mail to Bonnie Strand, 1210 N. Kenilworth Ave., Glendale, CA. 91202. Co-leader: Elizabeth Pomeroy. Questions? call (818)-247-6398.
July 24 (tues). Birdwatching Walk. Mt. Pinos. Meet 8 AM, tennis courts, PMC; 8:15 AM at Mt. Pinos, Mil Potrero Y. Questions? Call 242-7922
July 28 (sat). Condor Group Peak to Peak Hike (Mt. Abel to Mt. Pinos) 8AM, Tennis Courts, Pine Mtn. Club. 9000 ft elevation. Strenuous. Bring sack lunch, water, adventure pass if you have one.
Aug1(wed). Energy Seminar: How to Save On your Electric Bill. Visalia.. Further details? Call (559)739-8527, check chapter web site. Aug 5 (sat). Jeanine Derby, Los Padres Forest Supervisor, speaker. Potluck, 6 PM. Program, 7 PM. Pool Pavilion Room, Pine Mt. Clubhouse. Bring your questions, concerns (661-242-0423).
August 7-13 (tues-mon). Leconte Divide Backpack. Starting from Courtright Reservoir on the west side, this trip consists of seven days of hiking and lake-hopping in the high Sierra for experienced backpackers only. Optional climb of Mt. Henry. David Brower had a first ascent of Mt. Henry, and we will do a non-technical route in his memory. Contact leaders, Eva and Gordon Nipp, at (661)872-2432 or email at gnipp@att.net for details.
Aug 11-12 (sat-sun). Excursion to Morro Bay. Overnite camping optional. Kayaking available. Must call 242-4074 asap for details.
August 25 (sat). Smokey Bear Trail, Pine Mountain Club tennis courts , 8 AM. (up to top plus two side trails) Moderate. Bring lunch. Call 242-0423
Aug 28 (tue) Birdwatching Walk. Mt Cerro Noroeste (Abel) 8 AM. Meet at tennis courts, PMC. Call(661) 242-7922.
<<WE WON! WE WON!>>
Those were the words that first came over e-mail from the Mineral King Group’s representative on the Kern-Kaweah Ex-com. Read on!
TULARE IRRIGATION DIST. CONCEDES TO OAKS AND GREAT HABITAT.
The message that follows came on April 11, 2001.
Hi Gang,
The board of directors of the Tulare Irrigation District voted Tuesday to abandon their plan to concrete line the TID main intake canal. We have saved over 200 majestic oak trees and some great habitat. Its been a tough 3 year battle but we won. I would like to thank the Kern-Kaweah chapter for their $upport. Richard Garcia.
This following e-mail had arrived January, 2001, three months before the final victory. Just read through it and think about all the gumption, guts, and perserverance that your fellow Sierra Club members exhibited in pursuing their goal . Think about all the uncertainties they had to face that might have made less-determined folks give up.
In our battle to stop Tulare Irrigation District’s effort to line the canal, we have had three legal skirmishes in Tulare County Superior Court, and an important ruling by the California Department of Fish & Game.
TID’s request to increase the bond that we would be required to pay from $100,000 to $1.8 million was denied by Judge Patrick O’Hara. This bond was to reimburse TID for the cost of the construction delays if they were to prevail in the upcoming trial. We have raised and posted the $100,000 bond by having a barn dance, a quilt raffle, and pledge drives.
The judge ruled that our lawsuit was not the only thing stopping the project, citing the recent Fish & Game ruling (see below). This was a important victory because we would not have been able to raise much more money.
TID’s request to disqualify Judge O’Hara was denied. This is good. We think Judge O’Hara is a good judge.
On January 8th TID petitioned the court to drop 3 of the cause of actions listed in the pending suit. These had to do with private and public nuisances that we contend would result from the removal of the valley oak trees, the projected ground water loss, and our contention that TID unlawfully trespassed in conducting survey work outside their easements. Their request was denied.
We got another big victory in the ruling from the Cal. Dept. of Fish & Game. After an investigation, they ruled that the canal was historically a natural waterway. This will force TID to apply for a Stream Bed Alteration Permit and to redo the Environmental Impact Report. This could be a major road block to the project.
This has been a tough expensive fight, but there is no doubt that we are winning. Richard Garcia
You who have read about this three year battle periodically in the Roadrunner can understand and empathize with the sense of victory and relief that must be felt by the members of the Mineral King Group who have seen this battle through.
You as a Sierra Club member and/or you who responded to the March appeal for further donations should feel proud that your Chapter was able to help achieve this victory with considerable monetary support. It is not too late to send in a "March donation": There are many more battles to come.
ANOTHER VICTORY
BORBA DAIRY: SIERRA CLUB DEFENDS KERN AIR, WATER.
KK CHAPTER GIVES $$$ HELP
The Center on Race Poverty and the Environment teamed with Sierra Club’s national lawyers to convince Kern County Superior Court Judge Roger Randall to order more information on the proposed Borba Dairy.This dairy plan for 28,000 cows on one site was proposed for an area southwest of Bakersfield.
The Environmental Impact Report did not adequately consider that chemicals and possibly even microbes from manure could pollute ground water. It was also emphasized that emissions of air borne particulate matter 10 microns in diameter or less (PM 10) and particulate matter 2.5 microns in diameter or less (PM 2.5) could harm our lungs. The Supervisors of Kern County who should have been aware of these facts approved the Borba Dairy.
The favorable action on this suit, brought under the California Environmental Quality Act, now compels the Borbas to tell us how much pollution they will subject us to and what the effect of adding their pollution to that of all dairies now in place will be. They will have to mitigate water and air impacts.
Our chapter has long favored a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) which would discuss how many cows Kern County can carry and how this total numberof cows could be distributed. A Programmatic Environmental Impact Report would be the best way to tell us what the effect of adding each new dairy’s pollution to that of all dairies now in place will be. However, the final report of the Dairy Technical Advisory Committee does not recommend a PEIR.
The Borbas claim to have been singled out. While our chapter does comment on all big dairies, it must be noted that “smaller” (6000 cows or less) dairies that are over three miles from the nearest structure do not come under public scrutiny. Such dairies are permitted “by right” without a Conditional Use Permit. Our chapter proposes that Conditional Use Permits be required for all dairies.
Your Chapter has provided monetary support for this suit. Here is another example for you to be proud. Your contributions are helping to insure clean air and clean water for all Americans. Your continued financial support is well-used and appreciated.
MIX & MATCH POLITICS AND NEW/OLD FRIENDS AT JUNE CONFAB IN SAN LUIS OBISPO
It’s spring! It’s time to think about the annual Sierra Club California Convention. This June meeting is to be Saturday and Sunday, June 9 & 10. It is an important part of maintaining the links among California chapters and with our state legislative activities. It will be a great time for seasoned and new activists to mingle and meet each other.
Preceding the formal program there will be workshops offered: one concerned with membership, the second with political action. There may be more. They will start at 10 AM.
The afternoon program will start with Sierra Club CA election of ex-com officers., At approximately 3 our staff lobbyists, and maybe some legislative staffers, will join us as participants in small discussion groups. It will be a time when we can all share our experience and wisdom for the benefit of the whole convention. Ask questions and get answers. This is the place!
On Saturday evening, John Perlin, an expert on solar energy alternatives, will show us his photos, from all over the world, that will illustrate the broad applications and practical uses of photovoltaic energy. His publications include “From Space to Earth:The Story of Solar Electricity.”
Sunday morning will be a time for a bird walk and chapter reports. Noontime will be official closure time, but volunteers to help clean up will be appreciated.
Delegates and people who aren’t delegates are both welcome to attend. There is no charge to register. There will be a $20.00 fee if participants spend the night on the site (in cabin, tent, outside or camper) and a $10.00 charge if they want to join the meals. Everyone attending will need to register with the Ives Community Office ivesico@earthlink.net. You will get further details about everything when you register.
Do plan to come. The meeting will be interesting, plus you can add to it a little holiday visiting in the San Luis Obispo area filled with wineries, beaches, eateries and still more. Come join the crowd!
BUSH ENERGY PLAN—PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A GORILLA
quotes from Paul Gipe’s interview with the Bakersfield Californian
As more details become available, it’s clear that the administration’s emphasis is on mining, drilling, and stripping While it wasn’t entirely unexpected, we’re disappointed that the Bush plan is so obviously unbalanced.
The President wrapped his energy plan in a green mantle of conservation and the expansion of renewable energy. But the plan’s details show otherwise. For whatever is bad for the environment, such as the expansion of nuclear energy or more burning of coal, the plan provides immediate subsidies. For whatever is good for the environment, such as improved efficiency of cars and trucks, the plan asks only that it be studied.
It’s some of the worst window-dressing I’ve seen in more than two decades of working on energy issues, The administration realizes that conservation, improved efficiency, and renewable sources of energy are extremely popular. So they have cynically played on the public’s wish for a more rational energy policy by including some subsidies for wind and solar energy. But it’s like putting lipstick on a gorilla. It’s still a gorilla.
Subsidies for wind energy, for example, will only benefit large electric utilities, some of the very same companies profiteering from California’s power crisis. Moreover, the subsidies are contingent on royalties from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While the administration touts the plan’s reasonableness and “balance,” it holds improved efficiency of appliances, as well as incentives for wind and solar energy, hostage to increased drilling. And the Bush plan does nothing for California. It does nothing to break the Confederate Cartel’s death grip on the throat of California’s electricity consumers.
We have quicker, cheaper, cleaner, safer choices available that the President has chosen not to pursue. It’s a fundamentally flawed policy that, if implemented, would be a costly embarrassment to Americans for decades to come.
We could chose a different path. Other nations have done so. Take Denmark, for example. By most measures, the Scandinavian nation has a higher standard of living than the United States. Denmark has committed itself to producing 50% of its electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2040. To show what can be done now, the Danes will soon power the entire island of Samsoe, with solar, wind, and biomass energy. Already, Denmark generates 15% of its electricity with wind turbines owned, for the most part, by the farmers and villagers who live nearby. And Danes are efficient. They use about one-half the electricity of the typical Californian. They can do it. We can too.
Let’s hope the administration has second thoughts about its proposals. They’re a disservice to Americans, and to future generations. Paul Gipe
KERN KAWEAH CHAPTER’S COMMENTS ON MANTER FIRE.
RESTORATION PLAN SENT TO FOREST SERVICE
Just a reminder: the Manter Fire was the largest fire to occur in Sequoia National Forest’s history, burning 72,724 acres (114 square miles). A management plan for rehabilitation of this area is in the making.
The following excerpt from a letter prepared and confirmed by your Ex-com will give you, who are unfamiliar with the processes for public input, an idea as to how this is formally done. The contents of the letter are a collaborative effort among members of the Chapter. The Kern Kaweah Chapter Ex-Com endorsed the sending of this letter.
This letter is in response to a "scoping" letter sent out to interested parties. The "scoping process" is a means of collecting input from the public as to concerns they have made about a proposed plan of action. These concerns must be addressed by the public agency, in this case, Sequoia National Forest, in their preparation of the next document required, the Environmental Assessment.
The first part of the letter, omitted here, requested an extension of time for response. This often happens because usually only thirty days is allowed after the publication of the notice for response. This is very limiting because it is difficult to get respondents together, etc.
Quoting from the letter, “... we request that your environmental analyses prepared in support of your planned Environmental Assessment thoroughly address these public comments and develop appropriate alternatives where needed to eliminate any significant adverse environmental impacts. We request that these alternatives be laid out in the Assessment document and that there be adequate time for public comment on their adequacy before a project decision is made. As outlined in the scoping document, the proposed project is not sufficiently detailed for the reader to clearly identify expected adverse environmental impacts. However, the following are some areas where adverse impacts may be expected:
1. The cutting of green (living) trees. The general project description precludes the cutting reflected in the matrix (table 3) detailing what is to be done on each unit. Because the fire burned in a mosaic pattern, living trees are found on all units, even those characterized as “heavy mortality.” Monitoring to prevent the cutting of large green trees over 14” dbh in such situations (accidental or otherwise) should be developed and described. It should be unnecessary to cut any green trees over 14” dbh in establishing DFPZ’s (defensible fire protection zones) and no such cutting should take place.
2. Soil protection during tree removal. Advanced technologies and machinery should be used to minimize surface disruption, and tree removal should be omitted if substantial surface disruption is expected.
3. Wildlife. Measures proposed to protect wildlife do not address beneficial measures for the common resident animals like deer, rabbits, and squirrels, and the many birds.
4. Riparian zones. No activities should take place in riparian zones that would disrupt streamside soils and habitat beyond what has already occurred from the passage of the fire. The presence of cattle in the meadows and on hillsides will have a negative impact on recovery of these areas.
The Manter Fire BAER (Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation) report recommended resting grazing for 2 years so that devastated areas could recover. The California Native Plant Society recommends that grazing should be prohibited for three years following fire. The 2 February 2001 decision by Lucinda McKee of the Inyo National Forest to cancel the grazing permits and implements a long-term (ten year) rest for the Templeton & Whitney grazing allotments so the area can recover from negative impacts. We suggest that the Manter Fire is equally devastating to the ecosystem and we recommend that a 10 year rest of all Manter Fire area allotments should be implemented. This issue should be addressed in the analysis document.
5. Roads. There should be no new road construction or road widening or new landing sites as a result of these activities.
6. Management Plan. Finally, It is stated that the Sequoia National Forest, Land and Resource Management Plan for management area CF7 (presumably including the area under discussion) says that "Production of saw timber volume will be emphasized." This is inconsistent with the more recent Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment, adopted by the Regional Forester in January, 2001, with its emphasis on the restoration of natural ecological function in the forests of the Sierra Nevada.
Please keep the Chapter on your mailing list for all further announcements or publications on this project.
Sincerely yours,
Ara Marderosian,
Conservation Chair of the Kern Kaweah Chapter”
SIERRA CLUB DIRECTORS VISIT SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK!
YOU ARE INVITED TOO!
Would you like to be able to talk to a Sierra Club board member or national staff member directly to express your opinions about what the Sierra Club is doing? This summer from Wednesday, July 18 to Sunday, July 22, you will have your chance.
For the first time ever the National Board of Directors, national staff, the Sierra Club Foundation Board of Trustees, and other key national leaders will be meeting in the Kern/Kaweah Chapter area. The annual Retreat will be held at Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park
The primary reason for the Board’s meeting in our area is to see the Giant Sequoia National Monument and learn about some of the issues that will arise as a management plan for the Monument is developed. There will be visits to part of the new National Monument to consider options for restoration of areas that have been heavily logged over the past few decades. National Park staff will lead tours through the newly restored Giant Forest Village area and to observe some of the prescribed burning they have been doing in Giant Forest to restore fire to its natural role in the forest ecosystem. It will be an excellent chance to see how logging has impacted the forest in comparison to the fire management practiced by the Park Service. This is a great opportunity to find out the latest about protecting the Giant Sequoias, visit the new National Monument, and meet some of our national leaders at the same time.
There are campgrounds in the Park and the Monument if you would like to stay more than one day. Or you can stay in the new Wuksachi Lodge if you want luxury accommodations.
Local members are welcome at all or part of the Retreat and are encouraged to attend not only the tours but the business meeting. The schedule for these events has not been finalized as of press time but you can call Joe Fontaine at 661 821 2055 to get the schedule and/or if you have other questions about what will be happening at the Retreat. We hope to see you there.
FROM THE CHAIR Paul Gipe—
Awards Banquet. I sensed that the new banquet format worked for most. Unlike previous banquets, there was no scheduled speaker. This allowed for a much more flexible program, and instead of emphasizing the invited speaker, we placed the emphasis on our members who were the award recipients. The shorter program also gave us more time to socialize after the formal program ended. When the opportunity presents itself, we will have guest presentations in the future, but the new format gives us more time with each other. Our sincere thanks to Michelle Hoffman for managing another successful banquet. After six seasons she’s stepping aside to let someone else handle the myriad details that go into any smoothly running function like the banquet. Michelle will be sorely missed. Our thanks also to Georgette Theotig, Anne Williams, Jean Pretorius, Cathy & Harry Love, and Nancy Nies.
Awards. This year’s recipients of the Chair’s Award were Beverly and Richard Garcia for their work on plans by the Tulare Irrigation District to remove a stand of venerable oaks. Brian Newton presented the Sierra Club Cup to Harold Wood of the Mineral King Group for his work on the Sequoia National Monument. Glenn Shellcross received the Susan Miller-Ruth Allen Award for his effort to form a new group in Bakersfield. And Carla Cloer presented the Long Trail Award to Mel Rubin for Mel’s successful effort to create a long-term source of funding for chapter environmental programs.
TRIP TIPS:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Kern National Wildlife Refuge
If you only have a few hours to enjoy nature this spring, summer or fall, and a long drive is out of the question, a great place to see a variety of bird life and to get some needed exercise is to visit the Kern National Wildlife Refuge near Wasco. With no admission price, the trip can be a frugal one. Bring your bicycles. A loop road takes you through the different ponds. You can then hike or ride your bicycle on the weirs that separate the ponds. Since each pond is at a different depth, the bird life varies from ducks and geese to mud hens.
Ever present are red tailed hawks. And since you travel along the weirs there is no elevation gain. Great place for children to get their first closeup views of birds.
How to get there:Take highway 46 west from Wasco. About two miles before you reach I-5 you will see a sign to the refuge. Turn right and travel about three miles. Refuge is on your left. Harry Love
KEEP MOTORCYCLES OFF THE BLUFFS
The Off Highway Vehicle people are proposing to establish a 2000-acre OHV park in the bluffs above Hart Park in Bakersfield. This is in direct opposition to the citizens’ movement to preserve the bluffs for hikers, bikers, runners, hangglider enthusiasts, nature lovers, and for the native plants and animals that live there.
This is an area close to future development on non-agricultural land in northeast Bakersfield. Many people have been working to preserve these bluffs for the passive use of future residents of the area, and this proposed OHV park would negate these efforts. There are endangered species in the area, including kit fox, Bakersfield cactus, and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. These would all be impacted by motorcyclists buzzing around in their Darth Vader costumes, ignoring what is left that is natural and teaching their children to make a mess of the environment.
Please write your Bakersfield City Councilperson or City Councilman Mike Maggard at 1501 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield 93301, or call them at (661) 326-3767. Ask them to preserve the bluffs for passive recreation and for nature study. Let them know that you think that OHV use is inconsistent with good planning in this developing area. G. Nipp
"BUSH "DICTIONARY" TO BE CONFIRMED?
Under the Bush administration, we are experiencing a redefinition of terms such as: “Monument,” “National Park,” “Preserve,” “Wilderness.” These are terms well defined in law or regulation, but President Bush seems determined to turn them topsy-turvy.President Bush seems to countenance no precedents, no prior agreements, and no previous understandings. He evidently sees a clean slate upon which he can write whatever he wants. He proposes to drill, despoil, invade, trample, and otherwise undo more than a century of environmental protection advances.
Arsenic in the water? Too expensive and inconvenient to correct. CO2, a cause of global warming? Not enough evidence (???) and, besides, too expensive and inconvenient to correct.
Drilling for oil in the arctic and in our National Parks. Why not? Bush was elected with money and a mandate from the oil industry, was he not? Nuclear power plants? Why not? Cheap, "environmentally friendly power" (except the nuclear waste from these plants is hazardous for thousands of years and no one knows how to safely dispose of it).
Not meeting with other nations to firm-up protocols to reduce harmful emissions into the environment? Is this because it could result in an economic hardship for major international corporations and could lead to constraints on domestic waste and pollution?
Shame on you, George. There have been major assaults upon the environment in the past, but never before has it been so clear that the office of the President is calling the tune with a Congress and Supreme Court dancing to the music.
We are in for a potentially devastating four years. Worry! And if you agree with this assessment of where we are with respect to environmental issues, get involved in some way. Suggestions: Write your Senators Barbara Boxer and/or Diane Feinstein. Write Congressmen Cal Dooley or Bill Thomas. Write to the President or Vice President. Get involved in political campaigns. Attend your local Sierra Club Group meetings.
It has been said that the price of democracy is eternal vigilance. Well, this guy, Bush, and his cronies sure need watching. Glenn Shellcross
AROUND THE CHAPTER
Chapter Banquet. Fluorescent lightbulbs were distributed at random to lucky guests. 137 postcards by the 75 persons attending the banquet were written to public officials concerning environmental positions being taken by the present administration. You can write from home too.
Bakersfield Monte Harper and Lorraine Unger staffed a booth at Emerson Junior High School Career Day. Using this opportunity to attempt to reach our youth, the goal was to encourage the students to consider a future in conservatiion jobs. The kids were fun and full of energy and hopefully will remember the ideas presented. Good job, Monte and Lorraine.
Bakersfield: Ken Fry represented the Sierra Club at Bakersfield City Schools’ annual Principal for a Day event. He spent a half day at Washington Middle School. This gave the Sierra Club and our concerns good exposure to Junior High students & teachers.
Bakersfield: Buena Vista Group hosted the Clendenens from Windwolves Preserves, who presented a slide show and gave a description of their programs on that wonderful preserve. Conservation matters were also discussed.
Bakersfield: Buena Vista Group had a well-received May meeting,, featuring Dick Shore, an impersonator of John Muir. Call Leah Hagemeier (58-0595) for further information about this group’s activities.
Bakersfield:Thanks to the efforts of Art Unger, the Sierra Club energy message is getting out through the Village News. Thanks, Art. Great job.
MIDGEBUZZINGS
At an evening program scheduled by the new Sierra Club Buena Vista Group in Bakersfield, we saw a fine slide presentation on the beautiful Windwolves Preserve in the mountains at the foot of the San Joaquin Valley. As important as the scenery was evidence of an extensive and growing education program for children. The kids were happily learning natural science first hand. Plans are in the works to develop the teaching program so that thousands of school children each year may participate, and may gain the skills they need to be good stewards of the earth. What a thing to celebrate!
I would extend a work of caution, however, regarding the teaching of concepts to very young children. In many cases we have to start more basically than we imagined, and I have a number of examples to illustrate this point.
Just a few days ago in the local paper there was an article on a little program intended to teach city children some farm facts, especially about where meat and eggs and milk come from. The accompanying photograph showed a sign attached to an enclosure surrounding a placid hen. In very large letters it said: THIS IS A CHICKEN. That information was assumed to have been obvious until two inner city children mistook the comfortable and domestic old biddy for an owl.
My own early experience further illustrates the problem. Before I entered Kindergarten, I accompanied my mother to PTA meetings where they sang “My Country, Tis of Thee.” I loved making music, and always joined right in, aping the words more than understanding them. When we came to the last line I thought we were singing: "Let’s free Dom Ree." I had no idea who Dom Ree was, or why he was in captivity. But I was determined that he should be released, and I sang my heart out in his behalf.
At Christmas time we sang “Silent Night,” a song that mysteriously involved a very heavy person called a “round yom vurgunt,” and also included a reference to a vegetable. For no good reason the poor, round yom vurgunt had to sleep in heavenly peas. Now I knew what a single pea could do to a princess, even under a pile of mattresses, and so the thought of a pile of peas with the poor vurgunt on top, and with no mention whatever of a mattress, made me uneasy.
When I shared my childhood illusion with a high school class many years later, one of the girls was delighted to find that someone else had gotten lost in that song in infancy. She’d had a problem with the fruit when she sang: “Olives come, Olives bright.” Everyone knows about the child who came home from Sunday School thinking he had sung about Gladly, the cross-eyed bear. But I only learned recently that another innocent returned to report having urged a strange figure forward with: “Lead On, Oh Kinky Turtle.”
On Easter Sunday, for the children’s moment at the front of our church, a teacher had brought some flower bulbs. He described them as a gift from God that eventually formed the beautiful lilies in abundance around the children that day. At the end of the lesson, he asked a rhetorical question, expecting a theological answer: ”Now, where do the lilies come from?" One little girl was too smart for him: “Albertson’s” she said.
Let us observe these caveats when we begin to teach children, especially in the realm of nature where their understanding is critical to their very survival. Perhaps at the owl’s nest we should remember to say: THIS IS NOT A CHICKEN.
WE WARNED YOU! MORE LETTERS NEEDED.
Sierra Nevada Management Framework Threatened.
BACKGROUND
CHAPTER CLASSIFIEDS WRITE! Tell what is happening in your group. Have a favorite trip you would like to share with us? Want to let us know about a special animal sighting you have made? What book do you recommend for good environmental reading? Write up a few lines and send it. We will publish it if at all possible, really we will!
JUNE-JULY, 2001 http://kernkaweah.sierraclub.org Activities, alerts, and special features six additional numbers of Ann William’s Midgebuzzings, Write Ann Williams, 3112 LINDEN AVE, BAKERSFIELD, CA, 93560. if you need copy. *Want to submit an article? MANY THANKS To ANN WILLIAMS, MICHELLE HOFFMAN, LORRAINE UNGER & HAROLD WOOD FOR HELP WITH ROADRUNNER Not a member of Sierra Club? Not a member of Kern Kaweah Chapter? Want this newsletter? Send $5 to
Back in January, after years of meetings, workshops, and scientific studies, the Forest Service finalized the "Framework" plan for the 11 national forests that make up the Sierra Nevada region. That plan provided great new policies for protecting rare wildlife, for improving water quality, for preserving old growth forest habitat, and reducing the risk of wildfire around communities. Overall, there will be less logging of big trees, a reduced level of livestock grazing, and much greater restrictions on projects that may harm old forest habitat or degrade water quality.
Those restrictions has aroused all the anti-forest protectionists . They are trying to convince Diane Feinstein to go along with them in changing the basics of this Framework. So use whatever writing implements you fancy and pick and choose from the the key points listed to below to support your view that the framework should NOT be changed.
Then send your letter to Sen Feinstein and to get more value from your efforts send copies to Bush, Norton,(Interior) and Venneman (Agriculture) We have to keep the pressure on!
>*********KEY TALKING POINTS******
THE Sierra Nevada Management Plan includes actions for
FIRE PROTECTION; aggressive small tree and brush removal in forest areas that lie within 1.5 miles of residences or development.
In the main forest, strategically placed thinning (removing small trees and brush) treatments and under-burning to produce gaps in fuels so that when wildfires do occur, firefighters will have far more success suppressing them.
MORE WILDLIFE PROTECTION *real attempts to stop the loss of wildlife species that would otherwise go extinct.; California Spotted Owl, Marten, the Fisher, the Sierra Nevada Red Fox, the Goshawk, the Willow Flycatcher, and all the amphibians that are on the brink. including protecting old growth forests a
WATER SOURCE PROTECTION*Protect water sources and quality, water being the most important economic value to come off of the national forest lands of the Sierra region. Some specific calls include protective buffers along streams to reduce damage to water quality , protection of riparian plants that help hold stream banks and help filter run-off into the streams., extra protections for special vital areas designated as Critical Aquatic Refuges,
LIMITED LOGGING but more timber than companies purchased in former years. *The Forest Service claims that it will be selling 282 million board feet of trees each year over the first five years of the Plan. *The Forest Service offered over 300 million board feet of wood on average during recent years, but the timber industry chose to only purchase a little over 200 million board feet. *Since the new Framework Plan now allows 282 million board feet, it is obvious that the timber industry will be able to buy more wood under the Framework than they chose to buy in recent years. (Note: For many years, the Forest Service has sold trees off the national forests at a great loss to taxpayers. National forests within California lost nearly $27 million for the last year that the agency had final figures. )
ART WORKER: Need someone with artistic abilities to put together a Sierra Club collapsible, cardboard, traveling display for the Chapter. Also, possibility of making others for our groups. Materials will be provided. Possibility of a small stipend. Call Lorraine (661) 323-5569.
MAGAZINES? Needed, old Sierra Club magazines to give away at festivals, other public gatherings. Call Arthur at (661) 323-5569.
STEP RIGHT UP. WE NEED YOU!
Opening #2: No one regularly attends hearings before The San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.
Opening #3.We are not regularly represented at the monthly meetings of the Kern Council of Governments (KernCOG), Kern’s transportation planning body. Learn, Speak up! Be a voice on the Green Scene!
Call (661) 242-0432 to let us know you want a job!
Want to visit the Channel Islands AND help Sierra Club California? 8th annual fundraising cruise to be Sept. 21-24. For more information callJ Joan or Don Holtz, 626-443-0706.
Celebrate 100 years of Sierra Club Outings! More than 300 domestic and international outdoor adventures allow members to experience the spectacular landscapes and inspiring qualities of the wilderness. Explore, enjoy and protect. See May/June issue of Sierra for details or see web: www.sierraclub.org/outings/ ; call 415.977.5522.
THE ROADRUNNER
You can find it on the web
General Publication Information
Deadline: July 5th for Aug./Sept. issue
650 words max., shorter is better.
*General questions about outings?
Call Theresa Stump, 559-781-0594
*Calendar information?
Send to alunger@juno.com
****Want to sign up to receive ALERTS?****
Send to alunger@juno.com WE NEED MORE OF YOU!
*Submission after deadline?
No guarantees but we will try.
*Web questions?
harold.wood@sierraclub.org
L.Unger, 2815 La Cresta Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93305
Address: jmal@frazmtn.com or
Editor, Roadrunner, P. O. Box GG
Frazier Park, CA 93222
Kern Kaweah Chapter, Bakersfield, CA 93385
Executive Committee 661-324-1923
Paul Gipe, Chair — Glenn Shellcross, Vice Chair
Arthur Unger, Secretary — Richard Garcia, Funds — Ara Marderosian, Conservation — Lorraine Unger, Membership
Harry Love, Political — Gordon Nipp, Monte Harper. At large
Regional Delegates, Sub-Committee Chairs
Harry Love, Ara Marderosian, RCC
Lorraine Unger, SC Council — Theresa Stump, Outings
Larry Wailes, Treasurer — M. Lockhart, Roadrunner
Carla Cloer, Chair, Sequoia Task Force
Buena Vista Group 661-589-0595 (Bakersfield)
Leah Hagemei, Chair; Glenn Shellcross; V.Chair. Kevin Smith, Sec;Ari Sarzotti, Trea; Alex Brouwn, Outings,Conservation; Helen Barro, Publicity. Open to all. Call 661-324-5213 for info on next meetings.
Condor Group 661-242-0423(Pine Mtn Club)
Ches Arthur, Chair; K. Royle & D. Johnson, Conservation.
Rustvolds, M. Bigler,Treas.; E. Feldman, Hospitality
E. Cordes & B. Kelley, Publicity; D.Sheets, Webmaster;
H. Nelson & B. Kelley, Outings; M. Lockhart, newsletter
Kaweah Group 559-781-0594 (Porterville)
Theresa Stump, Chair; Dianne Jetter, Vice Chair
Carla Cloer, Conservation; Jim Clark, Outings; Boyd Leavitt, Treas.
Pam Clark, Agriculture
Mineral King Group 559-739-8527 (Visalia)
Harold Wood, Chair; Mary Moy, Vice Chair
Cynthia Korval, Sec.; Janet Wood, Treasurer
Neil Fernbaugh, Conservation; Beverly Garcia, Program
Richard Garcia, Fund raising; Brian Newton, Outings
Patricia Phillips, Agriculture
Owens Peak Group 760-375-7967 (Ridgecrest)
Dennis Burge, Chair; Steve Smith, Vice Chair
Jeanie Hayes, Cons.; Dolph Amster, Treasurer; Janet Westbrook, Webmaster Don Peterson, Outings; Carol Hewer, At large
List of telephone numbers, addresses to keep handy for making calls, writing letters!
Federal Govt. Numbers:
White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111 or 800-374- 6702
George W. Bush’s e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
Dir. Gale Norton, c/o Tom Fulton, , U.S. Department of the I
Interior, 1849 C Street, NW,Washington
Dir.Ann Venneman. U.S. Dept of Ag, 14th & Independence A Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250.Telephone: (202) 720-2791
California numbers:
Gov. Davis: 1-916-445-2841
Calif. Legislative Switchboard (receptionist will help you ID your Senator and Assembly member if you are unsure): 916-322-9900.
Yes, I want to join the Sierra Club. Check enclosed.
Name.......................................................................
City.....................................State.............. Zip.........
Check one:
Introductory $25........
Regular $39....... Joint $47.........
Any of the following $24:
Senior...... Student....... Limited Income.........
F94QW6000-1 Send to Sierra Club, POBox 52968, Boulder, CO, 80322
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