THE ROADRUNNER

CONVERGENCE PLANS RESTART OLD CHAPTER TRADITION.
OCT 13th & 14th ARE DATES.

     Many thanks are owed to Theresa Stump, who made all the arrangements for our accommodations at Cali­fornia Hot Springs and who spearheaded the revivial of this fine, much cherished event.

     Soaking in the springs, (water temperature: 125 degrees) dancing (wonderful post-fire oak floor) hiking, sharing a potluck supper and meeting folks from all over the chapter will be parts of the week-end’s program. There will be business for those who wish to take advantage: a hike-leaders training ses­sion on Saturday and a chapter excom meeting open to all who wish to attend on Sunday.

     The setting for this encampment is the California Hot Springs Resort located at an altitude of about 3000 ft. Weather: obviously uncertain but bring some warm clothing just in case!

     The Leaders Training session will be taught by Gordon Nipp and Larry Wailes. Basic skills of being a leader responsible for a group under the Sierra Club banner will be covered in the morning; the use of compass and map will be included as part of the afternoon 1 PM hike led by Gordon Nipp.    

     Cost: (yes, there are charges!) Campground $14 per tent; $21 for camper hook-up. Pool charges are per day: $8 for non-camper, $4 for overnight camp­ers. All fees will be paid at the Resort. After Sept. 15th, call to make reservation if you want to be sure of place. Telephone number 661.548.6582, a good number to leave with relatives at home and for anyone who might get “lost” on the road.

     Food and beverages:  Bring your own plus a dish to share at the Saturday Night Potluck. However, deli sandwiches, breakfast, coffee and drinks are also available on site.

     Directions for going to California Hot Springs: From Highway 99 take Highway 65 North. Take J22 at Ducor and go 27 miles.  See you there!

SC REGIONAL CONSERVATION COMMITTEE (RCC) CONFAB

IN SLO, SEPT 8th & 9th.

This is where decisons concerning Sierra Club California’s conservation efforts are made. Pros and cons as to undertaking state-wide initiatives re: sprawl and protection of old-growth trees on private lands are already on agenda. Much more will be added.

An excellent opportunity for SC members involve­ment. See Calendar, p. 6, for more details.

From Chapter Chair:

OUR CHAPTER IN ACTION AGAIN! PREPARED TO JOIN LEGAL SUIT DEMANDING CLEAN AIR!

     At a recent press conference in Fresno, the Kern-Kaweah Chapter joined with two other Sierra Club chapters and with social justice organizations to  demand enforcement of the Clean Air Act. The press  conference was called to announce that Earthjustice, acting on behalf of three Sierra Club Chapters in the San Joaquin Valley, Latino Issues Forum, the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, and the  Medical Alliance for Healthy Air had sent a letter to EPA and to the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District in Fresno. The letters served formal notice that Earthjustice and the plain­tiffs will sue the federal government and the regional air quality control district for enforcement of the Clean Air Act in the San Joaquin Valley.   

     The air in the San Joaquin Valley is among the most polluted in the nation.  Air in the San Joaquin Valley violates national air quality standards for  both photochemical smog (ozone) and particulates (soot). Air pollution increases the risk of heart attacks, emergency room visits, and absenteeism in school and at work. The Valley’s air pollution also exacerbates asthma.

     Arthur Unger, retired medical doctor and himself an asthmatic, represented the Kern-Kaweah Chapter at the press conference.     

     At the press conference, Dr. David Pepper of the Medical Alliance for Healthy Air said that “While most other areas in the country have shown at least modest improvement in controlling smog and soot, in a few years the San Joaquin Valley will become the most smog-polluted region in the United States. Medical professionals are shocked by increasing numbers of children and the elderly forced into the emergency room each summer because they cannot breath.” 

     The action was spearheaded by Kevin Hall of the Club’s Tehipite Chapter. “Other regions of the United States have balanced the need for clean air with economic development,” said Hall, a Fresno native. “Even Los Angeles has made significant air quality improvements over the last decade while things have not improved here. Unfortunately, the scales in the Valley have repeatedly tipped in favor of unrestrained pollution. The regional Air District is allowing pressure from industry groups to trump public health. Agency inaction has forced this community to sue to protect the health of our families.”  

     The “notice of intent” is simply a formality. None of the parties expect that EPA or SJVUAPCD will comply with the Clean Air Act in the 60 day   period required. While EPA has taken some actions recently to address the severe pollution in the Valley, it’s too little, too late to bring EPA and the air district in compliance with the law.  

     “When state and local agencies responsible for clean air violate the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to enforce standards and deadlines,” said  Deborah Reames, attorney for Earthjustice. “When the EPA fails to do the job, the Act empowers citizen groups to sue for enforcement. Residents of  the San Joaquin Valley seem to have little choice but to sue if they want to protect public health.” 

     Indeed, the Kern-Kaweah Chapter’s participation was precipitated by the actions of local political fig­ures. State assemblyman Roy Ashburn (R-Bakers­field) told the Bakersfield Californian that “We're not going to have pristine air in Bakersfield,” im–plying that there was no need to curb pollution because the air was already dirty—and would remain so. Not to be outdone by a Republican, Dean Florez (D-Shafter) quickly sided with polluters when new regulations were proposed by the air district. These  actions forced the chapter’s hand.

     The plaintiffs expect to file suit in September.

 

A PS to this article from a note from Lorraine Unger: ”We had a very successful press conference in Fresno on the air suit. Brett Newell of the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment rode up with us. We met Kevin Hall from Tehipite and also their chapter chair Bill Fjelbo who is really nice and is an attorney.” The rewards of activism!

 

CARLA CLOER RESPONDS TO USFS SEQUOIA SCOPING LETTER

What follows is a very condensed version of the 6000 plus word comment letter written by Carla Cloer regarding the initial scoping letter issued by Sequoia National Forest in regards to the Sequoia National Monument Management Plan (SNMMP). The items in quotation marks are taken directly from Carla's letter.

     1. The Sequoia National Monument Management Plan should be based on the Monument Procla­mation, which provides for greater protections than the Sequoia National Forest Plans and would not be subject to what could basically be termed politically motivated changes of management.

     2. The required Scientific Advisory Board should have been appointed, educated concerning the Sequoias, and have been a vital part in preparing the scoping letter for the management plan. Instead, the Forest Service issued a letter with “preemptory de­cisions, locked in the old school mentality of reliance on human manipulation, separating out ecosystems from the forest that sustains them, and hoping for commodity production (ie, timber cutting). We be­lieve that the Forest Service, in promoting their bias, has structured the itinerary of the Science Board so as to narrow the range of management options that they were given to review and taken into the field to view.”

     3. “Your definition of grove ecological areas of influence is not adequate or necessary upon which to base protection of groves and other Monument re­sources. To make management decisions that are based on sound forest ecology, one does not need carefully contrived definitions of groves. The entire forest in the Monument is one ecosystem. . . . The proclamation makes it clear that all the lands are protected and that none of the lands is superfluous or of lesser importance. Zoning should not designate separate areas of the Monument for differing levels of protection based on arbitrarily selected sub-ecosystems or species of trees. That is the antithesis of an integrated ecosystem approach. . . . The only acceptable approach is to embrace inclusively the protection of all elements within the boundaries of the Monument, regardless of species, narrowly defined sub-ecosystems, elevation, habitat type, or watershed in an inclusive, holistic, and landscape approach that interferes to the least extent possible in natural processes and elements.”

     4. “A great deal is already known about pre­serving sequoia groves and utilizing prescribed fire to mimic natural fire, thanks to decades of work in the neighboring Sequoia National Park. Utilize and build on their experience for guiding prescription burns, under the guidance of the Scientific Advisory Committee . . . There is no need for further experi­mentation. . . . There is no need to place any grove at risk to replicate activities that have already oc­curred."

     5. “The Monument is NOT just about groves of sequoiadendron giganteum." Just a few examples in the Proclamation of items to be included in Monument protection are “rich and varied landscape,” “scientific and historic resources,” “a great belt of coniferous forest, jeweled with mountain meadows,” “an extraordinary number of habitats” and “paleontological resources."

     6. There is no mention of how to deal with four decades of logging damage in the non-grove areas, which should receive equal protection under the Pro­clamation.

     7. “Human use of the Monument is specifically addressed in the Proclamation. Present developments within the Forest should be allowed to stand. Future plans for human use should be“based on geo­graphy, environmental sensitivity and the mandated Trans­portation Plan.”

     8. The largest bulk of the Monument’s un­developed forest lands should should have the same management goals and objectives: restoration and continuation of the processes that created them and protection FROM human destruction or interference in those natural processes.

 

ENERGY CRISIS NOW,

WATER SUPPLY CRISIS NEXT.

CAL-FED WATER PROPOSALS FACE THREAT FROM CALVERT-FEINSTEIN BILLS. READ ON!

This is a slightly shortened version of a communique written by Carl Zichella. regional Sierra Club Staff Director, California-Nevada-Hawaii.

     Just about a year ago, it seemed that at long last some help was on the way for the troubled 738,000 acre San Francisco-San Joaquin Bay Delta. All those with a stake in the delta’s future had wrestled with the problems of California water development, sup­ply, quality, and wildlife issues and proposed mean­ingful solutions. After hundreds of public meetings the federal and state governments were poised to jointly implement a restoration plan. A landmark agreement, known as the CALFED Record of De­cision (ROD) was adopted, generally spelling out how things would go. Each side, environmentalists, large-scale agricultural interests and urban water users had made concessions.  Now all Congress and the California legislature had to do was authorize the program and ante up the cash to make it work. A cease-fire in the state’s relentless water wars seemed at least possible.

     Now CALFED may be on the verge of collapse, a victim of legislative proposals by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Riverside, HR 1985) and U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (S 976), that split the ROD apart and play favorites with some of the interests that have reduced the once-rich estuary to a system in deepening eco­logical trouble. All CALFED deals are apparently off for water users who are abandoning commitments they made just 12 months ago.

     Instead of studying the need for proposed new water storage projects, as the ROD specifies, Calvert’s bill would “preauthorize” them, greasing the skids of congressional consideration, and making it difficult to impossible for Congress to reject un­needed or uneconomical projects. Two congressional committees would have to reject the projects within 60 days or they would be automatically approved under Calvert’s scheme. 

     Projects that would raise Shasta Dam, enlarge the existing Los Vaqueros reservoir, and develop a new Sites reservoir would be tough to stop. Once au­horized, porkbarrel appropriations would be highly likely to follow and very hard to prevent. Some water users—those in the Westlands water district for example—would receive a new entitlement of guaranteed water shipments that never existed anywhere else before, is not part of their present water supply contracts, and which would of necessity come out of water that the CALFED ROD envisioned reserving for environmental restoration. There’s simply nowhere else it could come from.

     Calvert’s plan ignores conservation and efficiency efforts—equally important for water consumption as for energy consumption—in favor of a relentless push for more supply. His bill is largely silent on the environmental restoration provisions of the ROD and the principle that the beneficiaries of the water development projects, and not the taxpayers, should pay for them.

     Representative George Miller, the environmental leader of the California’s House delegation on resource issues, has taken Calvert on, proposing his own legislation to implement CALFED. His Cal­ifornia Water Quality and Reliability Act re­-authorizes CALFED without changing the pro­gram’s direction.

     Miller’s bill balances water development with environmental restoration as laid out in the CALFED ROD, emphasizes and provides incentives for water recycling and conservation, and encourages ground­water storage and management.

     Feinstein’s proposal, while somewhat less harsh, repeats many of the same errors Calvert’s bill makes. Senator Feinstein is extremely worried about water supply issues for agriculture and proposes similar guarantees to irrigation interests as Calvert. Unlike Calvert, however, she is negotiating with Senator Barbara Boxer over language that could remove the guarantees and back off from provisions for the preauthorization of water development projects. The situation is very fluid and there are broad areas of disagreement between the two senators. But Senator Feinstein’s bill will not advance without Senator Boxer’s support, and both senators are still talking. Senator Boxer, for her part, is defending the en­vironmental restoration portions of the CALFED ROD, and striving to present a more balanced bill.

     The Sierra Club and our allies in the Environ­mental Water Caucus have been working hard to make members of the Senate aware of the short­comings of Senator Feinstein’s bill as introduced.

Now it's your turn—WHAT YOU CAN DO:

         Contact Senator Feinstein and respectfully urge her to amend her bill to remove provisions that would preauthorize water development projects and guarantee water supplies.

     Contact Senator Boxer. Thank her for her leadership on CALFED. Urge her to demand that water conservation and environmental restoration portions of the CALFED ROD be treated equally in authorization legislation, that water users be re­quired to pay for capacity enhancements. Addresses for Senators on p. 8.

 

MINI-DRAMA: A FIRST PERSON REPORT FROM THE FIELD OF ACTIVIST ACTION.

The situation was this:

     The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sched­uled a public meeting from 6:00 pm to 9 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2001, at the Kerr-McGee Center in Ridgecrest, California to accept written and verbal comments regarding the suggested motorized vehicle route network for public lands in the El Paso Mountains, south and west of Red Mountain, and immediately south of Ridgecrest.

Jeanie Haye wrote the following description of the meeting: Stan and I attended the BLM meeting on the route designation process.  Dennis Burge and Mary Ann Henry were also there. The paper esti­mated there were 75 people there. Stan and I were the only ones who spoke from the enviro viewpoint. Stan spoke early, and I spoke late—I was able to  counter a couple of opposition arguments. One had said “I’m not a mathematician, but . . .”.  It felt good to say “I am a mathematician and earned my living that way, and I don't buy your argument because . . .”.

REACTION: A second e-mail from Jeanie Haye contained the following: The fallout from the meeting has been interesting. Both local papers carried “guest editorials” by city council  member Chip Holloway. Though he didn't use my name, some was clearly aimed at me as I was the only  female enviro who spoke on the 10th. Usually people are angry with Stan, but, armed with data on wildlife biology (won’t say where I got it), I'm taking the heat this time.

     He derided my remarks. One paper toned his diatribe down  a little, but the other said things like “Well, Ms Sierra Club, . . .” and  claimed to know what “The real motivation is . . .”. We aren’t sure whose motivation he means, but maybe he knows something about my motives that I don’t. These aren’t verbatim quotes but give the flavor. He wants people to stop being complacent and mobilize against BLM and people like us who support them.  We may only be pawns, but I’m not sure. It must be up to his readers to figure out some of it.  

     Stan typed a response from me, thanking the papers for pointing out via his editoral that people here are not all in agreement with Mr. Holloway.  The next day there was a really angry letter from a man I didn't even know, another fed up Liberal (I’ve since called to thank him). He also went to the latest City Council meeting and spoke up there. He says Holloway made it pretty unpleasant. At least one of the papers mentioned his presence.     

     The next day Mary Ann Henry’s fine letter ap­peared. So far I’ve seen no letters in Holloway's favor. There’s another meeting this Thursday, and we’ll see what the tone of the mob is this time. It’s gratifying to know that we’re actually getting to people enough to engender acknowledgement. 

     That's enough typing for me and more than enough reading for you. Thanks,         

                  By Jeanie Haye, Owens Peak Group

 

 

     There are several political causes that could use at least some of your tax rebate. Opponents of Pre­sident Bush come to mind.

•     Have you noticed that our local California legislators rarely support Sierra Club legislation?

•     Sierra Club California’s Political Action Com­mittee supports the assembly members and state senators who pass the bills we support.

•     Please make your check out to Sierra Club California PAC and send it to Emil Lawton, Treasurer, 13025 Hesby Street, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.

 

 

Help Protect The Kern River Bluffs

 The Bakersfield City Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, September 20, on the proposal for preserving 1500 acres of the northeast Bakersfield bluffs as open space and park­land. Please come and speak. Ask for more land and ask them to keep the houses off the edge of the bluffs. Contact Gordon Nipp at 661-872-2432 or email at gnipp@att.net for more information.

Wetlands Under The Gun Again. Every five years all Nationwide Wetlands Permits (NWPs) come up for review and reauthorization. The new Bush proposal would allow the Army Corps of Engineering to waive many of the environmental conditions meant to limit the use of nationwide permits, especially in flood­plains and in environ­mentally sensitive waters. Specifically the proposal would:

·    Allow the Corps to waive the 300-foot limit on stream destruction, meaning a developer could dig or fill a mile (or more) of a stream under a general permit that is only supposed to allow “minimal adverse effects.”

·    Loosen restrictions on filling wetlands in flood­plains.

·    Allow coal mining companies to continue to bury and destroy hundreds of miles of streams with mountaintop removal “valley fills”—with virtually no limits or conditions.

·    Bypass the minimum requirement that there be at least one acre of wetlands protected or created from every acre destroyed (1:1 acreage mitigation).

     “Giving the Corps the discretion to ignore key environ­mental standards is tantamount to eliminating those standards altogether,” said Joan Mulhern, Earthjustice legislative counsel. “The Corps rarely follows the law and implements environmental con­ditions even when they are required by law to do so. It would be foolish for anyone to believe that making these conditions discretionary will provide any protection for wetlands and streams at all.”

     Call, write, e-mail protesting this new Bush pro­posal. Send copies to all Feds listed on page 8 and do it now. Time is running out!

Roadless Areas. last chance to comment easy way Check: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/anpr1.See last issue of Roadrunner and write snail mail.

 

 

 

 

 

*Kern River Freeway. Where were you in January of 1998? You were commenting on the DEIR for the Kern River Freeway alignment, put out by CalTrans, the US DoT and KCOG. The FEIR came out in June 2001. Most of the anti-freeway comments were from those who lived near the proposed freeway. Most of you do not live near the Freeway; it was the Sierra Club, us, who showed the powers that be that not all comments came from Nimbys. The EIR has not deterred the decision-makers, but there will be more EIRs before the Freeway can be built and there is still a chance the Freeway will never be built. It is un­likely anyone will sue on this EIR. Contact me if you wish to see the EIR, it only weighs about five pounds. Commentors, in no particular order, were Nestor Mesa, Carol Benston, Jean Pretorius, Monte Harper, Gordon Nipp, Bonnie East, John Hervey. It is a privilege to know such people.            Arthur Unger.

*Mineral King Group Seeks Volunteers

 The Mineral King Group is becoming increasingly active in Tulare and Kings County. We are involved in local and national conservation issues, scheduling more outings, group meetings (see calendar) and special programs like our successful Energy Semi­nar. Internet activities are on the increase. Ex-com has two vacancies. Volunteer. Come and help us enjoy and protect the Earth while having fun!

*Join Mineral King Group E-Mail List Want updates on local club news? Send us e-mail request with subject: Mineral King Group list. You will receive one or two e-mail messages a month. More details? call Harold Wood, 559-739-8527 or e-mail harold.wood@sierraclub.org, or snail mail address: P.O. 3543, Visalia, CA 93278. (and don't forget the all chapter e-mail alert list. see page 8! )

*Sequoia Public Hearings: Hats Off to these folks!
Attending the Bakersfield session: Bonnie East, Lorraine and Art Unger, Monte Harper, Ann Williams, Doug Dodd, and Mary Ann Lockhart. Eva and Gordon Nipp attended the Porterville session.

If your name should be here, please let us know. We want to honor all those who break up their routines to make the effort to turn out and do their part in responding to plans for the Sequoia National Monument and other proposals.

 *Sierra Club Chapter, Group Elections coming up Think about volunteering to run for the open offices in your group or on the Ex-com. It is a great way to help with the efforts under way to support the goals of the environmental movement.

 

 

 

 

 

Conditioning Hike. Every Thursday Evening. 4-5 miles in northeast Bakersfield area. Meet at 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.

Slo-Go Hikes. Every Sunday morning, 8 to 9:30 AM. Meet at tennis courts. PMC (Pine Mt. Club). Will continue thru October. Rain, cold will cancel. Details? 661.242.0432.

Sept 7-9 (fri-sun) Freeman Creek Grove Proposed Wilderness Outing. Join us for Friday/Saturday car camping at Quaking Aspen Campground and/or shuttle-hike in the Freeman Creek Sequoia Grove and proposed Wilderness addition on Saturday. Sponsored by Mineral King Group and Sequoia Wild Heritage Project. Trip Leaders: Harold Wood and Carla Cloer. Details? Call 559.739.8527. e-mail harold.wood@sierraclub.org.  Sept 8-9th (sat.-sun) SLO California Nevada Regional Conservation Committee (RCC) holds regular semi-annual statewide meeting in San Luis Obispo at Rancho El Chorro. All Sierra Club mem­bers are invited. Make reservations with the Ives Community Office, 112 Harvard Ave. PMB 297, Clare­mont, CA 91711. 909.621.7148. ivesico @earthlink.net. Cost is $30.00.

Sept 8th (sat) Conservation Efforts In Asia-Pacific Areas. Slides. Speaker: Bernd Cortes. PMC, Pool Pavilion Room. 6 PM, Potluck; 7 PM, program. Details? 661.242.0423.

Sept 8th (sat) Excursion to CALM, FACT Native animals centers. Bksf. Meet 8 AM, PMC Tennis courts. Flying J, 8:20. Details? Call  242.0423.

Sept. 8-9 (sat-sun) Hooker Meadow Backpack for children. Southern Sierra: Short Gain. 800’ in 2 mi to camp by small stream/spring. Send 2 sase (self-addressed envelopes) plus $10 (refunded at trailhead) to Jan Scow, 3887 Woodcliff Rd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403; for info call 818.986.2079.

Sept. 14 (fri) Mineral King Grp Coffee Social. Java Jungle, Visalia. 6 pm. (second Friday of each month.)

Sept 14 (fri) “John Muir Around the World”. Presenter: Harold Wood. 8 pm, LeConte Memorial Lodge, Yosemite.

Sept 14-16 (fri-sun)  Death Valley National Park Car Camping: View Fossil Falls, Hunter Mtn. area, Racetrack area. Moderate hiking, spec­tacular views, desert camping without facilities. High clearance vehicles necessary. More info? Call Claus/Connie Englehardt 760.872.4596 or ccengel @earthlink.net.

Sept 15 (sat) KK Ex-Com Mtg Beale Library. 12 noon. All Sierra Club members welcome.

Sept 17 (mon); Visit your local desert and Sierra via photos Dolph Amster, Steve Smith and Dennis Burge will show slides of local areas. Matu­rango Museum, 100 E. Las Flores, 7:30 pm. Call Dennis at 760.375.7967 for further information.

 Sept 22 (sat) Buena Vista Group celebrates First Day of Autumn. Patriots Park 2 to 6 PM.  Eats: $5 per person, children under 5 free. Games and prizes for kids. All welcome. Call for reser­vations: 66l.832.3382.

Sept 22 (sat) Loop hike from Blackrock roadhead to Casa  Vieja and return via Blackrock Pk. (cross country). Meet at the Ridgecrest Cinemas at 7:30 am. For more  info. call Dennis at 760.375.7967.

Sept 22 (sat) Cerro Noroeste Sunset Potluck. Meet 5 PM, Tennis Courts, PMC. Bring dish to share. 661.242.0423 for more info.

Sept 24 (mon) Business Meeting. Mineral King Group. All Sierra Club members welcome. Call 559.739.8527 or e-mail harold.wood@sierraclub. org for time and place. (held regularly 4th Monday).

Sept 25th (tue) Birding in Hungry Valley.  8 AM, tennis courts, PMC. 8:30 Flying J, FrazPark off-ramp. Details? 661.242.7922.

Sept 29/30 (sat-sun) East Mojave Car Camp at Afton Canyon: Visit Grand Canyon of the  Mojave, Indian caves, side canyons to explore. Moderate day hikes and a  potluck dinner Sat. Send $10 deposit for campsite; check made to Sierra Club with sase (self addressed envelope) and phone number to Carol  Wiley, 15457 Eto Camino Rd, Victorville, CA 92394. Phone: 760.245.8734 cwiley @victor.cc.ca.us

Oct 6th (sat) Rare Plants and Fun Facts.  Mike Foster, Los Padres NF Botanist. PMC, Pool Pavilion Room. 6 PM Potluck, 7 PM program. Details? 661. 242.0423

Oct. 6 (sat) Oil Canyon/Ridgeline Hike To Pacific Crest Trail. Moderate hike begins at 4300’, ends in cool pines at 6200’ on public lands in the proposed Middle Knob Wilderness, 7 miles east of Tehachapi. 7.5 to 9 miles total. Contact Georgette Theotig, 661.822.4371, for details.

Oct 6-8 (sat-mon) Lone Pine Film Festival sponsored by International Community section of  Angeles Chapter: Watch old Westerns and other classics (fee) filmed in the vicinity of Lone Pine, Alabama Hills. More info? Call Rudi Beuermann  949.472.4105 or beuermannr@mta.net. or Armando SM@aol.com.

Oct.12 (fri) Mineral King Group Coffee Social: Wildflower Cafe, Exeter. 6 pm. (Second Friday of each month).

 

Oct. 13-14 (sat.sun) Chapter Convergence.  Once a year gathering for Kern Kaweah Chap members. California Hot Springs. See p. 1.  More info? Call Nipp 661.872.2432, gnipp@att.net or Larry Wailes 661.861.1186, lewailes@lightspeed. net.

Oct. 15 (mon) Springtime in the Annapurnas. Slide show to be presented by Mike Mumford. Owens Peak Group, Maturango Museum, 100 E. Las Flores. 7:30 pm. Call Dennis at 760.375-7967.

Oct. 22nd (mon) Business Meeting. Mineral King Group. All Sierra Club members welcome. Call 559.739.8527 or e-mail harold.wood@sierraclub. org for time and place. (held regularly 4th Monday)

Oct 23rd (tues) Birding in San Emigdio Canyon. 8 AM. Tennis Courts, PMC. Details? 661.242.7922

Oct.27 (sat) San Emigdio Canyon Hike. Pine Mtn. Club area. Strenuous. Downhill first. Go as far as group cares to. Call Ches for further info. 661. 242-0423.

Nov.10 (sat) Excursion to Aquarium of the Pacific. Long Beach. Call Gita, 661.242.8258 for more details.

Nov 27th (tues) Birding at Carrizo Plain. Meet 1 PM, PMC tennis courts. 2000 to 6000 sand hill cranes, hawks, etc. congregate in the late afternoon. Bring snack and plan for late return. Details? 661.242.7922

Dec. 1st (sat) Condor Group Holiday Party. 6 PM. PMC, Pool Pavilion Room. Bring potluck item to share, white elephant for gift exchange. 6 PM

 

     Toward the end of July members of my family, ranging in age from six months to eighty-seven years, gathered for a week at a gracious old hotel on a beach near San Diego. The grandmother recalled her own childhood vacations there, the youngest children played happily in the sand, and our pre­cocious eight-year-old spent as much time as she was allowed going up and down historic hallways look­ing for boys and listening for the ghosts we invented for her amusement now that she is reading the Goosebumps series. The staff were discreet, pleasant and busy. They were also followed closely by man­agers who ran their fingers over the woodwork and banisters and noted their findings on clipboards.

     I have never seen so many pretty children in one place, nor so many engaged parents. Everywhere there was evidence of what we used to call “gentility and good breeding.” Now it is simply called affluence. I had a great deal to think about as I floated around in the softness of a complimentary robe and trailed the essence of lovely hand soap not on the budget of a retired school teacher.

     It was a wonderful place, and I would go there again in a minute if I could afford it. But not if I had to drive there. A single word describes the area, including La Jolla, San Diego and Coronado: “swarming.” It swarms with residents, commuters and revelers on vacation. It swarms atmospherically with military overflights and with helicopters car­rying traffic controllers and law enforcement officers. It swarms with visitors from everywhere, speaking all languages. It is, as the kids say, abso­lutely “maxed out” with the crush of humanity. One exercise in terror would be to imagine all those beautiful children grown, with children of their own, revisiting with their offspring the same scene.

     More sobering than that was a short encounter at the door of our hotel as five Williamses set out to a nearby restaurant. A polite young man stopped us just as we emerged from the hotel. “Excuse me,” he said. “I don’t mean to upset you, but if I were you I wouldn’t allow my children to play or swim in that ocean.” All three adults anticipated what he was going to say further, because it had already occurred to us. “They’ve been closing beaches all along the Southern California coast because of pollution. If you want to swim in the ocean, go much farther north.”

     We thanked him and continued on, with appetites curbed. Happily, both of our little girls were obliv­ious to the message. Annie is only four, and Sarah is already more or less permanently attached to a por­table disc player. Their mother said that she had seen some “No Swim” signs, and I had too, but only in a roped-off area reserved for a group.

     From my sister-in-law’s balcony the night before, I had seen surfers and children of all ages playing in the ocean water. She was confident, and I am too, that any hotel with a fine international reputation would keep a close watch on the condition of the water.

     I assume the young man was well-intentioned, but we did wonder whether he might have been merely a disgruntled individual with a grudge against the hotel. Whatever the case, our children had been allowed only in the chlorinated pool where they were perfectly happy, and none of us had gone into the surf.

     Just yesterday the Los Angeles Times had an article on the closing of Southern California beaches and a review by the EPA of sewage collection sys­tems in 25 coastal cities. Already that agency has filed suit against the city of Los Angeles to stop sewage spills averaging two per day. How in contrast that situation is to the image of children happily playing in sand and water. Constant vigilance must be the order of the day.         by Ann Williams

 

    

ROADRUNNER

September-October, 2001

 You can find it on the web

General Publication Information

Deadline: Oct 5th for next issue

     *Want to submit an article?

                  650 words max., shorter is better.

     *General questions about outings?

                  Call Theresa Stump, 559-781-0594

     *Calendar information?

                  Send to alunger@juno.com

    *Submission after deadline?   we will try.

         *Web questions? harold.wood@sierraclub.org

 

RoadrunnerAddresses: jmal@frazmtn.com  or

Editor, Roadrunner, P. O. GG. Frazier Park, CA 93222

 

Kern Kaweah Chapter Roster, 2001

Executive Committee 661.324.1923.PaulGipe,Chair
Buena Vista Grp 661.589.0595(Bakersfield);

Condor Grp. 661/242/0423(Pine Mtn. Club);

KaweahGrp 559.781.0594(Porterville);

Mineral King Grp 559.739.8527  (Visalia)

Owens PeakGrp 760.375. 7967 (Ridgecrest)