Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Sonoma Group Report Anne Hudgins | |
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Issues facing the Sonoma Group this year include air, water, food, transportation and preservation of habitat (we can save the world one county at a time). Petitioners have gathered 48,000 signatures for a ban against genetically-modified organisms in Sonoma County for at least ten years to allow for further research. But in this highly agricultural county, some farmers and vineyard owners want to be allowed this option (i.e., of injecting fish genes into our grapes and tomatoes). The Board of Supervisors has decided to let the voters decide and will put the issue on the ballot in the next election. The City of Santa Rosa and the Sonoma/Marin Area Rail Transit ("SMART") board are in the process of deciding how to design a transit-oriented development in the Railroad Square area of downtown. The City would like a food and wine center and large parking lots to accommodate tourists, while the Sierra Club and Housing Advocacy Group insist that affordable and market-rate housing are what will promote ridership on the trains and a more walkable community. Sonoma Group ExCom and Transportation Committee members met with the Marin County ExCom over pizza and beer to discuss issues with the SMART proposal for train service from Cloverdale to Larkspur. Marin County has a no-growth policy, while Sonoma County is gearing up for a population explosion in the next ten years. Neither group has taken a formal position on the SMART plan. It will take more than pizza and beer to reach a consensus, but the two groups will meet together again after the DEIR is issued. |
Since 2001 all of the cities in Sonoma County have signed on to the Climate Protection Campaign and pledged to reduce greenhouse emissions. On February 16th public gatherings were held in specific local restaurants, hosted by elected officials, to celebrate the anniversay of the passing of the Kyoto Protocol. Many jurisdictions are replacing their gas-guzzling buses and staff vehicles with hybrids and natural-gas-powered vehicles. On the 24th of March a Climate Protection Conference will be held at Finley Center in Santa Rosa. The public is invited. Water continues to be the biggest and scariest issue. With burgeoning growth and more forests being converted to vineyards, our limited supply of water is threatening our way of life. The Sonoma Group is petitioning the Board of Supervisors to draft a water management plan to cover ground water and river resources. The County's General Plan is being updated at this time and the water element, along with the housing element, are being fine-tuned. Public participation in these meetings is being encouraged. The Santa Rosa Plain Strategy Team has been meeting for several months to form a plan for protecting the endangered California Tiger Salamader, along with some flora species, while allowing development of roads and housing through these very sensitive wetlands. This continues to be a top priority of the Sonoma Group and other environmentalists. An Environmental Forum on this topic will be held at 7:00pm on Wednesday, April 20th at the Environmental Center, 404 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. The public is invited. |