Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Our Forests' Fate on the Line: Support Option 3 Margaret Pennington | |
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Please add your voice to those calling for strong forest protections in the Sonoma County General Plan (Option 3). The Citizen's Advisory Committee has recommended strong forest protections, (although the Planning Commission was unable to come to that consensus recommendation). Thanks to the efforts of forest supporters, the Supervisors are beginning to recognize the importance of protecting Sonoma County forests. We're not finished yet, but we're in the home stretch. The Supervisors will make their final decision on August 23. We will need every forest supporter to attend that hearing, and to tell their supervisor that they demand the strongest forest protections in the General Plan. Please tell Supervisors Brown, Smith, Kelley, and Kerns to join Supervisor Reilly in supporting the meaningful forest protections of Option3. At this point, it appears that a Sierra Club lawsuit has been able to delay or stop three forest conversion projects on Little Creek. We need to take satisfaction in this victory. Also we have initiated a legal challenge to the nearby 90-acre Campbell conversion recently approved by CDF. Our objective is to force preparation of an EIR that includes cumulative impacts on the coastal area for each conversion. Meanwhile, William Hill is proceeding with the mammoth 19,000 acre Preservation Ranch development. This huge project will permanently convert 1900 acres of coastal Sonoma County forest to vineyards as part of a broader development scheme. In addition to the forest conversions, this speculative land development project will put vineyards on many acres of grasslands and oak woodlands for which no conversion permit is necessary. We must oppose this massive project at every opportunity. The Sierra Club will continue to work to persuade the CalPERS retirement fund to withdraw their financial support of this environmentally destructive project. |
Two pieces of the Preservation Ranch project have already been started. The bulldozers are rolling and trees are falling in order to build reservoirs and vineyards. The Sierra Club supports agriculture, but not at the cost of destroying forests. The Sierra Club will continue to use every tool to fight the conversion of natural lands to vineyards, but we need your help. What You Can Do: Attend Sonoma County Board of Supervisors hearing and support Option 3, which provides the strongest protection for our forests: Tuesday Aug 23, 2005
Your generous contribution will allow the Redwood Chapter to pursue the legal challenges and public education necessary to stop this destruction. Contributions to the "Sierra Club Foundation" are tax deductible. Contributions to "Sierra Club" can be used more flexibly, but are not tax deductible. Future generations should never wonder why we're called the "Redwood Empire". For more information, visit: www.redwood.sierraclub.org/sonoma, www.rrraul.org or www.gualalariver.org. |