Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Sonoma Group Report Peter Ashcroft | |
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Congratulations to our re-elected ExCom members, and especially newly-elected Roni Jacobi. This election is a reminder that the Sierra Club is a very democratic organization, but that it only functions well when the members participate by volunteering, running for office, and voting. There is no more sure road to adulation, enlightenment, and personal satisfaction than to join the Sonoma Group Conservation Committee. We meet at 5:00 on the first Monday of the Month at the Environmental Center, and we invite you to join us. Recapping 2003, we had a few successes. Notably, we succeeded in our grassroots campaign to convince the General Plan Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC) to recommend the strongest alternative for protecting forests from conversion to vineyards, (also known as Option 3). Option 3 is a rare opportunity to protect 194,000 acres of Sonoma County forest. This recommendation is a great victory for forest protection, but the victory will not be secure until the Supervisors ratify the CAC recommendation later this year. Expect to hear more about this campaign as it ramps up in the future. You know how important that is, but so do those who profit by clear cutting, fragmenting and permanently destroying forests. We expect strong opposition to Option 3 as the Supervisor's decision draws nearer, and we'll be counting on your support. Environmental opposition to a proposed casino on Highway 37 may have succeeded in protecting that location, but at the cost of threatening a different part of the County. The currently proposed casino outside Rohnert Park may impact endangered species such as the Tiger Salamander, may exacerbate traffic congestion, and raises unanswered questions about water supply and wastewater disposal. Because the proposed casino |
falls outside the Rohnert Park Urban Growth Boundary, it would not be permitted if it were any other enterprise. Unfortunately the casino is not constrained by state and local land use regulation. The Sierra Club has a responsibility to spotlight these environmental threats and we will continue to do so. Late in 2003, the Sonoma County Water Agency stripped the vegetation from several local creeks, (vegetation that in some cases had been painstakingly planted and cultivated for years in order to provide cooling shade for the water and for steelhead). Public outcry, including that of the Sierra Club, appears to have prompted changes in SCWA practices, but we'll be carefully monitoring the agency in the future. If the SCWA has reformed its practices, the Sierra Club deserves credit for salvaging some silver lining from what was otherwise a disastrous event. As we head into 2004, the centerpiece of our political efforts will be the election of Noreen Evans to replace Pat Wiggins in the State Assembly. Noreen Evans has distinguished herself on the Santa Rosa City Council as a voice for environmental protection and we enthusiastically support her. Pat Wiggins has endorsed Noreen Evans, but Noreen needs your support if she is to win the primary election in March. Rather than mere moral support, she could really use your contributions of time and money. |