Margaret Pennington
Redwood Chapter Chair

First off, I want to extend a big thank you to all our members who have so generously replied to this year's annual fund appeal letter. Your contributions make the work of the local Sierra Club possible. As an example, last year and again this year, thanks to your donations, we were able to support with dollars and volunteer energy the Peregrine Audubon/Trout Unlimited initiated Water Rights Petition to the State Water Board and follow-on Collaborative Process to Create New Solutions for Central Coast Water Use. I know that's quite a mouthful, but in short the Petition and Collaborative Process are aimed at finding a way to deal with the rapid expansion of unauthorized ponds and diversions in our region that are having such a negative impact on public trust resources such as fisheries, wildlife and their habitat. Thanks again for your dollars which make this type of work on the part of our local Club possible.

Thanks also to Jana Selph, Sonoma Group Treasurer and Chapter Finance Committee member who has done such a fantastic job coordinating our annual fund appeal this year.

Club Roots

I recently had the great pleasure of spending a week camping in Yosemite Valley. Although I've been on a few treks to Yosemite's high country in recent years, it had been awhile since I'd seen "The Valley", so with all the rain and snow this winter it seemed like this would be the perfect spring for a return visit. It was.

I imagine that Yosemite casts its wondrous spell on every traveler fortunate enough to spend even the smallest amount of time there - but for me, ever since I joined the Sierra Club, a trip to Yosemite brings with it, also, a feeling something akin to returning home. I think that's because the Sierra Club itself grew out of a shared vision held by John Muir, William le Conte and other Club founders - a vision of protecting this most special of places so that future generations (like you and me) would be guaranteed the opportunity of experiencing its magic. It's as if the Club's roots are embedded in Yosemite soil. You see it in our logo - the giant sequoia growing up out of the valley floor surrounded by Half-Dome and El Capitan. So I found myself wandering the valley trails, not only captivated at every turn by Yosemite's inexpressible, indescribable beauty; but also enthralled by a sense of the passionate devotion to preserving our natural heritage that Yosemite had inspired in Sierra Club's founders - a passionate devotion that is, in its essence, the heart and soul of the Sierra Club.

More Inspiration from Yosemite

I also came away from Yosemite inspired in another way. Many people express concern about today's Valley experience. They say it's too crowded, too paved, too commercial, etc. It may be all those things, but it also offers an interesting model in transit oriented development (TOD). Once you arrive in the Valley there is little reason to ever get back into a car. Everything you need is within walking or biking distance - or, if not, you can easily hop on a hybrid shuttle bus. One evening, while riding the shuttle, I overheard a young man announce to his friends that this was the fist time he had ever been on a bus - any bus. I thought to myself, "What a great introduction to public transportation!" I wondered if people experiencing this TOD model - at least some of them - would return home (as I did) with a desire to find ways to build more walking, biking and public transportation into their everyday lives.

Closing the circle with the Joe Rodota Trail - John Muir - and the power of Vision

Upon returning home to Sonoma County I really wanted to keep riding my bike. I found myself yearning for those safe (separated) bike paths that circled the Valley. I hadn't been on the Joe Rodota Trail for several years, so I decided to hop on it and see how far it would take me (starting in Sebastopol, heading east.) To my great delight I discovered that I could ride all the way to Railroad Square in downtown Santa Rosa - and then just a short trek down Wilson St./Cleveland Avenue dropped me at the new Sonoma County Environmental Center (55 Ridgway Drive, Suite A).

Just a week later the Sierra Club received an invitation in the mail to attend the dedication of the completion of the bridge that connects the Joe Rodota Trail and Prince Memorial Greenway (essentially connecting communities all the way from Sebastopol to downtown Santa Rosa.) Sierra Club was specifically on the list of invitees because we had donated a large sum of money to help build this section of the trail and would be receiving a certificate of thanks at the dedication ceremony. (This money was received as part of a settlement in the Market Place lawsuit and was to be used to help provide transportation alternatives in and around downtown Santa Rosa.) With my new found enthusiasm for the bikeway I was glad to attend the dedication.

Several speakers noted that this bike/pedestrian trail had been many years in the making and would never have been completed had it not been for the shared vision, held by so many individuals and groups, of creating a safe and healthy transportation alternative that connects communities. The bridge section of the Joe Rodota Trail connects with Prince Memorial Greenway and makes a loop trail that continues on to Forestville. So, in my mind it kind of closes a circle, but it is also part of another circle: the repeated theme of shared vision by a group of dedicated individuals leading to success. Whether it is trail advocates in Sonoma County in the late 20th/early 21st century or wild legacy advocates for Yosemite in the late 19th/early 20th century ­ the common thread is achieving success by holding a shared vision and working steadfastly toward it.

This reminds me that although I can make an individual change, such as riding my bike to Santa Rosa and thereby reducing my personal carbon footprint, I am really only able to make that change (novice and timid bike-rider that I am) because of the people who worked together in community to bring about their shared vision of bike-trails. This further reminds me that although individual behavior changes (like more bike-riding) can help to clear the air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (and provide a healthy and fun transportation alternative), individual change alone will not be enough to bring about the scope of change needed to deal with human-caused aspects of climate change. The scale of the problem requires choices and changes on a larger, policy level. That type of change, from creating and implementing community bike path plans to raising fuel efficiency standards to establishing greenhouse gas emission caps, will only happen when people with a shared vision of the virtues of a society that is no longer dependent on fossil fuels join together to make that vision a reality.

I hope you'll read Ten Ways to Save Money at the Pump, submitted by the Sonoma Group Climate Protection Subcommittee for ideas about things individuals alone as well as people working together can do to reign in our greenhouse gas emissions. One way to work together is to get involved with your local Sierra Club. For more information contact any of the leaders listed in the Directory - including me. I'd love to hear from you.