Santa Lucian • June 20131

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The official newsletter of the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club • San Luis Obispo County, California

SantaLucian

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d ePaso’s sinking feeling 2

Up the creek in Cambria 4

No Spanish Springs! 5

How to invest clean 6

Nukes not needed 9

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

Please recycle

This newsletter printed on100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-

based inks

June 2013Volume 50 No. 6

Santa LucianSanta Lucia Chapter of the Sierra ClubP. O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

In order for the Chapter to meet ourbasic obligations, (rent, utilities,printing, and paying our sole part-timestaffer), we need at least 300 membersto go to www.santalucia.sierraclub.org,click the “Donate” button, and sign upfor an automatic contribution of atleast $20 per month. Alternatively, you can set up amonthly donation with your bankusing a monthly bank check. Theservice, called Bill Pay, is free toanyone with a bank account. All youneed to give the bank besides yourown account info is the date on whichyou want the check sent every month,and the name and address of theperson or business you want it sent to.(Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, SanLuis Obispo, CA 93406). Since our “20 from 300” campaignbegan in January, our generousmembers have gotten us nearly 42% ofthe way toward our goal of theequivalent of $20 per month from 300people. Onward!

- page 6

IntractableState Parks’ Off-Highway Vehicledivision is still tryingto buy the La GrandeTract, the Countyland in the OceanoDunes. The Countyshould still say no.

On April 15, the Grover Beach CityCouncil voted to send a letter to theCounty Board of Supervisors support-ing for the sale of the 584-acre parcelof County-owned land in the OceanoDunes State Vehicular Recreation Areaknown as the La Grande Tract, and theallocation of funds in the next statebudget to allow the Off-HighwayVehicle Division of State Parks tomake the purchase. The City agreed to send the letterafter Mayor Debbie Peterson wasapproached by Diana Perez, a memberof the state Off-Highway MotorVehicle Recreation Commission. Perezspent the first two months of this yearmeeting and calling Peterson and otherlocal elected officials, with an empha-sis on those members of the board ofthe Air Pollution Control Districtknown to be hostile to the APCD’sdust control rule, passed by a majorityvote over the vocal objections of StateParks and the off-road recreationalcommunity. At the March 23 meeting of theOHMVR Commission, Perez said she“would like to see the opportunity topurchase the La Grande Tract.” StateParks staff replied that funds which theOHV Division has previously appro-priated to purchase the land will expirein June, but they are working toreappropriate funds for that purpose inthe next fiscal year. We have told the Board that the saleof the La Grande Tract is not a course

of action the county should contem-plate pursuing at any time in the nearfuture. The California Department of Parksand Recreation has permitted ORV useon the La Grande Tract since it enteredinto a lease and operating agreementwith San Luis Obispo County in 1982.Consistent with the Coastal Act, in1981 the County submitted a draftLocal Coastal Program to the Califor-nia Coastal Commission for review.After a series of negotiations, theCommission certified the County’sLand Use Plan in 1984. South CountyCoastal Planning Area Standards,which contain portions of the County’sLCP, contain specific standards for thedevelopment and operation of theODSVRA. The two area standards of particularrelevance are:

Lakes) shall be limited to theSand Highway west to the sandybeach. This will minimizeconflict with the Dune LakeProperties to the east and theState Department of Parks andRecreation Dune Preserve to thenorth. The map of ORV use areas

DUNES continued on page 10

and

4. General Development Plan[for ODSVRA] shall be revisedin accordance with the LocalCoastal Plan (LCP).

9. ORV use shall be permittedonly in identified unfencedvehicular use area. These areasare identified in Figure 4. NoORV use will be allowed in thedesignated natural areas. Thesebuffer areas reflect areas requiredfor habitat protection. ORV useis prohibited in vegetated areas.ORV use of the county heldportion (generally lying betweenthe sandy beach and Dune

20 from 300

your chanceto go solar

this summer!

2Santa Lucian • June 2013

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EDITOR

Greg McMillanLindi DoudLinda SeeleyThomas A. CyrEDITORIAL COMMITTEE

The Santa Lucian is published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental information andletters to the editor are welcome. Thedeadline for each issue is the 13th of theprior month.

send to:

Editor, Santa Lucianc/o Santa Lucia Chapter, Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.sierraclub8@gmail.com

Santa Lucia Chapter

2013 Executive Committee Greg McMillan (12/13) CHAIRPat Veesart (12/13) VICE CHAIRLinda Seeley (12/13) SECRETARYPatrick McGibney (12/14) MEMBERLindi Doud (12/14) MEMBERMichael Jencks (12/14) MEMBERVictoria Carranza (12/15) MEMBER

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERSLindi Doud, Patrick McGibney TREASURERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Michael JencksConservation Sue HarveyMembership Cal FrenchNuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

Other Leaders

Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Outings Joe Morris dpj1942@earthlink.netCanoe/Kayak openWebmaster Monica Tarzier monica@tarzier.orgTrail Guide Gary Felsman

Chapter Director Andrew Christie 805-543-8717 sierraclub8@gmail.com

Andrew Christiesierraclub8@gmail.com

beckers@thegrid.net

Printed by University Graphic Systems

Office hours Monday-Friday,12 p.m.- 6 p.m., 974 Santa RosaStreet, San Luis Obispo

The Executive Committee meetsthe second Monday of every monthat 5:30 p.m., and the ConservationCommittee meets the secondFriday at 1p.m. at the chapter office,located at 974 Santa Rosa St., SanLuis Obispo. All members arewelcome to attend.

Coordinator Kim Ramos, Admin and Development kimlramos@yahoo.com

Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Denny MynattPRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

Sierra Club, PO Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041

2500

The Supervisors are in ahole. Will they keep digging?

Judgment Day forthe Paso Basin

PASO continued on page 4

We are about to find out who canactually get serious about the PasoRobles Groundwater Basin and whocan’t. Here’s what “getting serious” wouldlook like: an urgency ordinancerestricting the expansion of irrigatedagriculture (aka big vineyards) and/orthe proliferation of the huge ag pondsthat vineyards use for frost control,and any other measures that willsquarely address the issue of the newpumping of ag water out of a ground-water basin that’s in distress. Here’s what “getting serious” wouldnot look like: more voluntary “bestmanagement practices” suggestions,low-interest loans to drill more anddeeper wells, waived County fees forpermits to drill more/deeper wells,green-lighting big infrastructureprojects that won’t be delivering anywater until ten years from now, theexpression of the hope that the StateWater Project might someday deliver100 percent of its promised alloca-tions, or hey ask your neighbor totruck some of his surplus water over toyour place. And here, based on their contribu-tions to the discussion thus far, are thepeople who don’t sound like they areprepared to get serious: CountySupervisors Frank Mecham, PaulTexiera, and Debbie Arnold. It has been painful to watch theboard majority struggle to come togrips — or avoid coming to grips —with an issue for which any realresolution cannot help but impact thebiggest economic power in the county,and thereby cannot help negativelyimpacting the reelection campaigntreasuries of all three of the Board’sbusiness conservatives. Reining in BigGrape before 6,000 wells of residentialparcel owners over the Paso basin allrun dry does not look like a priority forthese three, who have perhaps neverhad to face a real-world outcome oftheir economic and political philoso-phy that presents such a high degree ofdiscomfort and lack of wiggle room. “We are starkly confronted with thetragedy of the commons,” saidSupervisor Bruce Gibson at theBoard’s May 7 meeting, referring tothe phenomenon whereby a publiclyowned resource is widely plunderedbut is no one’s responsibility. “There’sreality and there’s the acceptance ofreality. We need to get to the accep-tance of this reality and we need to doit quick.” The meeting was heavily attended byrural landowners incredulous in theface of the surest sign of unacceptedreality: more vineyards are beingplanted over the basin, with still morein the pipeline. Diane Jackson of the grassrootsresidents’ group Pro-Water Equity,noted that “the situation has becometerrifying,” and pointed out theobvious: the absentee “big pumpers”who run the largest wineries are theproblem. “Owning property in PasoRobles is like being on the Titanic,except we’re not heading for aniceberg, we’re headed for a dustbowl,” she said. “It’s time to choosehuman life over 30,000 acres ofgrapes.”

Sue Harvey of North CountyWatch pointed out that vineyards use70 percent of the water consumedannually in the basin — which worksout to 2.3 acre feet per year, not the 1acre foot the vineyards claim –- andchallenged the Board to take steps to“show in good faith that you’regoing to protect the rural residentialland owner.” Those steps wouldinclude flow meters, an urgencymoratorium on the expansion ofirrigated agriculture, and a morato-rium on wells over five inches indiameter. Harvey pointed out that theright to water of the 18-25,000residents of the affected area issuperior to the right of ag operations.(California Water Code Section 106:“It is hereby declared to be theestablished policy of this State thatthe use of water for domesticpurposes is the highest use of waterand that the next highest use is forirrigation.”) Only one tea-partying gentlemanturned up to warn everyone about thevast Agenda 21 conspiracy that popsup at every public meeting (this timein the context of “water confisca-tion” as part of a plot to depopulatehalf the North American land mass).Others asserted that there must bemore water somewhere, we shouldsomehow be able to recharge thebasin, streams are not being allowedto flow into the basin, etc. Public Works Director PaavoOgren and the Blue Ribbon Ground-water Basin committee like to talkabout a ten-mile underground pipefrom Lake San Antonio to Nacimi-ento, or piping Santa Margarita Lakewater over the backside of the lake,dumping it into the Huer Huero, andthen capturing it north of Pasobeyond the point where the Estrellaand the Huer Huero come into theSalinas. Anything to avoid livingwithin our means. Gibson, who rightly zeroed in onthe real issue — demand manage-ment — tagged this wishful thinking,saying “we’re not going to supplyour way out of this problem.” Mecham reiterated his belief that“there’s no water problem, it’sinfrastructure” – i.e. we just needmore pipes to bring water in fromsomeplace else, and this is “not likesomething we haven’t experienced inthe past” – because, you know,droughts. After mistakenly equating adrought with the permanent deple-tion and contamination of a ground-water basin, Mecham dog-whistledhis base with some of the impres-sionistic free-association scattingthat has become his trademark,saying he was concerned about “theland-use hammer that we seem towant to be so progressive trying toput on things.” Mecham had previ-ously demonstrated Olympian levelsof unseriousness about the Pasobasin at the Board’s Sept. 25, 2012,meeting, in a Who’s-on-first?exchange with Gibson that wereproduced for the edification of ourreaders (See “What Shark?,” Nov./

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Santa Lucian • June 20133

The Least Known UnknownBy Ralph Bishop, Nipomo Creek Dogs

I’ve heard a lot of debate pointsconcerning fracking the MontereyShale, but the most powerful andfoundational one, based on irrefutablefact, has not been offered. Unlike other areas in the countrythat have relatively stable geologicalformations overlying product strata,our geological province, from the SanAndreas Fault westward, is unique, asis its attending profound seismicjeopardy. Our bedrock foundationexists as an active crushing pointwhere two major tectonic platescollide. Our bedrock foundation iscomposed of a chaotic wreckage oftwisted and shattered geological shardsof once-stable formations known as“terranes” or individual rock units thatare three dimensional in nature anddescend to great depths in this mantle. Between each terrane are intercon-nected fissures that can and do act asconduits for fluid (oil, water) transferas well as gas volatiles, and have agreat influence on aquifer develop-ment. These fissures not only existalong main trending faults such as theSan Andreas or the Nacimiento thathas caused the uplift of our SantaLucia range. Because of the angle atwhich the unrelenting force of thePacific plate abuts the North Americanplate, there are multitudes of trans-verse faults that run off of and betweentrending faults at every conceivableangle, multiplying fluid transferconduits geometrically in numbersbeyond comprehension. Our coast does not move as a singleunit. Each of the many terranes canand do move independently of oneanother. It is when one of these

terranes jams during our inexorableseismic creep that pressure builds andsnaps, causing an earthquake.Whether creep or quake, this move-ment maintains fissures as viableconduits for fluid transfer. A case in point: When the Cayucosearthquake rattled the Nacimientofault, new sulfur springs erupted inPaso Robles; springs dried up andsome wells once fresh turned sulfu-rous miles from the epicenter in alateral or transverse direction. Giventhis reality, if Huasna were fracked,could fluid transfer through intercon-nected fissures reach Pismo Beach,San Luis Obispo, or active hot springsat Avila Beach? Will any of the chemical elementsinvolved in fracking combine withsulfur molecules? This would allowthose chemicals to be absorbedthrough your skin while lolling inAvila’s hot tubs. Can the frackers legitimately denythe geological jeopardy unique to ourshattered and active plate boundary?Given the creep and quake thatconstantly affect our extant geologicalwreckage, can the oil companiesassure us that their vertical andhorizontal hydraulic fracturing willnot be prone to a high degree offailure – failures that will taint what isleft of our rapidly over-draftingaquifers? A few years ago, I produced aphoto-documented report on theseismic setting of Diablo Canyon thatrelates directly to this issue. “DiabloCanyon Area: Seismic Hazard of theGeological Bedrock” was a photo-graphic day tour from Avila Beach,over See Canyon and on to Montanade Oro. I urge anyone concerned with

the fracking issue to take this tour andsee with your own eyes the chaoticnature of our local geological founda-tion, where the Monterey shale isprominently exposed. You candownload the report at santalucia.sierraclub.org/documents/diablo%20canyon20area.pdf, free of charge. I do not have an ideological aversionto responsible oil production; however,given the unassailable reality of oursubterranean foundation, commonsense demands I question the wisdomof fracking our active plate boundary. The Western Petroleum Associationhas said that fracking regulationshould take place at State level.Because water has become our mostdiminished resource, already pollutedand in serious overdraft, my sugges-tion is to take your concerns to theState Water Board using our uniquegeology as a foundational debatepoint. On two occasions, Mr. DanielDiaz and I, average citizens withminimal funds, disposable camerasand no computer skills, took legitimateconcerns to the Water Board andprevailed. In the case of the abusiveuse and inappropriate disposal ofagricultural drip tubing and attendantchemical pollution, our photo-documented report changed ourregional regulations with great successon the ground today. Our second success came when weconfronted Conoco concerning theirlarge oil spill under Nipomo Creek.Using the same photo-documentationprocedure (spending only $300), weforced them to live up to their legalliability and clean up the creek. Certainly there are more than twoold average citizens here who areconcerned about fracking, with better

cameras and advanced computer skills– including the youthful exuberance ofCal Poly students (what a greateducational project!) who couldreproduce our success. One final suggestion: Never fudgethe truth. The truth has no agenda! Theflame of truth will consume all butitself! And pray to the Spirit of WatersPast.

The Santa Lucia Chapter of the SierraClub has given the Kathleen GoddardJones award to Club outings leader andSLO resident Carlos Diaz-Saavedra inhonor of his longtime commitment ofservice to the Club. The Kathleen Goddard Jones Awardwas established by the founder of theSanta Lucia chapter. Known as “TheLady of the Dunes,” Jones exemplifiedenvironmental action in her fierce lovefor and protection of the NipomoDunes in the 1960s. The award is givenannually to a chapter volunteer whosecontributions reflect her values. “Part of the Sierra Club’s primarymission is to get people out into nature,and this year we felt it was time tobestow our highest honor on one of ourmembers who has been doing thatcontinuously in this county for overtwenty years,” said Chapter Chair GregMcMillan. “When it comes to gettingpeople outdoors, and creating andmaintaining the trails that make thatpossible, Carlos Diaz-Saavedra is in aclass by himself.” Diaz-Saavedra moved to SLO fromConnecticut in 1989, and found SierraClub hikes a great way to get out andsee his new home and make newfriends. He became a Sierra ClubOutings leader in 1992. “Once I started leading hikes, I foundthat it really is a pleasure to take peopleto these beautiful places and show them

these treasures we have in and nearour county,” he said. “It is gratifyingto hear the appreciation that peopleexpress during and after the hike forhaving volunteered to take them tothese places, with interesting peopleto socialize with.” Trail maintenance work andbuilding new trails soon followednaturally. “I like to improve on thingsand I usually don’t mind hard work,”he said. “It is in my nature to help forthe benefit of others. I know thatthese are many of the same peoplethat I lead hikes for. There is a strongsense of accomplishment after havingbettered the path for them to use.” Those who sign up for Carlos’ trailwork crews quickly learn the lan-guage of waterbars, grade dips,switchbacks, culverts and crib walls,not to mention whips, lopping shears,bow saws, two-man crosscut sawsand Pulaskis (a double-headed ax/hoe.) The main focus of trail work is toprovide a relatively flat pathway ondirt or rock to prevent water fromwashing the trail away, and to preventgravity, animals and people fromdisplacing the flat dirt tread. “I am humbled to think that I havemade any contribution to the benefitof the Chapter that would be worthyof an award with Mrs. Jones’ name onit,” said Carlos. “I know of her

reputation as an environmental activistwho dedicated herself to causes suchas preserving the Guadalupe-NipomoDunes. I am grateful to those whodevote time to such often challenging

Sierra Club Outings Leader Wins K.G. Jones Award

efforts, and I know that others sharethe same appreciation.” The Santa Lucia Chapter’s monthlyoutings can be accessed atwww.santalucia.sierrraclub.org.

The high seismic jeopardy of fracking our Monterey shale

4Santa Lucian • June 2013

April 13, 2013Hand-delivered

Dear Congresswoman Capps,

Thank you for your work and for being aU.S. Representative for whom I feel genuineadmiration.

Today I am seeking you out to implore youto direct the capacities of your office to helpstop the further entry of mercury and to cleanup its legacy deposits in the beautiful, butimperiled, Santa Rosa Creek in Cambria. Asyou know, inorganic mercury (Hg) canbecome a potent bioaccumulative neurotoxinwhich can have lethal consequences whentransformed into organic methylmercury. Iwas stunned to learn of its so far un-remediated presence in the SR Creekwatershed. This leaves an opening for the Hgto be converted by sediment bacteria into thetoxic bioavailable methylmercury form.

Some background:

The Oceanic mercury mine and mill operated intermittently into the 1940’s. They are above CurtiCreek just a short distance from where Curti converges with Santa Rosa Creek -- a mere 7 miles upcreek from Cambria’s glorious coast and near shore waters...the southern end of The Monterey BayNational Marine Sanctuary.

The mine/mill produced about 2.8 million pounds of liquid mercury -- quicksilver -- in eras whenenvironmental safeguards were unknown.

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board ( CCRWQCB) did some study of the areain the early 90s. An order for clean-up was issued by the RWQCB in the late 90s. It has not beenacted on or enforced to date.

Astounded and frustrated by this state of affairs, I did some testing of sediment in the SR creekmyself-some of it with support from the Santa Lucia chapter of the Sierra Club. The levels ofmercury I found ranged from 120 parts per billion at the Main St. Bridge up to 554 ppb at the mouthof the creek. (170 ppb is designated as level for threshold effects for aquatic life, per the Santa RosaCreek Watershed Management Plan.)

Right now, the largely federally funded bridge replacement over SR Creek at that same Main St. hasthe potential to aggravate the mercury situation by disturbing legacy Hg deposits in creek sediments,possibly degrading both surface and groundwater quality. The Regional Board required mercurytesting for the project, just done in January and March of 2013. They found -- at deeper levels than Itested -- anywhere from 2x to more than 25x more Hg than I did back in 2009. The NEPA Environmental Assessment process which should have assessed the Hg potential foradverse effects was put aside by Caltrans, which gave the project a Categorical Exclusion (CE) -- which I believe is not permissible because SR Creek is federally designated “Critical Habitat” forsteelhead, let alone the possible public health implications. Caltrans maintains that their CE issufficient.

There’s much more that’s gone on and I havemore detail and documentation for everythingif your office contacts me.

So one issue is the urgent need for mine andmill remediation, and the time seems rightgiven that EPA is working on the other side ofthe coast range to deal with the Klau andBuena Vista mine problems near Templeton/Paso Robles.

The other is fully assessing/deferring on thebridge project that could aggravate thesituation. The Main St. bridge is structurallyquite adequate -- it is safe for use now and intothe future until remedies for the SR Creekdilemma are found, funded and implemented.

I invite you to do the right thing here and toattend to something that you likely have notbeen told of, but as a health-oriented person,you will appreciate the need for addressingthis matter. I would gladly volunteer to helpyour office in any way possible to get the aidto Santa Rosa Creek/watershed that it needs toheal!

Thank you for your time and kind attention.

Sincerely,

Lynne HarkinsCambria

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Mercury RisingIt’s now known that there’s something nasty in Santa Rosa Creek. It would begood to know how much, and how bad.

Dec. 2012). The push to establish a groundwatermanagement district that would becontrolled by the largest landowners –with voting power determined by thevalue of land holdings – got supportfrom the obvious sectors. North County Watch notes that“there appears to be a well-orches-trated push to form a California WaterDistrict, [in which] voting rights arebased on one vote for each dollar ofassessed valuation. North CountyWatch continues to raise the issue ofthe rights of the rural residential userbecause we have not heard anythingthat would give comfort to thethousands of rural residential users asto how their rights and concerns mightbe addressed in a California WaterDistrict.” Supervisors Hill and Gibsonproposed an “urgency ordinance” thatwould address expansion of irrigatedag or restrict the proliferation of hugeag ponds – looking to “staunch thebleeding for a year or two while long-term measures are considered.” Supervisor Arnold dismissed this as“leap-frogging ahead” and made amotion that the County just suspendfees for well drilling and look intolow-interest loans to allow residents todrill ever deeper wells. Hill said the Board needed to “showrural residents we’ve exploredeverything within our power.” Gibsonpressed to “explore what else thisboard might do,” and pointed tomultiple references to the possibility ofenacting urgency ordinances in theBlue Ribbon committee’s report. Pressed by Gibson and Hill, Ogrensaid he realized that the menu ofoptions he was expected to come upwith will include urgency land useordinances, even though Mecham,

Pasocontinued from page 2

Arnold and Texiera could not actuallybring themselves to say so. Hill said “I’m not sure that we’resending them away utterly convincedthat we’ve done everything in ourpower.” Gibson repllied “I think the questionmight be rephrased ‘Are we sendingthem away [asking] have we doneanything?’ Have we made use of allthe land use authority that this boardhas at our disposal?” All this set the stage for the date(tentatively June 18, but more likelysometime in August) when PublicWorks staff will come back to theboard with a full suite of options andrecommendations, and the boardmajority will have to decide, rightthere in public, what they’re going todo. And if they don’t want to pass anurgency land use ordinance, they aregoing to have to phrase their failure todo so in such a way that they don’tlook like they’re in the pocket of BigGrape and are not telling the owners of6,000 rapidly depleting residentialwells to drop dead because the bigmoney wants to keep the party goingand the tap open until there’s nothingleft. It should be an interesting meeting.

“Owning property in PasoRobles is like being on theTitanic, except we’re notheading for an iceberg,we’re headed for a dustbowl. It’s time to choosehuman life over 30,000acres of grapes.”

Santa Lucian • June 20135

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsi-bility, sponsored by the Santa LuciaChapter, has received a Sierra ClubActivist Network grant of $2,000 torecruit new leaders on California’snuclear power issues.. The Alliance has been testifying atthe Public Utilities Commissionhearings on the proposed restart of thebeleaguered San Onofre reactors, andis sponsoring a Sierra Club-supportedbill in the state legislature addressingrelicensing costs. “Addressing theeconomics of nuclear power is notpreempted by federal authority, and wehope this legislation will provide atemplate and precedent for other stateswith aging reactors,” said A4NRExecutive Director Rochelle Becker. The Alliance plans to recruit andtrain ten new leaders from key OrangeCounty, San Diego and San LuisObispo reactor communities, and focuson the economic impacts of nuclearpower. Working to develop informedactivists as well as training others toenhance their lobbying skills willprovide a challenge, as the base ofsupport for opposition to nuclearpower has not traditionally focused on

Sierra Club Awards Organizing Funds to Alliance for NuclearResponsibility and Santa Lucia Chapter

economic issues. Recruits will learnhow to craft arguments to address andengage potentially nontraditional alliessuch as chambers of commerce, Rotarygroups and unions. The Alliance will be in ongoingcommunication with the Sierra Club’sNo Nukes Team and post regularly onthe Club’s Activist Network onlinecommunity. The Sierra Club’s ActivistNetwork supports projects thatpromote collaborative volunteeractivity, empower Sierra Club mem-bers to act on behalf of environmentalcauses, and increase capacity forregional and national grassrootsaction. Projects must be national orregional in scope. Proposals areencouraged from Chapters or Teamsworking to engage non-traditionalconstituencies such as youth, faith,labor, low income, or businesscommunities. All proposals mustinclude volunteer engagement andleadership development along withmeasurable benefits to the environ-ment. The laser-like focus of the Alliancefor Nuclear Responsibility on a singlestrategy and a single goal has yielded

an impressive roster ofachievements over the years, allthe more impressive whenmeasured against its modestresources. That record ofactivism and achievement, andAlliance co-founder RochelleBecker’s work on the SierraClub’sNational Radiation Committeeand Nuclear Power Task Forceand as chair of the Santa LuciaChapter’s Diablo Canyon TaskForce, is the reason why theChapter bestowed our Foundersaward on Ms. Becker, andCongresswoman Lois Cappsawarded her a Congressionalcertificate of recognition.National Sierra Club bestowedthe 2007 Environmental Allianceaward on Becker in recognitionof her capacity to build alliancesand promote community under-standing of the need to decommissionnuclear power as part of our transitionto a renewable energy economy. Fewgroups in the nation are as completelyaligned with the Sierra Club’s policyon nuclear energy, and are as

passionately and effectively dedicatedto the implementation of that policy. We congratulate the Alliance forNuclear Responsibility on its award ofa Sierra Club Activist Network grantto carry on their excellent work.

The other nuclear waste The Alliance forNuclear Responsibility knows the nuclear industry’sweakest point.

6Santa Lucian • June 2013

“Fear not, till Birnam woodDo come to Dunsinane.”

- Wm. Shakespeare, Macbeth

By REAP (Ratepayers for Ecologi-cally Aligned Power)

PG&E engaged in the heedless,unpermitted destruction of scores ofmature, healthy and geneticallyimportant Monterey pine trees inCambria’s Lodge Hill area in 2009. Now PG&E is looking for anafter-the-fact permit and approval forhaving planted 300 Monterey pineseedlings well north of the rest of theforest. This is purported mitigation forits act of destruction of this rare forestecosystem. Moving the forest out ofthe watershed — “1.5 miles northeastof the community of Cambria” — asa convenience for PG&E ignores theneed for a full environmental reviewof the cumulative impacts of PG&E’sroutine maintenance. You might wonder: “Why did PG&Ekill the pines?” PG&E claimed thosetrees might be a future hazard to theirwires; a “reliability” risk — nodiscussion, no proof of that claim, nopublic input; they just sent in thebooms and chainsaws. Workers andtank-treaded equipment were importedfrom Fresno to Placerville to makequick work of bringing down thosepines in the interests of PG&E’s futurebottom line. It was the corporatem.o. that would later press for anequally heedless destruction of marinelife and habitat through PG&E’s ill-conceived high-energy seismic survey. Fortunately, the Coastal Commissiongot there first, and disaster wasaverted. But before the Coastal Commissionintervened on behalf of the CambriaMonterey Pine Forest back in thesummer of 2009 — after the SLOCounty Enforcement Officer toldcallers that he knew about the actionand stated (falsely) that it was apermitted activity — the forest wassuffused with the smell of the sap thatoozed from shattered pines. Themayhem was strewn all along ArdathRoad and the side streets on the way tothe ocean. Exposed grains and richhues of bark bore mute witness to falseprofits – the dispatch of chainsaws tovisit early death on these cone-bearingsky dancers. How can a nationaltreasure, one of only five remainingstands of native Pinus radiata in theworld, be routinely subjected to themutilation of PG&E’s ”regular”cutting, and then face a specialonslaught of carnage to secure someGPS’ed, virtual reality version ofa “utility wire appropriate” forest? —all with the County’s blessing and noenvironmental review required? The reality is that it is not even thecutting that makes PG&E the loomingmenace in the forest. It’s their high-wire act and its sparking sizzle thatsnakes from pole to pole throughoutthe forest, an ever-present threat of thefire that we all dread. We clear gutters,eradicate the essential forest under-story, install big water tanks and payexorbitant fire insurance premiums,while PG&E’s wires hang there. Theydeliver power — and lots of blazepotential — every minute of every day.We are always living with the risksand paying a high price for PG&E’sappetite for profits which makes them

We continue to be amazed by the number of people interested in going solarwith Sierra Club. So far this year, 288 of your neighbors have requested a solarquote from our solar partner, Sungevity. If you haven’t had a chance to request a solar quote yet, get started today. Ittakes less than 3 minutes to request your quote! Someone from Sungevity willfollow-up with you to discuss if solar is right for your home. Getting solar panels installed on your house is a great way to save money andsupport your local Sierra Club chapter. With new solar leasing options, there islittle or no upfront cost. Many customers save right from day one and savingsgrow as energy rates rise. In addition to shrinking your carbon footprint, going solar with Sungevity helpssupport Sierra Club’s work to protect California’s environment. If you get solarinstalled on your home, Sungevity will give you a $750 cash gift card and$750 to your Chapter of the Sierra Club.

See if solar is right for you today. It’s quick and easy to get started! Get your freeevaluation now at:

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by Laura Peters, Sierra Club Foundation blog

The Sierra Club Foundation, which is a publicly supported charity, makesgrants to grassroots campaigns that deliver results in the fight against climatedisruption. The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign is at the leading edge ofthis movement, having successfully defeated more than 160 coal plant proposalsin the last six years, while targeting existing coal plants for retirement andreplacement with clean energy. TSCF also funds the Sierra Club’s Beyond Oiland Beyond Natural Gas campaigns, which are focused on reducing emissionsand the effect of fossil fuels on our health, as well as the Sierra Club’s Our WildAmerica Campaign, which works to stop drilling and mining on public land. But the urgency of the climate crisis demands that we do more. A couple ofyears ago we took a hard look at our investments and decided that our investmentstrategy should be in line with the Sierra Club’s mission. We now select all of ourmutual funds using environmental, social, and governance (ESG) screens. Wehave investments in highly regarded ESG mutual funds — namely Generation,Domini, Calvert, Neuberger Berman, and Boston Common. Running investments through an ESG filter was the first phase in making sureour investments are mission-aligned, and that we get the worst actors out of ourportfolio. We are now developing a policy that more fully spells out TSCF’sdecision not to invest in fossil fuels, investing instead in funds that directlysupport clean-energy solutions. TSCF Board Chair Larry Keeshan stated: “We atthe Foundation are stewards of the money we receive to support our environmen-tal mission, especially longer-term investments and endowments. Part of thatstewardship is an investment policy that incorporates socially-responsibleinvesting with a special focus on environmental concerns.” However, TSCF will retain the minimum level of holdings required to allow usto participate in shareholder actions. As a shareholder in Spectra Energy, forinstance, Trillium Asset Management represented us on a proposal to cut fugitivemethane emissions from natural gas drilling. “Given the rapid pace of natural gas development in the U.S., it is no surprise

Don’t Move the Trees,Bury the WiresPG&E is running Cambria’s forest out of town

Bad actor The scene in Cambria’s Monterey pine forest after PG&E swept through in 2009.

Don’t miss out on the rooftop revolution!

that operators have prioritized growthover efficiency, and regulators havebeen slow to catch up,” said NatashaLamb, Vice President at Trillium AssetManagement. “The business case forstrong oversight and methane reduc-tion targets is clear. Leaking gas is asymptom of poor management systemsthat neglect shareholder value andamplify climate change.” That pro-posal received 35.5 percent of thevotes cast by the shareholders at thecompany’s annual meeting. The votefar surpasses the 3 percent thresholdthat is required by the SEC forinclusion in next year’s proxy voting. The Sierra Club — with grantsupport from The Sierra Club Founda-tion — has unmatched capacity fordirect environmental activism throughits large grassroots base, its strategiclegal actions, and its media punch. Inshort, the Club is bringing outsidepressure on an industry that needs tochange. We are complementing theseefforts by bringing inside pressure asan investor and shareholder. It’s time for an all-of-the-abovestrategy. The urgency is there. Theclimate is changing. We must useevery tactic available to us to createchange before it’s too late.

Confronting Fossil Fuelsfrom All Angles

too cheap todo the rightthing and puttheir snappingwires under-ground wherethey belong. Peoplecontinue tomeeklysuccumb tothe corporate

smoke and mirrors that make it looklike it would be a too-costly imposi-tion on PG&E for them to provide uswith truly safe and reliable power. Intruth, they now impose upon us theburdensome costs of trying to keep atbay the fury of a forest fire in Cambriathat many believe would most likelybe caused by utility wires. Ask FireChief Miller how he feels about thosewires, and where he thinks theybelong. So why wasn’t the sensible, “reli-ability” alternative of requiring PG&Eto bury their wires considered in thebelated permit that the County isfacilitating for PG&E? It would solveboth of the potential problems ofoutages from trees falling and wiresflaring. It would end the ridiculousattempt to reduce outages bygetting rid of the pine canopy. How about a “down-to-earth”solution that saves the trees and therate-payers from outages and theubiquitous threat of fire, and alsohonors the immeasurable ecologicalvitality that the pines provide. Whenthe true value of the Monterey pineecosystem as “coastal resource” isunderstood and rightly reckoned, itdwarfs any monetary considerationsabout undergrounding wires. After this after-the fact CoastalDevelopment Permit is appealed to theCounty Board of Supervisors (whereno vision or justice is expected), it willhopefully be appealable to the CoastalCommission. Let’s start there on thework of reshaping hardened, rate-payer-hostile utility practices.

Santa Lucian • June 20137

What a Party That Was

Charlie Kleemann serenades.

Many thanks:

...to Outings Chair JoeMorris for his multimediapresentation on John Muir’sYosemite, an all our volun-teers on set-up, serving andclean-up,

…to Castoro Cellars, SIPCertified Wines, andFirestone Brewery for theirdonated libations, to TraderJoe’s for donating a bag ofgoodies,

…to all who donated itemsfor the silent auction:Woody Combrink, BaysideCafé, Clays Body Pottery,Jayne Cairn Designs, Nielsand Bimmer Udsen, AnitaMarie Jewelry, Bart Alford,The Frame Shop in LosOsos, Flying M Enterprises,Thai Bounty, Captain Stew,Sub Sea Whale Watching,Humankind, Big Sky,

Apropos, Sally Loo’s, Julie Dunn, JCDJewelry, Marcie Harvey, Kayak Shack,Elly Johnson, Lani Briceland and theZulu Nyala Lodge,

…and, of course, to former ChapterChair Karen Merriam for the use of thehall.

A good time was had by all… and areally good time will be had by thetwo lucky couples who put in the win-ning bids at the silent auction on twoSouth African photo safari packagesfrom Zulu Nyala Lodge.

On May 11, the Santa Lucia Chapter’s 45th Birthday Bash fundraiser rocked the Edna Valley

Master chef Pat Veesart whips up pies andvegan pizza.

Ranchers for Peace take the stage.

Executive Committee member PatrickMcGibney makes sure all get servedwho sit and wait.

all p

hoto

s: M

icha

el J

enck

s

To their very good health:

John Muir, founder

8Santa Lucian • June 2013

Taking IssueReviewing problematic environmental coverage & commentary in our local media

PG&E states that it “expects that atsome time it will wish to express tocustomers or governments itsviews on (Community ChoiceAggregation or CCA) programsthat can only be expressedthrough an independent marketingdivision....”

Summary: PG&E’s century-old energy monopoly is feeling the heat of competition, and the utility wants to beable to nip clean, renewable local power in the bud. That means aggressive lobbying to kill off Community ChoiceAggregation (CCA), the tool that allows California cities and counties to buy and incentivize renewable energy atcompetitive rates and keep ratepayer funds in the community instead of pouring them into the coffers of an investor-owned utility.

“PG&E files to lobby against startups,” by Robert Rodgers, Contra Costa Times, reprinted in The Tribune, April 5, 2013.

The PG&Efiling is a bolddeclaration thatthey intend tobecome a“marketingutility.” Whatthis means isthat they areholding out thepossibility of mega-bucks publicmarketing campaigns designed tokill CCA programs in local com-munities. The law requires utilities to“fully cooperate” with a community’sdesire to implement CCA. But PG&E’santi-CCA marketing campaigns havebeen anything but cooperative — theyare damaging and pervasive. If PG&Eprevails, other investor-owned utilitiescould follow suit. LEAN Energy US, onbehalf os California consumers,communities and organizations whowant to protect their right to pursueCCA, has filed a protest response to thePG&E Advisory Letter.

“A local program seeking toprovide San Franciscans with theoption to purchase 100 percentrenewable energy has come under

attack by a group intertwined with California’s largest utilitycompany. An online petition posted to Change.org targets SanFrancisco’s CleanPowerSF initiative and urges petitioners to call forit to be halted. The group behind the Change.org petition and asecond one posted on Facebook is the International Brotherhood ofElectrical Workers (IBEW) 1245, a union representing Pacific Gas &Electric Co. employees. PG&E annually pumps more than 2 millionmetric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The majority of its electricityis derived from nuclear and natural gas power plants. If Clean-PowerSF manages to attract San Francisco customers who wouldprefer to power their homes with green energy, PG&E stands tolose.”

-- “PG&E union turns to Change.org to attack renewable energyprogram,” by Rebecca Bowe, SFBG Politics Blog, Jan. 30, 2013

Avila Bird Sanctuary:Flight to the FinishThe Port San Luis Harbor District and Avila Beach Community Services District havejoined the Avila Valley Advisory Council in endorsing the idea of declaring Avila Beach abird sanctuary, a la Morro Bay (see “Bird Sanctuary Taking Off,” April). The Avila BeachTourism Alliance and Avila Foundation are interested in supplying funds. Now all that’sneeded is a resolution from the Board of Supervisors.

The company “has no plans at thistime” to advertise or lobby, “but we dorealize that the evolution of the CCAis in its early stages and it’s reason-able to have options in the future.”

Last year, the San Francisco Boardof Supervisors voted to switch fromPG&E to CleanPowerSF, anotherclean energy provider.

“Just asPG&E waspledgingcooperation,it aggres-sively set out

to undermine the city’s plans with competing bids and con-

tinued its fiercely adversarial posture in another half-dozen realms in which it must work with the city, battles that have cost San Franciscans millions of dollars.”

-- “PG&E’s extreme makeover: Utilitypromises cooperation and green

power while delivering the same olddeception and big money attacks,” by

Steven T. Jones, www.sfbg.com

Marin Clean Energy haspicked up 90,000 resi-dential and commercialcustomers, and expectsto have more than120,000 by summer.

MCE procures renewableelectricity for their customers,who have the option of choosingbetween 50% renewable and 100% renewable, with manyof the same rate schedules as PG&E -- which offers lessthan 20% renewable energy (see “It’s time for thegovernment to accept spent nuclear fuel,” right) .

Upshot:: As CCA works its way to SLO, guess who is going to be“expressing its views” to its customers? Knowledge is the best defenseagainst the onslaught of misleading political mailers and “Be afraid!”saturation bombing tactics on every local TV channel that is in our future.Go to slocleanenergy.org and get hip to CCA before PG&E tries to scareyou away from it.

The County Planning Department has opened an Energy Rebate andInformation Center in the Old Courthouse in downtown SLO, at the 976Osos Street entrance. The center is located in the lobby, just outside thepermit center, and contains important information about energy efficiencyand renewable energy programs, rebates, financing options, and trainingopportunities. The information covers new and existing residential, multi-family, and commercial properties, and programs and resources available forresidential, commercial, and municipal buildings. Information on energyprograms is also available online at www.slocounty.ca.gov/planning/Energy.

How toGet anEnergyRebate

Santa Lucian • June 20139

Without the plant, Californiawould be much harderpressed to meet its ambitiousgreenhouse gas reductiongoals cost-effectively.

Less than 20% ofthe power inPG&E’s energyportfolio isrenewable energy.The other 40% in

the oft-touted “nearly 60%” figure is nuclear andlarge hydroelectric, neither of which are allowable ina Renewable Energy Portfolio. Germany has set agoal of 80% renewable energy by 2050; Denmarkand multiple European counties and cities are ontrack to meet a goal of 100 percent renewable power.PG&E is a long way from meeting “the energydemands of the future.”

Says who? Steve Berberich, CEO ofCalifornia Independent System Opera-tors, sees “tectonic changes” coming tothe energy industry, driven by theeconomics of labor and procurementcosts, upgrades of distribution, andfalling costs of distributed generation(DG) – widespread small-scale local power — enabling technologieslike energy storage, whose cost is decreasing. His view of the futurehas three phases: 1) DG grows, storage improves, biofuels expand; 2)electrification of transportation; 3) local generation predominates,with 100 percent renewables.

The plant also helps PG&Edeliver some of the cleanestenergy in the nation to ourcustomers, with nearly 60percent of our portfoliocoming from renewable orcarbon-free sources.It takes a special

kind of chutzpah tocite the “24/7”baseload stat whilethe San OnofreNuclear GeneratingStation is entering its15th month of delivering zero power to customers butcharging them anyway. That and Diablo Canyon’s longhistory of scheduled and unscheduled outages, re-fuelings,etc. aside, do we actually need 24/7 baseload powerconstantly feeding into and “stabilizing” the grid, asopposed to the variability of wind and solar power? Above,Mr. Berberich and the ISO Transmission Plan say no. AndDr. Eric Martinot of REN21 Global Futures Report urgesgoing beyond this kind of outmoded 20-year-old thinkingabout energy, saying the integration and balancing of gridrenewables is technologically possible with optionsavailable now, grid stability is no longer a challenge,nuclear is not necessary, and 100 percent renewable powerappears quite achievable in the electricity sector.

A grid reliabilityassessment wasevaluated forthe absence ofDCPP. Thisstudy determined that there was no material mid- or long-term transmission system impacts associated with theabsence of Diablo Canyon. - 2012-2013 ISO Transmission Plan, February 1, 2013

Upshot: “The overarching finding of this study is that zero-CO2 U.S. economycan be achieved within the next thirty to fifty years without the use of nuclearpower.... A zero CO2, nuclear-free economy is not only achievable, it is neces-sary for environmental protection and security.”

-- “Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy,”by Arjun Makhijani, Ph.D., Nuclear Policy Institute,

Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, 2007.

“It’s time for the government to accept spent nuclear fuel,” by Ed Halpin, The Tribune, April 24,2013.

“EPA methane report further splits opinions on fracking,” by Kevin Begos, AP, The Tribune April 29, 2013.

Summary: The EPA has lowered its estimate of how much methane -- a greenhouse gas 20 times more potentthan carbon dioxide -- natural gas production is responsible for releasing into the atmosphere. According to“an environmental group,” the EPA’s disputed report is “great news,” and means full speed ahead for fracking.

Summary: According to a PG&E senior vp, the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant can generatecheap power for as long as the federal government agrees to take care of the waste. The author scoldsthe government for failing to fully deliver on the terms of this enormous -- and thus far impossible --government subsidy that allows the nuclear industry to generate profit and not have to worry about itswaste. Thanks to the Renewables100 Policy Institute’s “Pathways to 100-Percent Renewable Energy”International Conference, held in San Francisco, April 16, 2013, and the conference notes of EdwardMainland and David McCoard, Energy-Climate Committee, CNRCC, Sierra Club California, for manyof the responses below.

Nuclear power remainsessential to meeting theenergy demands of the future.

The EPA report amountsto an estimated 20 percentreduction in the amount of methane believed to leak fromnatural gas operations, meaning that instead of leaking theequivalent of over a billion metric tons of CO2 over the last20 years, the industry has only emitted 850 million tons.Break out the party hats! (The methodology of the EPAstudy has been sharply criticized by Cornell Universityresearchers who found the industry’s methane emissions tobe much higher.)

Upshot: On July 28, 2012, thousands of people rallied in Washington, D.C., to moveour country toward a more sustainable future where drilling for natural gas does notthreaten our air and water. “Stop the Frack Attack” was organized and supported bymore than a hundred environmental groups, watershed associations, clean water andclean air advocates. But one corporate think tank posing as an environmental groupgives fracking a big thumbs up, and lo and behold: environ-mentalists are “split.” Andbehold another lazy reporter with a contrarian on speed-dial in order to create a debate.

Nuclear power standsalone as the only majorsource of carbon-free,baseload power that canoperate 24/7.

In the Sept. 2011issue of Orion,Shellenberger co-authored “Evolve: acase for moderniza-tion as the road tosalvation,” whichdownplayed globalwarming as no big deal. After four pages of “modernizationtheology,” Shellenberger & co. finally got around to stating whatthey were specifically promoting under that title: nuclear powerand genetically engineered food. George Will, the AmericanEnterprise Institute and the Republican National Committee are allfans of the Breakthrough Institute, for obvious reasons.

The co-foundersof TheBreak-throughInstitute

are past masters of wrapping the cor-porate imperative in philosophicalgreenspeak — up to a point. Joe Romm,founder of the Lawrence BerkeleyNational Laboratory’s Energy Forecast-ing group and proprietor of the ClimateProgress blog, noted in 2009: “Break-through has tried to create the impres-sion they are a progressive, environ-mental organization dedicated to pro-moting clean energy — so that whenthey launch their umpteenth attack onprogressives and environmentalists andclimate scientists and clean energy theycan be seen as ‘contrarians.’ Stop thepresses — here’s an environmentalgroup saying environmentalists aredoing the wrong thing.”

“This is great news for anybodyconcerned about the climate andstrong proof that existing technologycan be deployed to reduce methaneleaks” [said Shellenberger].

The new EPA data is “kind of an earth-quake” in the debate over drilling, saidMichael Shellenberger, the president ofthe Breakthrough Institute, an environ-mental group based in Oakland.

EPA methane report further splits opinions on fracking

1 0Santa Lucian • June 2013

Let’s not reward noncompliance The land State Parks wantsto lock up for off-roaders in perpetuity is land they are notsupposed to be riding on.

Thousands of participants turned outto draw a line in the sand at approxi-mately 100 events in 18 states and 9countries today for the fourth annual“Hands Across the Sand/Land” event,to demonstrate opposition to expand-ing offshore drilling and the use ofdirty fuels as well as support forcleaner energy choices. A complete listof events can be found atwww.handsacrossthesand.org. Dirty fuels industries are pushing foran expansion of offshore drilling inU.S. waters and seismic testing foroffshore oil and gas is proposed alongthe East Coast. Meanwhile, the sameindustries are seeking to advance theKeystone XL Pipeline and are destroy-ing whole landscapes through moun-tain top removal coal mining. Tocounter these threats, Hands Across

indicates a buffer area alongthese critical interface areas.

both the authority of the LCP and theCounty’s determination of nonconfor-mity are now beyond legal challenge. The California Coastal Commissionhas said of the proposed La GrandeTract purchase that “the sale wouldresult in the continuation of a use thatis inconsistent with the land use desig-nations established by the certifiedLCP,” and that conflicting interpreta-tions of allowed activities on the LaGrande tract should be resolved by thesubmission of an amendment to theLCP. When the Sierra Club sued toenforce the terms of the LCP, the courtruled that it could not require that theGeneral Development Plan of theOceano Dunes SVRA be revised toconform to the LCP by a certain date,but essentially agreed with the CoastalCommission, observing that Standard4 of the South County Area Plan doessay that the General Development Planof the Oceano Dunes SVRA shall be

In the LCP’s map of ORV use areas(“Figure 4”), the La Grande tract ismarked as a buffer area. DPR has yetto revise its General Development Planin accordance with the LCP to reflectthis designation, which prohibits ORVuse on the La Grande Tract. On December 4, 2006, in anticipa-tion of sale of the La Grande Tract toDPR, the County’s Planning Directormade a determination that the sale ofthe La Grande Tract to DPR would beconsistent with the County GeneralPlan. His determination was appealedto the Planning Commission, which,after receiving public testimony,reversed his decision and determinedthat the sale would violate the GeneralPlan and the LCP. Specifically, the Planning Commis-sion determined that the sale would beinconsistent with the Coastal AreaPlanning Standards which designatethe La Grande Tract as a natural bufferarea. (The Planning Commission cameto this conclusion despite obviousattempts to excise all policies pertain-ing to the land’s long-standing“buffer” designation and omit anyreference to those policies in the staffreport that was supposed to serve asthe basis for the Commission’sdecision.) DPR and off-road groups appealedthe Planning Commission’s determi-nation to the County Board of Supervi-

Dunescontinued from page 1

revised in accor-dance with the LocalCoastal Plan, “butdoes not say when.” On March 24,2010, the board ofthe San Luis ObispoCounty Air PollutionControl Districtaccepted a scientificstudy concludingthat ORV activity onthe Oceano Dunes,having denuded thedunes of vegetationand destabilizedsand surfaces subjectto high winds, is asignificant cause ofparticulate matterpollution in thecounty that exceedsthreshold levels setby the EPA ashazardous to humanhealth. The County HealthCommission hasurged all actionsnecessary torevegetate andstabilize the dunes.The health of our

We urge the Board of Supervisors to retain control of its 584acres; the state’s $4.8 million offer isn’t nearly enough to com-pensate future generations of San Luis Obispo County residentsfor loss of local control.

- “We must keep the Dunes under the county’s control,”editorial opinion of The Tribune, Sept. 7, 2008

sors. In relevant part, the Board deniedthe appeal and upheld the determina-tion of the Planning Commission,concluding that sale of the La GrandeTract to DPR would not be in confor-mity with the County’s LCP and Ag/Open Space Policies. This determina-tion was challenged in court by off-roaders, who also argued that DPR’sGeneral Development Plan “pre-empted” the Local Coastal Program.This case was dismissed in 2010 at therequest of the petitioners, the equiva-lent of a court judgment. As a result,

residents would be better served by theCounty using its land parcel in theODSVRA for revegetation and dunestabilization efforts. But the bottom line is that theCounty should not sell this land to

State Parks because the LCP ascertified does not permit off-roadrecreation on the La Grande Tract. Because State Parks recently lost itsbid to overturn the APCD’s dustcontrol rule (see “Off-Roaders Hit theWall,” May) – and because theCounty’s ability to cancel its LaGrande Tract Operating Agreementwith State Parks is an effective tool tohave at hand assuring compliance –the interest of State Parks’ Off-Highway Vehicle Division in acquir-ing the County land in the OceanoDunes remains urgent. By the sametoken, so do the reasons why theCounty should not sell.

Dirty Fuel Opponents Join HandsAcross the Sand

Worldwide - May 18, 2013

the Sand/Land participants showedleaders like President Obama thebreadth of opposition to new fossilfuel exploitation and support for aclean energy economy rooted inenergy efficiency and clean, renewableenergy solutions, such as wind, solarand geothermal. At the Hands Across the Sand eventat the Avila Pier, sponsored by thelocal chapters of Surfrider, Sierra Cluband StopOceanBlasting.org, the high-energy seismic testing recentlyproposed for the Central Coast wasalso in the mix, along with the benefitsthat long-delayed National MarineSanctuary status would bring in theform of permanent protection fromsuch surveys and offshore drilling,rather than having to rely on localballot initiatives and the good graces

of state regulatory agencies. Nationwide, Hands Acrossthe Sand is sponsored byOceana, Surfrider Foundation,Defenders of Wildlife, South-ern Alliance for Clean Energy,Gulf Restoration Network,Center for Biological Diversityand Sierra Club. “The massive turnout for theHands Across the Sand todayshows that people oppose therisky practice of offshoredrilling and understand that weneed to seek real solutions to

our energy crisisincludingincreasedefficiency, con-servation andrenewable alter-natives,” saidPete Stauffer,Surfrider Foun-dation’s Ocean Program Manager. “Dirty fuels should be kept in the

ground,” said Athan Manuel, SierraClub Public Lands Director. “We

should be investing in cleanenergy solutions, like wind andsolar, and expanding ourtransportation choices, notopening up special places offour coasts, on public lands or inthe Arctic to destructive mining,fracking or drilling.”

Santa Lucian • June 20131 1

ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is June 13. To geta rate sheet or submit your ad andpayment, contact:Sierra Club - Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406sierraclub8@gmail.com

CYNTHIA HAWLEYATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONLAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

P.O. Box 29 Cambria California 93428Phone 805-927-5102 Fax 805-927-5220

A portion of any commissiondonated to the Sierra Club

Pismo toSan Simeon

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Hold Your Water“Slow it, sink it, spread it” is the mantraof enlightened water managers whoknow that water works best when itstays on the land where it falls. Now that mantra can be yours, too,along with healthier soils, happierwildlife, and reductions in your waterbill, thanks to the tips and techniques inRainwater Management for LowImpact Development, a publication ofthe Appropriate Technology Coalition --SLO Green Build, the Santa Lucia

Chapter of theSierra Club andthe SurfriderFoundation,available for $10postage paid,while supplieslast. Mail yourcheck to SierraClub, P.O. Box15755, SLO93406.

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1 2Santa Lucian • June 2013

Outings and Activities CalendarSeller of travel registration information: CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.

This is a partial listing of Outingsoffered by our chapter.

Please check the web pagewww.santalucia.sierraclub.org for

the most up-to-date listing ofactivities.

All our hikes and activities are open to all Club members and the general public. Please bring drinking water toall outings and optionally a lunch. Sturdy footwear is recommended. All phone numbers listed are within areacode 805 unless otherwise noted. Pets are generally not allowed. A parent or responsible adult must accompanychildren under the age of 18. If you have any suggestions for hikes or outdoor activities, questions about theChapter’s outing policies, or would like to be an outings leader, call Outings Chair Joe Morris, 549-0355. Forinformation on a specific outing, please call the listed outing leader.

Activities sponsored by other groups

Joe MorrisSierra Club(805) 549-0355dpj1942@earthlink.net

Sat., June 8, 8:30 a.m. Rinconada/Little Falls/Big Falls Loop. All-day,strenuous 14-mile hike on scenic roadsand trails, 2000-ft. gain. It is possibleto do a shorter in-and-out hike, ifdesired. 2 miles of hike is on LopezCanyon Rd, which has several streamcrossings, so bring sandals or otherfootwear to use for these crossings. Bring lunch and water. Leader willhave water purifier to refill containers. Poison oak present along trail. Extreme heat will postpone this hike toJune 22nd. Meet in front of PacificBeverage Co. in Santa Margarita. Need to call leader at least 24 hrs. inadvance to confirm your participation. Leader: Carlos Diaz-Saavedra, 546-0317. Sat., June 8, 9 a.m. Hike in Mon-tana de Oro State Park. Moderatelystrenuous 8-9 mile loop hike, 1800 ft,gain, on Islay Rd and Barranca andRidge Trails. Explore the backcountryof the park and enjoy great coastlineviews from Hazard Peak. Possibilityof poison oak and ticks along route. Bring plenty of water, lunch, and/orsnacks and dress for the weather. Meet at the Ridge Trailhead, about 1/4mile before the visitor center. If youreach the visitor center, you have gonetoo far. Leader: Chuck Tribbey, 441-7597.

Sun., June 9, 9 a.m. Johnson RanchOpen Space and Irish Hills NaturalReserve Hike. Explore the new trailconnecting Johnson Ranch and theIrish Hills Reserves. Total distance ofthe hike is 6 miles, with a 700 ft. gain,taking about 3 hours. This trail offers

a new perspective on the SLO area asseen from the southern hills, windingthrough different habitats displaying adiverse ecosystem. Meet at theJohnson Ranch Open Space trail head,located at the turn out to the intersec-tion of South Higuera Street andOntario Road, adjacent to Hwy 101,south of San Luis Obispo. From therewe will shuttle in a few cars to theIrish Hills Reserve trail head located atthe southern end of Madonna Road inSan Luis Obispo (ten minutes by car). At the end of the hike, we will shuttlethe drivers back to their cars at theIrish Hills. Bring water, snacks, anddress in layers for changing weather. A hat and sturdy shoes are advised. The plants, animals, and geology ofthe area will be discussed. BillWaycott, (805) 459-2103 orbill.waycott@gmail.com. Sun., June 16, 10 a.m. SycamoreSprings Trekking-Pole Hike. 2-milehike to model the techniques andbenefits of using trekking poles, 700ft. elevation gain. Meet near theentrance to Sycamore Springs Resort,1215 Avila Beach Resort. Confirmbeforehand with leader if coming. Leader: David Georgi, 458-5575 orpolecatleader@gmail.com. Fri-Sun., June 21-23 SouthernSierra Sojourn Leisurely hikes tothree peaks on the Kern Plateau. Camp Friday and Saturday nights +happy hours at USFS Troy Meadowcampground (7800'). Saturday, climbSherman Pk (9909'), 5 miles rt and1170' gain, followed by climb up BaldMtn. (9382'), .6 mile rt and 155' gain. Spectacular panoramas from bothpeaks. Sunday, climb BlackrockMtn., (9635'), 1.5 mile rt, 700' gain,on forested slope bordering the GoldenTrout Wilderness. Suitable for vintage

or newer climbers. Email home andwork phones to reservationist, JerryKeating, jkeatinghiker@att.net, 714-524-3862 Angeles Chapter, SierraClub. Sun., June 23, 9 a.m. City Walk ofSan Luis Obispo: Jazz Age to theFifties. Where is the hotel whereHearst entertained his guests, thespeakeasies in the twenties, and theoriginal French Hospital? Find outand much more on a guided downtownstroll past historic stores, theaters, andhotels. Learn about SLO city life fromthe years of the Model T to Prohibitionand World War II. Meet at buildingdesigned by Frank Lloyd Wright,corner of Santa Rosa and Pacific Sts. Leader: Joe Morris, 549-0355. Fri.-Sun., June 28-July 21 200-milewalk on the Via Podiensis. This is anancientpilgrimageroute in France,averaging 12 miles/day,past architectural,historic, and culinarytreasures, ending infoothills of thePyrenees. Stay at smallhotels, inns, bed &breakfasts, and even aformer convent. $3,158per person for SierraClub members. Info.:Ed Maurer, 949-768-0417, balois@cox.net. Angeles chapter, SierraClub. Thurs-Sun., July 4-7. Independence DayWeekend in the BlackRock. Car-campweekend in the BlackRock Desert, no RVs or

Sat., June 22, Botanical Garden:The Art of Nature – Pine NeedleBasketry Workshop. You’ll find themain material for your unique creationriight under your feet. You don’t needa loom or mountains of materials forthese special creations. From 9:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m., join artist Elizabeth Bearat the San Luis Obispo BotanicalGarden as she guides budding basketweavers through the art of pine needlebasket weaving. Attendees will be ledthrough the process of creatingbeautiful, fragrant and sustainablepieces of artwork at this intimateworkshop. Each piece is as unique asthe person who creates it. If your innerartist is calling, this is the perfect timeto answer! Just bring sharp scissors,imagination and a bagd lunch. Eachparticipant will make their own basketand start a second basket to work on athome. Workshop includes a lecture onsustainable harvesting and tree kind-ness. Ms. Bear has been teaching pineneedle basket weaving since 1997 inNew Mexico and California. $95 forGarden members, $120 for non-members. Limited size. To register call541-1400 x304, or visit slobg.org. A$3 fee is charged for parking byCounty Parks in El Chorro RegionalPark.

trailers, with full list of activities. Forfurther information, call David Bookafter June 15, 775-843-6443. GreatBasin Group/CNRCC Desert Commit-tee.

June 2-4; July 21-23; Aug.25-27; Sept. 15-17

Join us for a 3-day, 3-island,live-aboard cruise to ChannelIslands National Park. Hike wild, windswept trailsbordered with blazingwildflowers. Kayak ruggedcoastlines. Marvel at pristinewaters teeming with frolick-ing seals and sea lions. Trainyour binoculars on unusualsea and land birds. Watch forthe endangered island fox.Look for reminders of theChumash people who werehere for thousands of years. Or just relax at sea. Allcruises depart from SantaBarbara aboard the 68' twindiesel Truth. The cost, $590, includes an assignedbunk, all meals, snacks and beveragesplus the services of a ranger/naturalistwho will travel with us to help lead

Island Hopping in Channel Islands National Park

hikes, point out items of interest, andpresent evening programs. To make a reservation send a $100check, written to Sierra Club, to leader

Joan Jones Holtz, 11826 The Wye St.,El Monte, CA 91732. For moreinformation call or e-mail 626-443-0706 or jholtzhln@aol.com.