Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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TopicsGoing Quarterly
Starting with the January, 2012 issue,Tehipite Topics will be issued quarterly, in January, April, July, and October. Times aretough, and the newsletter is by ar our biggestexpense. We need to sayve money. We also
want to save some trees and reduce our carbonootprint a bit.
In some ways the Topics will improve. Issueswil l have more content, and we are thinking oofering color photos and a glossier product.
We know that many o our subscribers are on-line, and they can get requent updates on out-ings, environmental issues, and the outdoorsat our web site, tehipite.sierraclub.org .
We would like to hear what you think o allthis. Please send us your comments to watts-
[email protected]. or via the
Postal Service to PO Box 5396, Fresno CA93755-5396
Willow Creek Collaborative
Elissa Brown of the Willow Creek Co
orative Project contacted Tehipite Chain June. Several of our activists met w
her and learned about this project. TWillow Creek Project is part of the Sus
able Forests and Communities Collabtive, under the Sierra Nevada Conservaan agency of the California State Gove
ment. There are other projects besides low Creek, and all have the following ob
tives:Fuel reduction and forest restoration
Local economic and environmental
tainability
Enhancements to the watershed to
tect local users and benet downstre
users
Protection of cultural, historical and
chaeological resources
Promoting environmental stewards
and awareness
Renewable energy production
Ongoing environmental assessm
monitoring and outreach
Promoting projects that support hea
community wild re and urban in
face
Build capacity to plan, fund & im
ment projects
The Willow Creek watershed is loc
in the Sierra north of Bass LakeThe low Creek Collaborative had its rst st
holders meeting On September 9th at
North Fork ofce of the U.S. forest Serv
It will be a six month process. If you
interested in participating or would to learn more, visit the following webdress:
http://sites.google.com/site/sustaina
sierragroup2/potential-projects/wil lcreek-project .
Clearing the Air
By Kevin Hall
The No Spin O-Zone
Readers of The Fresno Bee were greeted to
an amazing front-page headline a few weeksback, one that must have had many thinking
theyd awakened in a parallel universe. Youknow, that mythical place were the progres-
sive policies of the San Joaquin Valley haveled to effective pollution control resulting inclean air. Because blazoned across the top of
the Sept. 1 edition were the words, Valleyavoids August ozone offenses.
My rst thought was, Man, I hate beingright sometimes. Last month I had pre-
dicted the valley air district would be usingits removal of the Arvin air pollution moni-tor to paint a false picture of progress at re-
ducing the lung-scarring, brain-damaging,heart-stopping gases and chunks of crud in
our air, but the speed at which they did sowas stunning. And if the weather stays rela-
tively mild throughout September, there wi llbe a repeat of the big lie come Oct. 1.
At issue is the one-hour ozone standard. Thisis the measurement that reects the highest
ozone level in a single hour. The valley airdistrict was crowing loudly about the fact
that they had recorded See Air page 4
The Fresno-Drummond staon mysteriously shut
down for a crucial hour on Sept. 6, 2011.
Tehipite Contributes to Climate Ride Cali-fornia 2011
At our August ExCom meeting TehipiteChapter approved a motion to contribute
$500 to Tom Cotters participation in theClimate Ride California, October 2-7. Tomis the Central Valley sales manager for Real
Goods Solar, and the Climate Ride is a ve-day bicycle race from Eureka to San Fran-
cisco to promote bicycling and sustainableliving.
Climate Ride California is a gorgeous cy-cling adventure that begins in Californias
historic Redwood Empire near Eureka, trav-els along the scenic coast and ventures intothe famed Russian River Valley before cross-
ing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Fran-cisco. Climate Ride California is more than a
bike trip its an inspiring journey with like-minded people who are united by their pas-
T h e S i e r r a C l u b T e h i p i t e C h a p t e
ehipite opics
Explore, enjoy and protect the planet
October 20 1 Vol. 57, No. 8 www.tehipite.sierraclub.o
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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Tehipite Chapter
of the Sierra Club
P.O. Box 5396
Fresno, California 93755-5396
Copyright ehipite Chapter, 2008
Chapter phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ( 5 5 9 ) 2 2 9 - 4 0 3 1
Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tehipite.sierraclub.org
Ocers
Chapter ChairJohn Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 John@BigBaldycom
Chapter Vice-ChairGary La sky (559) 790-3495 datanations@gmailcom
Chapter SecretaryConnie Peterson cpeterson8784@sbcglobalnet
Chapter TreasurerWayne Dill wd@whcparmcom
Executive Committee Members
Marcia Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 Marcia@bigba ldycomChip Ashley (559) 855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcomDavid Cehrs (559) 875-9495 dcehrs@JunocomWill iam Fjel lbo (559) 642-4511 jbellbo@stinetRichard Kangas (559) 896-5337 rkangas02@comcastnet
Ron Mack ie 559) 683-0293 rmackie@sierratelcom
Merced Group Appointee:JoAnne Clarke (209) 726-0636 jo_clarke@attnet
Council of Club Leaders ExComm Gary La sky (559) 790-3495
Council of Club Leaders Delegates Open
Gerald Vinnard (559) 431-5780
Chapter Committee Chairs
Honors & AwardsMarcia Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 Marcia@bigba ldycom
ehipite opics EditorChip Ashley (559)855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcom
ehipite opics Website EditorJohn Rasmussen (559)332-2419 John @BigBaldycom
HospitalityKaren Hammer (559) 298-5272
ecuagirl45@yahoocomMembership/Newsletter DistributionMarian Orvis (559) 226-0145
Outings and Outings Leader TrainingMarcia Rasmussen Marcia@bigbaldycom (559) 332-2419
Steve Fretz saretz@earthlinknet (559) 439-6673
Political CommitteeWill iam Fjel lbo (559) 642-4511
ProgramsHeather Anderson (559) 681-6305Conservation Committee
Conservation ChairChip Ashley (559) 855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcom
Energy, Climate Change, PopulationChip Ashley (559) 855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcom
Sprawl, Air Quality
Gary Lasky datanations@gmailcom
Kings Canyon National Park /Giant Sequoia NatioMonument /Sequoia ForestJohn Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 John@BigBaldycom
Sierra National ForestRichard Kangas (559) 896-5337 rkangas02@comcastnet
Water, Kings RiverDavid Cehrs (559) 875-9495 dcehrs@Junocom
San Joaquin RiverChris Acree (559) 709-4913
Wildererness/DesertRon Mackie (559) 683-0293 rmackie@sierratelcom
Yosemite National ParkGeorge Whitmore (559) 229-5808 geowhit1954@comcastnet
CNRCC ExCommGerald Vinnard (559) 431-5780
CNRCC DelegatesHeather Anderson (559) 681-6305Chip Ashley (559) 855-6376
CNRCC AlternatesRichard Kangas (559) 896-5337
Publicity
Karen Hammer (559) 298-5272
ecuagirl45@yahoocom
Conservation & ExecutiveCommittee Meetings
October 2thTe Conservation Committee meets at 7 PM
Te Executive Committee meets at 8 PMUniversity o Caliornia Center
550 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno
Chapter Meetings
General MeetingOctober 9th at 7 p.m.
UC Center, 550 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno
( 2 ) TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011
Dont Miss Tis Film!!!
For our October Program we will be screening the critically ac-claimed lm Gasland In this Oscar-nominated documentary,director Josh Fox journeys across America to examine the nega-
tive eects o natural-gas drilling, rom poisoned water sourto kitchen sinks that burst into fame to unhealthy animalsand people Is natural gas a viable alternative to the countrydwindling energy resources, or do the potential harmul consequences outweigh the positives? Foxs lm raises these and
many more probing questions
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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Merced GroupSierra ClubBox 387Merced, CA 95341
Group ChairRod Webster (209) 723-4747 rwebster@elitenet
Group Vice-Chair Jon Hawthorne (209)723-5152
Group TreasurerJoAnne Clarke (209) 726-0636
Group Secretary Annette Allsup (209) 723-5152
Member-at-Large
John Magneson jmagneson@gmailcomConservation ChairJoAnne Clarke (209) 726-0636 Jo_Clarke@attnet
Publications Annette Allsup (209) 723-5152
AgricultureCharlie Magneson (209) 394-7045
M e m b e r s h i p open
PublicityRod Webster (209) 723-4747
Population open
Merced Group
TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011 ( 3 )
Merced GroupConservation and Executive Committee Meetings
(the rst Thursday of each month)
Next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 6th, 7:00 P.M. Rod
Websters home, 345 E. 20th St., Merced. Conser-
vation meeting is rst and can last 30-40 minutes.
Anyone with an interest in local, state, or national
conservation issues is welcome to attend.
Merced Group General MeetingsThe third Thursday of each month (except Dec. and
May)Starts at 7:00, usually over by 8:30 or so.
This month:Thursday, October 20th
Program: Issues Regarding the Merced River
Speakers: Ralph Mendershausen and Jeff Gabe of the
Merced Canyon Committee
During the past couple of years protection, and man-
agement issues about the Merced River have been a
focus in our region. They will continue to be so in
the year ahead.
Of wide reaching impact is the dam relicensing pro-
cess currently underway. It is overseen by FERC (the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and creates
conditions for Exchequer and McSwain dams and
the sections of the Merced River impacted by them.
Under contention by MID (the Merced Irrigation
District) is whether the sections of the Merced River
below the dams need to be addressed even though
they were in the past. Encompassed in the relicen
ing are such topics as land use, recreation, water su
ply, habitat, threatened and endangered species, an
historical and cultural values. As you can see the
conditions of the new license will be wide reachingGravity is added by the fact that the conditions of t
relicensing will be in effect for the next 30-50 years
Our speakers will also address details in the recre-
ational component of the relicensing. There is pot
tial for improving opportunities on and around the
lakes but also in the river corridor. Of special inter
est is further development of the trail system run-
ning along the river from Lake McClure up to Bag
This would be an important leg in eventually perha
creating a continuous bicycle/hiking trail connect
ing the town of Merced with the park.
Foremost on the near horizon is MIDs desire to ra
the water level behind Exchequer dam. This would
inundate a lower portion of the Merced River which
was designated Wild and Scenic in1992. Current la
would prohibit this but Sen.Jeff Denhams propose
bill HR 2578 would allow it. This is unprecedente
and could have nationwide ramications. Our
speakers have a thorough knowledge of the detailsof this bill and the politicking going on behind the
scenes.
So join us- so that in the months ahead as these is-
sues become more prominent you will be up to spe
Location : United Methodist Church, 899 Yosemite
Parkway, Merced. We meet in the Fireside room, a
cessed from the parking lot on Cypress Ave. Park
the end near Yosemite Parkway. There will be sign
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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Protect the Wild and Scenic
Merced River
Rod Webster
Recent bills introduced in Congress by Rep-resentative Jeff Denham (R) would removethe portion of the Merced River shown on
this page from protection under the Nation-al Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. HR 869/2578
would allow the pictured portion of the riverto be ooded during prime rafting and hik-
ing season.
The Merced River is a National Wild and
Scenic River until it reaches the level of867 feet above sea level. That is also themaximum legal and physical upper limit of
Lake McClure. When that reservoir is full24 miles of river downstream of the desig-
nated and protected river are under MercedIrrigation Districts reservoirs. Above the
legally established level of 867 the river is
protected from dams and reservoirs all theway to Yosemite Valley. Now Merced Irriga-tion District (MID) is trying to grab aboutten vertical feet of reservoir space through
HR 869/2578. The primary effect of thesebills will be to roll back protection for more
than half a mile of National Wild and Sce-nic Merced River. Such a de-designation of
a Wild and Scenic River segment has neverbeen done before! The small economicgains promised in support of the bills are
outweighed by economic losses in Mari-posa County and the general damage to the
Merced River and a ll National Wild and Sce-nic Rivers protected since the late 1960s.
HR 869/2578 may bring marginal and oc-casional additional water to MID reservoirs,
but there is no guarantee that additionalwater (maybe an average of 10,000 acre feet
per year --- 2% of the Districts typical di- versions) will go to Merced County farms. The additional water may go to senior wa-
ter rights holders well outside the District.Many other questions are raised by this pro-
posal, but MID claims they will be resolved
as the district goes through its re-licensingprocess with the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC). However, FERC isnot the place to expect fair judgments about
endangered species, dam safety, destructionof recreational sites, and other issues raised
by HR 869/2578. MID has good reasonto expect that FERC, which licenses dams
and is notoriously inattentive to other val-ues than energy production, will give themplenty of slack. Indeed, FERC has already
done so! HR 869/2578 is only necessary
because raising the maximum pool on LMcClure is currently illegal. Even FE
cannot overlook that.
Since 1991 we have had a good balance
tween conservation and recreation upstrof 867 and agriculture and power pro
tion downstream. HR 869/2578 viothe present balance; more importantly t
violate the essence of the National Wild
Scenic Rivers Act by removing a beautstretch of Wild river for inclusion with
reservoir. They set a terrible precedent.
Merced River in Mariposa County
( 4 ) TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011
no violations of
one-hour standard the entire month of August. Furtherm
they were taking credit for their air alsystem aimed at getting people to volunta
drive less as having made a ll the differen
Wow. If mendacity were a slip, Id say th
is showing.
Setting aside the Arvin monitor, Auguunusual winds and low temperatures, the delayed almond harvest, consider
the one-hour standard was supposed to hbeen reached 12 years ago, and not just fo
month but the entire year. 1999 should hbeen the rst of three years in a row withany violations.
The current standard for ozone is the e
hour measurement. Although still too hthis level more accurately reects the le
at which human health is directly harm
In the month of August, the standard exceeded on 29 out of 31 days with 152 m
itors having recorded violations in the Joaquin Valley.
It was the worst August in ve years, but wont see that press release coming from
air board any time soon.
To the contrary, the valley air districts lic information ofce has been turned inpublic relations machine bordering on
paganda mill, and The Bee headline dem
Air from page 1
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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Island Hopping
in Channel IslandsNational Park
Reserve early or 20 !!
September 9- and October 7-9Explore the wild, windswept islandsChannel Island National Park. Enjoy rolicking seals and sea lions. rain ybinoculars on unusual sea and land bHike the trails to nd blankets o wfowers and plants ound in no other pon earth. Kayak or snorkel the pris
waters--- or just relax at sea. Tese aboard, eco tours depart rom Santa bara aboard the 68 twin diesel ruth. ($785 or July trips; $590 or Septemand October) includes an assigned ball meals, snacks, beverages, plus the
vices o a ranger/naturalist who will trwith us to lead hikes, call attention to ito interest and present evening program
o make a reservation mail a $00 chpayable to Sierra Club to leader: J
Jones Holtz, 826 Te Wye St., El MoCA 9732.
Contact leader or more inormation (443-0706; [email protected])
GreatSan Joaquin River Clean-up
Please contact Richard Sloan at559-696-2971, riverrich1509@aolcom, Steve Starcher, 559-289-887
sastarcher@gmailcom or SteveHaze, 559-970-6320 re oppor-
tunities to help clean up the SanJoaquin River
TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011 ( 5 )
Calling a Book!Please come home. I
miss you terribly; you
were such a good
friend.
Love, Heather
(The book, Wilderness Forever: Howard
Zahniser and the Path to the Wilder-ness Act of 1964 by Mark Harvey wasborrowed from Heather Anderson and
she would greatly appreciate its return.681-6304 or heather.anderson8@com-
cast.net or bring it to a meeting.)
strates how effective theyve become at mis-
leading the media and public: 152 violations
and the headline reads zero. Press releaseswarn of nancial sanctions, not of threats toyour childs life or her grandfathers heart.
Monitoring Monitors
So dedicated are they to perpetuating the
myth, it has to raise ones suspicions whenair monitors seemingly on the verge of a vio-lation suddenly shut off. Just a few days after
the celebratory headlines and news reports(and there were plenty around the valley),
ozone levels started to spike again, particu-
larly in southeast Fresno. On Tuesday, Sept.
6, the Fresno-Drummond station was rock-
eting upward when at 4 pm it just stopped
working for an entire hour; violation averted.The following day it was again spiking at aneven faster pace. Concerned breathers werechecking in online every hour when sudden-
ly the air districts website simply stoppedworking a little after 5 p.m. and instead post-
ed an error message for the southeast Fresnoand Clovis monitors. They came back online
after about 30 minutes and, wait for it, theone-hour ozone reading peaked at 124 partsper billion one part per billion below the
violation level of 125.
Meanwhile, a short distance away theRoosevelt High football team was outside,
practicing in full gear, running hard andbreathing deeply. A few miles up north inClovis, boys peewee football and girls soc-
cer were also running at full steam. Noproblem here, folks. My air district just told
me the air was clean. I read it in the paper. Isaw it on the news.
The lucky few were listening to indepen-dent media. The one news source that told
the story completely was KFCF/KPFA.
Through the valley stringer project, VicBedoian delivered a thorough report on thePacica Evening News (check it out onlineby going to the 25:38 minute mark at http://
www.kpfa.org/archive/id/72985).
Et tu, Obama?
This column cant end without a quick com-ment on President Obamas decision to delay
implementation of a new ozone standard byat least a year. An esti-
This screenshot of an error reading from the valley air district on
Sept. 7, 2011 shows when the system went ofine.
See Air page 6
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
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( 6 ) TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011
mated 3,000 lives willbe lost every year the
standard is pushed back.
That pales in comparison to the Tar Sands
Oil Pipeline issue. When Dr. James Hansenof the NASA Goddard Institute describes
the possible outcome of allowing that proj-ect to move forward as game over for theclimate, only a fool would fail to listen. The
President has the authority to single-hand-edly stop the project. There is no negotiat ion
required with the free marketeers of doom.Take action by going here: http://act.350.
org/sign/tar-sands/.
(Kevin Hal l is director of the Central Valley
Air Quality Coalition based in Fresno andonline at www.calcleanair.org and on Face-book. He can be reached at kevin@calclea-
nair.org.)
sion for sustainabil ity, renewable energy, andbicyclesthe ultimate carbon-free form oftransportation. You can learn more about
Climate Ride California at http://www.cli-materide.org/rides/california/ .
Tehipite and Tom Cotter have agreed to pro-mote sustainable living and solar technology
through a partnership. Tom wil l promoteTehipite Chapterin fact he is planning to
wear a Tehipite Chapter jersey on one day
of the rideand Tehipite Chapter will pro-mote Real Goods Solar. This arrangement
benets our chapter because Real Goodswill be donating $500 to the Tehipite Chap-
ter for each home or business that upgradesto solar! (See the Real Goods ad in this edi-
tion of the Topics.) Please be sure to tell RealGoods you were referred by Tehipite Chap-ter. Its a win-win-win! Fight global warm-
ing, make your utility electricity bill disap-pear, and strengthen Tehipite Chapter all at
the same time!
Real Goods can help you discover just howaffordable and freeing solar power really is.They can design systems for families on just
about any budget, and use all available re-bates and incentives. In fact, if you chooseto go solar through their PowerSavings Plan
(where you buy the power you use insteadof the system that generates it), you may not
have any upfront costs at all. A typical hom-eowner can now add solar to their home for
no money down and pay less monthly thantheir current electric bill. Those who wish
to purchase a system will enjoy enough sav-ings on electricity to pay for the system in
a matter of years (typically 5-8 years), andfree electricity for decades after that. With
either option, they are experts at making so-lar power affordable.
Tehipite is particularly proud of our arrange-ment with Real Goods because it is a reallygreat company, started by John Schaeffer.
According to Wikipedia, In 1977, 29 year-old John Schaeffer lived on an off-grid com-
mune in Mendocino County, California, andcommuted 35 miles (56 km) to work each
day as a computer operator. Since he droveinto town, he became the designated personto pick up supplies for the commune. Frugal
by nature, Schaeffer found himself drivingall over Mendocino County to buy needed
tools and equipment at the best prices. Af-ter an especially frustrating shopping trip,
Schaeffer thought how great it would be ifthere was one general store that sold all the
real goods for off-grid living at fair prices. Within a year, Real Goods was born. In1978, Schaeffer took $3,000 in savings and a
$5,000 loan from his father and opened therst Real Goods store in Willits, California.
Real Goods has come a huge distance in 33years. According to Berman and OConnor
in Who Owns the Sun? In 1996, Schaef-fer inaugurated the Real Goods Solar Liv-
ing Center in Hopland, California, as a k indof solar theme park, designed and built inclose collaboration with architect Sim Van
der Ryn and David Arkin of the EcologicalDesign Institute, and incorporating innova-
tive energy-generating and energy-efcientcomponents as well as integral demonstra-
tions of new approaches to ecological con-struction and landscaping.
Real Goods is now one of the largest solarinstallers in the United States, having in-stalled over 11,500 solar electric systems for
both residential and commercial properties.Real Goods vision is to lower humankinds
ecological footprint on Earth, thereby con-tributing to a healthier future for people
and the planet. Their mission is to realize itsvision through providing the best in earth-friendly products, sustainable living edu-
cation and leading-edge renewable energysolutions (Wikipedia). Real Goods made
Inc. magazines list of the Top 500 fastestgrowing companies and has been covered in
Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.And to think it all started in an off-grid com-mune!
You can learn more about Real Good Sby reading John Schaeffers A Place in
Sun and by going to http://www.realgocom/ .
Air from page 5
Climate Ride from page 1
How to See Nature and Wilderne
In the January 2011 edition, Heather An
son says, When I teach art and awarenes
the [San Joaquin River] and ask students w
is the importance of our river, they are qto mention clean water, habitat, intact eco
tem, recreation, wildlife and plants, but n
beauty.
This is interesting, and I have to ask why be
is not the rst thing that springs to mind w
students are asked about the importance o
natural feature, whatever it might bem
tain, meadow, tree, or river. The respo
piques my curiosity because beauty IS my
response when I am in natural surround
Beauty, after all, is why Im there. So why i
response so different from Heathers stude
I believe all these students really do apprec
the beauty of nature. However, the abilit
articulate a response is just down there d
below the surface, and these students n
Heathers nurturing to help them get dow
their natural connection with natural be
in order to be able to express it. I believe
humans are hard-wired to appreciate nat
beauty because our ancestors lived in nat
surroundings for mil lions of years. The ca
ity to appreciate natural beauty is innate, b
has been buried under layers of modern culWe have been taught to atomize nature into
many componentsendangered species
natural resources so that it is very difcult
us to see nature immediately and holisticall
I have even heard environmentalists opine
beauty is the last consideration when plann
how to ght climate change. I strongly
agree.
I was lucky enough to have an artist for
mother and a hiker-photographer-bio
teacher for my father. Mom taught me howdraw and paint, and many of my early subj
were the surroundings of my boyhood in
Sierra Nevada. Dad took us hiking as a
ily on day hikes before I was ten and later
the High Sierra with his hiking partner si
the 1940s, Dick Moller. Dad took many
tos on these trips. We three kids always loo
forward to the slide shows of Dad and Di
most recent trips, which inspired us to wan
go along, as we all started to do in our e
See Seeing Nature pag
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8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011
7/8
Outings ScheduleOuting RatingsDistance Elevation Gain
1) up to 6 miles A) under 1,000 eet
2) 6 to 10 miles B) 1,000 to 2,000 eet
3) 10 to 15 miles C) 2,000 to 3,000 eet
4) 15 to 20 miles D) 3,000 to 4,000 eet
5) over 20 miles E) over 4,000 eet
Our ehipite Chapter Outings Chair isMarcia Rasmussen, Marcia@BigBaldycom,559-332-2419 Please contact Marcia withany questions concerning our outings pro-gram Contact the trip leader directly i youare interested in one o the listed trips
ehipite Chapter outings are ree and opento the public All leaders are unpaid volun-teers assuming responsibility or a good trip,and your cooperation is mandatory Pleasereview additional trip and participantrequirements at wwwtehipitesierraclub
org/outings
OutingsLeaders may post their own tripson the web page or send them toMarcia@BigBaldycom
CS #2087766-40 Registration as a sellero travel does not constitute approval bythe State o Caliornia Caliornia hasestablished a ravel Consumer RestitutionFund (CRF) under the Caliornia Sellero ravel Act Te CRF is not applicableto these Outings Te law requires us toadvise you that you would not be eligible
to make any claim rom the CRF in theunlikely event o deault by the Sierra ClubCaliornia law also requires certain sellerso travel to have a trust account or bondTe Sierra Club has such a trust account
Would you like to be an Outings Leader?
Being an Outings Leader can be very rewarding Basic qualications includa desire to lead outings, basic rst aid or the ability to devote time to gettinqualied in rst aid, and reading the Sierra Club Outings Leader Handboo
Te ehipite Chapter would like to ofer outings to people o all abilities anages I you are interested, phone Marcia Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 or emaher at Marcia@bigbaldycom
TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011 ( 7 )
Required Liability WaiverAll participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver I you wo
like to read the Liability Waiver beore you choose to participate on an outing, please go to: htt
wwwsierracluborg/outings/chapter/orms/, or contact the Outings Department at (415) 977-5
or a printed version
October 8, 2011 Saturday
Day Hike (1A)
Bear Lake, Emigrant Wilderness (Yokuts)
This is approximately a six mile hike, beginning at Crabtree at elevations of about 7,20,700ft with a moderate uphil l on the way in. Swimming is an option, if warm enough. Br
lunch, ten essentials, and money for dinner at Mi Pueblo in Sonora on the way home. MeeDennys parking lot in Oakdale at 8:00 a.m. Contact Monica Casey at hikerlady1955@gm
com , or co-leader, Alan Bernikoff at abernikoff@gmai l.com .
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Day Hike Leader: Karen Hammer Difcult Maximum Elevation: 9,100 feet Distance: 9
miles Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet
Fall colors hike to see the quaking aspens. If we are lucky the mountains may have a light d
ing of snow. Rain wi ll cancel. This is a long and rigourous hike starting at over 8,000 felevation. Trailhead is at Badger Flat along Kaiser Pass Rd. Bring a minimum of 2 quart
water, rain gear, layers of clothing for cold weather, hiking boots, high energy snacks and lunContact: Karen Hammer 559-298-5272 Call to nd out meeting place and time and to conthat you have the necessary conditioning requirements and essential gear for this day hike.
Saturday, October 29, 2011 - 7:30am
Day Hike Leader: Randall Brown Rating: Intermediate
We wil l hike the Big Oak Flat Ghost Road in Yosemite Valley. Meet at parking area behFruityard (Geer Rd. & Hwy. 132) at 7:30 am. Sign up with leader Randa ll Brown. Cont
Randall Brown (209) 632-5994
teens. I still remember vividly my rst trip with Dad and Dick out of the Granite Creek t
head in 1963. I had a litt le altitude sickness at our rst camp at Sadler Lake, but the warmwhisky Dad poured into my trail cup cured that soon enough.
Our parents had lots of books around and encouraged us kids to read. Since I was inested in backpacking and the Sierra Nevada, I read quite a lot about the Sierra. I also bel
Coninued page
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that reading shaped my appreciation of my
natural surroundings as well as my ability toarticulate it.
Some have suggested that language weak-ens our experience of nature. For example,
In Running on Emptiness modern primitivistJohn Zerzan argues that languagesym-
bolic thoughtcomes between us and ourexperience of reality: We seem to have ex-
perienced a fall into representation, whosedepths and consequences are only now be-ing fully plumbed. In a fundamental sort of
falsication, symbols at rst mediated real-ity and then replaced it. At present we live
within symbols to a greater degree than we
do within our bodily selves or directly witheach other.
While I agree with Zerzan on nearly every-
thing in regards to re-evaluating primitivesocieties and learning from them so that
moderns can live more fullling, healthierlives, I do not agree that language itself is a
problem. Of course language can be used tofurther and further separate us from natureby increasingly isolating in a technological
and technocratic reality. But this is a re-
sult of how we choose to use language andsymbols, not a result of language itself.
Shakespeare provides guidance on how
language helps us appreciate nature in thewords of the character Theseus inA Midsum-mer Nights Dream:
The poets eye, in a ne frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth
to heaven;
And as imaginat ion bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poets pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to air y nothing
A local habitation and a name.
How to Experience Nature might have been
a better title. Different people, of course, havedifferent ways of experiencing reality, nature. Ithink it must involve all the senses, not just sight.
Theseuss frenzied approach may work for some.
For me, a quiet way works best. Yesterday, forexample, I chose the mid afternoon in Watts Val-
ley to sit and look to the High Sierra, across theat, lled with dry grass, soft chess, wild oats,
maiden clover, tarweed, and lupine; over the line
of oaks, sycamores, and cottonwoods markingan intermittent stream beyond; and on to Brans-
ford Mountain, a few miles distant. It is dry andwarm, not uncomfortable for a late summer day,
with autumn coming on, the rst dry leaves scat-
tering in the warm breeze. After a time the msettles down, all its important issues lo
themselves in the innite indifference of the
verse; the ctional self known as Chip Assorts itself out among the sounds of million
insects, the ubiquitous laugh of the acorn wpecker, the scolding of a scrub jay, the skitte
of a California Towhee in the dry leavesyes, the rumbling of dual-trailer gravel tru
along Watts Valley Road. Quail y stealthily
by one to avoid a Coopers hawk from the toa live oak to the gravely dry stream bed. Th
is scented with tarweed and blue curl. Insbuzz among the heart-shaped leaves of the
talpa. A dragony sits perfectly still on a r
barb on the fence wire, transparent wings tipwith specks of black. The rush from air brake
the school bus dropping off my daughter snme back to reality.
Seeing Nature from page 7