Santa Lucian • June 20141

Protecting andPreserving the

Central Coast

SANTA LUCIAN

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d eA house too far in Cayucos 2

New rule for Diablo 4

Why public lands 5

“Face of the Wild” tix on sale 6

Peter Steynberg reflects 10

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

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June 2014Volume 51 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

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Don’t Miss:

June 3-4June 3-4June 3-4June 3-4June 3-4Citizens Congress

- see page 3

June 4June 4June 4June 4June 4Chumash HeritageMarine Sanctuary

presentation- see page 9

June 23June 23June 23June 23June 23MPA webinar

- see page 5

The Paso Robles groundwater basin is a prime target in California’s water wars

State Loses Funds for Dunes Purchase

DUNES continued on page 10

T h e o f f i c i a l n e w s l e tt e r o f t h e S a n ta L u c i a C h a p te r o f t h e S i e r ra C l u b ~ S a n L u i s O b i s p o Co u n t y, C a l i f o r n i a

Paso in the Crosshairs The only way to protect the PasoRobles groundwater basin from furtheroverdraft is to either adjudicate thebasin or create a public managementagency with a fully democratic gover-nance structure whose directors areelected at large, based on the principleof one person, one vote. As we go to press, AB 2453, KatchoAchadjian’s bill to create a “hybrid”form of governance for the proposedPaso Robles water district, is sloshingtoward a vote in the Assembly. As youread this, it is either dead, amended tocorrect its catastrophic flaw, orsloshing toward its next vote in theSenate with said flaw intact. The first two options would bepreferable to the latter, as the SierraClub has pointed out. The Santa LuciaChapter has been joined in this protestby our state organization, Sierra ClubCalifornia, as well as North CountyWatch, the Center for BiologicalDiversity, Defenders of Wildlife,California Teamsters, California WaterImpact Network, Planning and Conser-vation League, El Centro CommunityWater Center, California Rural LegalAssistance Foundation, Clean WaterAction, and San Luis Obispo CountyCattleman’s Association because of thepotential catastrophe for democracyand the environment promised by thepassage of AB 2453 if not amended. The problem is the pesky existence ofthe 15 to 20,000 people who simply livein houses within the potential jurisdic-tion of the proposed groundwatermanagement district and don’t irrigate

crops there. They have an obviousinterest in policies that would sustainthe basin; a less obvious interest inbeing forced to pay for expensiveimported water schemes that wouldallow large vineyards to proceed withtheir expansion plans. Residents havean obvious interest in enforcingpolicies that would compel the biggestpumpers to pump less; the big pumpersare on record as having absolutely nointerest in any such policies. The “compromise” measure for thegovernance of the basin hatched whena local group that was supposed torepresent the interests of residentscaved in to the group representinglarge north county vineyards — acompromise blessed by the Board of

Supervisors, those large north countyvineyards and their captive partner andopposed by virtually everyone else —pretends that there is a meaningfuldifference in the interests of an ownerof 50 acres of land and the owner of500 acres, and would hand them all apermanent 6 to 3 majority over localhomeowners and renters. (This, as billproponents sweetly put it, “giveseverybody a say.”) The disenfranchisement that resultsfrom conflating an acreage-based votewith a general election is a precedentthat must not be set. If the northcounty vineyards get a “special” waterdistrict where their votes count formore than the votes of residents, everyregion in the state with significantagriculture will likely see moves tocreate districts in which large agoperations get their own permanentboard majority. This will throw a large wrench intoefforts to responsibly manage ground-water in the state of California.

The paper water trick This year marks the twentiethanniversary of the creation of theMonterey Agreement. As two decadesof ongoing legal challenges by publicinterest groups and water activistsattest, it is not a happy anniversary.The agreement negotiated by theDepartment of Water Resources and sixwater agencies rewrote the State WaterProject and created California’s watertransfer market. The Monterey Agree-ment’s invention of entitlements – aka“paper water” – is the reason why thePaso Robles groundwater basin’s 30million acre feet of capacity is a fattarget for water speculators. Once awater district is formed, the Countycould sign over its unallocated statewater to the new district. Every other

PASO continued on page 8

The long quest by the CaliforniaDepartment of Parks and Recreation topurchase a land parcel owned by SanLuis Obispo County in the OceanoDunes State Vehicular Recreation Areahas come to an end, at least for the nextfiscal year. The department’s requestfor an allocation of $5 million to pur-chase the land, known as the LaGrande Tract, was rejected in two statebudget hearings last month.

The May 20 vote by a Senatebudget subcommittee to reject StateParks’ request for the funds toacquire the land followed a vote fordenial by an Assembly subcommitteeearlier in the month and means theappropriation will not be included inthe budget submitted to the gover-nor next month. The budget committee actionscame after the Sierra Club, Defendersof Wildlife, Center for Biological

No tomorrow A Santa Margarita vineyard watering bare dirt during a heat wave.

2Santa Lucian • June 2014

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Santa Lucian

EDITOR

Greg McMillanLindi DoudLinda SeeleyThomas A. CyrSandy SimonEDITORIAL COMMITTEE

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

send to:

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

Santa Lucia Chapter

2014 Executive CommitteeMichael Jencks (12/15) CHAIRPatrick McGibney (12/14) VICE CHAIRLinda Seeley (12/14) SECRETARYPat Veesart (12/16) MEMBERLindi Doud (12/14) MEMBERGreg McMillan (12/16) MEMBERVictoria Carranza (12/15) MEMBER

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERSLindi Doud, Patrick McGibney TREASURERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Michael JencksConservation Sue HarveyDevelopment Greg McMillanNuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

Climate Change Task Force Heidi Harmon sacredheart9395@yahoo.com

Other Leaders

CNRCC Delegates Linda Seeley, alt: Greg McMillan John Burdett

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

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The Executive Committee meetsthe second Monday of every monthat 5:30 p.m. The ConservationCommittee meets the secondFriday at 1p.m. at the chapteroffice, located at 974 Santa RosaSt., San Luis Obispo. All membersare welcome to attend.

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

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

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When is a coastal bluff not a coastal bluff? When is a sea wall not a sea wall? Answer: When the County is issuing a Coastal Development Permit to anapplicant who wants to build a beach house in Cayucos but wants to getaround the California Coastal Act’s requirement for establishing develop-ment setbacks from coastal bluffs and its proscription against new sea walls. The County Planning Commission went along with that eyebrow-raisingcharade at its April 10 review of the Loperena project, deciding that theapplicant had done enough to modify the project after objections to theoriginal design were raised by the neighbors, Sierra Club, SLO CoastKeeper,Surfrider et al in our comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. The County has said “close enough.” We say “no cigar.” The project asdesigned and modified remains a monument to marine erosion; the conse-quence of both putting structures on bluffs with no setback from the top ofthe bluff and erecting a reinforced concrete basement wall three feet from thebeach that will deflect wave run-up to neighboring properties and intensifybeach erosion — a configuration that will require construction of moreshoreline protective devices over the decades. The applicant’s consultantsand the County have also low-balled probable sea-level rise through the endof the century. This is not just about making the developer of a house on the beach inCayucos go back to the drawing board; it’s about avoiding the precedent ofbuilding on a coastal bluff with no setbacks and cantilevered over thebeach, anywhere on the coast of California. If you allow one, you allow themall. An appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of a permit for theLoperena project and certification of the Environmental Impact Report willbe heard by the County Board of Supervisors on June 3.

Busting the Coastal Act in Cayucos

We’re calling this bluff Call us crazy, but we think that raised area to the left of thebeach and the ocean is a coastal bluff, and the owner of this lot is obligated to set backhis planned blufftop house from the top of the bluff, per the California Coastal Act.

Coffee Time in Morro Bay

After seven years of argument, somevery determined Morro Bay wateractivists were granted the time to makea presentation at the May 22 meetingof the Central Coast Regional WaterQuality Control Board. Marla JoBruton-Sadowski and Linda Stedjeewere given twenty minutes to presentconcerns about the condition of thecity’s Main Street sewer trunk line andcontamination of the groundwater andthe ocean. It was the climax of a years-longdispute between the activists andWater Board staff on the source ofnitrate contamination of wells in theMorro Basin. Staff believe the nitratesare coming from fertilizer washingdown from upstream agriculturaloperations. Local activists believe thesource of contamination is the leakypipes in the city’s 50-year-old waste-water collection system. The focus of the discussion camedown to the nature of the testing thathas been done on the wells. After sometechnical sparring over the isotopicsignatures for sewage versus fertilizer,water board staff admitted that theresults of those tests were inconclu-sive. After two hours of questioning,Board members swept aside assur- COFFEE continued on page 9

ances by their executive officer andthe City’s representative that theperformance of the water qualitytests required by state regulations— which do not require testing forviruses or emerging contaminants —provided sufficient confidence thathuman waste is not contaminatingthe city’s well water. Board memberMichael Jordan noted that the city’swater quality “could be lacking eventhough on the surface they appearto be in compliance with the regs.” The Board obtained a commitmentfrom Public Works Director RobLivick to conduct a caffeine test ofwell water — a simple, relativelyinexpensive test that can indicatethe presence of sewage and can becompleted in a matter of weeks. TheBoard also told City officials theyneed to “put some urgency” intolong-promised, long-delayed repairsto the trunk line and discussedpotential funding sources. Morro Bay Planning CommissionerRichard Sadowski, who has longpushed to fix the sewer lines andtest the well water for evidence ofsewage, told the Board that the

Santa Lucian • June 20143

Cal French Circle Widening

Citizens Congress in SLOBy Citizens Congress 2014

The Citizens Congress, the first national gathering of legislators, scholars, andpublic advocacy groups combating the corruptive influence of money in ourpolitical system, will convene on June 3 and 4 at the Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach. Since the 1970s, corporate business organizations have focused billions ofdollars to organize and lobby for legislation that favors their special interests.This money buys access and influence in Washington; it dominates our policies,and corrupts our politics. Polls indicate that 90% of Americans favor removingthe corrosive influence of money in elections. Lawrence Lessig, a Constitutional scholar, has helped write numerous pieces oflegislation, including some of the campaign finance amendments before Con-gress now. Trevor Potter is a former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission. Hedrick Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter whowrote the best seller Who Stole The American Dream. We are inviting Sierra Club members as informed voters to come take part in thediscussions and voting on ways to work together to get meaningful changeenacted. Participants can come for one or both days. United we are strong. Anyoneinterested can call Dianne Jackson at 466-4429. Registration and pricing informa-tion is also on the website: www.citizenscongress2014.org.

Our world faces an unprecedentedenvironmental, social, and economicchallenge. Top scientists agree that climatedisruption is primarily due to therelease of billions of tons of carbondioxide and methane from fossil fuels. World leaders in 2008 set a target ofno more than a 2-degree Celsius rise inglobal temperatures as the upper limitto avoid climate catastrophe. Scientific modeling asserts that suchan upper limit in global temperatures by2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahren-heit) will result in catastrophic events,including significant sea level rise,superstorms, drought, and extinctions. At current annual global emissionrates of 31 billion tons of carbondioxide worldwide, burning oil, gas,and coal that release another 500-600billion tons of carbon dioxide into theair would push us past this 2-degreeCelsius tipping point by 2030. Last June, President Obama an-nounced a historic national ClimateAction Plan that builds on theadministration’s successes to date:increase fuel economy of cars and lighttrucks (Corporate Average FuelEconomy CAFE standards) to con-serve 12 billion barrels of oil and keep6 billion tons of carbon dioxide—morethan the total amount of carbondioxide emitted by the United States in2010—from being emitted over the next12 years; double the amount ofwind and solar powered electricitygeneration; and raise energy efficiencystandards for appliances. Currently, the administration isleading an effort to set historic carbonpollution standards for dirty powerplants and also increase mileageefficiency for heavy trucks. The result is that for the first time in

Dirty Fuels, Clean FuturesSierra Club report includes a focus on aCalifornia fracking moratorium

20 years, domestic carbon dioxideemissions are decreasing, and theUnited States is no longer thetop carbon dioxide emitter in the world. Clearly, President Obama is doingmore than any other president inreducing our nation’s carbon emis-sions. However, even as the adminis-tration is reducing domestic green-house gas emissions, it is also advanc-ing an “all-of-the-above” energystrategy that promotes greater domes-tic fossil fuel production, exportingthese climate disrupting fuels abroad,and opening up millions of acres of ournation’s most treasured lands andwaters to dirty fuel extraction. Dirty Fuels, Clean Futures high-lights major new climate disrupters thathave the potential to release billions oftons of new carbon dioxide into the air,negating the administration’s progressin reducing carbon pollution fromvehicles and power plants. President Obama can take pragmaticactions to keep dirty fuels in theground and put our country on a newpath to a clean-energy future. Over theremainder of his time in office, he hasan opportunity to require all federalresource management agencies to fullydisclose potential carbon pollution; notallow any oil shale and tar sandsextraction; reform coal mining onfederal lands; put oil drilling in theArctic Ocean off limits; not issue anynew oil and gas leases that requirefracking until impacts on water, air andclimate are averted; and stop massiveplans to export coal and liquefied gasto other countries. Keeping these dirty fuels in theground puts our country on a pathwhere our economy is powered byenergy that is clean, safe, secure, andsustainable.

Read the report at sierraclub.org/ourwildamerica

Update: 20 from 300

We are pleased to report that 115members have signed up for theequivalent of $20 monthly donations,including those opting for an annual$240 lump sum. We are moving ever closer to ourgoal of $20 @ month from 300 mem-bers, which would provide the equiva-lent of $72,000 per year, what we needto meet our basic operating costs, keepthe office open, and know that we havea secure source of funding that will

allow for effective budget planning. You can donate via PayPal using the“Donate” button at www.santalucia.sierraclub.org, or through your bank’sbill-pay service, or with a check for$240 covering a year’s worth ofmonthly donations. Whichever way you choose, you willautomatically become a sustainingmember of the Santa Lucia Chapter’sCal French Circle -- a vibrant, empower-ing group of friends.

Dues, contribution or gifts to the Sierra Club are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.Additional information at https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=donate_Financial_Regulatory_Info.

On May 20: Santa Cruz County became the firstcounty in the state to ban fracking… The Santa Barbara County Board ofSupervisors accepted 16,000 petitionsignatures – 3,000 more than necessary— to put a fracking ban on the ballot inNovember... The San Luis Obispo County Boardof Supervisors directed staff to report

on what other counties in California aredoing about fracking and come backwith a report... And the Energy Information Adminis-tration reduced by 96 percent itsestimate of oil that can potentially berecovered by fracking the MontereyShale formation underlying California. That last event caused 13 billionbarrels of fantasy oil and 3 millionfantasy jobs – the engine behind thepush to frack California — to vanish. Food & Water Watch, 350.org, En-vironment California, Center forBiological Diversity, CaliforniansAgainst Fracking, Sierra Club, SantaBarbara County Water Guardians, SLOClean Water Action, Students AgainstFracking, and Women’s InternationalLeague for Peace and Freedom areamong the groups that brought aboutthe results in those three counties. Momentum!

A Bad Day for Fracking

4Santa Lucian • June 2014

Pismo Preserve MovesCloser to Reality

California Ocean Science Trust, inpartnership with the California Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife, invitesmembers of the Central Coast oceancommunity and interested members ofthe public to provide input on the DraftCentral Coast MPA Monitoring Plan. A network of marine protected areas(MPAs) has been implemented inCalifornia state waters under the MarineLife Protection Act. Monitoring toevaluate the performance of the MPAsis a key element in implementing andmanaging the statewide MPA network.The Central Coast MPA MonitoringPlan will guide implementation of ascientifically rigorous, cost-effective

On May 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized standardsto protect billions of fish and other aquatic life drawn each year into cooling watersystems at large power plants and factories. The EPA rule establishes a frameworkas required by the Clean Water Act to address site-specific challenges. An estimated 2.1 billion fish, crabs, and shrimp are killed annually by beingpinned against cooling water intake structures or being drawn into cooling watersystems and affected by heat, chemicals, or physical stress. (Or as Tribunecolumnist Joe Tarica once memorably put it, requiring PG&E to find an alternativeto pumping 2.5 billion gallons of sea water a day through Diablo Canyon’scooling system is “all to save a bunch of little larvae from one small cove.”) “EPA is making it clear that if you have cooling water intakes you have to lookat the impact on aquatic life in local waterways and take steps to minimize thatimpact,” said Nancy Stoner, acting Assistant Administrator for Water at EPA. The final rule establishes requirements under the Clean Water Act for all existingpower generating facilities and existing manufacturing and industrial facilities thatwithdraw more than 2 million gallons per day of water from waters of the U.S. anduse at least 25 percent of the water they withdraw exclusively for cooling pur-poses. This rule covers roughly 1,065 existing factories and power plants. Thetechnologies required under the rule have been in use for several decades, andare in use at over 40 percent of facilities. The national requirements, which will be implemented through National Pollut-ant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, are applicable to the location,design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures at thesefacilities and are based on the best technology available for minimizing environ-mental impact. The rule establishes a baseline level of protection and then allowsadditional safeguards for aquatic life to be developed through site-specificanalysis, an approach that ensures the best technology available is used. It putsimplementation analysis in the hands of the permitting agencies. There are three components to the final regulation. Existing facilities that withdraw at least 25 percent of their water from anadjacent waterbody exclusively for cooling purposes and have a design intakeflow of greater than 2 million gallons per day are required to reduce fish impinge-ment. To ensure flexibility, the owner or operator of the facility will be able tochoose one of seven options for meeting best technology available requirementsfor reducing impingement. Facilities that withdraw very large amounts of water – at least 125 milliongallons per day – are required to conduct studies to help the permitting authoritydetermine what site-specific entrainment mortality controls, if any, will be required.This process will include public input. New units at an existing facility that are built to increase the generatingcapacity of the facility are required to reduce the intake flow to a level similar to aclosed cycle, recirculation system. Closed cycle systems are the most effective atreducing entrainment. This can be done by incorporating a closed-cycle systeminto the design of the new unit, or by making other design changes equivalent tothe reductions associated with closed-cycle cooling.

EPA Finalizes Standards to ProtectMarine Life from Power Plants

Not just yes but hell yes! After the County Parks Commission voted to up the requestfrom the SLO Land Conservancy from $1 million to a recommendation that the Countycontribute $1.1 million to the acquisition of the Pismo Preserve, commissioners and thepublic posed for a victory photo.

Following an April 24 meeting of itsParks Commission and its strongrecommendation, the County Board ofSupervisors met on May 20 and votedto allocate $1.1 million in County fundsto aid in the acquisition of the PismoPreserve, 900 acres of undevelopedland with ten miles of trails in theunincorporated area east of PismoBeach. The Pismo Preserve landacquisition project will permanentlyconserve the natural resources on theproperty and significantly reducecurrent and future development, pre-serving the natural and rural characterof the Central Coast. The SLO Land Conservancy’soriginal request for funds from theCounty was for $1 million against thepurchase price of $12 million. In adding$100,000, the Parks Commission wassaying not just yes, but hell yes. The Sierra Club urged the ParksCommission to support the County’sfunding piece at their meeting when theCommission made its recommendationto the supervisors, and we are urging

Going up The cost of buying the aging Diablo Canyon plant a few more years of life nowincludes compliance with the new EPA rule. Will PG&E stick ratepayers with that bill?

the Coastal Conservancy to contributethe state funding component. South county is in dire need of moretrails and open space, and we trust thecity of Pismo Beach will act accord-ingly in recognition of this fact whenthey meet on June 17 to deliberate ontheir potential piece of the funding.Pismo Beach mayor Shelly Higgin-botham told the Tribune on May 21that the city council is “very excitedabout the preserve” but has not yethad a formal discussion “about wherethe money would come from.” Fresh off the historic twin debacles oftrying to approve sprawl developmentin adjacent coastal canyons with the ill-fated Los Robles del Mar and SpanishSprings projects, perhaps the citycouncil could set up a Bad PlanningAtonement fund. All funds need to be in hand for the$12 million purchase by August 1. Youcan mail a donation to LCSLO, P.O.Box 12206, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406,or go to lcslo.org/project/pismopreserve.

Visit the Central Coast program pageon OceanSpaces.org for a PDF of thedraft plan, printable input form, andguidance document that includes a listof locations where print copies areavailable for reference. Limited printcopies are also available upon requestby emailing mpamonitoring@calost.org. All comments received will beconsidered, however individual

approach to monitoring that reflectsmanagement needs and local priori-ties. Input on all aspects of the draft planis encouraged. Written commentsmust be received by 5:00 p.m. PDTWednesday, June 4. Input may be submitted via one ofthe following: Online form: bit.ly/monitoringplancommentsEmail: mpamonitoring@calost.orgMail: Central Coast Draft Plan CommentsCalifornia Ocean Science Trust1330 Broadway, Suite 1530Oakland, CA 94612

comments will not be responded todirectly. A summary of key themes thatemerge from the input provided will bedeveloped following the open periodand posted on OceanSpaces.org. For more information about the draftplan and our work on the CentralCoast, please visit http://bit.ly/centralcoastmonitoringprogram orcontact Benét Duncan at benet.duncan@calost.org.

MPA’s Want You

Santa Lucian • June 20145

Transatlantic Trade PactEndangers Action on Climate

Surging Seas

Lake Mead is afew feet away fromthe point at whichHoover Dam stopsgeneratingelectricity and LasVegas turns into aghost town. There will be nomore snow inCalifornia by theend of the century. Watering thelawn accounts for50 to 75 percent ofhome water use. The waste generated by 6,000 cows in a Confined Animal Feeding Operation isequivalent to the waste produced by 140,000 people. These were some of the sobering facts on view when HopeDance Films broughta timely screening of Last Call at the Oasis to Rabobank in Cambria on April 30. The film, made by the producers of An Inconvenient Truth and Food Inc. driveshome several points about our species’ “infinite capacity to deny reality,” as wellas our need to radically re-think the way we do agriculture. In its most inspiredand painfully funny section, the producers sit down with some of the marketingexperts who have made the totally pointless and environmentally devastatingbottled water business into a billion-dollar industry and persuade them to comeup with a PR plan for the sale of, ahem, recycled bottled water, aka “toilet to tap.”Jack Black is hired as a commercial spokesman for “Porcelain Springs” water.Focus groups and “man on the street” taste tests ensue, and pitchman Blackeventually manages to take a swig on camera and declares it to taste just fine --the point being that we will all soon have to do likewise. Representatives from the Sierra Club, Permaculture Guild and SLO GreenBuildspoke with the audience after the film on how it related to Cambria’s own urgentwater issues, with advice on the pitfalls and alternatives to desalination andwhere to go locally to get a rainwater catchment system.

Last Call at the Oasis

On May 19, the Huffington Postposted a leaked version of the EU‘non-paper’ (draft negotiating text) fora chapter on raw materials andenergy in the trade pact that the US isnegotiating with the European Union,the Transatlantic Trade and Invest-ment Partnership (TTIP). Trade negotiators have largelyexcluded the public from the negotia-tions, which makes leaks like this oneof the best way to determine the realramifications of the secretive tradedeal. This leak reveals that the dealwould endanger action on climatedisruption despite calls by bothPresident Obama and EU CommissionPresident Manuel Barroso to addressthe global crisis. “This trade proposal spells out moreof the same,” said Ilana Solomon,director of the Sierra Club’s Respon-sible Trade Program, “More dirty fossilfuels when we should be transitioningto clean energy, more climate-disrupt-ing carbon pollution, and more risk forcommunities on both sides of theAtlantic. Dirty fossil fuels must stayburied in the ground if we’re going toavoid climate catastrophe. Thisproposal should be buried with it.” The analysis by the Sierra Club andPowerShift reveals the true intent ofthe EU proposal. If enacted, theproposal would:

expand fossil fuel exports from theU.S. to the EU,increase the EU’s reliance on fossilfuel imports,limit the ability of governments to setthe terms of their energy policy, andrestrict the development of localrenewable energy programs.

“This proposal exposes the contra-diction of policy makers who promiseto do everything they can to act onclimate and then push a trade andinvestment agreements that woulddevastate our climate,” said PeterFuchs, Executive Director of

PowerShift. “Europe should phase outthe use of its own fossil fuels and itshould not be importing fracked gas orany other fossil fuel from the U.S. Thisproposal is more evidence why tradenegotiators are holding the detailsabout this deal so close to the vest.”

Under any circumstances, coastalpopulations and economies willreshape themselves over time. But thenew research on West Antarctic IceSheet decay — and the amount ofhumanity in the restless ocean’s way— point to unrelenting centuries ofdefense, retreat, and reimagination oflife along our coasts. Climate Central has developed anonline tool that allows you to searchor navigate an interactive map to seeareas below different amounts of sealevel rise and flooding, down toneighborhood scale, matched with areatimelines of risk. The tool also providesstatistics of population, homes andland affected by city, county and state,plus links to factsheets, data down-loads, action plans, embeddablewidgets, and more. Across the country, nearly 5 millionpeople live less than 4 feet above hightide — a level lower than the centuryflood line for most locations analyzed.

Compounding this risk, scientistsexpect roughly 2 to 7 more feet of sealevel rise this century — with much ofthe difference depending on how muchmore heat-trapping pollution humanityputs into the sky. Check it out at sealevel.climatecentral.org

The Public LandsBy Dave Foreman

One-third of the nation’s Land wasthe title of the report of the congres-sionally set-up Public Land LawReview Commission in 1970, and one-third of the nation’s land is yours andmine. Not the timber companies’. Not theland and cattle companies’. Not themining companies’. Not the rich folks’.Not the land speculators’. Ours. One-third of the acreage of the UnitedStates of America is yet owned by hercitizens and overseen by the federalgovernment—740 million acres in all.These are the National Parks, NationalWildlife Refuges, National Forests,and Bureau of Land Managementlands. Moreover, the sundry statesown on behalf of their citizens another197 million acres, such as grazing andoil leasing lands in the West, timberlands in the East, and state parks, stateforests, and state hunting areas in all ofthem. All of this came out of a longhistory of public domain allocationsand decisions like YellowstoneNational Park, Adirondack ForestPreserve, and President Harrison’sforest reserves. These lands are why the UnitedStates has a conservation legacyunmatched elsewhere in the world.Underline that last sentence. As I havelearned more about internationalconservation, I’ve wondered why thewhole game of protecting land seems

PUBLIC continued on page 9

“Communicating About MPAs,” aone-hour webinar on California’s newunderwater parks, our network ofMarine Protected Areas. Presentationswill feature University of Californiamarine biologist Mark Carr; and Cali-fornia Fish and Game CommissionPresident Michael Sutton. The nextwebinar in the series will be held at 3p.m. on June 23. RSVP to DanielleBrown at danielle@mbnmsf.org.

Sip & SolarBy Stacey Hunt

“Sip and Solar” was the theme of aget-together at Burbank Ranch in PasoRobles May 8 hosted by GRIDAlternatives. Guests enjoyed wine and appetizerswhile Regional Director Anna LisaLukes recapped the organization’sachievements since opening theirCentral Coast office in 2010. “We willbe putting in our 500th installationproject this year,” she said, estimatingthe efforts have reduced greenhousegasses in the region by 30,000 tonsand saved low-income families $9million in electrical bills. GRID Alternatives is executing asimple but effective concept: obtaindonations and grant funding to install

solar electric systems on the homes oflow-income families. And while they’reat it they provide free green jobstraining to hundreds of people volun-teering for the installations. In fact,three GRID Alternatives volunteerswent on to be hired as solar installersat the Topaz Solar Farm on the CarrizoPlain. Lukes spelled out the qualificationsfor assistance from GRID Alternatives.“You must make no more than 80% ofthe area median income and own yourown home,” she says. “The houseitself must be in good shape.” GRID’sprimary source of funding, the Califor-nia Single-Family Affordable SolarHomes Program (SASH), requires a

SOLAR continued on page 9

6Santa Lucian • June 2014

“Rebels” Rocked

Forward! Assembly candidate Heidi Harmon roused the crowd with her message on curbing climate change.

This far and no farther Local citizens took a stand against the Keystone Pipeline and sent the President a message.

Hands Crossedthe Sand

The environmentally inclined whoturned out for the Sunday matinee SLOpremiere of Rebels with a Cause at thePalm Theater on May 18, a benefitscreening for the Chumash HeritageNational Marine Sanctuary campaign,saw a vividly, and often movingly, told

were in the land-saving business, thatwe can pass on to younger genera-tions.” Our thanks to Kelly + YamamotoProductions and the Cal Humanitiesfoundation for agreeing to let us usethe film for a fundraiser for theChumash Heritage National MarineSanctuary campaign, to Sierra ClubCalifornia organizer Mike Thornton forsetting it up, and of course to Jim Deeand his policy of making the Palmavailable for a good cause. The National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration is expected torelease its criteria for new nationalmarine sanctuaries later this summer.The inspiring historic example of thisfilm gave us new resolve to securenational marine sanctuary status forthe waters of the central coast.

Post-show Santa Lucia Chapter Director Andrew Christie, environmental writer JohnHart and producer-director Nancy Kelly listen to Northern Chumash Tribal Council ChairFred Collins respond to a question from the audience after the movie.

tale of what it takes to save the placesyou love. More than any other movie you areever likely to see, “Rebels” makes clearthe connection between the long,highly uneven, often frustrating battlessmall groups of people wage to protect

irreplaceable unspoiled wildlands, andthe incredible outcomes those battlescan achieve. It details how the peopleof Marin County, throughout the ‘50s,‘60s and ‘70s, went about creatingPoint Reyes National seashore and theGolden Gate National Recreation Area,and got all the surplus military bases inthe bay area turned into parks. Theysaved San Francisco from itself,avoiding the 16-lane highway bottle-neck to the Golden Gate Bridge thatwould have been necessary toaccommodate the development thatwould have happened on all that land ifnot for the determined efforts of localcitizens – including a few congress-men, county supervisors, and SierraClub legend Edgar Wayburn — topreserve it in its natural state. As one of the activists reflects at theend of the film, “Nobody remembersyou, they don’t remember the struggle;they just know it’s there…. We gaineda lot of experience, those of us who

The Fifth Annual Hands Across the Sand on May 17 was ahuge success all over the U.S., around the world, and in ourcorner of the world in Avila Beach, where Surfrider and SierraClub hosted. Thousands turned out globally to join handsand say no to filthy fuels. We called on President Obama to reject the Kesystone XLpipeline and other tar sands pipelines and called on local andstate leaders to protect our communities by rejecting projectsthat expand the extraction and use of fossil fuels — includingexpanding offshore drilling, seismic blasting and hydraulicfracturing — and instead accelerate the shift to clean, renew-able energy. In addition, these global events call attention to the impactof climate disruption, such as rising sea levels, super storms,drought, forest fires, flooding and ocean acidification. Hands Across the Sand, founded in 2010, grew into aninternational movement after the BP oil disaster that yearwhen people came together to join hands, forming symbolicbarriers against spilled oil. Four years later, as millions beginto understand that President Obama’s energy and climatepolicies fall short if they fail to keep dirty fuels in the ground,a rising tide of grassroots activism is demanding that wechoose a clean energy future over the dangerous and dirtyfuels of the 20th century.

Santa Lucian • June 20147

“The Face of the Wild” Tickets On Sale June 16

Limited to the first 100 guests

Tickets will go on sale June 16that 8:00 a.m. for “The Face of theWild,” the Chapter’s 2014 fundraiserat the Tolosa Winery. Tickets will be available onlinefrom Brown Paper Tickets, at thislink: http://thefaceofthewild.brownpapertickets.com Tickets are limited to the first 100guests. 2014 marks the 50th Anniversaryof the Wilderness Act, and we arepleased to have Matt Sayles of LosPadres ForestWatch join us to giveguests the low-down on what themomentous new Coastal WildernessBill would mean for the cause ofpreserving natural land in San LuisObispo County.

Bid to win:

- Wind Wolves Preserve tour

- Animal masks by contest winners

- Wild edible plant pike & forest feast for 4

- A Night of Luxury Camping

- Monterey Street Experience! Chocolate and wine gift basket from Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolaters, gift card from Splash Cafe and one night at Petit Soleil

- Original art by top local artists.

African Photo Safari Upfor Bid at Silent Auction$6,000 package/no minimum bid

Two South Africa photo safaripackages will go to the highestbidders in the “Face of the Wild”silent auction. The “I Dreamed of Africa”package includes six days and sixnights luxury accommodations fortwo provided in Hemingway-styletents, the Heritage Safari Lodge orZulu Nyala Game Lodge, all meals,and two daily open land cruisergame tours. The tour package is valued at$5,950. There will be no minimumbid. The winning bidder may book atour any time within two years ofpurchase. “We have provided thisfundraising opportunity to RedCross, American Cancer Society,Hospice, Boys & Girls Club, privateschools and hospitals,” said JeanHuisman, U.S. representative forthe Zulu Nyala Group. “Thewinning bidders have the chance totake extraordinary photographs,enjoy panoramic views whilesipping a cool beverage, or experi-ence the thrill of up close viewingof some of the most spectacularwildlife on the continent.”

Santa Lucia Chapter’s Annual FundraiserCelebrating Our Commitment to Protecting & Preserving Nature Sunday, August 3rd, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tolosa Winery, 4910 Edna Road, San Luis Obispo

Want to Help Out?

You can help make this an event to remember!Volunteers needed for:

Invitation follow-up calls Sponsor follow-up Set-up and take-down on August 3rd Silent auction & event team membersSignage

Contact: sandysimon2010@gmail.com or call 543-8717.

withthanksto oursponsors:

Dinner by Two Cooks Catering

Wines by Tolosa Winery

Music by Moon Pie

8Santa Lucian • June 2014

water district in the state could likewisepark its excess state water allocations.The “paper water” is assigned to thebasin, and then “excess” real water isthen sold outside the basin for millionsof dollars in profit. “The Monterey Agreement’s blood-less coup against representativedemocracy in California water policyshould piss off everyone who caresabout the state’s rivers and equitableuse of the California State WaterProject,” wrote longtime Californiawater watchdog Tim Stroshane four-teen years ago. “Major corporateagribusiness and developer constitu-encies in water entitlement-richdistricts (north and south) profithandsomely from buying and sellingwater they don’t own.” The Monterey Agreement came upagainst a stiff challenge in a courtruling handed down in March thatfound its Environmental Impact Reportdeficient. Meanwhile, the most promising of theefforts to wrestle water back into thehands of the people of California maybe State Senate Bill 1168, the Sustain-able Groundwater Management Act,just introduced by Senator Fran Pavley.The measure would require all ground-water basins to be managed sus-tainably by local entities and for thoseentities to develop groundwatermanagement plans. In the absence ofsuch local efforts, the state would beauthorized to develop, adopt andimplement a plan. Some specific policies the legislaturecould incorporate into SB 1168 as itmoves forward are:

* All local governments with signifi-cant groundwater resources should berequired to form groundwater districts,or pursue adjudication, by a datecertain.* Groundwater districts should have aconsistent number of directorsstatewide (5 or 7).* Groundwater district directors shouldbe democratically elected by allregistered voters within the district—one person, one vote.* Groundwater district directors mustlive in the district in order to be eligibleto serve as a director.

* Groundwater districts should havethe authority to require meters onexisting wells, not just new ones.* Groundwater districts should havethe ability to prohibit new wells,consistent with exiting “taking” law.* Groundwater districts should havethe authority to set progressive feestructures.* Groundwater districts should havethe authority to set caps on totalvolumes pumped.* Groundwater districts should havethe authority to prohibit wasteful waterapplication, where other, more conser-vative alternatives exist (i.e. mandatedrip irrigation for grapes, prohibitoverhead application for frost protec-tion, etc.)* Groundwater districts should havesome limited land use authority withindistrict boundaries, with independentregulatory authority separate from thelocal government permitting process.This would enable them to pass water-related ordinances that could restrictirrigated acreage, mandate recycling/recharge, offer incentives, etc.* Groundwater districts should haveadministrative penalty authority.There is also value in basin adjudica-tion or State Water Board managementof basins that are not being adequatelyor appropriately managed. Water isbecoming an increasingly valuablecommodity, and as demand increases,so do efforts by corporate interests,entrepreneurial purveyors and indus-trial-scale agriculture to control theresource. The adjudication processwould benefit from streamliningmeasures that would reduce the costsand shorten the amount of timenecessary for local groups to pursueadjudication.

Let’s hope the legislature will elect topursue the statewide solutionscontained in SB 1168 instead ofapproving piecemeal, ad-hoc measureslike Katcho’s bad bill, AB 2453.

Pasocontinued from page 1

Update: A Stream of Success in NipomoBy Ralph Bishop

As mentioned here last month, therehas been a historically documentedproblem in Nipomo’s Old Towncommunity concerning upstreamactivities in the watershed – streambedalteration, discarded ag irrigationtubing, construction waste dumping,etc. – that have had disastrous effectsdownstream. A recent development has providedhope that common sense and respectwill prevail. With the assistance ofSupervisor Caren Ray and Dave Flynnof County Public Works, and thecooperation of a new upstream organicfarm operation in resolving issuesaround a stream blockage, a culvert ofinsufficient size to handle storm flow atDelesaguas Creek and Thompson Roadhas been removed. Duncan Farms probably didn’t realizewhen they installed it that the volumeof storm water was far greater thantheir small culvert could handle and

were not familiar with the history ofwidespread damage done in thecommunity due to stream channelblockage during storm events. Daniel Diaz and the Mullah Streetneighborhood (see “Water (Barely)Under the Bridge,” May) are verygrateful to their upstream ag neighborwho produces food that improves ourlives in a natural way. Continuedcomprehensive cooperation has thepotential to alleviate the contentionbetween neighbors and regulatoryintervention that has caused everyoneso much grief for over a decade. All Mr.Diaz and Old Town Nipomo neighborshave asked from their ag neighbors isthe understanding and outgoingconcern that what happens upstreamhas a direct effect on the health andwell-being of their downstreamneighbors. Thank you, Duncan Farms. May yourfuture be clear and unobstructed.

Much better The removal of a too-smallculvert (above) freed the creek (below).

At Long Last RESCO

Back in the day In May 2009, the SLO RESCO team and advisors met at the SierraClub to plot the future course of local clean energy. Left to right: Mark Shefrin, SantaLucia Chapter Chair Karen Merriam, Elana Shefrin, Ken Smokoska, Eric Veium, Jim Cole.

The long-awaited final project reportof the San Luis Obispo RenewableEnergy Secure Communities projecthas been released by the CaliforniaEnergy Commission. The report is a resource that will helpour communities understand our localrenewable energy potential -- howmuch wind, sunlight, etc. is available. California’s Renewable Energy SecureCommunities program was created toadvance the deployment and integra-tion of renewable and distributedenergy resources at the communitylevel and provide local sources ofpower at competitive rates in line withstatewide energy policy. The SLO RESCO project wasundertaken to inform local governmentofficials of the available pathways toachieve the program’s goals. Thereport includes case studies of localdistributed generation and “lessonslearned,” high-level surveys of local

renewable and distributed energyresources, detailed studies of selectend-uses of solar and biomasspotential, and the technical resourcepotential of select resources. AnEnergy Atlas was created to summarizethe findings of the resource survey andtechnical potential estimates as anoutreach tool for the public. Significant local outreach wasundertaken by the project to form anadvisory committee comprised of localdecision makers, educate the publicand inform San Luis Obispo County’sEnergyWise Action Plan. Congratulations to report authorsPaul Fenn, Samuel Golding and RobertFreehling of Local Power Inc., and SLORESCO local project team: Eric Veium,Chad Worth, Ken Smokoska, LornaMosher, and Mark and Elana Shefrinfor bringing this project to fruition. The report is available on line atwww.energy.ca.gov/publications.

Conserve and protect your favoritemarine resources

By the Marine Action Team

The Marine Action Team (MAT) is anational issue team with the Sierra ClubGrassroots Network, focused on four“Charge Areas:” marine mammalprotection, marine protected areas,marine and coastal ecosystemsconservation, and fisheries manage-ment issues. We are currently initiating a recruitingeffort to fill eight seats on the MATCore Team, two for each of the fourCharge Areas. One such seat would befilled by an activist, the other by aqualified subject matter expert (whomight also be an activist). Priorleadership experience at the chapterlevel is a plus! The Marine Action Team is anexcellent opportunity to engage inregional and national club-wideinitiatives and policy development. Weare actively recruiting through mid-June, and hope to have a new CoreTeam appointed and operating by thefirst of July. To get involved, please fill out ourrecruitment survey at http://bit.ly/MarineActionTeam. More information on the MarineAction Team can be found on SierraClub’s Grassroots Network: http://content.sierraclub.org/grassrootsnetwork/teams/marine-action-team.

Under the (poli)Sea

Santa Lucian • June 20149

easier in the United States (not that it’seasy here, but alongside othercountries we are better off). Our publiclands are the answer. I know of noother country that has such a set-upwith its citizens owning and having astrong say in the running of one-thirdof the country’s land acreage. Twofederal laws above all give citizens andtheir clubs sturdy handles to helpguide stewardship of the public lands:the Wilderness Act and the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act (NEPA).…. In no other nation do citizens have asmany handles on the gears of publicconservation as do those of the UnitedStates and none have anything like ourfederal public lands. The UnitedStates is a stand-alone nation forconservation most of all because of thepublic lands and a steadily more opendoor for citizen input on their steward-ship. Our matchless system of US

public lands is the key for our gains inconservation, notwithstanding theeconomic, political, and philosophicalmight of those fighting protection ofpublic lands in the United States:resource agencies, corporations,politicians, landscalpers, and con-spiracy nuts….We conservationistsshould never brook mistaken catcallsfrom “new conservationists” that ourhoary conservation path has failedowing to the weight we give to set-aside public lands. Mind you, I am not saying thatAmerica’s public lands are flawless orthe best they can be. They are far fromthat. But we have them! And that iswonderful and worth more than weoften think.

-- “Around the Campfire with UncleDave Foreman,” The Rewilding

Institute, March 27, 2014.

Join the Sierra Club’s Global Popula-tion and Environment Program and ourpartners for a World Population Daychat to learn more about the connec-tions between family planning,reproductive health, climate and theenvironment. Find out how meeting women’s basicneeds helps improve the lives offamilies, communities, local environ-ments, and the planet, and hear howthe Sierra Club and others are workingto foster a balance between the Earthand its inhabitants in a world of sevenbillion people and growing. Want to be a part of the solution?The conversation will conclude withways to take action and get involved. RSVP at: action.sierraclub.org/

Event details:

WHO: Sierra Club’s Global Populationand Environment Program and guestspeakers.

WHAT: Healthy People, Healthy Planet:A World Population Day Chat

WHEN: Friday, July 11 2:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: Via Google Hangout! Link willbe sent to your inbox!

Questions: Contactpopulation@sierraclub.org.Visit the Global Population and Environ-ment Program at sierraclub.org/population

July 11 is World Population Day

This land is our land Addition to the Santa Lucia Wilderness, as proposed in theCentral Coast Wilderness Bill (Capps).

Publiccontinued from page 5

Jeff

Jon

es

Coffeecontinued from page 2

manner in which the caffeine test isconducted is critical to obtaining ameaningful result. Sewer flows and thetiming and duration of pumpingactivity at the well(s) to be sampledmust be carefully coordinated toensure that the test is valid. Linda Stedjee agreed, writing in afollow-up note to the Board and MorroBay City Council that the people“primarily responsible for the nitratestudy that says well nitrates come fromfertilizer, not sewage, is the same group

that in 2009 gave the City the infamousattempt to conduct a stream flowinterference study [that] was abruptlyhalted after residents asked the Councilhow one could measure stream flowinterference in a dry stream.” A secondattempt the following year was alsohalted after “a DFG official on patrolfound that they had not bothered toobtain any permits and had damagedthe banks of a steelhead trout stream. Bottom line: If they could make mis-takes like that in dealing with Chorro

Valley well issues, one mightassume they could makemistakes with a Morro Basinwell nitrate study.” “Hopefully,” Stedjeeconcluded, “by workingtogether, City government andresidents can start making ameaningful change in the stateof health of our groundwaterand ocean.” The Water Board said itexpects to receive and reportthe results of the caffeine testat its September meeting.

deed restriction on the property. TheCentral Coast office currently servesSanta Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, SanLuis Obispo and Santa BarbaraCounties. There are six other regionaloffices in California and others inColorado, New York, New Jersey andConnecticut. A mid-Atlantic office inWashington D.C. will open in the Fallof 2014. The Central Coast office installsapproximately 100 projects per year,working with groups such as Peoples’Self Help Housing. “They usually find out about us byword-of-mouth,” says Lukes. GRID

Alternatives is currently looking forinstallation volunteers. “We like to getstudents out on break, teams from localbusinesses, or people who are justinterested in solar,” Lukes says. “Theywill receive a two-hour orientation andthe rest is on-the-job training.” The Sip and Solar events are de-signed to raise awareness of theprogram and create a source of privatefunding to ensure sustainability for theprogram long after the SASH Programsunsets. For more information go towww.GRIDalternatives.org/ or call AnnaLisa Lukes at (805) 769-9120.

Solarcontinued from page 5

10Santa Lucian • June 2014

Diversity and Public Employees forEnvironmental Responsibility, joinedby local groups Concerned Citizens forClean Air, Mesa Community Allianceand Safe Beach Now, urged the budgetsubcommittees to strike the fundingallocation for the purchase from thestate budget. State Parks last attempted to pur-chase the La Grande Tract from theCounty in 2007. “State Parks taking ownership of thisland would have meant the people ofSLO County would lose local control,and efforts to compel the state to meetthe requirements of the County’s LocalCoastal Plan for the protection of theOceano Dunes from the impacts of off-road activity would be greatly ham-pered,” said Andrew Christie, directorof the Santa Lucia Chapter of the SierraClub. “We let our legislators know thatwe don’t think that’s the way to protectCalifornia’s coast, and there are betterthings the state could spend $5 millionon.” The funding appropriation used byState Parks in its previous bid topurchase the land expired in June 2013.At a March 23, 2013, meeting of theOff-Highway Motor Vehicle RecreationCommission, Commissioner DianaPerez said she would “like to see theopportunity to purchase the La GrandeTract” revived. The controversial 584-acre parcel,sitting in the middle of the Oceano

Dunes SVRA, is currently used byState Parks under the terms of anoperating agreement with the County.State Parks 2007 attempt to purchasethe parcel made headlines when theSierra Club pointed out that a map inthe County’s certified Local CoastalPlan (LCP), certified in 1984, showedthat the land in question was desig-nated a buffer area, where off-roadvehicles should not be permitted. TheCounty Planning Commission andBoard of Supervisors agreed anddetermined that sale of the land forcontinued use as part of an off-roadvehicle area would not conform withthe County’s General Plan and LCP. Several lawsuits ensued involving theSierra Club, State Parks, the off-roadadvocacy group Friends of OceanoDunes, and the California Coastal

Commission. A legal challenge by theoff-roaders claiming that State Parks’permit to allow use of the land by off-road vehicles preempted the County’sLocal Coastal Plan was dismissed in2010 at the request of petitioners,placing the County’s determination ofnonconformity beyond legal challenge.In a subsequent lawsuit filed by theSierra Club, the court noted that theCounty had determined “the use of off-road vehicles, on at least part of theSVRA, is inconsistent with its ownGeneral Plan, the County LCP, and theCoastal Act,” but ruled that State Parkswas not required to come into compli-ance within a specific time period,leaving the fate of the La Grande Tractin legal limbo. Throughout January and Februaryof 2013, Grover Beach Mayor Debbie

Peterson had several meetings andphone calls with Perez. On April 15,2013, upon being told by MayorPeterson that she had been “advisedby a member of the State VehicularRecreation Area Commission that Stateappropriation for purchase is about toexpire,” the Grover Beach City Councilvoted to send a letter to the CountyBoard of Supervisors urging theCounty to resume efforts to sell the LaGrande Tract to State Parks. The letterdid not mention the land parcel’scontentious history or address theLocal Coastal Plan issues that hadpersuaded the County not to sell. The Assembly budget subcom-mittee’s vote for denial of the fundswas based on their staff’s recommen-dation that “the Coastal Commission isplanning to hold a hearing later thissummer for the purpose of conductinga comprehensive overview of thepermit, the LCP policies, the currentuse, and the new air pollution controldistrict dust rule. Thus, staff recom-mends the Subcommittee hold off onapproving this acquisition this year, togive all parties a chance to sort out thisissue.” On May 22, another Assemblybudget subcommittee handed the OHVDivision another setback -- andanother victory for the environment --when it approved a moratorium onfunding for land acquisitions for newor existing State Vehicle RecreationAreas while the state examines theallocation process for the Off-HighwayVehicle Trust Fund.

Dunescontinued from page 1

The saga of the La Grande Tract

all at HTTP://SANTALUCIA.SIERRACLUB.ORG/LUCIAN/LUCIAN.HTML

with Mary Parker Malotte

Owner of the Steynberg Gallery inSan Luis Obispo, Peter J. Steynberghas navigated a long course fromSouth Africa to becoming a communitycultural leader and patron saint of localartists, musicians, poets, and lecturersof all varieties. Here, Mr. Steynbergreflects on his present role, environ-mental concerns and his love for theland (and the eland).

Tell me how you came to what you aredoing now.We took a big chance on buying thisbuilding and a big risk, and it has allworked out. It started out as a fine artgallery, and I made no money. So I hadto change. Somebody gave me the ideaof putting in a coffee shop. The coffeeshop has just changed the way yourun a gallery. I call it a soft openingbecause we get Cal Poly students, andeven the high school kids coming inhere, and we are exposing them to art.Here, people can linger and have a cupof coffee, or have breakfast whilesitting next to a painting. So, it’s been along struggle. We’ve been here forfifteen years and the beginning waspretty tough to survive. Now, we’veestablished what people expect us tobe.

What is your philosophy toward theenvironment?I’m a Sierra Club member. I think theenvironment in America has beendestroyed. Los Osos is the Valley ofthe Bears, and you don’t see a bearthere anymore. The ice plants growingall over, which come from my country,South Africa, are destroying all thelocal vegetation. It’s sad. We reallyhave to work hard to take the environ-ment seriously. And climate change, ofcourse.

How does your background or previousexperiences inform your views?I come from South Africa, and we grewup closer to nature. People here have

Peter Steynberg: An Interview

lost a connection with nature. Andevery country in this world is beingaided by America. But when you comeback here, Americans don’t look afterother Americans. We should neverhave so many poor people in thiscountry. It’s shocking.

How do you see your world of artintersecting with environmentalconcerns?My job is to keep the standard as highas I can, and we’ve become a culturalcenter. It’s important to bring peoplethrough the front door. People need tohave a place where they can gettogether and talk. I have the SierraClub here once a month. We do poetryand art shows and lectures and soireesand different speakers coming in,everything from physicists to politi-cians to you-name- it. We talk about allsorts of things.

Do you think the world of business cancooperate with or support a greenphilosophy?The single biggest thing is greed. Thatgets in the way of everything, really.

People get greedy, that’s where theenvironment just takes a back seat. I’mvery aware of the environment, and Icare about the environment. It’s aboutour survival. I wasn’t born with thegreed gene.

What causes would you like theSierra Club to champion? Is thereanything you’d like to tell the SierraClub members?One thing that does worry me is thenuclear power plant. It should disap-pear. I think the writing is on the wall.The power plant in Morro Bay is aneyesore. It’s an incredible bit of landfor tourist attraction and it’s a real uglything— right on the beach. Everyonein California should have solar panelson their roof. That’s probably one ofthe biggest things— they should makeit easier for everybody to have solarpanels. They have not really made iteasy enough. That’s number one:solar.

What are your great hopes for theplanet?I just hope that human beings willcome to their senses.

And fears?That people don’t take climate changeseriously. There is a huge group ofpeople that don’t feel that anything ishappening. But there are no argu-ments. The scientists know what theyare talking about.

Let’s try a little Proust questionnaire,with a few Sierra Club flavoredquestions. What is your current stateof mind?I feel really happy to be where I am.Life has been really, really good to me.So I’m pleased to be where I am at thisage. I appreciate every minute.

Do you have any environmentalheroes?Oh, John Muir. How can you not name

him?

What is your idea of happiness?The pursuit of happiness is futile. I’mjust happy. Swimming makes mehappy. People make me happy.

What sight in nature do you findinspiring?Rock art paintings. I actually wrote athesis on rock art. In South Africa, Iused to visit a lot of sites there. I’vebeen to a couple of the Chumash sitestoo.

What would you change in the worldtoday?Greed. It’s the single most destructivething on this planet. Human greed.We need to learn to share.

Your favorite animal, plant and body ofwater?Eland. It’s a sacred animal of theBushmen, a large antelope, the size ofan ox. I love trees. I love the oceanand I love Lake Tahoe, it’s incredible.

What do you most value in friends?Loyalty. I have some very true andloyal friends. Honesty, too.

How would you like to die?In my will, I’ve said—dispose of mybody as cheaply as possible. I’lldefinitely have a green burial. Andnothing fancy, a cardboard box wouldbe fine. Just put me in the ground, Idon’t need anything. I don’t fear it.Maybe I can make some good fertilizerfor some plants. I don’t have any fancyreligious beliefs about the after life, andI’m happy with that.

What is your personal motto?Oh, that’s hard. Give me a week and I’lltell you. No, here’s my motto, which Iheard from a 109 year old woman whowas interviewed locally. She said, “Bekind to everyone and mind your ownbusiness.” That’s what I live by now.

Feb. 2007: “OHV-quake!: 580 acres of off-highway land are up in the air.”March 2007: “Coastal Commission Turns Up the Heat on Dunes”May 2007: “Sandstorm: At Oceano Dunes, the answer is blowin’ in the wind”March 2008: “For the Dunes: Why We Sue”May 2008: “A Planning Scandal”Nov. 2008: “Litigation Update: Oceano Dunes”Jun. 2009: “Club Intervenes in Off-Roaders’ Dunes Lawsuit”Jul. 2009: “Grand Jury Slams County Planning on Attempted Dunes Sale.”Mar. 2010: “Catching Air: the health impacts of off-road vehicles on Oceano Dunes”Apr. 2010: “Case Dismissed: Off-roaders’ Oceano Dunes lawsuit buriedJun. 2010: “Kicking Up Dust: Off-roaders emitting obscuring clouds”Nov. 2010: “ODSVRA Lawsuit: Rolling the rock up the sand dune”Mar. 2011: “Judge Awards Sierra Club Legal Fees in Oceano Dunes Case”Jun. 2013: “Intractable”Sept. 2013: “The Dusty Trail”

Santa Lucian • June 201411

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

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2012 Crop Grass Fed BeefEstate Grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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12Santa Lucian • June 2014

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 to alloutings and optionally a lunch. Sturdy footwear is recommended. All phone numbers listed are within area code805 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 organizations

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

Central Coast Mountain Bikers

Sat., June 7, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Montanade Oro trail work. Meet at Park HQabove Spooners Cove. Wear workclothes, hat and gloves. Bring water.Tools and snacks provided. Parentneeds to sign waiver for volunteersunder 18. Contact: Gregbettencourt4408@gmail.com.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Sat., June 7, 9:45 a.m. at the UnitarianUniversalist Fellowship, 2201 LawtonAvenue, San Luis Obispo. Get ready toget involved and make a difference! Formore information, go towww.citizensclimatelobby.org. Contact:citizensclimatelobbyslo@gmail.com.

Sun., June 8th, 10 a.m. Walk in LosOsos Oak State Reserve Easy, 1.3-mile, 100 ft. gain, walk through delight-ful ancient live oak forest, duckinghead under occasional oak branch. Trail is compact dirt, some partsthrough sandy coast scrub and acrossshort bridges; some poison oak off-trail. Directions: on Los Osos ValleyRd. from SLO, soon after entering LosOsos, meet in Oak Reserve parking lotacross from Eto Rd. Leader: VickiMarchenko, vmarchenko57@gmail.com or528-5567. Sat., June 14th, Varying times, TheMorros of SLO County Join us for aone-day ascent of the five publiclyaccessible morros, near San LuisObispo and Morro Bay. All five morroscan be hiked in succession (seeschedule listed below) or selected tosuit one’s preferences and condition-ing. Each has a beautiful but differentvista—from city to oak woodland tograssland to seashore. Total round-tripdistance for all five hikes is about 13miles, with 3,500 ft. elevation gain.Bring plenty of water (store extra waterin your vehicle), lunch and snacks, anddress in layers for changing weather.The day is likely to start and end cool,but be quite warm at mid-day. A hat,sunscreen, and sturdy hiking shoes areessential. Confirmation with leader atleast 24 hrs in advance is requested. Leader: Bill Waycott, (805) 459-2103 oremail: bill.waycott@gmail.com . Asst.:Andrea Fischer-Ortiz. The plants,animals, and the geology of the areawill be topics during the hikes.

miles, 1,100 ft. gain, moderate.Has knockout views of SLO.Trailhead at the end of MarshSt., just before onramp to Hwy101 south. Lunch: 11:30 am, Throop Park,corner of Cerro Romauldo Streetand Cuesta Drive. 12:30 p.m. Bishop Peak, 3.5miles, 950 ft. gain, moderate.Highest of all the morros. Hikebegins with lunch at 12:30, thenup the trail at 1 p.m. From Hwy1, go west on Highland Dr.(opposite Cal Poly entrance),then right on Patricia Drive. Parkat trailhead on Patricia Dr. justbefore reaching Anacapa Circle. 3:30 p.m. Cerro Cabrillo, 2.5miles, 800 ft. gain, moderate.360-degree views from the SantaLucia mts. to the coastline.Meet at Quarry Trail trailheadon South Bay Blvd, 1.4 milessouth of Hwy 1 or 0.4 milesnorth of Turri Rd. 6:00 p.m. Black Hill, 0.5 miles,100 ft. gain, easy. Ocean viewsfrom Montana de Oro north toSan Simeon. From South BayBlvd, drive into Morro BayState Park, turn right at first forkonto Park View Rd., then rightonto Black Hill Rd. to end.

Thursday, west end of Escalante, forpermit. Leader: David Hardy athardyhikers@embaraqmail.com (pre-ferred) or 702-875-4826. S. NevadaGroup/CNRCC Desert Committee Sat., June 21st, 8:30 a.m. Twitchell,Stone Ridge, & Kirk Creek (akaVincente) Loop Hike. Hike on longestday of year, 11 miles, 3000 ft. elevationgain, in S Big Sur. with a 2.5-mile carshuttle, starting at north end nearLimekiln and proceeding south. Initialpart of trail is a strenuous 2000-ft gaintaking 1.5 to 2 hrs (no switchbacks),then trails are less steep. Durationabout 6-7 hrs. Poison oak along trail. Bring lunch, water, sturdy hikingshoes. Meet at Washburn Day Usearea in San Simeon State Park, one milenorth of Cambria, off Hwy 1. Extremeheat will postpone. Need to confirmwith Leader Carlos Diaz-Saavedrabeforehand if planning to attend, 546-0317. Sun., June 22nd, 2 p.m. City Walk:Victorian-Age SLO. Guided stroll past21 stately, century-old homes andchurches in the Old Town HistoricDistrict, SLO’s former “Nob Hill.” Seeresidences of past mayors, newspapereditor, and founder of Cal Poly. Eavesdrop on the lives of the newlyrich who transformed the city at theturn of the twentieth century. Durationabout 1 1/2 hrs. Meet in front of JackHouse, 536 Marsh St. Leader: JoeMorris, 549-0355. Sat., June 28th, 9 a.m. Islay Rd-Barranca/E. Boundary/RidgeTrails Moderate 8-9 mile loop hike inMontana de Oro State Park, 1600 ft.elevation gain—a wonderful chance toexplore MDO backcountry. FromHazard Pk, great views of north andsouth coastlines. Bring water, lunch or

Island Hopping in Channel Islands National Park. 3-Days, 3-Islands: June 8-10,July 22-24, August 24-26, September 14-16. Join us as we explore these en-chanting islands! Hike wild, windswept trails bordered with blazing wildflowers.Kayak rugged coastlines. Marvel at pristine waters teeming with frolicking sealsand sea lions. Train your binoculars on unusual sea and land birds. Watch for thehighly endangered island fox. Look for reminders of the Chumash people who

lived on these islands forthousands of years. Or just relaxat sea. A ranger/naturalist willtravel with us to help lead hikes,point out items of interest andpresent evening programs. Allcruises depart from SantaBarbara. The $590 cost includesan assigned bunk, all meals,snacks, and beverages plus theservices of a ranger/naturalist. To reserve space, send a $100check, written to Sierra Club toleader Joan Jones Holtz, 11826The Wye St., El Monte, CA91732. For more informationcontact leader; 626-443-0706;jholtzhln@aol.com.

7:30 a.m. Islay Hill, 2 miles, 500ft. gain, moderate. The eastern-most of the morros, with viewsof five others. To trailhead, takeTank Farm Rd. east past OrcuttRd, then south on Spanish OaksDr., then east on Sweet BayLane to end. 9:00 a.m. Cerro San Luis, 4

Thurs-Sun, June 19th-22nd, EscalanteBackpack. Moderate 3-night/4-daybackpack into unique Southwest desertlocale with cottonwoods and pineslining river. Wading shoes required forfrequent river crossings. First day, hikein for 6 miles, then explore scenic sidecanyon with nice narrows and swim-ming holes on next day. Third day,move several miles for more sidehiking. Last day, hike out. Routerequires car shuttle. Limit: 12 people. Meet at BLM Visitor Center noon

SLO Botanical Garden

Sat., June 21, 1 p.m. Hummingbirds& Nesting Boxes. Helpful tips andhints for creating a backyard birdsanctuary. Discover the factors that

snacks, and dress for the weather. Slight possibility of ticks and poisonoak. Meet in parking area across fromRidge Trailhead (Hazard Peak), beforeyou reach the visitor center. Option ofgoing out for eats after hike. Leader:Chuck Tribbey, 441-7597.

create unsafe and safe housing foryour feathered friends. We learn thedo’s and don’ts of keeping your yardan active sanctuary throughout theyear. Special focus will be paid tokeeping hummingbirds happy and wellfed through throughout the year. Birdboxes are available for sale and benefitthe Morro Coast Audubon Society.Cheryl is a long-time resident of SanLuis Obispo County. She becameinterested in bird boxes in 1999 andhasn’t stopped building them yet.Cheryl currently works at the OceanoDunes State Vehicular Recreation Areaon the Snowy Plover, Least Ternproject. Presentation is $5 for members/$10 non-members. Followed at 2 p.m.by a free docent-led tour of theGarden. No preregistration required.For more information visit slobg.org/hummingbirds. A $3 fee is charged for parking bySan Luis Obispo County Parks in ElChorro Regional Park April throughSeptember on weekends and holidays.For more information: (805) 541-1400x304, education@slobg.org.