Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 20101

DON’T MISS

Nov. 8:“Solar Plans for theCarrizo Plain: Boon

or Bust?”

-see page 10

Dec. 5:A celebration of

environmental art &

literature

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

Protecting and

Preserving the

Central Coast

SantaLucian

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d ePlanning by Orwell 2

Your 2011 Chapter ballot 3

Shunning sanctuary 4

GMOs in SLO 5, 9

A coastal roundtable 6

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

Please recycle

This newsletter printed on

100% post-consumer recycled paper with

soy-based inks

Nov./Dec. 2010Volume 47 No. 10

Santa LucianSanta Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club

P. O. Box 15755

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

No Santa Lucian in December- see you next year!

ODSVRA Lawsuit: Rollingthe Rock Up the Sand DuneSierra Club will appeal“no recourse” ruling onoff-roading in Oceano Dunes

continued on page 8

by Hershel Parker

In the October 12 Tribune, reporterNick Wilson described a lawsuit someHarmony Coast property owners havefiled against the Coastal Commission.At issue is an easement, required as acondition of their developmentpermit, allowing hikers to walk alongthe coast as part of the envisionedCalifornia Coastal Trail, open toeveryone able to make the trek or atleast walk segments of it. The Board of Supervisors, back inthe dark years of the Three Amigos,removed the easement requirement,which the Sierra Club later success-fully appealed to the Coastal Commis-sion and got reinstated (see “ChapterWins Coastal Commision Appeal,”Sept. 2010). Wilson described the inHarmoniousowners as being “represented bySacramento-based lawyer Paul Beardfrom the nonprofit Pacific LegalFoundation (PLF), which aims tolimit government infringements andstrengthen property rights.” Readers of the October 18, 2009,Tribune Viewpoint by Paul J. Beard

know that the Pacific Legal Founda-tion was arguing that Franco DeCiccocould build, or grossly overbuild, onthe property at Ocean Boulevard andOld Creek Road in Cayucos. NewTimes readers may remember that in2002, Morro Bay Mayor Bill Yateshired the PLF to force the removal ofthe Western snowy plover from thelist of Endangered Species—adecision that contributed to hisouster in 2004. The California Chamber of Com-merce founded the PLF in 1973 tobring lawsuits for the businesscommunity under the guise of “publicinterest” actions -- “public interest”as sponsored by big business, mean-ing “private interest.” The PLF isultra-conservative, tax-exempt, and

non-profit, although funded by bigbusiness. It is, in fact, an organiza-tion designed to enrich some of itssupporters, notably in agri-busi-nesses. The PLF has launched an astonish-ing range of extreme right-winglawsuits. Lavishly funded, the PLFlawyers have mounted assaults onwetlands, equal employment,protections of consumer health andsafety, rent control, labor unions,

First Amendment protection of freespeech, public right to beach access,equal rights for gays, and affirmativeaction. The Endangered Species Act is afrequent target. A suit in Fresnofederal court challenged habitatprotections for 48 endangered orthreatened species of animals andplants in California—ranging fromthe peninsular bighorn sheep to theyellow larkspur to the western snowyplover (and not just in SLO County). A 2008 suit against HumboldtCounty was designed to let employeesand shareholders of incorporatedbusinesses pour money into localelections even though they are notresidents of the county. Another 2008suit challenged the listing of the polarbear as endangered. A 2010 suitdenies that greenhouse gases are arisk to public health. The PLF is largely synonymouswith another ugly and apt acronym:SLAPP, which Wikipedia defines thus:“A strategic lawsuit against publicparticipation (SLAPP) is a lawsuit thatis intended to censor, intimidate andsilence critics by burdening them

continued on page 10

Chuck

Abbe

Shall you walk upon the beach? TheHarmony Headlands.

Can thePublicAccess aGlimpseof theOcean?

On September 30, Judge CharlesCrandall affirmed a superior courtruling on the lawsuit Sierra Club v.California Dept. of Parks, declaringthat the Sierra Club is barred fromseeking to implement a provision ofSan Luis Obispo County’s LocalCoastal Plan (LCP) which requires theState Deptartment of Parks andRecreation to bring its generaldevelopment plan for Oceano Dunesinto compliance with the LCP. Were State Parks to comply withthis provision, it would be forced toban off-road recreation on the LaGrande Tract, a 584-acre County-owned tract of land in the OceanoDunes State Vehicular RecreationArea. The LCP designates La GrandeTract a non-riding buffer area. Judge Crandall recognized in hisruling that in April 2007 the CountyBoard of Supervisors concluded thatoff-road activities are barred by theCounty LCP. The court ruled that theissue could not be adjudicated ordecided in the absence of a currentadministrative action involving the

land parcel, such as an amendment tothe ODSVRA’s General DevelopmentPlan. Despite the mandatory languageof the LCP (“The General Develop-ment Plan shall be revised inaccordance with the Local CoastalPlan”), the Court concluded thatState Parks had no mandatory duty torevise its general development plan tobring it into compliance with the LCP. The court’s ruling on proceduralgrounds meant the Sierra Club couldnot get a hearing on the merits of thecase. Judge Crandall noted that thesubstantive issues of the case have notbeen resolved, writing “This conclu-sion does not in any way minimizethe importance of the substantiveissues presented in the litigation. TheCounty’s own governing body haspreliminarily determined that the useof off-road vehicles, on at least part ofthe SVRA, is inconsistent with its own

-see page 7

2

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 2010

Change of Address?

Mail changes to:

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San Francisco, CA 94105-3441

or e-mail:

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Santa Lucian

EDITOR

Cal FrenchMelody DeMerittJack McCurdyEDITORIAL BOARD

The Santa Lucian is published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental information andletters to the editor are welcome. Thedeadline for each issue is the 11th of theprior month.

send to:

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

sierraclub8@gmail.com

Santa Lucia Chapter

2010 Executive CommitteeMelody DeMeritt CHAIRSteven Marx TREASURER

Cal French MEMBERMegan Worthington VICE CHAIRLinda Seeley

SECRETARY

Jono Kinkade

MEMBER

Liz Tracy

MEMBER

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Chuck TribbeyConservation Sue Harvey lfsusan@tcsn.netMembership Cal FrenchLitigation Andy Greensfelder

Nuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

Other Leaders

Open Space Gary Felsman 805-473-3694Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Chapter History John Ashbaugh 805-541-6430

Activities

Outings Joe Morris dpj1942@earthlink.netCanoe/Kayak open

Webmaster Monica Tarzier mtarzier@sbcglobal.net

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

cal.french@gmail.com

Andrew Christiesierraclub8@gmail.com

beckers@thegrid.net

Printed by University Graphic Systems

Office hours Monday-Friday,12 p.m.- 5 p.m., 974 Santa RosaStreet, San Luis Obispo

The Executive Committee meetsthe third Friday of every month at2:00 p.m. at the chapter office,located at 974 Santa Rosa St.,San Luis Obispo. All membersare welcome to attend.

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

Assistant Coordinators Marie Clifford - correspondence Noelle Cirisan - social networking

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

Denny MynattPRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

Mr. Orwell’sLand Use PlanIn the name of curbing the subdivision of ruralland and discouraging sprawl development, theCounty is planning to do the opposite.

“The time has come to bring orderout of the chaos incident to rapidgrowth…. Good order and conve-nience are not expensive; but haphaz-ard and ill-considered projectsinvariably result in extravagance andwastefulness…. The real test of thisplan will be found in its application;for such is the determination of thepeople to secure more perfectconditions, it is certain that if theplan is really good it will commenditself to the progressive spirit of thetimes, and sooner or later it will becarried out.”

The words above are 100 years old.They appear in Chapter One of thedocument entitled “Plan of Chicago,”by Daniel Burnham, the preeminentcity planner of his time. A large partof Burnham’s vision was based onopen space – areas that should neverbe developed. He did not know the terms “smartgrowth” or “strategic growth,” but hehad a pretty good grasp of theconcept. He didn’t know that, 100years later, placing new developmentwithin already developed areas wouldbe found to reduce driving by asmuch as 61% and carbon emissionsby 50%. Or that pedestrian-friendlydevelopmentplanned withclean, reliabletransit systemswill save theaveragehousehold over$2,000 a yearon transporta-tion and cut 40million tons ofcarbon emis-sions; or that, if25 million newunits ofhousing builtin the U.S. overthe next 25years are placedin a more spaceefficient way, 3million acres ofland will bepreserved,3,000 fewermiles of new roads will be built, andat least $250 million would be saved.But he had the right idea. A review of SLO County’s plans toupdate the Land Use and CirculationElements (LUCE) strongly indicatesthat Burnham was ten decades aheadof his latter-day colleagues in the SanLuis Obispo County Department ofPlanning and Building. They do knowall those things, but they are craftinga plan to essentially achieve theopposite.

What is the LUCE?As we have noted previously (“TheDoughnut with Too Many Holes,” Jan.2010), there are some problems withthe County’s proposed update of theLand Use and Circulation Elements ofthe General Plan. The LUCE contains policies thatgovern the way land is used and theway people move around in the

unincorporated areas of San LuisObispo County. Per the CountyPlanning website, the LUCE update isa consolidation and revision of thecurrent LUCE for the rural areas ofthe county. It is supposed to addresslong-term water resources, increasedcost of infrastructure, rural growthand the effects on agriculture, andtraffic volumes and congestion byplanning for expected growth throughthe year 2035. The County’s public LUCE updatepresentation cites as one of the mostworrisome growth trends of theperiod 2000-2007 the fact that 40% ofall building permits have been in theunincorporated rural area. But even acursory review of the County’s publicoutreach material quickly reveals theobvious: contrary to its statedpurpose, the LUCE is determined tocontinue the development of thecounty’s rural areas. Among its primary stated aims:“Implement strategic growth, SB 375”and “Identify most suitable potentialexpansion areas around unincorpo-rated towns.” This is an oxymoron. SB 375 isabout encouraging compact, mixed-use, walkable communities, close tojobs and transit, not expandinggrowth onto rural and agricultural

land, whichwould have anultimateoutcome theopposite of thegoals SB 375was designed toachieve. When Countyplanners intro-duced the LUCErevision in abriefing forlocal advisorycouncils lastJanuary, one ofits Powerpointslides pro-claimed thefollowing goal:

Limit inappro-priate ruraldevelopment.

Let’s think about that. Faced withan inappropriate action, one that isdetrimental to one’s future andantithetical to one’s stated goals, theproposed solution is to permit theinappropriate action at a somewhatlower level of disaster. And that’s agenerous interpretation, as “limit” issimply the opposite of “unlimited.”Hence, “Limit inappropriate ruraldevelopment” may not even entail areduction but simply the placement ofa ceiling over the current rate ofdevelopment, and that ceiling couldbe high. But six months later, even this hadbecome too radical a notion. AsCounty planners continued to roll outthe proposed LUCE update, taking itto the July 12 meeting of the Agricul-tural Liaison Advisory Board, theybacked off the apparently overly bold

continued on page 8

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 20103

This is Your2011 ChapterBallot

When You Allow Something, It Happens

BALLOT

Santa Lucia Chapter Election - November 2010

Mark an “X” or checkmark in the box next to the candidate’s name. Vote for nomore than two candidates.

Members who subscribe to the electronic newsletter may print out this ballot.Households with more than two members may make duplicate ballots.

Do not write your name on the ballot.

Sign and date your envelope over the sealed flap.

Pat Veesart ooooo

Greg McMillan ooooo

Linda Seeley ooooo

Place in envelope, sign the front of the envelope, and mail to :Elections CommitteeSanta Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Below is the ballot for the Santa Lucia Chapter’s annual Executive Committeeelection. All current members of the Santa Lucia Chapter are eligible to vote. Ifthere is more than one Sierra Club member in your household, you may photo-copy the printed ballot and mail both in the same envelope. The winners of thiselection will start their terms when the outgoing ExCom adjourns their Aprilmeeting. The newly-elected ExCom will then convene a brief meeting to electboard officers and set the date for their January meeting.

IMPORTANT VOTING INFORMATION·       Vote for no more than 2 candidates.·  Cumulative voting (more than one vote for one candidate) is not allowed.·       Ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m., December 6, 2010, at the Chapter office.·       Address the envelope per instructions on the ballot and sign and date over the flap of the envelope.  ·  Mail your ballot to our P.O. box address with sufficient time to arrive by thedeadline, or drop it off via the door mail slot at the Chapter office at 974 SantaRosa Street, SLO.

Linda SeeleyI am an activist, midwife, mother andgrandmother who has lived in SanLuis Obispo for 28 years. I’ve been thesecretary of the Executive Committeeof the Santa Lucia Sierra Club for twoyears, a longtime anti-nuclear activist,a board member of the San LuisObispo Mothers for Peace, legalintervenors in the Diablo CanyonNuclear Plant in San Luis Obispo, andpresident of the Terra Foundation, asmall NGO sponsoring permaculture

training and local gardening initia-tives. I facilitate workshops for activistsand environmental leaders. I am themother of three and the grandmotherof three grandsons, and a certifiednurse-midwife and women’s healthnurse practitioner. I am an advancedfacilitator of the Work that Recon-nects as developed by eco-philosopherJoanna Macy,

I am a 6th-generation northern SanLuis Obispo County Resident andhave lived in the north eastern part ofthe county for almost all of my life. I was born into a family for whoman awareness of nature and the needto conserve it was a way of life. Bothmy father, Eben, and his brother Ianwere pioneers in the conservationmovement in central California. Itook their philosophies to heart at anearly age and try my best to keep themomentum they created alive. I had been a lifelong Sierra Clubmember until a few years ago. Due tosome philosophical differences withthe Club’s actions, I did not renew mymembership for several years.Recently, I have become aware that ifwe hope to cause any lasting changehere on the central coast in order topreserve the unique biologicaldiversity, the scenic beauty, thebucolic lifestyle and the agricultural

aspects of our beloved Central Coast,the Santa Lucia Chapter of the SierraClub will be the source and thecatalyst. This chapter, due to the hardwork of its members and staff, has theear of the help we need to get this jobdone. It became obvious to me that itwas time to move on to the future.Hence, I have reinstated my member-ship in the Sierra Club and hope tohave the chance to be a part of itspolicy decisions. I am acting Chair of the ShandonAdvisory Committee and a BuildingContractor specializing in energyefficiency and resource conservation.I built the first permitted Strawbalehouse in California. On our smallranch ten miles east of Shandon, Iraise grassfed beef and grow olives. I will bring with me a dedication tothe well being of our land, not justlocally but throughout the world. Ialso bring the ability and the equip-ment to cook fine locally grown foodfor large groups, a skill I hope to putto work for the benefit of the chapter.

Greg McMillan

Patrick VeesartI am offering myself for your consid-eration as a candidate for the SantaLucia Chapter’s Executive Committeebecause I care deeply about conserva-tion. I have lived in San Luis ObispoCounty for 40 years and have beenactive in many different conservationissues in many different capacitiesincluding as a former Chapter

Executive Committee member,Chapter Chair, Sierra Club Californiastaff member, Executive Director ofECOSLO, and as Planning Commis-sioner for both the City and County ofSan Luis Obispo. I Live on the Carrizo Plain NationalMonument in eastern SLO County,and am currently on the Board ofDirectors of Los Padres ForestWatchand working for the California CoastalCommission. It has been exciting to watch theeffectiveness of the Santa LuciaChapter grow in recent years and Iwould like the opportunity to be apart of that. I bring lots of experienceto the table, but I also try to bring a“beginners mind” as well. I am opento new ideas and eager to learn newthings. I welcome the opportunity toserve. Thank you for your consider-ation.

continued on page 10

 Agricultural land should be for ag orthings related to ag. That shouldinclude properly scaled farm productdirect marketing events that do not,cumulatively, endanger public safetyor overburden infrastructure (likeroads, emergency services and firefighting resources) or fundamentallyimpair rural neighborhoods.  But the county apparently doesn’tsee it that way. The Planning Depart-ment recently released a draftordinance intended to govern publicevents held on private land. It is aremarkably flawed proposal thatpromises to do significant and

irrevocable damage to our irreplace-able rural lands. The proposal will dramaticallyexpand the number of commercialevent sites and the number of eventsin our ag and rural areas. It allowsvirtually all sites in ag and rural areasto host up to 12 commercial (for-profit) events of 150-2,000 guestseach year, depending on the size ofthe parcel. Each set of events wouldonly require a minimal over-the-counter zoning clearance, whichentails no departmental review at alland costs $89. Compare this with theWinery Ordinance, which allows

wineries only six events with fewerthan eighty people each year andrequires a Minor Use Permit—withvery substantial departmental andpublic review. No review required. The proposaloffers no opportunity for discretion-ary review — even for very largeevents (2,000 guests) — for those 12events per site per year, unless anapplication exceeds the frequency orguest limits. Departmental reviewsand meaningful standards are the twoways we can manage negative impactson roads, on communities, and on theenvironment.

Standards are weak and do notprotect residents, agriculture, or theenvironment. Proposed standards arevery weak, with no special protectionsfor agricultural land, no requirementsregarding distance from emergencyservices or carrying capacity of localroads, and no reasonable protectionsfor the neighbors, particularlyregarding setbacks, amplified musicor hours of operation. Setbackrequirements can be waived withoutexpress consent of the affectedneighbor. Amplified music can be

4

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 2010

Fear of Sanctuaryby Sarah DamronRegional Manager, Central California Surfrider Foundation

On September 28, the Port San Luis Harbor Commission voted to opposeinclusion of the Harbor District in any future expansion of the Monterey BayNational Marine Sanctuary. Prior to the vote, a memo to the Commission from Harbor Manager SteveMcGrath stated, “A District position to support sanctuary expansion would atthis time be premature given that such expansion, were it to occur, wouldresult in management of District waters under legislation that may be chang-ing in the near future. “ Mr. McGrath went on to say that “if reauthorization of the National MarineSanctuary Act becomes likely at some near point, the district would then be ina position to review whether or not to support inclusion of the district withinthe extent of a Sanctuary.” In both instances, using the same logic, it stands to reason that taking actionto oppose inclusion of the district within a Sanctuary was also premature. TheHarbor District should have postponed further consideration of a position onSanctuary expansion until a time when there is further information and whenlikelihood of expansion becomes more evident. The San Luis Obispo Chapter of Surfrider Foundation encouraged theCommissioners to consider Mr. McGrath’s citation of the Monterey BayNational Marine Sanctuary’s excellent reputation for working with the agricul-tural community. We also suggested they consider:

Uses that are currently allowed within the Monterey Bay National MarineSanctuary:

- a coastal power plant at Moss Landing- a full range of shoreline and marine recreational activities, including consumptive uses- a full range of commercial activities, including fishing, agriculture (some of the most prolific in the country) and power generation- public works projects such as harbor dredging.

Mutually-agreeable benefits of potential Sanctuary expansion:-protection against offshore oil drilling-pollution prevention-education-enhanced recreational opportunities-enhanced research interest & $-increased tourist attraction & tourist $.

We pointed out that opposing a bill that has not even been introduced isterribly premature. Given that Congresswoman Capps’ legislation has not beenintroduced, there is ample opportunity to work with the Congresswoman todiscuss concerns before it becomes a bill. As a “discussion draft” of a bill, itssole purpose is to promote and encourage discussion of proposed provisions, sodiscussion is the appropriate action to take at this time. We would have hoped the Harbor District would have taken advantage of thisopportunity and engaged with other stakeholders to discuss its concerns andfind points of agreement before taking an unwarranted and short-sighted standagainst legislation that will very likely benefit the Port of San Luis, the usergroups and communities it supports, and other communities of SLO County. We hope the Harbor District will engage in discussion with other stakehold-ers to contribute meaningful input to National Marine Sanctuary Act authori-zation.

Night of the BuffaloMontana’s Buffalo Field Campaignreturned to San Luis Obispo inOctober, on one of their periodic westcoast road show tours in support oftheir work on behalf of theYellowstone bison herd – the onlywild, free-roaming, genetically intactpopulation of wild buffalo in theUnited States. The Santa Lucia Chapter and theCalifornia Conservation Corps hostedthe 2010 edition of the BFC tour onOctober 6 at its SLO stop at theLudwick Community Center, whereLos Osos resident Joey Racano andthe BFC’s Phoenix Afterbuffaloserenaded the crowd, and founderMike Mease related the history of the

Yellowstone herd, the depredations and harassmentwrought by the Montana Department of Livestock,Montana Fish & Wildlife, the National Park Service,and U.S. Forest Service at the behest of industry, andthe work of the Field Campaign in protecting thebuffalo from the misbegotten Interagency BisonManagement Plan. Wild bison are shot or hazed – driven for miles bypursuers in helicopters and snowmobiles — whenevera herd leaves the confines of Yellowstone National Parkout of the ostensible need to ensure that brucellosisdoes not spread from buffalo to livestock. This hasnever happpened, and is highly unlikely to happen, butdisease control is a handy pretext for the livestockindustry to ensure that they don’t have to share cattlegrazing lands with the region’s original inhabitants. BFC volunteer patrols primarily work to monitorand curb the worst excesses of the hazing operations –

timed to coincide with the foaling of calves — byensuring that such operations are witnessed andvideotaped. Meanwhile, the BFC is engaged in publictrust litigation to force federal agencies to protectbison herds on National Forest lands and halt thecommodification of Yellowstone bison. For volunteer applications, newsletter, weekly e-mail updates, and camp and roadshow information,go to www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.

Buffalo sojourn Phoenix Afterbuffalo (above) and MikeMease (right) at the Ludwick Center.

Pretty scary Nestled below the kelp forest off Avila Beach, a monkey faced eel waitshopefully for the Port San Luis Harbor Commission to relax.

Terr

y Li

lley

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 20105

Correction:In “Where the GMOs Are” (October), we misspelled the name and e-mail of the manager of theSLO Certified Farmers Market. For readers wishing to contact him regarding the possibility ofincluding a provision in future contracts with vendors to prohibit genetically modified pro-duce, send an e-mail to: Moaz Bensalem, sloccfm@gmail.com. And a clarification regardingthe petition against genetically modified corn at the Cambria Farmers Market: the petition isagainst potential future sale; the Market does not currently offer Bt corn for sale.

Food products which must be labeled

from Gmo-compass.org

EU Regulation 1829/2003 on geneticallymodified food and feed states which itemsmust be labelled with regard to applicationsin genetic engineering. It reads, in part:

Labelling:GM sweetcornGM tomatoes

Food which is a genetically modifiedorganism (GMO) or which consists of GMOs.GMOs can be GM plants, GM animals or GMmicroorganisms. To date, only GM plantsare permitted and, among these, only GMcotton, GM rape, GM soya and GM maize.  Possible examples include:

- genetically modified sweetcorn (in tins)*- GM tomatoes**- GM potatoes**- raw salad from GM chicory**- GM salmon**  * = approved in the EU, but not available ** = the respective GM plants or GM animals are not approved in the EU at present. Labelling: oil or lecithin from GM soybeans

Labelling: Peanut puff snacks containingstarch from GM corn

Labelling: sugar from GM sugar beet

Food, ingredients or additives, which areproduced from GMOs. For labelling, it isirrelevant if the GMOs used are detectable inthe end product. At present, possibleproducts include those made from GM soybeans and GM maize.

A White Mountains Outing

continued on page 7

 Late August seemed like a good timeto escape our stifling urban areas.Luckily our desert-loving leader,Lygeia Gerard, scheduled a greatweekend in the White-Inyos, awonderful desert range where wewere able to indulge our love of wideopen spaces at very bearable tempera-tures because of the high elevation. Friday evening about a dozen of us

By Janet Damen, CNRCC, Desert Peaks Section

traveled along Highway 168 out of BigPine to gather under an almost fullmoon at the spacious Grandviewcampground at an altitude of 8,600feet. Our focal point was the Forest of theAncients where those magnificentBristlecone pines – older than anyother trees on earth – are somehowable to survive the high, harsh and

dry desert environment. On a clear,slightly breezy Saturday morning, weleisurely car-pooled to SchulmanGrove (at about 10,100 ft.) on a roadwhich afforded the most incredibleviews across Owens Valley to the HighSierras, home to 12 of the highestpeaks in the nation. In the parking lot at SchulmanGrove (named after the man whodevised the system for determiningthe age of the Bristlecones), we sawthe ruins of the Visitors Center,destroyed a couple of years ago by aderanged arsonist. The fairly newcenter had been a beautifully designedwood structure that housed informa-tive history and educational aids,which greatly enhanced visits to thisunique area. Fortunately, generousmonetary contributions have made itpossible to build another center. Thearsonist is incarcerated in a psychiat-ric institution, and the new VisitorsCenter is set to break ground in thespring of 2011. There are two main trails throughthe grove: the Discovery Trail, a shortpath with great examples of the treesand their history; and the MethuselahWalk, a 4-mile loop through anextended area. Blessed with balmyweather, we opted for the longer path.Initially it took us higher up themountain, into dolomite and graniterocks, and past our first gnarly,twisted, awe-inspiring trees with their

trunks in shades of brown, grey andgold. After a mile or so we began todescend, with magnificent viewsacross Deep Springs Valley and way,way beyond. The ground cover wasmore varied here, with desert plantsand bushes of much interest to theherbalists and photographers in ourgroup, including sagebrush, Indianpaintbrush, pennyroyal, mountainmahogany, squaw currant andMormon tea, amongst many others. Our trail eventually took us evenlower, down to a concentration ofBristlecone Pines where many of thetrees are known to be 3,000 to almost5,000 years old. One tree is known asMethuselah because it has been datedas 4,767 years old and thereforeEarth’s oldest living inhabitant. It isno longer marked to save it frompeople helping themselves to souve-nirs. One can only guess which tree itmight be. Many of the trees, in their efforts forsurvival, have become beautifullycontorted, natural sculptures. Someare more dead than alive with perhapsa single strip of bark feeding theentire living part of the tree from itsroots. A dead tree can remainstanding for hundreds of years, andsome of the relics on the forest floorare reputed to be up to 9,000 yearsold. One tree has a sawn limb to

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It’sDifferentin Europe

Extremely large and incredibly old A spectacular bristlecone pine.

6

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 2010

The third annual Coast and OceanRegional Round Table was held at theSan Luis Obispo Public Library onSeptember 30. A primary objective of the CORRTseries is the creation of a “Land-SeaAdvisory Committee,” that will “makethe land-sea connection,” a primarygoal of the Joint Ocean CommissionInitiative report “One Coast, OneFuture,” which recommended thatlocal leaders “ensure that existing

Two of the Sierra Club’s largest deliberative bodies – Sierra Club California andthe California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee(CNRCC) — held their first-ever joint meeting over the weekend of October 9at Rancho El Chorro, just across Highway 1 from Cuesta College. Amid reports from coastal and Sierra activists, charter amendments, bylawschanges and the treasurer’s report, candidates were elected to Sierra ClubCalifornia’s Executive Committee, and CNRCC members voted on resolutionsprotective of the Pacific fisher, California wolverine, American marten, andSierra Nevada red fox. Bill Magavern, Director of Sierra Club California, reported that 2010 was “theyear of living dangerously in Sacramento,” as polluters tried to take advantageof the recession to roll back gains in environmental protections the Club haswon over recent years. Hostile legislators pretended that the environmentallaws they were targeting had something to do with the state’s present eco-nomic condition and whatever legislation they were trying to block or pass.The Club successfully beat back this year’s attempts to jam anti-environmentalriders into the budget bill that would have gutted clean air laws and theCalifornia Environmental Quality Act. The most notorious such effort was acampaign to win a CEQA exemption for Chevron’s Richmond refinery, eventhough a judge had found that Chevron had lied in its environmental reviewdocuments, deliberately electing not to inform residents and regulators thatthey were proposing to process a dirtier form of crude oil to the refinery, withgreater environmental impacts. More troubling than such traditional efforts by “rabidly anti-environmentalRepublicans in the legislature” carrying water for their corporate masters havebeen votes by “business Democrats” that helped to get some bad bills passed. “In the period 1999-2008, the California Senate was probably the greenestlegislative body in the country,” said Magavern. “It’s now in decline, and nolonger a friendly place for environmental legislation.” The keynote address for the joint meeting was delivered by Sierra ClubExecutive Director Michael Brune, who urged leaders to “give power to youth”and said “It’s our work at the local and state levels that’s critical.” He an-nounced that in November he will be taking to the Club’s Board of Directors “abold plan to get America off oil.” Both Sierra Club California and the CNRCC have long selected SLO Countyand Rancho El Chorro for their meetings as an approximately central locationfor attendees coming from across California and Nevada.

Sierra Club Holds Dual Meetings in SLO

CORRT in Session

codes and ordinances adequatelyprotect the health of coastal andocean ecosystems, focusing in

particular on reducing the impacts ofland uses and development on waterquality.” Sponsored by the Planning and Conservation League Foundation, the event,now held in three central coastal counties, provides a local forum for theconsideration of important regional policy and program developments inte-grating marine and coastal resource management for the Central Coast. Locally, the CORRT process notes that “identifying local opportunities tointegrate coastal and marine resource considerations will also help to breakthrough established practice in San Luis Obispo County that regards coastalzone management as a disconnected area determined by a different set ofordinances and regulations under the authority of the California CoastalCommission and separate from county policy determined by the CountyGeneral Plan.” The theme for CORRT 2010, “Models for Action,” focused on pilot projectsand leading efforts in coastal regions that are setting the pace and establishingbest approaches for more effective management of coastal and marine re-sources. Emily Glanville, Program Manager for Save Our Shores’ “No Butts About It”program, reported to attendees on the success of SOS in Santa Cruz County ingetting new infrastructure installed and initiating public education to reducethe impact on coastal communities of cigarette butts, identified by the CoastalCommission as the number one litter item collected in statewide beachcleanups. Mark Moline, Director of the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences at Cal Poly,and Heather Kerkering, Program Coordinator of the Central and NorthernCalifornia Ocean Observing System, reported on how the local applications ofocean observing systems, focusing on Cal Poly’s SLOSEA Program, oceano-graphic tools and the study of beach closures, can help characterize coastalecosystems. The role of Low Impact Development – a new approach to storm watermanagement that seeks to mimic the hydrologic functions of healthy water-sheds – was discussed by Darla Inglis, Program Director for the LID Initiativeat UC Davis Extension’s Center for Land Use and Natural Resources, joined byMark Hutchinson, Environmental Program Manager for the SLO County Public

Now get to workSierra Club CaliforniaChairman Andy Katzcalled the convention toorder on Saturday atRancho El Chorro.

Works Department for an update on the status of local LID implementationstandards and a new SLO county ordinance that will guide future efforts toapply LID approaches to stormwater management. For more information about the Coast and Ocean Regional Roundtable, seethe CORRT 2009 report at http://corrt.blogspot.com/. CORRT presentationsand reports for the 2010 series in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa CruzCounties will also be posted at this site.

Holding CORRT Monica Hunter of thePlanning and Conservation Leaguewelcomes round table attendees.

Bioneers Was Here

Kudos to EcoLogistics for pulling offthe first-ever Central Coast BioneersConference October 15-17, makingCal Poly one of the dozen satellite sitesof the annual International BioneersConference held in Marin, a gatheringthat promotes solutions from natureand innovative social strategies for

restoring the Earth. Above, Eric Veium, head of theRenewable Energy Secure Commu-nity (RESCO) project, presented alocally based vision of a clean,renewable and secure energy futurefor SLO County at a Saturday sessionin the Spanos Theater.

Campaign mode Candidates for Sierra Club California’s Executive Committee were intro-duced to convention delegates. Our own Cal French (right) won a seat.

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 20107

presents

Winter Beach

Walking’s too fast a pacefor man or dogon California winter beaches.Kinetic energy from sea to sky,elemental mixed media,render random motifswithout ceasing,calling senses to attention.Thunderous waves,rocks clamoring like castanets,seabirds screeching soliloquies,rhapsodize the day,serenade dogs rolling in rotted treasures,invite crazy dancing.Washing waves hurl ashore kelp forests for feet to savor,enmeshing multicolored human detritusin tubular plant tangles,like giant storm strewn macramés.Crunching feet softly cross swales of gravelfine as black French lentils,clunk clumsily over swaths of baseball smooth rockstumbled down coastal creek canyons from distant hills that cup this coastal shelf.Seething waves scrub delicate frizzy sea lettuce,fling it out to dry atop wind sculpted winter sand duneslike close-cropped strawberry blonde wigs,sparkling with sun- lighted water droplets.Whimsical driftwood huts,crafted by mystery beach pilgrims,punctuate leeward pockets in the bluff,providing journey rests for reverie.Here, stilled man and dog find their placein nature’s frenetic installation art.

- Tom Harrington, Spring 2010, v5

White Mountainscontinued from page 5

continued on page 10

expose its rings, and a mark showingwhen Jesus Christ was born. Lygeia carried a guidebook of thearea, which some of us took turnsreading in order to more fullyunderstand and appreciate ourvisuals. In between stops, Lygeia kepta moderate pace for those that wanteda steady hike, and our sweep, DottySandford, hung back and acquiesced

to those preferring to loiter toinvestigate and photograph the treesand the plants. Afterwards, weenjoyed a leisurely pack lunch at thepicnic area at the end of the trail. Those who hadn’t yet had enough ofthis truly amazing desert range,continued 12 miles further up the

Lach

eza

r

Send a check to Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, SLO 93406, or ordering online at our website, santalucia.sierraclub.org/give.html. Click on the “Buy Now”

donate button, and then fill in the donation amount for “2010 Fundraiser,” student/regular, and number of tickets..

8

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 2010

Orwell’s Plancontinued from page 2

concept of actually limiting inappro-priate rural development. BetweenJanuary and July, the language of thePowerpoint had evolved into: “Con-sider limiting inappropriate ruraldevelopment.” And something new had been addedto the presentation: a GIS map,labeled “Identifying Least ConstrainedAreas.” It depicted, by way of example,the town of San Miguel, indicatingboth its Urban Reserve Line and, farbeyond it, a wavy black line forming arough circle that was identified as a“1 mile buffer.” This consisted ofthousands of acres of rural andagricultural land color coded toindicate areas where, depending onresource constraints, more develop-ment could conceivably be accommo-dated beyond the community’scurrent boundaries, expanding it toseveral times its size. The Sierra Club met with a repre-sentative from PMC | Urban Revital-ization + Design, the consulting firmtasked by the County with collectingpublic/stakeholder input on theLUCE, and put the question to her:What exactly is the “1 mile buffer” onthe GIS map, and where did it come

from? She dutifully conveyed the questionto County staff, and relayed theirreply: “Sorry about the misnomer - it’s notreally a buffer. It’s the outer bound-ary of the urban expansion suitabilityanalysis; we don’t anticipate needingto look further out for urban expan-sion at this time. Within the one milearea we will use GIS maps at a smallerscale for viewing constraints andsuitable slopes, vegetation and otherfactors.” In other words, the existing UrbanReserve Line – which could andshould serve as hard boundary forwhere development is allowed in acommunity in accordance with thecommunity plan, thereby encourag-ing redevelopment and “smartgrowth” and discouraging develop-ment outside the URL — is to beerased and redrawn around thecommunities in our unincorporatedrural area, much farther away. Hence the County’s stated goals inthe revision of the LUCE to “confrontchallenges within San Luis ObispoCounty” and “protect agriculture andother important resources” comedown to an adaptation of the well-known world’s easiest weight lossplan: buy a pair of pants somewhat

larger than your current size. In 2008, Chicago kicked off a year-long centennial celebration of DanielBurnham’s 150-page “Plan of Chi-cago” because it saved their water-front from what it would haveotherwise become, a sprawl of privateinterests, bulldozing the public realmand the social good. The intervening

100 years haveproduced theoverwhelmingconsensus that hisplan was, asBurnham hoped,“really good,” soChicago spent ayear throwing Mr.Burnham a party. Based on theproposed update ofthe Land Use andCirculationElement, both inits premise and its

Too bold Over the first six months of this year, County planners toned down the concept of “limiting” a badthing (left), and are now suggesting thinking about limiting it (right).

A little bit pregnant The County plan to curb rural development: Allow it.

that San Luis Obispo will be throwinga party for the Department of Plan-ning and Building a hundred yearsfrom now.

TAKE ACTIONThe Public Review Draft of the LUCEupdate will be released on January 11,2010. It will be posted on the CountyPlanning website at www.slocounty.ca.gov/planning.htm The County is preparing the LUCEupdate simultaneously with itsClimate Action Plan. The Sierra Clubis part of the ClimatePlan Partner-ship, which has a wealth of resourcesthat both point to where communitiesshould be going in shaping land useand climate policies and clarify thedifference between that road and theroad San Luis Obispo and the LUCEare heading down. To help the Countymake the needed course correction,download some relevant text from thesite and share with County plannersand your Supervisor. Go toclimateplanca.org.

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Dunescontinued from page 1

General Plan, the County LCP, andthe Coastal Act. While the State ParksDepartment and the Friends [ofOceano Dunes] take a different view,the County’s position is apparentlysupported by the [Coastal] Commis-sion. Plainly these important policyand legal issues need to be addressed.” The Club will appeal the ruling. “It’s frustrating, to say the least,”said environmental lawyer BabakNaficy, who has represented the Clubin the two-year case. “The judgeagreed that the Board of Supervisorshas already determined the LocalCoastal Plan does not allow off-roadvehicle use of this land, and acknowl-edged the clear language in the LCPdirecting State Parks to amend itsprior management plan for theOceano Dunes to incorporate theprovisions of the LCP. But his rulingbarred any action to require Parks toactually obey those policies unlessand until Parks chooses to amend itsown management plan or the Countychooses to amend a specific section ofthe LCP. Our appeal will argue that agovernment agency cannot indefi-nitely put off an action it has beenrequired to undertake for at leasttwenty-five years. The Judge’sdecision gives the agency the optionof never complying with the County’sLCP.” The seeds of the legal battle wereplanted at a January 2007 meeting ofthe County Planning Commissionwhere the proposed sale of the 584-acre parcel to State Parks by the

County was about to quietly clear thefinal hurdle prior to sale. The SierraClub presented evidence that the landin question, the La Grande Tract, isdesignated as a non-riding buffer areaper the standards in the Local CoastalPlan, standards that had been over-looked for two decades. The PlanningCommission agreed that selling theland to State Parks would be inconsis-tent with County’s LCP. At a marathon hearing two monthslater, the Board of Supervisors upheldthe Planning Commission’s decision.In an attempt to reverse the “incon-sistency” finding and erase the bufferprovision in the LCP, the so-calledFriends of Oceano Dunes and otherriding groups sued the County. TheSierra Club sued State Parks toenforce the LCP and implement thebuffer. The Friends of Oceano Dunesargued that the County’s LCP was

preempted by State Parks’ enablingstatute. Friends and State Parksvoluntarily dismissed their challengeto the County’s “inconsistency”determination when, following ahearing on their action, it becameclear that they would likely lose theirchallenge. A grand jury investigation of theCounty staff report to the PlanningCommission on the proposed landsale found that the report’s omissionand deletion of every mention of thebuffer designation from cited plan-ning standards was in all likelihood adeliberate attempt at deception. During the same time period, theAir Pollution Control District releaseda study finding that hazardous levelsof pollution on the Nipomo Mesa arebeing caused by vehicles on theOceano Dunes. “We’ve accomplished a lot on this

issue over the last three years,” saidChapter Director Andrew Christie.“We succeeded in blocking the sale ofthe land, turning back a legal chal-lenge to the authority of the LocalCoastal Plan, and securing thedetermination that off-roading on theLa Grande Tract is in violation of theCounty’s land use policies. “And nothing would do more - andmore quickly - to alleviate the severeair pollution problems afflictingresidents of Oceano and the NipomoMesa than implementing the planningstandards that bar vehicles from theCounty-owned land in the dunes.” Right now, we’re left hanging, alongwith the dunes, the frustratedresidents of Oceano, and the chokingfolks of the Nipomo Mesa. State Parksis at 25 years and holding in imple-menting the required policies of theLocal Coastal Plan.

Don’t waitto donate!

If you want to make a 2010 tax-deductible contribution to theSierra club in support of ourlocal public interest litigationand environmental campaigns,make your check out to “SierraClub Foundation,” write “SLOLand Preservation Fund” in thememo section, and mail toSierra Club, P.O. Box 15755,SLO 93406. But DON’T waituntil Christmas, or yourdonation won’t be processeduntil 2011.

Sooner is safer!

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 20109

Summary: A 16-page paen to Big Ag for schoolchildren, with a two-page center spreadthat follows the path “from seed to sushi” of a rice crop in a massive, fossil-fuel intensive, hi-tech industrial agriculture operation. A “Growing Strong Glossary” includes the words “DNA,”“Foodborne illness,” and “Plasmid vector,” but not the word “organic,” which appears nowherein the supplement. Listed sponsors include Walmart, Syngenta, and the James G. Boswell Foun-dation, with “special thanks to Kristen Bennett, Monsanto.” Shown here is page 6, introducingyour kids to the highest of hi-tech ag, genetically engineered crops.

“What’s Growin’ On?,” by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, aNewspapers in Education supplement, The Tribune, October 7, 2010.

Upshot: Per Dr. Suzanne Wuerthele, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toxicologist, “this technology is being promoted, in the face of concerns by re-spectable scientists and in the face of data to the contrary, by the very agencies which are supposed to be protecting human health and the environment. The bot-tom line in my view is that we are confronted with the most powerful technology the world has ever known, and it is being rapidly deployed with almost nothought whatsoever to its consequences.” Persistent propaganda has been carried out by GMO proponents, including government regulatory agencies, againstorganic agriculture, including recent attempts to prove organic food is no more nutritious than conventional food, which backfired (see “UK Food StandardsAgency Study Proves Organic Food Is Better,” Institute of Science in Society 44). Claims that organic agriculture yields less and requires more energy than con-ventional agriculture, and organic produce is no more nutritious or healthy but less hygienic than conventional produce were thoroughly refuted, with evidencefrom the published scientific literature, in the report by the International Institue for Science and Security (ISIS), “Food Futures Now: Organic -Sustainable -Fossil Fuel Free.” When might we expect to see a Newspapers in Education supplement educating schoolchildren on these facts, courtesy of the California Foun-dation for Agriculture in the Classroom?

Taking Issueproblematic environmental coverage & commentary in our local media

Is it New? Biotechnology may soundnew, but it has been around for thou-sands of years! Since 1800 B.C., earlyagriculturalists have used microbes forthe fermentation process of makingbread and producing cheese.

The Union of Concerned Scientistshas demonstrated increasingpesticide resistance in plant pestsdue to genetically engineered Btcorn. Bt is a naturally occurringpesticide, essential in organic andtraditional farming, which geneticengineering could render useless.The other primary characteristic ofgenetically engineered crops isresistance to Monsanto’sglyphosate herbicide, Roundup. The spread of glyphosate herbicide-resistant “super weeds” has accompanied the spread of these crops. “Glyphosate-resistant pigweed first turned up in 2004 in Macon County,Georgia, and has since spread to other parts of Georgia as well as toSouth Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky andMissouri. 29 counties have now confirmed pigweed resistance toglyphosate. In 2007, 10,000 acres of glyphosate-resistant pigweedinfested land were abandoned in Macon County.” – Lucian E. Marin, “GMO Crops Super-Weed

Time Bomb Explodes,” WordPress.com

Scientists identify a trait within aliving organism that they would liketo change. For example, it would beuseful to change yellow corn withthe trait “easily eaten by insects”into yellow corn with the trait “toxicto insect pests….” Scientists havedone this by adding a gene called“Bt” to the genetic information foundin yellow corn!

Scientists are now introducing “GoldenRice,” a transgenic variety of rice thatcontains beta-carotene…. Golden Ricecan help prevent childhood blindnessand other health problems in childrenthat do no get enough Vitamin A intheir normal diet.

Tomorrow: Potential forresource conservation,as more food can begrown on less land withfewer impacts on soiland water resources.

Traditional breeding and hybridization are com-pletely different from genetic engineering. Intraditional breeding it is possible to cross a rose withanother rose to get a new variety, but it is notpossible to cross a rose with a potato or a mouse.Even when species that may seem to be closelyrelated do succeed in breeding, the offspring areusually infertile—a horse, for example, can mate with a donkey, but the offspring (a mule) issterile. Genetic engineering or genetic modification has only been developed over the last 30years. (The first field experiment with a genetically engineered plant was in 1983). With thesemolecular techniques, scientists are able to take DNA from any species – bacteria, viruses,insects, animals or even humans — and engineer them into another organism. - Luke Anderson, The Kauai Newspaper, March 8, 2004

There is no safety testing data on Golden Rice,which is engineered to overproduce beta caro-tene. Studies show that some retinoids derivedfrom beta carotene are toxic and cause birthdefects. “We. . . strongly object that the image of thepoor and hungry from our countries is beingused by giant multinational corporations to pusha technology that is neither safe, environmentally friendly, nor economically beneficialto us. We do not believe that such companies or gene technologies will help our farm-ers to produce the food that is needed in the 21st century. On the contrary, we think itwill destroy the diversity, the local knowledge and the sustainable agricultural systemsthat our farmers have developed for millennia and that it will thus undermine our ca-pacity to feed ourselves.”

- Statement signed by 24 delegates to the UN Food andAgricultural Organization from 18 African countries

The InternationalAssessment ofAgriculturalKnowledge, Scienceand Technology forDevelopment(IAASTD), the resultof three years of deliberation by 400 participat-ing scientists and non-government representa-tives from 110 countries around the world,came to the conclusion that small scaleorganic agriculture is the way ahead for copingwith hunger, social inequities and environmen-tal disasters. “The IAASTD is ignored by the proponents ofa New Green Revolution precisely because itshows that the best hope for ending hungerlies with local, traditional farmer-controlledagricultural production, not high tech indus-trial agriculture.” - Jim Goodman, Food and

Society Policy Fellow, Institutefor Agriculture and Trade Policy

10

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 2010

When You Allow Something...continued from page 3

played until 10 p.m. (winery specialevent music must shut down at 5p.m.), and event activity can go onuntil 11 p.m. The proposal allows new construc-tion and grading to serve thesecommercial event activities with noreview or public input. Of particularconcern is the permitting of newconstruction and grading with nodiscretionary review or publiccomment. The current TemporaryEvents ordinance prohibits gradingand new construction, as do similarordinances in other counties; theproposed draft includes no suchprohibitions. Thus, existing struc-tures, including unpermitted ag-exempt structures, may be retrofittedto serve event purposes with only azoning clearance and a buildingpermit—no review by planners orpublic input. Despite the huge expansion ofpossible activity and the anemicregulations, this proposal doesnothing to beef up current weakenforcement. It’s likely that PlanningStaff wants to declare that thisproposal will have no meaningfulnegative environmental conse-quences, thus avoiding a time-consuming and costly environmentalstudy and the need to make mitigat-ing changes in their proposal. ANegative Declaration would make amockery of CEQA—they need to hearfrom us! In essence, this proposal reflects thedirection given by the Board ofSupervisors at its August 12 meeting.We can do much better. For example,Napa—a county that has much incommon with San Luis ObispoCounty—offers a model:

l Napa’s ordinance clearly states thatits goal is to protect agriculture. Wemight also add protection of therights of rural residents to quietenjoyment of their homes, ruralcharacter, and rural tranquility.

l Napa has a definition that limitspublic event gatherings to those thathave public benefit (eg.- non-profitsponsors, education, etc.; not privateweddings or commercial gatherings.)As a boost to our active farmers andranchers, we could add a categorythat allows them to hold commercial

with the cost of a legal defense untilthey abandon their criticism oropposition. The typical SLAPPplaintiff does not normally expect towin the lawsuit. The plaintiff’s goalsare accomplished if the defendantsuccumbs to fear, intimidation,mounting legal costs or simpleexhaustion and abandons the criti-cism. A SLAPP may also intimidateothers from participating in thedebate. A SLAPP is often preceded bya legal threat. The difficulty, ofcourse, is that plaintiffs do not pre-sent themselves to the Court admit-ting that their intent is to censor, in-timidate or silence their critics.Hence, the difficulty in draftingSLAPP legislation, and in applying it,is to craft an approach which affordsan early termination to invalidabusive suits, without denying alegitimate day in court to valid goodfaith claims.” Not surprisingly, Wikipedia lists thePacific Legal Foundation as a notablepractitioner of SLAPP, for the PLF hasused its funds to discourage public-minded citizens who sue for redress,as in its 1981-1986 lawsuit against theAbalone Alliance here in SLO County.PLF did not mind losing every legalchallenge, since every stage of the suitwas designed to further impoverishthe Abalone Alliance. Now Nick Wilson blandly describesthe PLF as a “nonprofit” organizationhelping a family fighting an easement.As Dan Bacher said last February inthe California News, the PLF is “a lawfirm that advocates on behalf ofagribusiness and other corporateinterests”—and wages unrelentingwar against the environment. Could we begin describing the PLFin terms of the lawsuits it initiatesand pursues?

Harmony Coastcontinued from page 1

White Mountainscontinued from page 7

events to increase sales of their farmproducts.

l All permits/licenses are simple, low-cost licenses good for one year withsimplified renewal; no long-termentitlements. Applicants mustdemonstrate ability to comply with aset of specific standards. However,neighbors can always request ahearing, and events of over 400 dorequire a hearing.l As in most counties, no newconstruction or grading for tempo-rary events is allowed, and Napastandards are reasonably protective ofresidential and agricultural interests,particularly regarding setbacks andamplified music. We might alsoconsider funding improved enforce-ment activities through fees levied onevent-holders.

Area councils are currently review-ing the Planning Department’sproposal. Their comments should bereturned by mid-November, and thenthe Department will make its finalrevisions. That draft will then go tothe Planning Commission for review,and the Commission will forward itsrecommendations to the Board ofSupervisors sometime next year. Anyone interested in the impact ofevents on rural residential life, thecounty’s agricultural capacity, andour environmental resources shouldbe tracking this proposal and lettingyour voices be heard as it movesthrough the process!

Case in point In tracking the growth in wineries once they were allowed in Agricultural areas of SLO County, it’s obvious that once aparticular use is allowed, it can grow much faster than one might imagine.

A Solar PanelThe League of Women Voters presents

“Solar Plans for Carrizo Plain: Boon or Bust?”with

Jim Patterson, Fifth District County SupervisorGreg Blue, Sunpower Corp

Kathryn Arbeit, First Solar, Inc.John Ewan, Pacific Energy Co.Andrew Christie, Sierra Club

Moderated by Neil Havlik, SLO City Natural Resources Manager

6 p.m., Monday, November 8

City/County Public Library, 995 Palm Street, SLO

Party on and on Twelve commercial events a year, at 2,000 guests a pop, may be coming soon to SLO county ag land near you.

road to Patriarch Grove. There theyenjoyed a ¼-mile mountain top strollthrough another concentration ofmagnificent Bristlecones, which looksurprisingly strong and healthy,considering the gale-force winds,snow depths and blistering sun theyendure. Finally, it was back to camp wherethe group enjoyed a delicious potlucksupper followed by a blazing campfire– a very satisfying end to a verystimulating day. We won’t soonforget our escape from the city.

Noelle

Ciris

an

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 201011

ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is December 13.

To get a rate sheet or submit your ad

and payment, contact:

Sierra Club - Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406sierraclub8@gmail.com

CYNTHIA HAWLEY

ATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

LAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

P.O. Box 29 Cambria California 93428

Phone 805-927-5102 Fax 805-927-5220

A portion of any commissiondonated to the Sierra Club

Pismo toSan Simeon

GREEN HOMES

Les KangasSolar Energy ConsultantREC Solar, Inc.775 Fiero Lane, Suite 200San Luis Obispo, CA 93401  Office: (805) 528-9705Cell: (805) 305-7164Toll Free: (888) OK-SOLAR (657-6527)

Fax: (805) 528-9701

Now on Faceboook

search: “Santa Lucia”

and become our friend!

12

Santa Lucian • Nov./Dec. 2010

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.  If you have any suggestionsfor hikes or outdoor activities, questions about the Chapter’s outing policies, or would like to be an outingsleader, call Outings Chair Joe Morris, 772-1875.  For information on a specific outing, please call the outingleader.

now taking orders for the

2011Sierra ClubCalendar

Accept no substitutes. Yourdesk will thank you. Yourwall will thank you. Andyour friends and familywill thank you. When youbuy direct from the Chap-ter, you support the SierraClub’s conservation workin San Luis ObispoCounty. We thank you.

wall calendar: $12.50desk calendar: $13.50To order: 805-543-7051

Wed., November 3rd, 5:30p.m. Informal Hikes AroundSan Luis Obispo. 1 to 2 hourhike around San Luis Obispo. 5- 6 mile hikes with elevationgain around 1200 feet. Formore information or to sign upfor Hikers List send an e-mailto Gary Felsman.

Saturday, November 6th, 9a.m., Rinconada Trail. Enjoythe autumn foliage and join ahike to the top of BellMountain with 360o views, viathe Rinconada trail in LosPadres National Forest.  Totaldistance is 4 miles with anelevation gain of 800 feet, anda total hike time of 3 hours. Meet at the trail head,approximately 10 miles east ofHwy 101 on Pozo Road (3miles beyond the turnoff forSanta Margarita Lake and 25miles from San Luis Obispo). Bring adequate water, a sacklunch, and dress in layers forthe weather; a hat is advised.  Forinfo, call Bill at 459-2103(bill.waycott@ gmail.com).   Theplants, animals, and the geology ofthe area will be topics during thehike.  Rain cancels.

Sat., November 13th, 9:30 a.m.,Bishop Peak via the Felsman Loop.You can work off your Thanksgivingdinner in advance. Burn off somecalories with us with a warm-up walkon Felsman Loop and then a hike tothe top of Bishop Peak. We will go atonly a moderate pace but there aresteep sections. Total distance is 5.4miles and it will take approximately2.5 hours. Sturdy shoes and waterrecommended. Meet at the PatriciaDr. trailhead at 9:30 AM. Non-members welcome. For info contactMike Sims, msims@slonet.org, cell459 1701.

Sat., Nov. 20th, 8:30 a.m. The Poolsof Big Falls. Come take a moderatelystrenuous 10 mile rt hike with 1800foot elevation up the Rinconada Trailthrough the Santa Lucia Wilderness.We will enjoy the fall colors andpossibly running stream at Big FallsCreek. Bring water, lunch and dressfor the weather. There may be poisonoak along the trail. Meet at the PacificBeverage Company in SantaMargarita. The last building on theright from Highway 101. Details callGary @ 473-3694.

Sat., Nov. 20, 10 a.m., City Walk:Mill St. Historic District.  Guidedstroll past splendid century-oldhomes to discover SLO in the era ofHearst, WW I, and the twenties,learning about the rich and not-so-famous who shaped the city of today. Meet at corner of Monterey andJohnson Sts., SLO.  1 1/2 hr. Info.: JoeMorris, 772-1875.

Sat.-Sun., Nov 20-21, NovemberService in the Carrizo Plain.  Prong-horn antelope will not jump fences toescape predators but rather attemptto crawl under. Our service onSaturday will either remove or modifyseveral sections of fence to facilitate

this mobility. Sunday will be, at thechoice of the group, either a hike inthe Caliente Range or else a tour ofpopular viewing areas in the plains.This is an opportunity to combinecarcamping, day-hiking, exploring,and service in a relatively unknownwilderness.  Leader: Craig Deutsche,craig.deutsche@gmail.com, 310-477-6670. CNRCC Desert Committee

Sat., Dec. 4.  9:00 a.m.   Hike atCerro Alto.  Join the leader for this 7-mile loop hike at Cerro Alto.  There isabout 1700 ft of elevation gain.  Thereare great views of the Chorro Valley,Morro Bay, and Estero Bay from thesummit. Bring snack, water, and dressfor the weather.  There is a possibilityof ticks and poison oak.  Meet at theback of Cerro Alto campground,located on Highway 41; 12 miles westof Atascadero and 8 miles east ofMorro Bay. May be a day use fee.There is a high probability of gettingeats after the hike at Taco Temple. Forinfo, call Chuck @ 441-7597.

Sat – Sun, Dec 4-5, Carrizo PlainsFence Removal.  Our work parties toremove barbed wire fences on theCarrizo Plain NM are opening up thePlain for the benefit of pronghornantelope and other wildlife.  Here isanother chance to destroy fences. Meet at 0900 Saturday morning atGoodwin Visitor’s Center or join usFriday night at Selby campground. Potluck dinner and campfire Satur-day.  Bring fence tools if you havethem, heavy leather work gloves, longpants and long-sleeved shirts, andclothing appropriate for the weather. Bring everything you need, includingwater, as there are no stores on theCarrizo.  Resource specialists Aliceand Bob Koch.  For more informationand to sign up, contact leaders: Caland Letty French, lettyfrench@gmail.com, 805-239-7338. CNRCCDesert Com/Santa Lucia Chapter.

Saturday December 11th, 9 a.m.,Cerro Alto Loop Trail, Hwy 41between Morro Bay and Atascadero.Get in shape BEFORE the holidaysand join a hike to the top of Cerro

Alto, one of the best places to view theCentral Coast. The hike begins atCerro Alto Campground off of Hwy 41and climbs up coastal hills forspectacular views.  Total distance is 6miles with an elevation gain of 1,600feet, with a total hike time of 4 hours. Meet at the trail head off of Hwy 41,8.7 miles west of Hwy 101 or 7.0miles east of Hwy 1.  Meet at the endof the campground road in theparking area.  A fee is charged forparking.  Bring adequate water,energy snacks/lunch, and dress inlayers for the weather; a hat isadvised.  For info, call Bill at (805)459-2103 (bill.waycott@gmail.com).  The plants, animals, and the geologyof the area will be topics during thehike.  Rain cancels.

Tues-Sun, Dec. 28, 2010 - Jan. 2,2011, Holiday Service in CarrizoPlain.  Celebrate the end of one yearand the beginning of the next in oneof our newernationalmonuments.The CarrizoPlain, west ofBakersfield, is avast grassland,home topronghornantelope, tuleelk, kit fox, anda wide varietyof birds. Awelcome hikeDec. 28, threeand a half daysof servicemodifyingbarbed wirefencing, and afull day forhiking andexploring areplanned. Use ofaccommoda-tions atGoodwin Ranchincluded.Limited to 14participants,$30 covers fivedinners. For

more information, contact leaderCraig Deutsche, craig.deutsche@gmail.com, 310-477-6670, or co-leader leader Melinda Goodwater,mgoodwater@ sbcglobal.net, 408-774-1257 CNRCC Desert Committee.

Sat., January 1st, 9:30 a.m., NewYears Day Hike along the Coast inthe Guadalupe-Nipomo DunesNational Landmark with ElizabethScott Graham.  Following thetradition of Bill Denneen, KaraBlakeslee has led this outing in thepast. Being unable to lead this year,Elizabeth Scott Graham has agreed totake her place to lead an outing in theDunes north of Muscle Rock. Comejoin her as we celebrate the New Year.Meet at Guadalupe Nipomo DunesParking Lot at 9:30 a.m. This is at theWest end of Highway 166. Bringwater, snack, windbreaker and be sureto dress for the weather.

Outings Sponsored by Other Organizations

Nov.-Jan.: Ventana WildernessAlliance Trail Workdays in the BigSur Area. Help clear and maintaintrails on the Big Sur Coast. ContactDave Knapp at veknapp@ventanawild.org.