HELP
SAVE CLOVER VALLEY!
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www.clovervalleyfoundation.org and/or
Call the hotline at 435-3828
PLACER GROUP'S
FIRST QUARTER 2008 NEWSLETTER >>>
Clover Valley Update
The eight-year effort to save Clover Valley from destruction via unnecessary destruction has switched into high gear. Here is a quick summary/update of what has been happening and how you can help.
(1) Black rail, an elusive and secretive bird, has been detected in Clover Valley. As a result of our Enviro Impact Report (EIR) comments, a survey was conducted last year using correct protocol, and sure enough, the black rail was there. It is not endangered, but is a state “fully protected” species. We have requested recirculation of this information for public comment and new mitigation.
(2) A poll commissioned in June of registered voters in Rocklin not only supported saving Clover Valley, but also supported a referendum to stop the project (if/when the Rocklin City Council votes to approve it) by a margin of 3 to 1. Efforts are underway to fundraise for the referendum—your help would be most appreciated. Please visit www.savingclovervalley.org and/or www.saveclovervalley.org.
(3) The Final EIR is ready for a public hearing. At the time this goes to press, tentative hearing dates have been discussed for July, but we hope you will attend the public hearing and send the Rocklin City Council a note expressing your views. Clover Valley is in the city limits, but it borders Lincoln, Loomis, and Placer County, which makes it a regional issue. Please visit www.clovervalleyfoundation.org to stay abreast of this aspect of our campaign.
(4) Because the owners/partnership/developers have indicated a willingness to sell, we have been working with state agencies, land trusts, conservancies, and any other entities that may be able to help purchase the valley. As environmentalists, the negotiations and talks are way beyond our areas of expertise, but we believe the preliminary meetings with professionals are proceeding cautiously, but positively.
(5) A new, pro-development group (opposing our efforts to save Clover Valley) has been established and is backed/funded by the owners. “Rocklin Taxpayers for Sensitive Planning” has circulated inaccurate information and is using scare tactics to try to turn a solid base of support against the idea of a preserve. We respect their right to their opinion, but will continue to point out the errors of their ways.
(6) Resolutions in support of saving Clover Valley have been passed by the Towne of Loomis, the Sierra College Faculty Senate, and the Sierra College Association of Students. We hope to have more resolutions passed by agencies and private organizations to help us in this effort to save Placer County’s jewell.
Call if you have any questions or want more information. 916-652-7005
ALERTS & EVENTS
Would you like to know about local Sierra Club Meetings and events? Would you like to know when we need letters to local officials? If so, please join the Placer Group Sierra Club’s e-mail listserv. We promise we won’t give your e-mail address to anyone else, and we won’t send you too many messages to sign up. Please send an e-mail to terry.davis @sierraclub.org
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Election Results by Carol Love
Thanks to all of you who voted in our election to fill three Executive Committee seats. Marilyn Jasper and Cathy Haagen-Smit will continue to serve on the ExCom and will be joined by Carroll Nast.
What is the Executive Committee? It is the elected six-member committee that runs the Placer Group and votes on issues. You, as a member, are welcome to attend all ExCom meetings – usually the first Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm at Bakers Square in Auburn. Even if you cannot vote, you can express your opinion and provide input. Please give it a try.
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Sierra Nevada Lecture Series - Class Coordinator: Joe Medeiros
Back by popular demand is this Sierra College spring semester class called Interdisciplinary 6 – The Sierra Nevada. With a stellar lineup of speakers, from A-uthors to Z-oologists this one-of-a-kind series is perfect for the Sierraphile with Thursday nights free this coming spring semester. The class can be taken for credit, watched on TV (cable) or visited for free when you find the urge or want to hear a specific speaker.
The class (I-6 / course code 75561) starts on January 17th , 6 - 9 pm.
“Professors, specialists, artists, photographers, authors, managers, conservationists, aficionados, and most, importantly, lovers of John Muir’s “Range of Light” come together to make this class unique,” says Medeiros. He adds, “It has been my absolutely favorite class to coordinate, simply because of the compassion and energy that it creates. Enrolled or not, the public is invited to join us and share the enthusiasm. All Sierra-lovers are welcome!”
For more information contact Joe Medeiros at (916) 789-2725 or jmedeiros@sierracollege.edu – for complete lecture series information, go to
http://www.sierracollege.edu/Programs/divisions/SciMath/interdisciplinary/index.html
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The Placer Calendar-- January, February, March 2008
Wed. Jan. 2 Conservation
Wed. Feb. 6 Committee
Wed. Mar. 5 Meetings
Wed. Apr. 2
Placer Group Conservation Committee meets at Baker’s Square, Foresthill Exit, I-80, 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend this meeting and the Executive Committee meeting which follows. Call (916) 652-7005 for more information.
Placer Group - General Meetings - (See next 3 items)
7 pm, Auburn Library, 350 Nevada St., Auburn. Call (916) 652-7005 for more information. Free and open to the public:
Tues., Jan. 29 General Meeting Costa Rica Natural History
Sierra College geologist Dick Hilton and botanist Shawna Martinez show photographs and discuss the incredible wonders of this renowned country.
Tues., Feb. 26 General Meeting Alternative and Renewable Fuels
With the uncertainty of fuel costs, not to mention future supplies, come and hear chemical engineer, Dr. Dan Tajbl, give a presentation on alternative and renewable fuels that will help clarify our viable options.
Tues., Mar. 25 General Meeting Must-Do Hikes for Everyone
Steve Evans, Conservation Director of Friends of the River, will be discussing his new book, Top Trails Sacramento. Steve will share slides, maps and conservation stories of the valley, foothills, and mountains in the Sacramento Region. The book features 235 miles of easy to difficult trails including the Mokelumne, Desolation, and Granite Chief wilderness areas, as well as Cache Creek, American, and Yuba Rivers.
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Placer Nature Center - 4th Fridays Lecture Series (See next 3 items)
7:30 pm, Unity of Auburn, 1212 High Street in downtown Auburn. See www.placernaturecenter.org for details and cost.
Fri., Jan. 25 Magnetism & Flying Frogs -- Dr. Paul Doherty, Ph. D. Director of the Teacher Institute at San Francisco’s famed Exploratorium will explore the physics of magnetism, flying frogs and magnetic fields.
Fri., Feb. 22 Nuclear Power and Our Energy Crisis--Physicist and geologist Dr. William Murphy discusses nuclear power and its relationship to our energy and environmental crisis.
Fri., Mar. 28 Natural Resources from Sea, Water and Earth - Dr. James Pushnik will explore fundamental natural resources from sea, water and earth and consider which are being extracted at unsustainable rates, along with the perils and possibilities of new biofuels.
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County Officials Looking for Answers to ‘08 Sales Tax Fiasco
by Marilyn Jasper
My, oh my: Keeping one’s head in the sand has some drawbacks. Placer County officials decided not to put the transportation sales tax on the 2008 ballot after they realized it lacked enough voter support. When will they learn to listen to the public?
Sadly, environmentalists attended workshops and meetings, gave testimony and wrote comments, and presented solid evidence that public transportation needed to be strongly funded, or the sales tax could not be supported. By the same token, if public transportation WAS funded substantially, to turn the traffic nightmare tide around, the environmental and commuting public would support a sales tax increase.
However, against all common sense, county officials stuck to their minimal 17 percent funding for public transit—so meager as to be meaningless—and 1% for pedestrian and bike accommodations. Our elected officials tried to keep 82 percent of the sales tax increase to essentially subsidize development, knowing full well that when the next round of proposed projects are completed, we’ll be right back in the same gridlock we’re in today. Meanwhile, developers would have reaped their profits and moved on.
The root of the problem stems in part from developers planning the county’s growth, and not necessarily with what’s good for a majority of citizens as their goals. For more than half a century, just building more roads or lanes has NOT resulted in good planning, or stopped the traffic nightmares. The public knows this; someday we hope elected officials will take off their blinders and see the damage they are doing in Placer County.
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From the Chair
by Marilyn Jasper
Thanks to all of you (record number) who took the time to vote in the Executive Committee (ExCom) election. As a result, we welcome Carroll Nast to take Sean Booth’s seat. We appreciate all the work Sean undertook and will call on him from time to time to help with pressing environmental issues.
If the approximately 2,000 members of the Placer Group Sierra Club knew how diligently a small handful of fellow members work, I think they (you) would be overwhelmed with gratitude. Everyone’s lives are busy, including our volunteer’s, but a huge round of applause goes out not only to this year’s Ex Com members, but also to Chris Love, Caroline Hickson, Terry Davis, andCarroll Nast. In addition, we are grateful to the wonderful folks who donated or volunteered with our October fundraiser, and to all of you who purchase and/or help sell calendars for the cause (Joe Medeiros, Sean Booth, Marlene Cady, Caroline Hickson, Carroll Nast, and Joe Marmon). As you can imagine, we are in an ongoing mode of fundraising.
You will soon be voting and/or be asked to sign petitions. With all the political spins and misleading information, how do you know what is the right choice? From an environmental standpoint, please consider going to “Sierra Club California,” which is the political arm of the Sierra Club—www.sierraclubcalifornia.org . This website has election and endorsement information as well as other important information.
2008 is presenting huge projects and issues right from the get go: Placer Vineyards and Clover Valley (both in litigation), Regional University (remember that Trojan Horse university deal? It’s back!), Placer Ranch, Serene Lakes, Lincoln’s expansion, PCCP, and a multitude of constantly sprawling smaller projects with less-attention grabbing approvals that continue to erode the last precious environmental resources in our county. Jump in if you can; make one of your 2008 resolutions to help protect our environment; we need you more than ever!