Learn-In and Vigil for A Real Deal in Copenhagen

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Chico Peace and Justice Center Seeking Peace Through Justice and Justice Through Peace Learn-In and Vigil for A Real Deal in Copenhagen Thursday, December 10 6 pm, Learn-In at CPJC 7 pm, Candlelight Vigil at City Plaza Chico Peace & Justice Center 526 Broadway Chico, CA 95928 Open M-F noon-6 pm (530) 893-9078 www.chico-peace.org NORTHSTATE ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL FOR AREAL DEAL IN COPENHAGEN Chico, California. A coalition of environmentalists will hold a “Learn In” and Vigil on Thursday calling on world leaders to create a “treaty with teeth” at the U. N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Concerned citizens are invited to gather at the Chico Peace and Justice Center, 526 Broadway, at 6 pm on December 10 to review the most recent news emanating from Copenhagen and then to proceed to the City Plaza at 7 pm for a Candlelight Vigil. The event is part of a global series of vigils being conducted by Avaaz, an international organization that gives voice (“avaaz”) to people around the world on key social and environmental issues. The vigils are also supported by global organizations such as Greenpeace, Worldwatch, and the World Wildlife Federation. Locally, the learn in and vigil is sponsored by the Peace and Justice Center and by The Point Is and Ecotopia, two public affairs programs on KZFR FM 90.1. Stephen Tchudi, Ecotopia co-host and a conference organizer says, “We are joining with the global community in asking for a treaty that is ambitious enough to leave the planet safe for us all, fair for the poorest countries that did not cause climate change but are suffering from it, and binding, with real targets that can be legally monitored and enforced.” "We must make deep and significant changes in human culture and life practices if we are to alter the course of disastrous climate change,” says organizer Emily Alma. “The glaciers are melting! Flooding and drought will become rampant world wide. Humans from all nations must be willing to sacrifice for the common good, and now is the time!" “We don’t have time for a lot of political dithering in Copenhagen,” says Susan Tchudi, organizer and Ecotopia co-host. “We're facing global disasters. We need to push for immediate action to stop and reverse the damage and to prepare to help when the disasters occur.” The “Learn In” at the Chico Peace and Justice Center will monitor news stories, blogs, and videos from the first several days of the conference. Participants will have an opportunity to sign a petition created by Azaaz, joining with some ten million people worldwide who are sending a message to Copenhagen that “The World Is Ready.” “At the candlelight vigil,” explains Emily Alma, “people will have an opportunity to speak about their concerns for the environment here in the Northstate as well as globally. We hope concerned community members will join us for this event.”

Sierra Club Action: your email needed PLEASE

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		Dear Grace, Take Action Today! Tell the EPA to Protect Our Waters! We need your help. Dangerous pollutants are threatening the health of our waters. Nitrogen and phosphorous pollution have gotten so bad that it threatens the survival of our inland and coastal waters. Sign our petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ask that they set nitrogen and phosphorous pollution standardsthat protect the waters of the entire Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico. These standards will set the stage for addressing this problem throughout the entire United States. In 2008, the Sierra Club along with 12 other environmental organizations asked the EPA to protect our waters from these harmful pollutants. It's been a year and we still haven't received word if they will act on our request. You can help us make this happen. Take action today! Tell the EPA to protect our waters from nitrogen and phosphorous pollution. Thanks for all you do to protect our waters! Tim Guilfoile Deputy Director Sierra Club Water Sentinels Program P.S. We need as many people to sign the petition as possible. Forward this message to your friends! If you do not wish to receive future emails like this, click here to be removed from this type of email contact.

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Sierra Club
85 Second St.

Chico State's 2009 Sustainability Conference

This Way to Sustainability V Conference

at California State University, Chico

November 5-8, 2009

This annual event is hosted by CSU, Chico, Butte Community College,

and the Associated Student groups of each.

Online Registration is NOW OPEN through October 30, 2009

Please visit our web site at http://www.csuchico.edu/sustainablefuture/conference/ to view the conference schedule and to register online. This year we have an exciting lineup of speakers, workshops, tours, and sessions that you won’t want to miss!

Registration fees for This Way to Sustainability Conference V include participation in all sessions, featured keynotes, tours, and workshops (some workshops or tours may require separate registration, please see schedule for details).

Registration fees are as follows:

• Students are free! Includes all university, college, and community college students, and K-12 students with a valid student ID card or with a registered faculty member
• Faculty/Staff: $25.00 per person
• General Audience: $25.00 per person
• Speakers/Moderators: Free, pre-registration required to validate status

Note: All sessions are on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-registration does not guarantee you a seat in all sessions so you are encouraged to arrive early as space in some sessions may be limited.

If you are a student and would like to become a conference volunteer please contact Deanna Dottai at twts@csuchico.edu.

If you would like to become a sponsor for this conference please visit our web site at http://www.csuchico.edu/sustainablefuture/conference/sponsors.shtml

We hope to see you at this year's conference!

Teri Randolph

Assistant to the Executive Director

The Institute for Sustainable Development

California State University, Chico

http://www.csuchico.edu/sustainablefuture/

Phone: (530) 898-3334

Fax: (530) 898-3336

Dave Garcia Named Top-Preforming Leader

Congratulations to Dave Garcia. He received special recognition for his contributions to national outings in 2008 and was named a Top Performing Outings Leader.

All 300+ Sierra Club trips are led by volunteers.You can see the entire article in the Sierra Magazine, July/August 2009, page 25.

Sierra Club Photography Workshop July 10-12

Sierra Club Outdoor Photography Workshop July 10-12
Mother Lode Chapter Photography Section
Intermediate Outdoor Photography Workshop
July 10-12, 2009 on the Mendocino Coast

The Photography Section of the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club is hosting an intermediate photography workshop on theMendocino Coast at the Jug Handle Creek Farm in Caspar California. http://jughandlecreekfarm.org .

The workshop will begin onFriday July 10, 2009 at 8:00 pm and concludes on Sunday July 12, 2009 in the afternoon.

Jug Handle Creek Farm was established in 1969 by the California Institute of Man in Nature in an effort to preserve and maintain theproperty as a gateway to the largest intact Ecological Staircase in the world. The Ecological Staircase explores five wave-cutterraces formed by glacier, sea and tectonic activity that built the coast range.

The workshop will be primarily an experiential one with the majority of the time devoted to photographing pre scouted locations onthe coast and the sand dunes. Lectures will be given on macro photography and achieving both near and far focusing in naturephotography. The instructors will be available during the field sessions to help you implement the techniques learned in theworkshop.

The workshop instruction will be provided by Jennifer Wu and Wendy Desormeaux, both Sierra Club Outing Leaders. Jennifer Wu has been a professional Photographer since 1992. Her award winning fine art photographs have been exhibited at numerousgalleries and juried art festivals including the Viewpoint Gallery and the Marin Art Festival. Jennifer teaches photography coursesat California State University, Sacramento, Consumnes River College, Lepp Institute and Betterphoto.com. She was recently named byCanon USA to the elite group of photographers, The Explorers of Light. Canon has selected 62 of the world's top photographers intheir field to provide educational programs around the country. www.jenniferwu.com http://www.jenniferwu.com/

Wendy Desormeaux has professionally photographed weddings, portraits and nature photography. Her work has been displayed in variousgalleries and she was voted the best Photographer of the Show at a local art show. A sample of Wendy's nature photography can beseen at www.yougetthepictureshop.com http://www.yougetthepictureshop.com/ Attendees at this workshop should have basic knowledge of shutter speeds, f-stops and depth of field. A tripod is recommended.

The workshop fee is $295 and will help raise funds for the photography section. The fee includes camping space or accommodations for twonights with two or more people per room. Cabins are available for an additional fee of $40 per night. There is a small charge forfood and meals are prepared as a group.

To reserve a space, or for more information contact Wendy Desormeaux at (916) 363-5253 or rumbawithme@sbcglobal.net .

Kayak Tour N. Forebay

Join Dave Garcia on a leisurely paddle and checkout the mating plummage of the local birds. If you need a kayak call Dave at 533-2357.

Bioneers Speakers Series

Chico Women's Club
Bioneers Speakers Series
Thursdays, 7-9 pm (doors open at 6:30)

March 19: Nature from Above and Below Featured speakers include Rebecca Moore, founder of Google Earth Outreach on "Visualization Technologies and Activism"; Paul Stametz, biologist, "Updating on Fungi Saving the World"; and Jeremy Narby, anthropologist, "Intelligence in Nature."

March 26: Leadership from the Feminine for AllSpeakers include Diane Wilson, shrimper and nonviolent activist "An Unreasonable Woman Gets Things Done"; Sandra Steingraber, "the new Rachel Carson," "The Environmental Life of Children"; and Avita Ramdas, Global Fund for Women,"Power, Peace & Politics of Change." The Chico Women's Club is located at 3rd and Pine Streets, 345-5560. $2 donation; students and low income welcome.

Grace Marvin

Benefit for Clean Water International

Benefit for Clean Water International
Saturday, March 21, 8:30 am
One Mile Recreation Area, Bidwell Park

The idea is to bring a bucket and take a 2K or 5K walk visiting educational stations about the need for clean water globally and water conservation. You will fill your bucket from the creek at the midpoint and carrying the full bucket to the One Mile Park starting point. Your $25 entry fee ($15 for children 12 and under) will get you a T-shirt and snacks along the way. The first 300 applicants will also receive a water bottle. 100% of all the funds raised will go to global water projects. Check out www.bridgingthegapbygiving.org

Grace Marvin

Job Announcement for BCCWA Watershed Coordinator

Position: Watershed Coordinator – 10 hours/week

Essential Job Functions:
The Watershed Coordinator, working under the direction of the Board of Directors (Board) of the Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance (BCCWA), will conduct stakeholder outreach, research, project design and grant writing, membership development and fundraising. The Watershed Coordinator will be required to attend all Board meetings and provide updates to the board as needed.

Employment Standards:
The applicant must have excellent writing and editing skills, demonstrate the ability to collaborate with landowners, community organizations, businesses and agencies, and have the ability to work in a wide variety of resource fields (e.g. non-native plant management, riparian restoration). Must be proficient in the operation of a PC utilizing Word, Excel and Windows. Must be an energetic, self-motivated, self-learner who can solve problems; be detail-oriented, organized and able to manage multiple tasks and projects. Must be able to work with minimal supervision and possess the ability to follow through with project tasks. In addition, the successful candidate must work as a team member with a strong service orientation and be able to deal with the public and co-workers in a pleasant and diplomatic manner. Some travel may be required. Must possess a valid California Driver’s License and good driving record. Participation in the DMV Employer Pull Notice Program (driving record) will be required of the successful candidate.

Compensation: $18-$22/hour. Must provide own work space.

Applications: Applicants must submit a current resume, letter of introduction and three references.

Deadline: All applications must be mailed to the BCCWA, P.O. Box 461, Chico, CA 95927 by no later than March 30, 2009.

The employer is the BCCWA, a private, non-profit, tax-exempt organization. For more information about the organization, see http://www.bigchicocreek.org/.

Conservation and club report for the MLC and the Yahi Ex Com

by Grace Marvin
For the Mother Lode chapter (MLC) and Yahi Group March 3, 2009

Yahi Conservation and more! Report: January and February, 2009
AIR QUALITY: Yahi member, Julian Zener, has been serving as the club’s representative on the city of Chico’s Sustainability Committee. As a physician, he has been pointing out at city meetings and the board of the Butte County Air Quality Management District how air from wood stoves has been shown to be extremely unhealthy -- with Chico’s air being third worst in the state. He and his fellow committee members, along with support from much of the wider community, have succeeded in having the board create far stricter rules regarding Particulate Matter 2.5 for Chico, while making it possible for those impoverished people who rely on wood stoves to obtain funding for alternative heating .(The opposition has been vocal too, of course.)

BUTTE COUNTY GENERAL PLAN: The Yahi Group shares the concerns of many other citizens in the 5 county Yahi region about transferring water out of our counties. I have been representing this concern at Butte County General Plan meetings, e.g., at a nearly all day forum held in Oroville on February 19. I addressed the Board of Supervisors about our concerns and mentioned that I had gone to the Mother Lode Chapter to seek their understanding of our concerns. I told them that the MLC supported the League of Women Voters position (and document) concerning the need for Butte County to first assess how much water we have and will need before allowing its transfer. This would require that the Supervisors not to allow staff members to make the final decision. We will see…

CLEARING TRASH, INVASIVE TREES AND PLANTS:
Dave Garcia, our enthusiastic and very effective new Yahi Chair answered President Obama’s call for volunteer work by organizing crews of volunteers to work in seven different sites on January 19. He wrote in this month’s Yahi paper that:
The local Sierra Club Yahi Group organized and teamed with California State Parks, City of Chico Park Division, Friends of Bidwell Park, Chico Creek Nature Center, and Habitat for Humanity to provide community service projects everyone could participate in on this historic day. Seven service projects were developed, publicized and posted on www.USAservice.org. Four of the projects filled to capacity and even had eager non-registered volunteers show up to participate. City of Chico employee Raul Gonzalez, who led the bike path cleanup, said his project was a huge success. Volunteers arrived excited, energized and ready to work. Thirty volunteers collected 12 cubic yards of trash and debris along the five-mile bike path from Big Chico Creek to the airport. On the other projects, volunteers removed 1,100 feet of barbed wire along the Potter Ravine Trail at Lake Oroville; removed 1,500 invasive trees and saplings in Bidwell Park; cleared 2,400 square feet of invasive blackberry and periwinkle in Bidwell Park; planted five Santa Barbara sedges, 12 Deer Grass plants, and 10 Willow trees in Bidwell Park; worked in the native plant garden preparing for spring planting at Chico Creek Nature Center; planted over 30 Valley Oak seedlings at Woodson Bridge State Park; and removed trash, pruned trees and removed invasive trees in a pre-construction lot preparation for a Habitat for Humanity home. A group of Pakistani students from CSU Chico International Student Exchange Program participated in the habitat restoration service project. They were in the U.S. to learn about community volunteer involvement programs, and got a real hands-on experience. We also had 15 eager students from the Oroville High School Ecology Club participate in the trail maintenance service project. Most of the students were of Hmong descent, obtaining their service experience in preparation for college….

.
DISC GOLF; I have been attending many one on one and city meetings regarding disc golf. City Council changed its mind about not having disc golf in Upper Park in January, and now will allow the long course, i.e., the one used by the “experts,” to continue existing where it has been illegally for a decade. New infrastructure and mitigation measures will be needed.
A new location for the short course (played by non-experts) must be found within 18 months. Supposedly, the experts will not miss the mark as much as the more novice players, and thus will cause less ecological damage, e.g., to trees, soil, plants, etc. Friends of Bidwell Park has been taking the lead in trying to keep disc golf out of the park, and our Yahi Group has been the major supporting group of Friends of Bidwell Park. Please see the following video to view the tremendous amount of damage that has already been done: http://tinyurl.com/c4cvmr..

While the Chico City Council asked in January that the short course be located elsewhere, the preference by the disc golfers for a Bidwell Park site has meant that they have not seriously considered proposed sites outside the park; we believe that some of these would be far better, since our chief interest is in preserving nature in the park. But in the sprit of compromise, we have expressed willingness for the short disc golf course to be established in one area of Lower Bidwell Park that is currently not used by anyone and which is overrun by invasive plants and doomed trees. If the disc golfers would consider that area, they would actually be helping the park, since they would need to clear the area first. Unfortunately, we have heard that they do not like it because they want a much bigger area for an 18 hole course. This sounds unreasonable to us for a number of reasons, but more to the point: the city does not have the money to establish a short course, and as one city council person said in January: the disc golfers are supposed to get organized, so that they can show how they would raise the money for establishing a new short course, mitigate expected damage, plan and develop required infrastructure, and monitor players to be sure that they are not abusing the land. Thus, I raised that issue of finding out about the progress of such “bench marks” at the most recent meeting I attended, i.e. the Bidwell Park and Playground commission, the body what was just given the task of locating a new short course. There does not seem to be any such organization by the disc golfers. The Bidwell Park and Playground Commission will be developing policies and evaluating proposed courses, with public input encouraged. March and April will likely be the determining months for the decision, so we should have interesting times ahead of us.

Note: The editors of the two major papers in Chico are in support of the disc golfers, as are the park director and politicians who want the support of the very vocal, if not well organized, disc golfers. We have had a tough road to hoe, but we’re as passionate as the disc golfers! Thank goodness, more members of the City council seem to once again be concerned protection of the park. They will have the final decision, so it is up to us to make sure the BPPC does its job properly. That’s where one-on-one meetings have come to be quite important.

SNOW GOOSE FESTIVAL: Several Yahi Group members, including the past and present Chairs helped create and staffed a booth at this annual festival held in Chico but with tours to many other places, where one can see snow geese and other wildlife galore every January. They collected 100 signatures for Marily Woodlouse’s petition to stop clear cutting and they raised $100. - by selling a terrific trail guide, put together by Alan Mendoza with help of other Yahi members. Check out our web site for more information.

TREES AND TRAILS:
Clear cutting and logging: Several of us supported Marily Woodhouse’s campaign both (1) when she was working to get Home Dept not to buy SPI wood and (2) this past month with her campaign this past month to also get Meeks Hardware not to by SPI wood. Meeks has a hardware store in Chico, by the way.

National Forests: Patricia Puterbaugh has been handling several logging issues – as she explains in these excerpts from this month’s Yahi paper:

The Lassen Forest Preservation Group, the forestry committee of the Yahi Group Sierra Club, has been working on several large Lassen National Forest (LNF) projects... We have spent much of our time on the Hat Creek Ranger District, northwest of Lassen National Park, studying and planning with the Forest Service on the North 49 logging project. This project has been appealed, litigated, and finally resolved over the last four years. It is a very large project - 10,000 acres - and will be done in stages. After each stage, we will have the opportunity to see and study the results of the logging… Another project we have been working on for years is the Creeks project. This 10,000-acre project stretches from Humbug and Humboldt summits east down to Yellow Creek. It is one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically important regions in the Lassen National Forest. Several major creeks drain to the Feather River, making fisheries and water quality a huge issue. The area is also home to the healthiest numbers of California Spotted Owl, migratory songbirds, American Marten, and Northern Goshawk on the LNF. ... The Sierra Club generally supports thinning projects close to communities and along roads. Some of these projects are finished or ongoing in Prattville, Butte Meadows, Jonesville, Mineral, and near the High Lakes. These projects remove the smaller trees and leave the forests in a more fire-resilient condition. Considering the state of the economy right now, it is difficult to predict how much logging will take place over the next few years. Loggers work on a very small profit margin, and there is already a huge surplus of logs from clear-cut Sierra Pacific lands. With the downturn in construction, there is very little market for timber. This may be an opportunity to look to alternative markets such as wood chipping, small log construction, and cogeneration of energy from forest waste products. We also comment on some private land logging projects in our vicinity, but if you have taken a trip up into the foothills, you will see that the clear cutting continue… Please contact me, Patricia Puterbaugh, at cohasset@shocking.com regarding National Forest issues.

Off-Highway Vehicle Use. Stephen Sayre has been educating us in email and in news articles about this issue. (See Forest Travel Management Process Deeply Flawed for more information at www.//motherlode.sierraclub.org/yahi .

YAHI PROGRAMS: We have resumed monthly programs. Bob Woods presented a very interesting program in February about Lassen Trails at the Butte County Library. Other great programs are being planned for the months ahead.

YAHI OUTINGS: Alan Mendoza coordinates an excellent and varied array of Outings, with 9 listed for March alone

Sutter Buttes - Peace Valley Hike Saturday, March 21

For Immediate Release
Contact: Liz
Gardner

530.345.1865

liz@sacrivertrust.org
Sacramento River Preservation Trust/Altacal Audubon Society
Sutter Buttes - Peace Valley Hike
Saturday, March 21
8am-3pm

On Saturday, March 21, the Sacramento River Preservation Trust and Altacal
Audubon Society, in cooperation with California State Parks, is offering a
guided hike into the Sutter Buttes - Peace Valley area with Parks Ranger
Zack Chambers.
Peace Valley is one of California's newest state parks and is nestled within
the ever-fascinating Sutter Buttes. While hiking with Ranger Chambers, we
will learn about the valley's cultural history including a visit to an old
homestead and various Native American sites. As we continue to traverse this
nearly undisturbed area we will be exposed to examples of some of the
geological processes that make up this unique formation. This hike is mostly
off-trail, is of moderate difficulty and does include some short strenuous
climbs. Depending on the weather, very shallow water crossings might occur.
Sturdy walking shoes or boots are strongly recommended. The hike is roughly
3 miles round trip. Participants must be in good hiking shape. Advance
reservations are required, with a requested donation of $20 for
Trust/Audubon members and $30 for non-members.
Space is limited. For reservations and questions please contact the
Sacramento River Preservation Trust at (530) 345.1865 or email Liz at
liz@sacrivertrust.org. Additional information concerning the Trust and
Altacal can be found at www.sacrivertrust.org and
www.altacal.org , respectively.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

JOIN THE CAMARADERIE

The Yahi Group is currently seeking volunteers to assst with upcoming events of Earthday, Endangered Species Faire, John Muir's Birthday, Ecofest, etc. We need people to represent Yahi and give out printed info about the Sierra CLub. Great way to enjoy these events and meet interesting people plus help spread the conservation ethic!

Call Dave Garcia at 533-2357 for more info.

"Hopefully all of us will realize that we are the ones we have been waiting for and each of us faces our own opportunities to make a difference", Tim DeChristopher (Bidder70).

YAHI TRAIL MAINTENANCE MEETING

Sunday, March 12 - Yahi members wishing to share ideas and decision-making about trail maintenance outings or other service projects should RSVP to attend this meeting at Outings Chair Alan Mendoza's house in Chico, 6-PM. Contact Stephen Sayre at stephensayre@att.net / 876-1391 or Alan at ajmendoza@rodigy.net / 891-8789 for location and directions.

Join the Sierra Club Yahi Group in Facebook

Another form of communication beyond this blog is the Sierra Club Yahi Group page in Facebook.

If you are already a member of Facebook, simply go to your homepage, click on Group in the upper right corner. When the Group page opens enter Sierra Club Yahi Group in the search box. Another page should open and on the right side give you an option to join the group. Welcome!

If you are not a member of Facebook you can join by going to http://www.facebook.com/ Sign up as a new member and then follow the instructions to join the Sierra Club Yahi Group. You may find that some of your Yahi Group friends are already members of Facebook. Add them as your friends!

Tabling Volunteers

We have a great opportunity to reach 6,000 people at Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds. Shady Creek Outdoor Education Foundation (formerly Woodleaf) has asked us to table at their event on April 18 from 11-3PM. The display is already made you just unfold the hinged panels. Marily Woodhouse of STOP CLEARCUTTING CALIFORNIA will be sharing the booth.

An excellant family event to recuit young members into our club and show community support! Tabling is fun, easy, and you meet interesting people. Handouts and membership applications are all provided. Be part of the big change sweeping America and HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE! "The greatest danger to our future is apathy!" Jane Goodall

Call Dave Garcia at 533-2357 to help.

Future Yahi Meetings

Greetings - The next Yahi Group Ex Comm meeting will be March 4 at 3PM. The location is 3573 Via Las Lupes, Oroville (Yankee Hill), Dave Garcia's residence. You can google address for directions. You are welcomed to attend the meeting just please advise the host at 533-2357.
You can post agenda items for the meeting right on this site.

The Yahi Fund Raising Committee will have it's first meeting on Feb 25 at 1PM if you would like to participate. This will be in Chico at Jan Hildenbrand's residence. Please call 894-3988 for directions. dave g

Welcome to the Yahi Blog

I see you made it to the blog.

The way this work is, you have been invited to be an author. That means you can originate a blog entry. ANYONE can view the blogs and respond to them, just by going to the blog site.

One thing that might be handy to know is how to copy and paste a piece of text from some other document on your computer into the blog text box.

1. Highlight the text you want to copy.
2. Press Ctrl and "c" simultaneously. This copies the highlighted text to your clipboard.
3. Place the cursor where you want the text to go and press Ctrl and "v" simultaneously. This will copy the text into the blog box (or where ever else you want it).

Call me at 872-9159 if you have a question.

I see this as a place we can exchange information immediately - no waiting. I hope you find it useful. Louise