What are we up to?
A guide to Chapter land-use conservation campaigns

Introduction by Gordon LaBedz
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE CHAIR
Population experts tell us that Southern California faces an explosion of growth in the next 20 years. Our political leaders don’t seem to have the vision, or the grassroots support, to make plans for a livable future. The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club has decided to take the lead. We have created a vision for livable communities, and we are actively working toward it. Currently, the Chapter is conducting over 17 land-use conservation campaigns in our region. If Los Angeles and Orange Counties are going to accommodate more growth, there will be a huge demand for urban open space. Yards are getting smaller as property costs rise. A city without trees and greenery is a city that simply doesn’t work. Moreover, if our region continues to sprawl into suburbs, not only will traffic and air pollution get worse, but also all our nearby nature areas will be gone. A Sierra Club campaign for nature preserves and urban parks can help prepare Southern California for the year 2020 when we get an estimated 8 million new residents. Towards that vision, the Chapter is concentrating on three watersheds-the San Gabriel River to the east, the Santa Clara River to the north, and the remaining open space in Orange County. But that’s not all. There are campaigns in virtually every corner of our area. In this issue we map them all out for you. It’s never been easier to get involved! As the slogan goes: “If not now, when? If not us, who?”

1. Airport-Marina Group
The Airport-Marina Group is busy securing open space and protecting rare habitats in this densely populated urban area. As part of the group’s more than 10-year struggle to protect the Ballona Wetlands, the Sierra Club has recently initiated a lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission for allowing the Catellus Development Corporation to carve a road through an ecologically sensitive portion of the wetlands. Catellus bulldozers have already unearthed Native American artifacts and burial grounds and threaten the natural habitat of coastal wildlife like the great blue heron and egret. The group also works to protect the Baldwin Hills and the El Segundo sand dunes.
Jump in: Call the group’s hotline for future activities (310-485-8008) and attend the group’s regular meetings, held the third Monday of each month at 7:45pm at Burton Chace Park in Marina Del Rey.

2. Antelope Valley Group
The Tejon Ranch Company has targeted 270,000 acres of relatively untouched wilderness for a super-community of 23,000 homes and 13.5 million square feet of related infrastructure called Centennial City. Activist Dean Webb and the Antelope Valley Group want to protect the wildlife corridors in these lands and spare surrounding communities the traffic, poor air and water quality, and population squeeze that would come with what is called L.A. County’s largest housing development. The company has agreed to set aside up to 100,000 acres for public acquisition. The Antelope Valley Group wants to insure that the land purchase comprises ecologically valuable parcels. Jump in: Call Dean Webb, 661-948-4123, or Charlie Brown 661-947-9694.

3. Ballona Wetlands Task Force
The Ballona Wetlands Task Force works for the CPR (conservation, preservation, and restoration) of the entire Ballona Wetlands ecosystem. The task force has convened citizen town hall meetings with our allies to educate the public about the benefits of protecting the wetlands, as opposed to the detrimental impacts of constructing a massive city (Playa Vista) atop the historical delta flood plain of the Los Angeles River. This fall, thanks in part to the efforts of the task force, the state approved a purchase agreement that will facilitate approximately 623 acres of marshlands being owned by the public. This area is in need of restoration, including a major effort to reconnect the water with the land. Jump in: Robert “Roy” van de Hoek, 818-222-7456 or John Armer, 310-452-4946.

4. Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force
The Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force (BRPP) is dedicated to preserving the entire Banning Ranch as open space and wildlife preserve. Banning Ranch comprises 412 acres of privately owned wetlands and adjacent mesa/bluffs where the Santa Ana River empties into the ocean. The owners of Banning Ranch have proposed development that would result in losing open space and an endangered species habitat, as well as the degradation of the adjacent wetlands. The task force educates the public and local officials about Banning Ranch, with the goal of securing funds for its eventual purchase. Jump in: Terry Welsh, 949-548-5636.

5. Central Group
The Central Group is a small yet active gathering of individuals whose overarching priority is urban park issues, especially preservation of urban parkland, open space, and green space. Parks and similar open spaces are woefully lacking in Los Angeles-there is less than 1 acre for every 1000 Angelenos. This puts enormous pressure on existing facilities to address the recreation needs of the city’s ever-increasing population. The Central Group collaborates with local citizens through volunteer park advisory boards. Jump in: 213-250-7921.

6. Coyote Hills Task Force
The 510-acre West Coyote Hills is currently owned by Chevron-Texaco, which is proposing adding a 760-unit housing project for an area that has already seen the rapid growth of several thousand new homes in the last few years. This land is the last significant open space in a five-city, highly urbanized area of north Orange County. It contains rich coastal sagebrush habitat, supporting 46 pairs of California gnatcatchers and other rare species. The Coyote Hills Task Force wants to preserve West Coyote Hills as a park. Jump in: Angela Lindstrom, 714-931-9584, or Chuck Buck, 714-773-1190. http://www.coyotehills.org

7. Crystal Cove Task Force
The Crystal Cove Task Force is working to assure that all the resources of Crystal Cove State Park are open to the public and are protected from environmental degradation. Current task force efforts concentrate on securing an environmentally sound public use plan for the Crystal Cove Historic District and converting El Morro Mobile Home Park from a closed, beach-side inholding to a public use area. Jump in: Murray Rosenthal , 310-391-7562 or Iryne Black , 949-642-8145.

8. Dana Point Headlands Task Force
The Dana Point Headlands Task Force works to preserve the Headlands’ unique coastal resources by submitting comments to the California Coastal Commission to uphold the Coastal Act, conducting a public education and outreach campaign, sponsoring outings to acquaint leaders and the public with the Headlands preservation issues, and coordinating activities with other environmental and civic groups. Thanks in part to task force efforts, a massive development plan was taken off the table to be revised to conform to Coastal Act policies. A Coastal Commission meeting to review the new plan is scheduled for this month. Jump in: Celia Kutcher , 949-496-9689, or Paul Carlton , 949-661-9505. http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/hotbox/danapoint.asp

9. Friends of the Foothills
The proposed Foothill-South toll road would ruin a state park, jeopardize the protection of threatened wildlife, and spur development in South Orange County. Local Sierra Club volunteers have joined together with other concerned citizens to oppose the road and protect San Onofre State Beach and other threatened wild areas. Volunteers have met with elected officials, traveled to Sacramento, held community meetings, walked neighborhoods, turned out in the hundreds for public meetings and enjoyed hikes in the places the toll road puts at risk. Early next year long-delayed reports about how the toll road will affect the environment will be released by the toll road agency. Now is a great time to get involved and work with a great group of people. Jump in: Brittany McKee .

10. Malibu-Solstice Canyon   (a subcommittee of the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force)
The Malibu-Solstice Canyon Task Force works to preserve the wild nature of Solstice Canyon in Malibu, which is threatened with a 27-unit motel adjacent to Solstice Creek. Solstice Creek is a year-round stream that once supported a spawning run of the endangered southern steelhead. The Park Service and Caltrans are funding the removal of human-made barriers to steelhead migration in order to restore the historic spawning run. The city of Malibu approved the motel much closer to the creek than its own General Plan allows without evaluating its impact on the restored steelhead run. Jump in: Dave Brown , 818-889-0356.

11. Orange Hills Task Force
The Orange Hills Task Force stands in the way of the Irvine Company’s last big push for sprawl. At issue are water quality for Irvine Lake, Peters Canyon Reservoir, and Santiago Creek; critical habitat and wildlife corridors; and overcrowded schools. By establishing good working relationships with elected officials and educating them on the issues, the task force has succeeded in positively affecting the Irvine Company’s projects. Jump in: Alex Mintzer.

12. Puente-Chino Hills
The Puente-Chino Hills Task Force collaborates with the surrounding communities to preserve wildlife movement through the Puente-Chino Hills, a 30-mile-long hill system running northwest from Chino Hills State Park to the Whittier Narrows. Despite its proximity to millions of people, the Puente-Chino Hills contain over 300 species of birds, deer herds, and even predators, such as bobcats and coyotes. Developments, however, threaten to cut off animals in Puente-Chino Hills from the Santa Ana Mountains. The Puente-Chino Hills Task Force seeks to protect this link. Last year the task force collaborated with the surrounding communities and the developer to secure funding to buy Coal Canyon, a small, but critical link in the chain.

13. Saddleback Canyons Task Force
The Saddleback Canyons Task Force works to protect and preserve the 6,500-acre Foothill/Trabuco Specific Plan area and its gateways to the Saddleback Mountains and the Cleveland National Forest. The task force opposes development that is inconsistent with the Foothill/Trabuco Specific Plan, the primary goals of which are to preserve the rural character of the area and to provide a buffer between urban development and the national forest. The task force was key in stopping the construction of an environmentally destructive county detention facility adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest in Trabuco Canyon. Jump in: Rich Gomez, 949-855-8822, ext. 3356 or Gloria Sefton, 949-589-9230

14. San Gabriel River Campaign
The San Gabriel River is undergoing a makeover-from urban flood control project to renewed, life-supporting river. The San Gabriel River Campaign is working in partnership with government agencies and elected leaders, conservancies, cities along the river as well as community groups and nonprofit conservation groups to bring this river back to life and bring open space and parks to urban residents. The San Gabriel River is 38 miles long within the basin flood plain, 10 of which are entombed in concrete. It provides drinking water to over a million people, and once hosted a healthy population of steelhead trout. The river was permanently altered in the 1930s to provide flood protection and irrigation. The goal of the campaign is to make the river “clean and green from the mountains to the sea.” Last year the campaign launched Amigos de los Rios, an outreach organization created to involve communities along the river. The San Gabriel River Campaign is active throughout all areas along the river. From setting goals for acquisition of key parcels to planting native habitat, from master planning the river corridor to designing “green” education centers, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Jump in: Jeff Yann , 626-968-4572.

15. Santa Ana Mountains Task Force
The Santa Ana Mountains Task Force works to protect the Trabuco District of the Cleveland National Forest. The task force is involved in six major campaigns, including blocking construction of a trans-Santa Ana Mountain highway, stopping the construction of a hydro-electric and electric transmission line in the district, and creating a more effective trail-maintenance program. Jump in: Paul Carlton , 949-661-9505. http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/sam.

16. Santa Clara River Greenway Campaign
The Santa Clara River in northern L.A. County is a real river with a soft bottom. There are no dams on it and very little concrete in it, and it is currently in great danger. The biggest threat to the river is a 21,000-home development planned by Newhall Land and Farming that would substantially increase traffic, worsen air quality, hinder free movement of wildlife, and strain water supply. For the last three years, the Chapter has been working with the Santa Clarita Group to create a proactive campaign to protect the river. The campaign aims to make sure that the Santa Clara doesn’t go the same route as all our other Southern California rivers: concrete flood control ditches. The Sierra Club vision for the river is to leave the 500-year flood plain undeveloped. This means that the land that would flood in a large storm would remain green and undeveloped. Already there are condos built right up against the river, but it is not too late to save the rest of the area from a future disaster. The Chapter leadership has made the Santa Clara River a long-term priority campaign. Jump in: Henry Schultz , Santa Clarita Sierra Club, or 661-284-5613 or Lynne Plambeck , 661-255-6899 or http://www.scope.org or http://www.fscr.org/html/newhall.html

17. Save Hobo and Aliso Ridge Task Force
230 acres of coastal bluffs contiguous with South Laguna’s protected Aliso Woods and Laguna Coast wilderness parks is slated for development. The Save Hobo Aliso Ridge Task Force is fighting to halt plans for an 18-home subdivision and preserve Laguna’s largest remaining parcels of open space. According to activist Penny Elia, part of the task force’s objective is to “bring [City Council] up to speed with what this development will do to violate the [Coastal] Act.” Jump in: Penny Elia , 949-499-4499.

18. Verdugo Hills
The Crescenta Valley and Verdugo Hills groups want to halt the Canyon Hills Development in the Verdugo Hills. The development, an 887-acre community proposed by Whitebird Inc., endangers the Verdugo Hills, a precious 9,000-acre wilderness surrounded by Los Angeles, Glendale, and Burbank that is teeming with wildlife and riparian woodlands. Fred Dong, chair of the Crescenta Valley Group, points out that in addition to consuming as much as 10 percent of the existing open space needed for recreation, wildlife, and watershed preservation, the development would create serious traffic and public safety problems. Ultimately, the coalition hopes to create an open space park to save the imperiled wilderness. Jump in: Crescenta Valley Group, 818-352-3361. Verdugo Hills Group, 818-558-7722.

Generally located campaigns

Forest Task Force
The Forest Task Force works to preserve and restore our forests and to expand wilderness areas that protect those forests. Key issues range from improving management in Southern California’s national forests, to supporting the campaign to end commercial logging in national forests and protect roadless areas. Jump in:Don Bremner , 626-794-2603.

Native American Sacred Sites Task Force
The Native American Sacred Sites Task Force works to protect and preserve the cultural and sacred site resources unique to Orange County. Thirteen important ancient sites that need to be preserved in Orange County have been identified by a panel of independent archaeologists, paleontologists, scientists, and Orange County Native American tribes. At least nine of these important sites are currently threatened by development. The task force is working to protect these sites through community education and outreach, acquisition advocacy, and meetings with state and local decision makers. Jump in: Rebecca Robles, 949-369-0361.

Orange County Open Space Campaign Committee
Tract homes are covering the green hills of Orange County. We are losing the wild areas one subdivision at a time. Often disparate Chapter task forces find themselves up against the same group of decision makers. In order to present a unified front and share resources, the Sierra Club has decided to unite all our Orange County open-space campaigns under one banner: the Orange County Open Space Campaign Committee. We believe that this committee will strengthen the battles we are currently fighting as well as unite campaigns working on contiguous land preservation into one. We hope to have a representative from every Orange County task force present. Outreach is key and will be our most important task. We will focus on media, leaflets, and information that will unite our campaigns. We will work on developing a master calendar of upcoming critical events and deadlines as well as a schedule related to the approval/denial of each project. We will work to get broad-based national Sierra Club support. Jump in: Rachel Myers, Orange County Conservation Coordinator, 213-387-4287, ext. 210.

Southern California Forests Campaign
Southern California forests face numerous threats from proposed toll roads, hydroelectric plants, oil wells, off-road vehicles, logging, and more. In response, Sierra Club volunteers and staff have created the Southern California Forests Campaign to help protect and restore local forests, including the Angeles and Cleveland national forests. Organizers have made it easy, fun, and rewarding to join others in taking simple actions to make sure the forests survive the 21st century-and the next few years-without becoming less wild and less beautiful. Jump in: John Monsen, 213-387-6528, ext. 203, or visit http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/socalforests

Contributors to this story include: Adrienne Blair, Don Bremner, Paul Carlton, Becky Cummings, Dominique Dibbell, Penny Elia, Marcia Hanscom, Jeff Harper, Gordon LaBedz, Rachel Myers, Sherry Ross, Jeff Yann, and Johanna Zetterberg

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