Coastal Projects . . . Beaches . . . Back Country . . . Islands Pgs
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Vol. ’06, No. 4 of 6 Journal of the Los Padres Chapter Sierra Club Condor Call Serving Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties August/September 2006 Coastal projects . Beaches . Back country . Islands Pgs. 1 & 2 Pg. 6 & 7 Pgs. 1 & 5 Pgs. 3 & 7 Condor Call Journal of the Los Padres Chapter Sierra Club Serving Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties August/September 2006 Venoco wants oil from Ellwood and Carpinteria bluffs By Robert Sollen “It would be like having a huge A 15-story high oil-drilling rig oil platform in our own backyard,” on the Carpinteria bluffs? the CVA said in its spring newslet- People who have succeeded in ter. With no structure in Santa Bar- keeping the community’s ocean- bara County taller, the drilling front natural find the concept tower will dominate the skyline and grossly incompatible. define the character of Carpinteria.” But Venoco Inc. wants to erect a How much oil would be produced is 175-foot rig onshore from which it uncertain, but many Carpinterians said would tap offshore oil deposits by that turning toward clean fuel produc- means of slant drilling. At a June 13 tion is far more important than extend- hearing about 30 people testified, ing the use of petroleum, a polluting all but one opposing the project. fuel that contributes to global warming. Another 427 protestors signed a ELLWOOD PROJECT petition circulated by the Carpinte- Meanwhile, offshore Goleta at ria Valley Association (CVA). The Ellwood, Venoco wants to drill 40 Adrienne, Sam and Oliver beat the heat on one of the Sierra Club’s outings to Seven Falls. (Photo by Robert Bernstein) signed petitions were submitted at new wells from Platform Holly, a the hearing which drew an overflow 40-year-old offshore structure in GAVIOTA PROJECTS audience at Carpinteria City Hall. state waters, within three miles of Public agencies and private con- shore. It wants state permission to tractors are preparing impact reports expand its offshore lease into areas ‘Horrible precedent’ predicted for expanding offshore oil produc- that the state took back from ARCO tion in Goleta as well as in Carpinte- in the 1980s in a settlement of a The future of the Gaviota Coast the eastern gateway to the Gaviota However at a July 27th hearing, ria. Both projects are Venoco ven- highly contested lawsuit over is again at a crossroads and needs Coast, and the community cannot there was so much testimony that tures. A hearing for the Goleta ARCO’s extended plans. your support. rely on the current Board of Super- many members of the public asked project came too late for a summary The Venoco plan, too, has been The community has struggled for visors to hold the line. These pro- that that deadline be extended, in this issue of Condor Call. VENOCO . see page 3 decades, since Selma Rubin and sup- posed residences, some as large as which could happen. In Carpinteria, the protests were porters stopped the development of 13,400 square feet, will dominate The Naples Coalition, of which varied, but many centered on the hundreds of homes at El Capitan in the landscape, importing urban the Los Padres Chapter is a mem- 175-foot drilling rig which was rep- EAVESDROPS the 1970s, to maintain the rural, agri- development into the last remaining ber, has proposed an alternative to resented on several large posters “We’d lie there beneath the cultural heritage of the Gaviota Coast. remnant of the Southern California the developer’s project where no distributed by the CVA. The struc- stars, mesmerized, wrapped in a But now, Vintage Communities coastline. building is allowed on the bluffs or ture would tower over the bluff near special magic until the tale ended of Orange County proposes to build “If this project is approved as marine terrace south of Highway Carpinteria City Hall and the harbor and the fire died.” up to 72 large residences at Naples; proposed, it will set a horrible prece- 101, nor in the public view shed seal rookery. —Bruce Brownell in a tribute to Frank Van Schaick, who passed dent for development of the rest of north of Highway 101. Comments on Venoco’s Ellwood COVER PHOTO the Gaviota Coast,” according to the WHAT TO DO project are due Sept. 15 to Peter Strait away June 20 at age 94. He was a The late Dick Smith, whose spirit lives of California State Lands Commission teacher and an author who for many on with a Los Padres Forest Wilder- Environmental Defense Center. There are many actions you can take The draft environmental impact to help preserve the Gaviota Coast. (http://www.slc.ca.gov), but there is a years wrote the “Nature Walks” col- ness named after him, is in for a lot of public hearing set for 3 and 6 p.m. umn in the Santa Barbara News- accolades via the Wildling Art report is out and the County Plan- —Send written comments to Aug. 30 at the Goleta Valley Community Press and co-authored two books Mvsevm’s exhibits, events and treks. ning Department is accepting com- Santa Barbara County Planning and Center that Sierra Club members with Dick Smith. Details on page 5. ments until the Aug. 28 deadline. NAPLES . see page 3 are urged to attend. Sespe forest land swap is no deal Letters are urgently needed to What it really does is to give Letters are urgently needed to Please let them know that you For more information on this stop a forest land swap that includes some of the most valuable forest Sen. Dianne Feinstein (http://fein oppose the land exchange and that issue or to help with trail work, con- important access points for the land to a water agency to develop as stein.senate.gov) and Sen. Barbara you would like the land to stay in tact Alan Coles of the Sierra Club’s Sespe Wilderness. it likes without public comment. Boxer (http://boxer.senate.gov) to the National Forest which belongs Southern California Forest Com- A bill by Rep. Elton Gallegly Congress underfunds the Forest stop this legislation in the Senate. to all Americans. mittee at: [email protected]. (HR 4162) passed the House in Service, which is forced to close June that gives United Water Con- roads and campgrounds, then Con- servation District 440 acres of the gress uses the closed facilities as Los Padres National Forest. It now justification for giving them away. goes to the Senate for approval. The news release touts that a new The land is located in Ventura trailhead for the Potholes Trail will be County at the southeast corner of the constructed as part of the exchange. forest close to Los Angeles and However, the access road will be includes the Blue Point Camp- transferred to the water agency which ground, a forest access road, a por- can impose any fee it wishes on forest tion of a proposed wild and scenic users unless they walk or ride a bike river, and the Agua Blanca and Piru there (as they can do now). Creek Trailheads, an important ac- The possible development at cess point for the Sespe. In exchange, Blue Point could adversely impact the forest service will receive 340 the adjacent Sespe Wilderness and acres of land on the western slopes compromise one of the wildest above Lake Piru that has been pri- areas left in Southern California. marily leased for grazing. Sierra Club and Forest Service vol- In typical fashion of anti-envi- unteers have been restoring the hik- ronmental legislation being submit- ing trails that enter the wilderness ted by Congress, the bill does the from the Blue Point area. They have opposite of what it purports to do. proposed a number of possible The news release issued by Gal- alternatives to the Forest Service legly states that the bill would elim- that would allow greater public inate private inholdings, consoli- access to the area while protecting date lands owned by the Water the natural resources. These propos- District around Lake Piru and pro- als have not been considered Local Rep. Elton Gallegly is proposing a land swap deal in and around the Potholes Trail (shown), but the Sierra Club vide better public access to the area. because of this legislation. opposes it for practical reasons. Write a letter to head it off in the Senate. (Photo by Alan Coles) 2•Condor Call – August/September 2006 August/September 2006 – Condor Call •3 Wind farm project eyes Lompoc site A plan to put up to 80 wind tur- bines along Miguelito Canyon ridges near Lompoc was unveiled in July to a packed house of interested citizens. The plan, a first for Santa Bar- bara County, could produce enough energy for all the power needs of the North County, but speakers worried about the turbines killing birds, night lights required by Fed- eral Aviation Administration, grad- ing on the ridges and the towers blighting the mountain views. Next up is preparing an environ- mental impact report, and anyone who wants to comment on what issues it should address may contact county Energy Division. The Lompoc Wind Energy Pro- ject details are on the county’s web- site, which also contains photos of Venoco proposes an onshore drilling rig that at 175 feet is taller than the Statue of Liberty (152 feet) and will dominate the Carpinteria Bluffs area along with making a lot of noise. the area and what a similar project (in Spain) looks like: www.countyof out the marine terminal from which is in charge of the Goleta project. able through State Lands Commis- sb.org/energy Venoco ..