Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Sierra Club Oral History Series Richard A. Cellarius NATIONAL LEADER IN THE SIERRA CLUB AND THE SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION, 1970-2002, SIERRA CLUB PRESIDENT, 1988-1990 With an introduction by Michael McCloskey An Interview Conducted by Ann Lage in 2001-2002 Copyright © 2005 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ************************************ All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Richard Cellarius, dated May 16, 2002. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Richard A. Cellarius, “National Leader in the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation, 1970-2002, Sierra Club President, 1988-1990,” an oral history conducted in 2001-2002 by Ann Lage, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2005. Copy no. ______ Doris and Richard Cellarius, 2003 Photograph by Jim Cohee TABLE OF CONTENTS--Richard Cellarius PREFACE vii SIERRA CLUB ORAL HISTORY SERIES xi INTRODUCTION xix INTERVIEW HISTORY xxi I FAMILY BACKGROUND, CHILDHOOD IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, EDUCATION 1 Parents and Early Ties to the Sierra Club 1 Schooling, Formative Outdoor Experiences 5 Reed College, Highlight Trips, Meeting and Marrying Doris 8 Graduate Work at Rockefeller University, 1958–1968, Living in New York City 14 II MICHIGAN YEARS, 1965–1972: POSTDOCTORAL STUDY, A DEEPENING INVOLVEMENT WITH THE SIERRA CLUB 17 Postdoc with Physicist John Platt at the University of Michigan After a Detour to the University of Chicago, Teaching in the Botany Department 17 The Club of Rome 21 Joining the Executive Committee of the Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club, 1968, Alternative Delegate to the Sierra Club Council, 1968 23 The Election of ’69, Reflections on David Brower and His Resignation, Appointment as Ex Officio Vice President 27 Earth Day, University of Michigan, 1970, and the Antiwar Movement 32 Formation of the Midwest Regional Conservation Committee 36 The Committee on Environmental Survival, 1969 38 The Impact of Earth Day, A Broadening National Membership, A Broadening Agenda, The Sierra Club Council 41 III LIVING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, SIERRA CLUB INVOLVEMENT IN THE SEVENTIES 49 Joining the Faculty of Evergreen State College 49 Research and Technical Expertise within the Sierra Club 59 Chair of the Pacific Northwest Chapter, Election to the Board of Directors, 1974 61 An Aside on Family High Trips 64 The Publications Committee during Jon Beckmann’s Tenure 65 IV THE BOOKS PROGRAM IN THE 1990S AND MAJOR TRENDS IN THE SIERRA CLUB AGENDA 73 Transitions in the Books Program 73 Changes in Volunteer Oversight for Books 79 Major Trends: Environmental Justice, International Issues, Biotechnology Concerns, the Political Program, Volunteer-Staff Relations 83 V EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MIKE MCCLOSKEY, DOUG WHEELER, AND MICHAEL FISCHER 103 Mike McCloskey’s Tenure as Executive Director, 1970-1985 103 Changes in Volunteer Leadership and the Role of the Presidency 107 vi The Internal Organization Committee, and the Management Oversight Committee 109 National Conservation Committee, Lobbying, Role of Volunteers 112 Doug Wheeler’s Tenure as Executive Director and the Staff Revolt 116 An Aside on the Logo 119 Wheeler’s Departure 121 Michael Fischer’s Tenure as Executive Director 123 Decisions about the Club Headquarters on Polk Street 124 Management Styles: Fischer Versus Wheeler 126 VI PRESIDENT OF THE SIERRA CLUB, 1988-1990, AND CURRENT ISSUES 129 Role as Spokesperson, the Alaska Oil Spill 129 The Casual Sierra Club Culture 133 Running for Club President 134 Banning Technical Climbing on Club Outings, an Unpopular Decision 137 Choosing the Executive Committee 139 Denny Shaffer’s Resignation from the Board and His Role in the Club 143 Objectives as President: Conservation Summit, Centennial Campaign 146 Issues of Environmental Security Since September 11, 2001 148 The Importance of Club Cohesiveness 149 Rally During the Clean Air Campaign 150 The Centennial Campaign: Developing a Major-Gift Fundraising Program 152 Immigration and Population: Race and Class Implications 164 John Muir Sierrans 167 VII MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS: THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM, BYLAWS, AND THE SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION 171 Evolution of the International Program 171 New International Focuses 176 International Conferences & Issues: the IUCN 177 Tensions around Park and Wilderness Concepts in the Third World 185 The Role of the International Committee; the Question of Sierra Clubs outside the U.S. 189 Negotiating the Status of the Sierra Club of Canada 192 Bylaws and Standing Rules Committee 199 The Sierra Club Foundation: Role of the Grants Committee, Lack of Volunteer Review of Club Grant Projects 207 The Foundation’s Function: Monitoring 501 (c) (3) Funds vs. Managing Investments 211 Concluding Thoughts: The Passion of Club Activists 220 TAPE GUIDE 223 APPENDIXES A. 1970 Earth Day Talks 227 B. Sierra Club Activity 232 C. “We Must Not Forget,” Report on Alaska Oil Spill, 1989 235 D. President’s Report, 1990 238 E. Introduction to Wilderness Calendar, 1990 241 F. Curriculum Vitae 242 INDEX 251 vii PREFACE--Sierra Club Oral History Program to 1978 In fall 1969 and spring 1970 a self-appointed committee of Sierra Clubbers met several times to consider two vexing and related problems. The rapid membership growth of the club and its involvement in environmental issues on a national scale left neither time nor resources to document the club's internal and external history. Club records were stored in a number of locations and were inaccessible for research. Further, we were failing to take advantage of the relatively new technique of oral history by which the reminiscences of club leaders and members of long standing could be preserved. The ad hoc committee's recommendation that a standing History Committee be established was approved by the Sierra Club Board of Directors in May 1970. That September the board designated The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley as the official repository of the club's archives. The large collection of records, photographs, and other memorabilia known as the "Sierra Club Papers" is thus permanently protected, and the Bancroft is preparing a catalog of these holdings which will be invaluable to students of the conservation movement. The History Committee then focused its energies on how to develop a significant oral history program. A six-page questionnaire was mailed to members who had joined the club prior to 1931. More than half responded, enabling the committee to identify numerous older members as likely prospects for oral interviews. (Some had hiked with John Muir!) Other interviewees were selected from the ranks of club leadership over the past six decades. Those committee members who volunteered as interviewers were trained in this discipline by Willa Baum, head of the Bancroft's Regional Oral History Office (ROHO) and a nationally recognized authority in this field. Further interviews have been completed in cooperation with university oral history classes at California State University, Fullerton; Columbia University, New York; and the University of California, Berkeley. Extensive interviews with major club leaders are most often conducted on a professional basis through the Regional Oral History Office. Copies of the Sierra Club oral interviews are placed at The Bancroft Library, in the Department of Special Collections at UCLA, and at the club's Colby Library, and may be purchased at cost by club regional offices, chapters, and groups, as well as by other libraries, institutions, and interested individuals. Our heartfelt gratitude for their help in making the Sierra Club Oral History Project a success goes to each interviewee and interviewer; to everyone who has written an introduction to an oral history; to the Sierra Club Board of Directors for its recognition of the long-term importance of this effort; to the Trustees of the Sierra Club Foundation for generously providing the necessary funding; to club and foundation staff, especially to Michael McCloskey, Denny Wilcher, Colburn Wilbur, and Nicholas Clinch; to Willa viii Baum and Susan Schrepfer of the Regional Oral History Office; and last but far from least, to the members of the History Committee, and particularly to Ann Lage, who has coordinated the oral history effort since 1974.