Lompico Headwaters May Be Logged P
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Volume 42, Number 6, 2003 www.ventana.sierraclub.org M AGAZINE OF THE V ENTANA C HAPTER OF THE S IERRA C LUB DEC,OUTINGS JAN, FEB Kevin Collins Lompico headwaters may be logged p. 3 Explore, enjoy and protect the planet hile it is the intent of The Ventana to print articles that reflect the position Wof the Ventana Chapter, ideas CHAPTER CHAIR expressed in The Ventana are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the guide gives a concise history of the forest position of the Sierra Club. Articles, graphics Trail Guides make great gifts past such as the Black Cone Trail are with great descriptions of the roughness now much improved thanks to the and photographs are copyrighted by the small, dedicated group of Chapter of the terrain and colorful photographs authors and artists and may be reprinted only efforts of the Ventana Wilderness members have just released the with their permission. of the spectacular habitat. Alliance, an organization dedicated to newest edition of the Los Padres DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONS A To produce this guide, volunteers restoring areas of the wilderness. Trail Guide. Joyce Stevens and Steve All materials for publication must be received hiked hundreds of miles of trails to During this holiday season, make a Chambers co-edited this version which by the deadlines listed in The Ventana publica- update descriptions of trail conditions as gift to yourself and others to get away tion schedule (see below). No exceptions. has significant revisions from the previ- well as to list the many interesting his- from this hectic world. Join one of our SUBMISSIONS FORMAT ous edition due largely to the 1999 fires torical and cultural artifacts left by early Chapter organized outings or pick up a Please limit articles to 800 words; letters to in the Kirk/Hare and Tassajara/Five settlers and travelers. Extensive detail is guide and go on your own. Reconnect 300. All submissions may be edited for clarity Mountain areas. While primarily a hand- provided, including directions to trail- and length. Submissions are preferred via e- with nature and see for yourself the bliss- book for hikers and backpackers, the mail or on a high density 3-1/2 inch diskette. heads, mileage along the trails, elevation ful sanctuary of the wilderness in your Save files as “text” or “ascii.” Mail hard copy gain, presence of water and noteworthy own backyard. to editor, address below. natural features. Some of the trails which —Rita Dalessio WHERE TO SEND SUBMISSIONS Quality or quantity? were overgrown or impassable in the Send submissions to: Debbie Bulger, Editor 1603 King Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 value or price? e-mail: [email protected] CHANGE OF ADDRESS the Sun F ROM THE E DITOR Do not call editor! Send address changes to Sierra Club, The Ventana, P. O. Box 52968, or fossil fuels? Lorax or Clorox? antelope in Merced and grizzly bears in Boulder, CO 80322-2968. the Santa Cruz Mountains. POSTAL NOTICE what world eople can get used to almost any- In the winter of 1979 I could still see The Ventana (015057) is published 6 times a thing. Psychologists use the term, the snow-capped Sierra from my neigh- year, (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Nov) paid by will you choose? “habituation” to describe the subscription included in membership fee, by P borhood in Sacramento. Today, process of screening out the background The Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club, www.AppliedSolarEnergy.com/choices Sacramento is among the 5 worst cities 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. 333-1919 x 20 noise that dominates our daily lives. So in the U.S. for air quality. Periodical postage paid Santa Cruz, most of the time we are not consciously In the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax, the California, and at additional mailing offices. aware of the hum of the refrigerator, the reclusive plundering industrialist sits Postmaster: Send address changes to Sierra roar of highway traffic, or the smell of alone in the ruins of his factory amidst Club, The Ventana, P. O. Box 604, Santa tailpipe emissions as we step out our Cruz, CA 95061-0604. the clearcut forest and the smog-filled front door. air. As he tells his sad tale, he says to the Editor: What was once obnoxious has young listener: Debbie Bulger • 457-1036 become normal and, to some, comfort- “UNLESS someone like you e-mail: [email protected] ing. Groomed and watered sports fields cares a whole awful lot, (no change of address calls, please!) seem more normal than the dark and Production: nothing is going to get better. scary woods. One year, the 8-to-11-year It’s not.” Vivian Larkins, Clove, Debbie Bulger A year-round resort with cozy log Writers: olds in my Safe Hiking class were reluc- Back in the 1960s when I was a Peace cottages; a cafe serving hearty Rita Dalessio, Debbie Bulger, tant to sit down in the redwood duff Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia, I used to Kevin Collins, Richard Stover gourmet cuisine and fine California because it was dirty and unfamiliar. soak our lettuce in a weak bleach solu- Celia Scott, Nada Kovalik wines. A High Sierra hideaway The glittering lights of Las Vegas (and tion to kill bacteria and parasites. My Photographers: offering many choices...fishing, the local mall) are seen as more beautiful Kevin Collins, Richard Stover then husband, Jim, got used to the taste. courses in fly-tying, fly-rod building, Steve Ash, Terry Tompkins than the glittering lights of the stars in After we got back to the States and I Sheila Daar, Suzie Bulger & fly-casting, hiking, cross-country the open desert. We are used to pesti- served him a salad, he looked at me Proofreaders: skiing, historic walks & hot springs. cides in our food and debate the accept- accusingly. “What’s wrong with this Richard Stover, Wolfgang Rosenberg able level rather than ask why any level Charles Koester, Jeff Alford, salad?” he demanded. “I didn’t add the Its backdrop...the grandeur of is acceptable. Distribution: Clorox,” I responded. Lew Weinstein, Debbie Bulger, Hope Valley, with its wide-open meadows, We expect to see animals in game The Clorox is all around us. Try not Sheila Dunniway towering rugged peaks, and clear, parks rather than in their natural set- to get used to it. It may get a lot worse, Advertising Sales: rushing streams teeming with trout. tings. When William Manley came to UNLESS . Debbie Bulger California in 1849-50, he encountered Late Night Food Delivery & Software: —Debbie Bulger Richard Stover For innkeepers Patty and John Chapter website: Bissenden, hospitality and first-class Humanism: Systems of thought stressing rational inquiry & human expe- http://ventana.sierraclub.org service are trademarks. rience over abstract theorizing or orthodox religion. Humanist beliefs Please send all Letters-to-the-Editor to: Come and be pampered at Sorensen’s. stress the potential value of goodness of human beings and seek solely Editor, c/o Sierra Club • 1603 King St. rational ways of solving human problems. If interested, please contact Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Send e-mail to: [email protected] Call or write for a free brochure. HAMBA, the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Humanist Association, [email protected] or P.O. Box 222094, Carmel CA 93922. VENTANA PUBLICATION SCHEDULE: Issue Deadline Mailing Date #1 Jan. 19 Feb. 5 222 River Street, Santa Cruz #2 Mar. 22 Apr. 8 831-423-9078 • Tues - Sat 10 - 5 PM #3 May 17 Jun. 3 #4 Jul. 19 Aug. 5 Osprey packs • DownWorks custom down bags #5 Sep. 20 Oct. 7 Western Mountaineering down bags #6 Nov. 15 Dec. 2 Mountain Hardwear bags and tents Hope Valley, CA 96120 Walrus and Moss tents Articles received after deadline may 1-800-423-9949 Vasque, Montrail, Garmont boots • Old Town and Navarro canoes not be published. www.sorensensresort.com Gillespie outrigger canoe paddles • Expert sewing repair and down additions 2 The Sierra Club / Ventana Chapter Volume 42 Number 6, 2003 Printed on Recycled Paper Santa Cruz County will appeal LETTERS Lompico Timber Harvest Plan The Ventana welcomes letters. Send to: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR by Kevin Collins local timber harvest. Over 300 letters of fertility losses, and streambed log skid- The Ventana, 1603 King Street opposition were sent to CDF. As report- ding that occurred during the brutal Santa Cruz, CA 95060 ed previously in The Ventana, one of the clearcut. There are scattered old growth or email to [email protected] reasons for such great concern is the fact trees among the tall stands of second Please include a phone number with that this 425-acre property is the head- growth redwood. Together they support your letter. Anonymous letters are not accepted. Letters may be edited waters of Lompico Creek, which is the habitat for endangered steelhead trout, for length. major water source for the Lompico every local owl species and forest hawk, County Water District. The district has bats, salamanders, and rare sand hills Appalled at crawdad feast been under a state-imposed moratorium plants and insects. preventing the release of new water con- Efforts by the Lompico Watershed I am writing to express my dismay that nections for many years. Conservancy and the Water District to group leaders of the Miller Canyon back- packing trip (October 11) are planning to Most of the redwood is found along purchase the property from Roger Burch, prepare “local crawdads with garlic and the stream corridors with hardwood and owner of Redwood Empire, have been lemon sauce” each night of the group hike. chaparral in the uplands.