Volume 47, Number 6, 2008 www.ventana.sierraclub.org MAGAZINE OF THE VENTANA CHAPTER OF THE SIERRA CLUB @ @ @ @ Trouble in Davenport New State Wilderness DEC, JAN, FEB OUTINGS Ventana staff photo Explore, enjoy and protect the planet hile it is the intent of The Ventana to print articles that reflect the po- C HAPTER C HAIR sition of the Ventana Chapter, ideas expressed in The Ventana are those of the au- Wthors and do not necessarily reflect the position Budget cuts threaten Commission to stop the Pebble Beach 1 in Sand City. North Monterey County of the Sierra Club. Articles, graphics, and pho- Company’s golf course and housing plans residents are working on the Moss Land- tographs are copyrighted by the authors and coastal protection artists and may be reprinted only with their per- in Del Monte Forest. There have been ing Local Coastal Plan. he sinking economy in California many other efforts to curtail development Members continue to work on coastal mission. is hurting our environment, espe- DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONS and degradation of coastal resources trail opportunities and general develop- cially in the coastal zone. Upcom- through the years. ment issues in both Santa Cruz and Mon- All materials for publication must be received Ting state budget cuts for 2008-09 will by the deadlines listed below. No exceptions. Currently, the Group is studying the terey Counties. Drastic budget cuts that reduce funding for the Coastal Manage- toxins at the Cemex plant in Davenport affect the Coastal Management Program SUBMISSIONS FORMAT ment Program of the California Coastal and is pressuring Caltrans to replace the can impact the outcome of the work we Please limit articles to 800 words; letters to 300. Commission by $956,000 and have elimi- All submissions may be edited for clarity and single span bridge at Waddell Creek with and the Coastal Commission do. We need nated over 17 Coastal Commission staff a more fish-friendly full-span bridge. The your help to do whatever you can to en- length. Email to [email protected]. Mail positions so far this year. (There will be a hard copy to editor, address below. Chapter will be weighing in on the sure that efforts to protect the coastline final report after January 10, 2009). These PHOTOS Cemex plant in Marina and plans for a are not diminished by these budget cuts. cuts will make our coastline even more mega-resort in the dunes west of Highway —Rita Dalessio Photos submitted to The Ventana must meet the vulnerable to development and pollution. following requirements: No laser copies or inkjet outputs. Electronic photos should be no Some of the Coastal Management Pro- smaller than 1200 x 1100 pixels or 300 dpi. gram activities and objectives include: Cover photos must be 3000 x 2000 pixels. Film 1. Review and approval of Local photos, slides, or negatives are fine. Please call Coastal Plans, port master plans, univer- the editor if you have any questions. sity long range development plans, and F ROM THE E DITOR WHERE TO SEND SUBMISSIONS any amendments to such plans for consis- Send submissions to Debbie Bulger, Editor, 1603 tency with the Coastal Act. A sustainable economy few reflect on what that word really King Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Email: 2. Monitoring and enforcement of means. A sustainable economy is one [email protected]. t a public meeting I recently at- coastal development permits. which has reached a state of equilibrium, CHANGE OF ADDRESS tended there was a discussion of 3. Protecting and expanding opportu- building new parking garages in that is, a state of balance. It is neither con- Do not call editor! Send address changes to: ad- nities for public coastal access and recre- tinually growing or shrinking. It is stable. [email protected] or use the mail in Adowntown Santa Cruz. Those opposed to ation. coupon in each issue. new garages spoke about climate change A sustainable economy is one which 4. Implementing a coastal water quality and the need to switch to non-polluting does not use more resources per year than POSTAL NOTICE protection program. the earth can provide. It exists in a world The Ventana (015057) is published 6 times a year, forms of transportation. Those in favor of 5. Providing technical information and building more garages said that people in which the seas are not overfished, the (Feb., Apr., Jun., Aug., Oct., Dec.) paid by sub- assistance to support effective coastal man- scription included in membership fee, by The will still be using cars in the future, but forests are not overlogged, and the stan- Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club, 1001 Cen- agement. they will be powered by clean electricity dard of living of the inhabitants does not ter Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Periodical 6. Implementing a coastal and ocean re- and other clean energy sources. reflect consumption run wild. postage paid Santa Cruz, CA and at additional source public education plan. mailing offices. While I have no crystal ball to see into As a coastal chapter we have focused on the future, I feel this discussion is symp- Postmaster: Send address changes to Sierra Club, coastal resources as a priority for our legal The Ventana, P.O. Box 604, Santa Cruz, CA tomatic of the lack of understanding of 95061-0604. battles. Recently, the Santa Cruz Group the enormity of climate change. It is also, Editors: successfully sued and stopped the expan- in my opinion, a measure of the lack of Debbie Bulger, [email protected], sion of Luers Barn near Davenport, and imagination and creativity framing the en- Virginia Draper, assistant editor the Chapter won an appeal to the Coastal Production: tire discussion about global warming. Debbie Bulger, Vivian Larkins, Like it or not, climate change is hap- Which brings us back to the discussion Dale Nutley pening. Its effects will be so profound as about more parking garages. I am old Writers: to change our entire way of life. Experts enough to remember when most families Rita Dalessio, Debbie Bulger, Laurel Hopwood, in the know do not simply predict busi- had only one car, not two or three as is Virginia Draper, Mari & Klaus Kloeppel, now the case. Children had to get them- Jim Metropulos, Kristen Raugust ness as usual but powered by clean sources Jodi Frediani, Gillian Taylor of energy. What is being talked about will selves to school. Husbands and wives had Photographers: shake our way of living to its very roots. to plan their schedules to share the single Peter Selig, Jodi Frediani, Steve Zmak Currently much of the world economy automobile. People took the bus or the Jeff Barnes, Debbie Bulger, Ventana staff operates on a model of perpetual growth. train or walked to where they were going. Proofreaders And for the most part, families did not Wolfgang Rosenberg, Eloise Graham, The economy is seen as ever expanding. Robin Drury, Jeff Alford Population will ever grow. Businesses feel deprived by having only one vehicle. Distribution: must ever enlarge. For a business to be vi- Can we imagine a way of life where we Keith Wood, Esperanza Hernandez, able, it must sell more than the year be- are happy yet have less? It is not just cars Beth Lilienthal, Debbie Bulger fore. Forever and ever. we are talking about, but every aspect of Advertising Sales: our lives. It means smaller houses, less Debbie Bulger Contrast that with a sustainable model. Carpentry & Software: Many of us talk about sustainability, but packaging, fewer material possessions, and Anonymous fewer children. Chapter website: And fewer parking spaces. http://ventana.sierraclub.org Moving? —Debbie Bulger 2009 Ventana Publication Schedule Please fill out Issue Deadline Mailing Date and mail the change #1 Jan. 19 Feb. 4 of address form on p. 13 or email: #2 Mar. 16 Apr. 1 [email protected] #3 May 18 Jun. 3 Please patronize our The post office charges us 70¢ each #4 Jul. 20 Aug. 5 advertisers #5 Sep. 21 Oct. 7 if they handle the address change. #6 Nov. 30 Dec. 16 Please help the club by using the Let them know you have coupon on p. 13. seen their ad in Articles received after deadline may The Ventana not be published Thank you! 2 The Sierra Club/Ventana Chapter, Volume 47, Number 6, 2008 Printed on recycled paper Wilderness designated within Limekiln State Park alifornia got 413 acres of new spawning stream, and shares a boundary wilderness in 2008, in Limekiln with the US Forest Service’s Cone Peak State Park on the southern Big Sur Gradient Research Natural Area. The Ccoast. This was the first new legislatively- most distinctive feature in this valuable designated wilderness in the state system ecosystem is the high number of plant as- in more than 30 years. sociations in one small drainage. The AB 2945, introduced by Assembly- plant communities of coastal scrub, red- member John Laird and signed by Gov- wood forests, coastal live oak woodland, ernor Schwarzenegger, also amends the valley grassland, and chaparral that coex- 1974 California Wilderness Act to au- ist here provide a high level of biological thorize temporary roads and motorized diversity in a relatively small area. equipment within a wilderness area when The Ventana Chapter worked with the necessary in an emergency or if it is the Ventana Wilderness Alliance, the Califor- minimum tool necessary to meet mini- nia Wilderness Coalition and the Califor- mum management requirements. nia Wilderness Project on this bill with Limekiln State Wilderness is 23 miles John Laird. An objective was to help pro- south of the town of Big Sur on the South vide a way for Sierra Club California to Coast in Limekiln State Park and is cur- go to the State Parks and Recreation rently closed due to the Chalk Fire.