January 2010 NEWSLETTER
MESSAGE FROM OUR NEW PRESIDENT GARY BECK
The Holidays are over and it’s the start of a new year. Teri and I like to set goals during the year and that helps keep us focused. I would like our club to set some goals and limit it to a few and see if we can reach them tis year. Think of something that will make the club more enriching and come to the January 25th meeting with that idea. I will be going back to using a printed agenda at meetings as it helps keep meetings organized and improves record keeping and note taking.
Remember dues are due -- $11 for single and $ 22 for families. So pony up that money and get the new year going!
December 19th Chain/Wire Wrap Workshop was great fun.
Charles, Tina, Karin, Jeannie and Marilyn attended and came away with new knowledge and pretty nice lookin’ projects. Thanks Ed and Eileen for teaching - you were so very organized. Let’s do it AGAIN.
FEINSTEIN TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH 2 NATIONAL MONUMENTS IN MOJAVE DESERT THE PROTECTED AREAS WOULD ENCOMPASS 1 MILLION ACRES CONTAINING WILDLIFE, EXTINCT VOLCANOES, SAND DUNES AND ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS. THE SENATOR SAYS THE BILL COULD BE ENACTED IN LATE 2010.
By Louis Sahagun Los Angeles Times December 21, 2009
Reporting from Barstow - Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) says she plans to
introduce legislation today to establish two national monuments on roughly 1
million acres of Mojave Desert outback that is home to bighorn sheep and
desert tortoises, extinct volcanoes, sand dunes and ancient petroglyphs.
Its centerpiece, Mojave Trails National Monument, would prohibit development
on 941,000 acres of federal land and former railroad company property along
a 105-mile stretch of old Route 66, between Ludlow and Needles.
The smaller Sand to Snow National Monument, about 45 miles east of
Riverside, would cover about 134,000 acres of federal land between Joshua
Tree National Park and the San Bernardino National Forest in San Bernardino
and Riverside counties. Its diverse habitats range from desert scrub to
yellow pine forests 9,000 feet above sea level.
The legislation, which had been delayed by efforts to resolve conflicts
among environmentalists, off-roaders and renewable energy interests, would
also designate 250,000 acres of public land near the Army's training center
at Ft. Irwin as wilderness; add 41,000 acres to the southern boundary of
Death Valley National Park and add 2,900 acres to northern portions of
Joshua Tree National Park.
In addition, it would designate as permanent five existing off-highway
vehicle areas in San Bernardino County covering 314,000 acres.
Feinstein, author of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, vowed to
make the legislation a priority. "In the best-case scenario, this
legislation could be approved by late 2010," she said in an interview.
"This magnificent land and its lonely beauty are a significant part of our
history, and we shouldn't give it up," Feinstein said, adding that private
donors helped acquire the former railroad parcels "with the belief they
would be protected from development. We have an obligation to keep them that
way."
The railroad land was purchased between 1999 and 2003 with $45 million in
private donations collected by the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy and $18
million in federal funds, then donated to the Department of the Interior.
The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing 130 applications for solar and
wind-energy development in the California desert, covering more than 1
million acres of public land.
At least 19 renewable-energy projects have been suggested within the
boundaries of the proposed Mojave Trails monument, according to Feinstein,
who has discussed her concerns with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Feinstein's legislation would assist companies with projects currently
proposed inside monument boundaries in relocating to federal energy zones
being developed elsewhere. It would also permit construction of transmission
lines within existing utility rights of way to facilitate the transfer of
renewable energy generated in the Southern California desert and adjacent
states.
Some congressional Republicans accused Feinstein of engaging in a
not-in-my-back- yard campaign when her plans for legislation restricting
renewable energy projects in California deserts surfaced earlier this year.
The senator countered that she "strongly" supports such projects, but only
if they are built on "suitable" lands.
In an effort to avoid conflicts, BrightSource Energy Inc. and Stirling
Energy Systems recently scrapped plans to build massive solar and wind farms
on a panoramic stretch of the proposed Mojave Trails monument known as
Sleeping Beauty Valley.
"We had a project within what we understand to be the boundaries of the
monument, but we recently decided to withdraw it," said Sean Gallagher,
Stirling's vice president of marketing strategies and regulatory issues.
"We're trying to be respectful of what Sen. Feinstein has been doing in that
area of the desert."
Environmentalists, hunters and off-road vehicle enthusiasts expressed
support for Feinstein's legislation.
Elden Hughes, an honorary vice president of the Sierra Club, described it as
"good news -- and darned important because it means this land would never be
built on or fenced off."
James Conkle, founder of the Route 66 Alliance, which seeks to protect the
historic route linking Chicago with Southern California, said the bill would
"open up the desert to more travelers, sparking interest in fascinating,
out-of-the-way places like Ludlow, Amboy and Essex."
Megan Grossglass, spokeswoman for the Off-Road Business Assn., was more
cautious in her appraisal. Her group "has not had a chance to fully analyze
the bill," she said, "so we cannot give it our endorsement, but we are
supportive of the balanced approach it seems to take."
Mojave Trail, a four-hour drive from Los Angeles, includes such
environmentally sensitive areas as Afton Canyon, a four-mile ribbon of green
wetlands wedged between weathered rock walls, and Amboy Crater, a dormant
volcano.
Then there is Sleeping Beauty Valley, a 150-square-mile expanse roughly 60
miles east of Barstow. It contains bighorn sheep, a newly discovered species
of lupine that features showy purple blossoms in the spring, and unusually
dark lizards that appear to have genetically adapted to the volcanic
terrain.
During a tour of the area Sunday, David Myers, executive director of the
Wildlands Conservancy, scrambled up a rocky hill at the base of a row of
snaggletoothed mountains freckled with clumps of brittlebush.
"Heroic country, isn't it?" he said. "Just a few months ago, there were
plans to cover this entire landscape with solar and wind farms. Instead,
with this legislation, we are striking a balance with the insatiable demands
of population growth."
Source:
http://www.latimes. com/news/ local/la- me-mojave21- 2009dec21, 0,7093884. story
CLEAR CREAK PUBLIC MEETINGS
BLM TO HOST PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR CLEAR CREEK DRAFT PLAN
THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (BLM) HOLLISTER FIELD OFFICE WILL HOST THREE PUBLIC MEETINGS to gather comments on the Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in January 2010.
"We encourage the public to attend these meetings to find out more about Clear Creek and help us plan for its future management," said Rick Cooper, BLM Hollister Field Office manager. The draft RMP/EIS covers about 75,000 acres of public lands administered by BLM in southern San Benito and western Fresno counties. The draft RMP/EIS does not include public lands outside of the CCMA.
The draft RMP/EIS was developed through a public planning process and considers seven alternatives. The primary issues addressed are public health risk from asbestos exposure in CCMA, recreation, protection of sensitive natural and cultural resources, energy and mineral development, land tenure adjustments, and other planning issues identified during the public scoping process.
Each public meeting will begin with an open house where the public can gather information, talk with BLM specialists, and provide written comments on the draft RMP/EIS. Following the open house, the BLM will give a brief introduction followed by an opportunity for the public to provide oral comments on the draft RMP/EIS. Although oral comments will be noted on flip charts, BLM will only respond to written public comments in the proposed RMP and final EIS. Comments must be postmarked or received by BLM no later than March 5, 2010.
The public is encouraged to attend the public meetings to gather information and provide comments on the draft RMP/EIS. All public meetings will take place from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. at:
January 13, 2010: Harris Ranch Garden Ballroom, 24505 W. Dorris Ave., Coalinga
January 14, 2010: Veterans Memorial Hall, 649 San Benito St. Hollister
January 20, 2010: Santa Clara Convention Center, Great America Meeting Rooms, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara
The draft RMP/EIS is available on-line for public review at the Hollister Field Office webpage: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister/clear_creek_management_area/CCMA_RMP.html. Compact disks of the document are available by request from the Hollister Field Office at the address above. For additional information contact the Hollister Field Office at (831) 630-5000.
Two websites for those interested in keeping Clear Creek Management Area open:
http://www.foccma.org is the friends of Clear Creek. This site stays up to date, and has good suggestions regarding comments sent in regarding the new draft management plan.
http://salinasramblersmc.org is the motorcycle club that has always been at the forefront of keeping Clear Creek open. This site is best for the history of Clear Creek use.
BOARD MEETING DEC. 2, 2009 6:00PM at BECK'S HOME
Those board members present were Ernie, Karen J, Jeff, Teri. Also in attendance were Ken J. and Gary Beck.
The insurance quote for the show is $160, which was voted to pay at general meeting. Teri will send check. The tumbler for raffle will be $90 this year. Check was given to Ernie for $90, for tumbler that he ordered. Also Ernie will pick up two amethyst cathredrals at Quartzsite for the 2011 show at a price of $200.00 to be paid by the club. One show contract is still out (Janice) lost along the way? The mailbox renewal fee for one year is due: $44.00, all 4 members voted to pay it. Teri made out check for Ernie to pay. Ernie downloaded a state application to register as non profit raffle - would cost $20. Gary noted that the ticket sales are a donation, therefore, we should not need this, no other discussion.
The bank needs signatures for writing checks: treas., VP. and Pres. and legal name change (the bank printed the checks wrong).Teri will look into which charity Jim Bassett's family would like a donation for; a $25.00 donation was voted all ayes.
Ernie had idea of changing floor plan for show. He had partially drawn it out. Ken J. had questions about the electricity setup? Would probably need to buy more wiring. Gary Beck recommended that Ernie draw up an exact floor plan with exact measurements, more discussion, no vote.
