San Diego River Purchase is thiiiis close....donate now!

6/10/2010--We are really close!

After 5 years of work, we have reached agreement to purchase our top priority acquisition! This incredible 126 acres is an important wildlife, scenic and recreation property near El Capitan Reservoir in Alpine.

We have just $15,980 to raise to secure this deal. Please consider making a donation today. We have secured funding to purchase the property, but we need to make the deposit first!

Can you donate $10 or more to make this possible?

http://www.sandiegoriver.org/acquisition.php

Roadless Fed Forests Protected Despite Crazy Courts

With courts split, Vilsack acts to preserve Roadless Rule

--Agriculture Secretary extends protections for another year

While federal courts continue to wrangle over the legality of the Clinton-era Roadless Rule governing national forests the Obama administration in May acted once again to safeguard the nation's inventoried roadless areas.

On May 28 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued an interim directive preserving roadless area protections for one more year.

"While the courts continue to wrestle with roadless policy," Vilsack said, "I will continue to work to ensure we protect roadless areas on our national forests."

The initial rule protected some 58 million acres of mostly forested roadless areas on federal lands — including 4.1 million acres of national forests in California — from logging, mining, development and road building.

Last summer the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the 2001 Roadless Rule. The Rule currently is under appeal in the 10th Circuit. A decision on that case could come any day.

"Renewing this directive reflects President Obama's commitment to protecting our forests by ensuring that all projects in roadless areas receive a higher level of scrutiny," Vilsack said.


story continues here:

http://www.forestsforever.org/en2.3story3june2010.html

Help the Feds Help Us Save our Wildlands

http://calwild.org

Dear Wilderness Activist,

I want to invite you to an exciting event that will take place in Southern California on July 8, 2010!
President Obama and his administration have recognized the importance of protecting our great natural treasures by launchingAmerica's Great Outdoors Initiative.

The idea behind the Great Outdoors Initiative is to reconnect Americans to the outdoors by promoting and supporting local, community-based efforts for conservation.

On July 8th, key people from President Obama's Administration will be in Southern California to listen to what YOU have to say about the wild places you cherish the most and what is needed to help protect them!

Thursday - July 8, 2010, 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Thorne Hall
Occidental College
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, Calif.

MORE INFO:
http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/

310 Acres Saved by land trust in San Luis Obispo

6/16/2010--SLO Land Conservancy and SLO City Successful in Raising Froom Ranch Funds

With over 300 separate donations from the local community, The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo
County and the City of San Luis Obispo have surpassed the campaign funding goal to purchase Froom Ranch
for Open Space in the City's expanding Greenbelt. Key to the success of the local campaign were anchor
donors Don & Mary Smith who gave $10,000 at the very beginning of the project, and SunPower Corporation who helped close the deal with a recent $10,000 contribution to the project....

The City of San Luis Obispo's Natural Resources Protection Program and The Land Conservancy of San Luis
Obispo County raised $63,000 in local donations over the last three months to create Froom Ranch Open
Space; a 310 acre property that will offer new recreational opportunities and wildlife viewing in the SLO
Greenbelt.

http://www.lcslo.org/

Yosemite Saved From Road Builder

6/18/2010--Three years of legal struggle by Earthjustice have stopped a developer's plan to build two roads into Yosemite Park. A Fresno judge rejected a land owner and county's claim to right of way under a repealed, Civil War-era law know as R.S. 2477. The roads would have linked Hazel Green's property to Highway 120 within Yosemite, and facilitated its development into a destination hotel and resort.

http://www.earthjustice.org

http://action.earthjustice.org/earthjusticeaction/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=20247018

Offroad routes in Kern County Desert are closed

BLM closes two routes at Rand Mountains pending federal court ruling (BLM news release, 6/21/10)

The two routes in question are part of a legal challenge involving the BLM's West Mojave Plan, approved in 2006. The routes had been previously closed as part of an earlier Federal Court settlement. BLM
developed a new plan for the area to protect sensitive resources and still allow vehicle use under permit, but a recent new ruling of the Interior Board of Land Appeals remands the plan to the BLM, pending the outcome of a Federal lawsuit soon to be heard in San Francisco. The closure is expected to impact a significant number of off-highway vehicle recreationists.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2010/june/CDD1078.html

Learn More about wetland restoration in the SF Bay area

http://www.yourwetlands.org/about.php

About the Project
* Brief History
* Wetland Habitat and Other Values
* Wetlands along the North Edge of
San Francisco Bay
* "MISSION 37"

The partners of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture share a larger common vision for protecting a total of over 200,000 acres of wetlands in the nine counties that surround San Francisco Bay. The goals, habitat types and strategy for the implementation of this vision/plan can be found in Restoring the Estuary.  San Pablo Bay, the north end of San Francisco Bay, offers a unique opportunity to connect large sections of land to protect and restore wetlands in this densely populated Bay Area that have not yet been urbanized. 
In 2005, partners from the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture who have been actively working to protect and restore wetlands in San Pablo Bay came together to find ways to educate the traveling public about the
wetlands and projects along the 17 mile stretch of State Highway 37,  now known as the North Bay Flyway Highway.

101 Highway Widening threatens Humboldt Old Growth Redwoods

Challenging the Caltrans Plan for Richardson Grove

6/23/2010

It's been one week since EPIC and our allies filed a lawsuit challenging the Caltrans plan to widen Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park. In addition, we established the Richardson Grove Legal Fund, and made a fundraising challengeto our supporters to match donations and raise $5000 in one week.We have seen great success through the announcement of the lawsuit through favorable and extensive media coverage across the state of California.

In addition, thanks to supporters like you, we have surpassed our kick-off goal of $5000!

Of course, a lawsuit and state wide campaign depend on continued donations. We sincerely appreciate the support and look forward to continue to provide high quality advocacy work in defense of the Humboldt County and the old growth redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park. If you haven't already pledged your support, please take a moment and join the effort.

http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/challenging-the-richardson-grove-plan-its-just-the-beginning/ 

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Defending the beauty and biodiversity of California's fabled "redwood curtain," the Center for Biological Diversity and allies sued the California Department of Transportation last week for approving a project to widen the highway going through Humboldt County's Richardson Grove State Park, an ancient-redwood haven. In approving the project -- which would cut through and pave over the life-giving roots of nearly 100 ancient redwood trees -- Caltrans violated the state's premier environmental protection law, the California Environmental Quality Act. The environmental impact report for the project fails to acknowledge the full extent of the project's impacts, including the effects of damaging the network of roots holding Richardson Grove together, stockpiling lead-contaminated soil in an area draining to the designated "wild and scenic" South Fork Eel River, and opening the road to larger trucks.

Opposition to the highway project has mounted exponentially since it was proposed in 2007 -- including more than 25,000 comments sent in by Center supporters and other concerned citizens. Center Conservation Director Peter Galvin says, "The state's failure to follow the law puts these old-growth trees and the endangered species that depend on them at unacceptable risk -- all for the sake of letting a few more big trucks use this stretch of highway."

Read more in the Times-Standard.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/times-standard-06-18-2010.html

L.A. Sludge v. Kern sprawl...more border wars

Here we have Kern County being a bad neighbor to L.A. by approving thousands of homes on the County line at Tejon Ranch. And we have L.A. still trying to dump millions of tons of sewage sludge on a ranch near Bakersfield.

High court refuses to review L.A.'s petition in Kern County dumping case

June 2, 2010 -- Louis Sahagun
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/high-court-rejects-las-petition-over-dumping-of-waste-in-kern-county.html

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review a Los Angeles petition that claimed a voter-approved ban on dumping processed human waste in Kern County violated federal interstate commerce laws.
The Supreme Court declined review Tuesday without comment, letting stand a previous 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that the operations were not protected by federal interstate commerce laws because they involved transfers of a commodity – bio-solids -- from one portion of the state to another.
Now the case will return to U.S. District Judge Gary Feess in Los Angeles, and he must decide whether to retain jurisdiction over remaining state-level claims against the ban, or turn them over to a state court.
Those claims include that the ban known as Measure E exceeds its own policing powers by exerting control over another government entity, and is preempted by state recycling regulations.
Kern County wants the 4-year-old case resolved in state court, which would force Los Angeles to decide whether it wants to start the legal briefing process all over again. Los Angeles, however, would prefer that Feess retain jurisdiction and reaffirm his earlier ruling that the ban impedes interstate commerce.
If Kern County prevails, Los Angeles will have to haul 500,000 tons of sludge a year hundreds of miles to landfills in Arizona at an estimated cost of $4 million, according to the city’s petition.

Another view:
http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/editorials/x1008890595/Sludge-ruling-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air-for-Kern

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A commenter left this website for our readers, http://sludgevictims.com/

SCC 9/2009 to 5/2010: Coastal land buys

May 2010 Purchases by Coastal Conservancy Will Save 1428 Acres in Santa Cruz, Del Norte, Humboldt and Marin Counties

Meeting date: Thursday, May 27, 2010

http://scc.ca.gov/2010/05/13/coastal-conservancy-public-meeting-notice/#more-217

3.9 acres—Santa Cruz County--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to augment the Conservancy’s November 6, 2008 authorization to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to include an additional acquisition parcel and restoration planning for Watsonville Slough, Santa Cruz County.

http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1005bb/20100527Board03C_Watsonville_Slough.pdf

160 Acres—Del Norte County--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $70,000 to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust to conduct pre-acquisition planning for a conservation easement on the 160-acre Wetherell Dairy in Fort Dick, Del Norte County

http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1005bb/20100527Board03D_Wetherell_Senestraro_McNamara.pdf

fee title to the 40-acre Senestraro property in Eureka, Humboldt County,

http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1005bb/20100527Board03D_Wetherell_Senestraro_McNamara.pdf

Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the Marin Agricultural Land Trust to acquire an agricultural conservation easement over the 1214-acre J. Corda Ranch five miles west of Novato, Marin County.

http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1005bb/20100527Board10_Corda_Ranch.pdf

------------------------------------------

Why No Posts on this since 12/2008?

Due to the State’s budget crisis, virtually no land was purchased by the Coastal Conservancy in 2009 and early 2010.

There were no land purchases at the 2/4/10, 12/3/09. 10/29/09, 6/4/09, 4/2/09, or 2/26/09 meetings

Here are the two that occurred in 2009:

Meeting date: Thursday, September 24, 2009

http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0909bb/index.html

Consideration and possible Conservancy modification of the prior Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $5,500,000 to the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to acquire 160.5 acres of the Upper Filiorum Property to help implement the City’s Natural Communities Conservation Plan, Los Angeles County.

http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0909bb/20090924Board3A_Upper_Filiorum_Property.pdf

Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to accept $5.85 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce and disburse up to $13.85 million towards the acquisition of interests in the 5,630 acre Jenner Headlands property in western Sonoma County.
http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0909bb/20090924Board06_Jenner_Headlands.pdf


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Here are two that occurred in the April 1, 2010 meeting:

http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1004bb/index.htm


Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse  up to $1.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce and $1,136,000 to the County of Santa Barbara for the acquisition of the Paradise Beach property, Point Sal, northern Santa Barbara County.

Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the Muir Heritage Land Trust for: 1) the acquisition of the approximately 483-acre Franklin Canyon property, Contra Costa County, for open space, public access, watershed protection, wildlife and habitat protection, and limited agricultural use; and 2)  planning and resource assessment activities necessary to protect the property.