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Volume 42, Number 2, 2003 |
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Santa Cruz kangaroo rat’s decline indicates
a plant community at risk
The Santa Cruz kangaroo rat (Dipodomys venustus venustus ) never was very widespread
in its occurrence. Historically, it ranged from Belmont, south of San Francisco
through the Santa Cruz Mountains to approximately Corralitos. Where once its range
encompassed much of Santa Cruz County and parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties,
recently it has been found on only one parcel in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its
habitat and population have diminished at an alarming rate over the last quarter
century ... [more] |
$30,000 REWARD for capture of condor killer
Several conservation groups announced that a reward fund totaling over $30,000
has been established for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
person or persons who shot and killed condor AC-8 which was found shot on February
13, 2003 on a large ranch in Kern County. Condor AC-8 was one of only about 80
endangered California condors remaining in the wild. She was born in the wild
and in 1986 became one of the last wild condors to be captured for a captive breeding
program intended to rescue the giant birds from extinction ... [more]
ALERT! Save the trails
A momentously bad decision was made by Monterey County officials that so far has
gone under the radar. They decided that community trails plans should be abandoned
in the new General Plan Update (GPU.) Not revised, not updated, but thrown in
the trash can. The trails plans, which have been in place for two decades or more,
detail where it makes sense to have trail linkages—linkages to open space,
public parks, and to other trails. The trails plans, which have been in place
for two decades or more, detail where it makes sense to have trail linkages—linkages
to open space, public parks, and to other trails. It is the blueprint of public
hopes for future recreational opportunities. The public did NOT weigh in on this
decision to kill the plans through any of the citizen advisory committees. And
yet, due to legal and practical considerations, if there is no trails plan, it
can be extremely hard to get new trails ... [more] |
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Club appeals expansion of Davenport cement plant
RMC Pacific Materials in Davenport claims that production of an additional 105,000
tons of cement per year will cause no impact on our coastal resources. The Sierra
Club is not so sure. RMC has presented no data to support their contention that
this 12% increase in production will have no adverse consequences for the environment.
The RMC cement plant is located in an environmentally sensitive area, adjacent
to the San Vicente Creek watershed and surrounded by Coast Dairies public land.
When the Santa Cruz County Supervisors approved the increased production in 2002,
the Club appealed the decision to the Coastal Commission asking them to take jurisdiction
... [more]
Coastal Commission to consider Davenport barn project
The California Coastal Commission will consider a proposed building project in
Davenport tentatively scheduled for its May meeting in Carmel. Many readers may
have noticed the dilapidated barn on the right side of Highway 1 when entering
Davenport from Santa Cruz. David Luers, the project applicant, has proposed building
a three-story commercial structure adjacent to the San Vicente Creek riparian
corridor, with a zero-foot setback, instead of the required 50-foot buffer between
the project and the riparian corridor ... [more]
Governor Davis signs legislation to save the Coastal
Commission
On February 20, 2003 Governor Gray Davis signed legislation that will hopefully
resolve the constitutional issue raised by the composition of the California Coastal
Commission. This legislative response was needed in the face of an adverse Court
of Appeals ruling of December 30, 2002 in the Marine Forests vs. Coastal Commission
case. The Marine Forests case involves a man in the Los Angeles area who has illegally
dumped old tires and other objects in the ocean just offshore. His claim is that
he is doing an experiment to show that habitat can be created from these materials
... [more]
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