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Old Baldy, Canada | photo by Cameron Schaus
Conservation Issues of the Ventana Chapter | chapter wide
Sierra Club organizer, Marily Woodhouse, is mobilizing volunteers against clearcutting
October 2008

Marily Woodhouse knows first hand the destruction of clearcutting. Living in the foothills of Mt. Lassen, her quiet, little-used road suddenly became a logging truck superhighway with truckload after truckload of trees being hauled away from Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) clearcuts. She told us, "What is being done a few miles from where I live is a microcosm of what is being done all over the northern part of the state. It is deforestation as surely as what has been done to rainforests in other parts of the world. The difference is that it is right here in our state instead of thousands of miles away. These archaic and unsustainable logging practices must be stopped. The only way to do that is for 'we the people' to act to make it so."

Clearcutting
Sierra Pacific Industries is in the process of clearcutting 1.7 million acres of their holdings in the Sierra Nevada.

Marily has been hired with contributions of five California Sierra Club chapters, including the Ventana Chapter, to enlist and coordinate volunteers in a campaign to end clearcutting in the Sierra Nevada.

Many people are not aware that although clearcutting on National Forests in the Sierra has mostly been abandoned, on vast private forestlands it is still the dominant timber harvesting method. SPI is by far the worst offender. The company is in the process of clearcutting and turning into tree plantations over 1.7 million acres of their holdings in the Sierra Nevada. To stop the onslaught, the Sierra Club has partnered with ForestEthics in a campaign aimed at building sufficient public outrage at this logging practice that demand will build for wood products that are not produced by destroying our forests.

Our partnership with ForestEthics will be a marriage of strengths. While we have many members to call upon to help defend the Sierra, we will be taking advantage of the tried and true approaches that ForestEthics developed which stopped the production of Victoria's Secret catalogs from Canada's boreal forests and convinced Staples that it was not in their economic interests to market products made from old-growth forests.

The key to this campaign will be to draw the public's attention to the horrific effects of clearcutting, including the loss of beauty and wildlife habitat, the erosion and the sedimentation, and the poisoning of soil and streams with toxic herbicides. Healthy forests provide 60% of California's water supply and sequester carbon to help combat global warming. Public pressure can force Sierra Pacific Industries to change their timber harvesting practices.

For this ambitious effort to succeed, we need many volunteers, members who truly care enough about the Sierra to step up and take action. If you would like to learn more, or to sign up to help, Marily can be reached at 530-474-5803 or . More about ForestEthics and the Save the Sierra Campaign can be found at: www.savethesierra.org.



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In This Section

Current
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California leads in fighting oil addiction
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Plastic bag ban gaining momentum
October 2011

WTO rules dolphin-safe tuna a trade violation
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WTO may cut US meat labeling
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Club's Beyond Coal Campaign awarded $50 million
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Whales store carbon
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Watershed Dippers
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Richardson Grove redwoods get reprieve
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Richardson Grove redwoods threatened by highway widening
June 2011

Resilient Habitats Campaign will address effects of sea level rise
April 2011

Enviros defeat Bohemian Grove logging plan
April 2011

Sierra Club works to phase out coal
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Protect CEQA and Environmental Laws in the State Budget Process
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FDA ponders genetically engineered salmon
December 2010

State of the air
December 2010

Antibacterial soap affects fish reproductive behavior
December 2010

State bill would ban single-use plastic bags
August 2010

Atrazine affects fish reproduction
August 2010

New law will protect Americans from formaldehyde
August 2010

Opt out of unwanted phone books
August 2010

You might not be planning for climate change, but the State is
June 2010

Club report explores ending oil dependence
June 2010

American pika
June 2010

Will Commercial Whaling Resume?
May 2010

Our national parks: a vision for the second century
February 2010

Former Yosemite Supervisors call for restoring Hetch Hetchy
December 2009

Assembly resolution puts pressure on Feds to enforce Marine Mammal Act
October 2009

Report proposes sustainable water solutions for California
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Free online course on Clean Water Act
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Only 11 states have bottle laws
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UCSC makes list of “Coolest” Schools
Sierra’s top 20 coolest schools of 2009
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Farr seeks upgrade of Pinnacles to National Park
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Fishing rods donated to youth programs
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State releases climate change adaptation plan
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State still considering new logging rules
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Old Growth Redwoods
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Protected land database now available
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How much would you save by ditching your gas guzzler?
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NOAA website provides resources for coastal cities dealing with climate change
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Stimulus funds to benefit national forests
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New report shows birds in decline
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700,000 acres of new wilderness designated in California
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Researchers map West Coast ocean threats
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Sierra Club successfully challenges Stockton’s General Plan Update
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Say NO to bottled water
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Local residents propose environmental laws
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Traffic pollution linked to new cases of asthma
June 2009

County Supervisors support net metering
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Labor and enviros join forces
April 2009

Restore Hetch Hetchy moves HQ to San Francisco
April 2009

Carl Pope to step down
January 2009

Border wall harming wildlife
January 2009

Learning bird behavior turns kids into scientists
January 2009

Air Board warns consumers about air purifiers
January 2009

Green Streets improve water quality
January 2009

State body proposes plastic bag fees
January 2009

Clean coal is a myth
January 2009

Cutting their carbon footprints
January 2009

Carl Pope to step down as Executive Director of Sierra Club
January 2009

Legislation needed to increase amount of renewable energy
December 2008

Recycling alone is not the answer
December 2008

Patented seeds violate farmer's rights
December 2008

Sierra Club organizer mobilizing volunteers against clearcutting
October 2008

PG&E invests in gas, nuclear and hot air
August 2008

Help prepare Sierra Club huts for winter
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Air Board develops draft plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
August 2008

Eating for a Healthy Planet
May 2008


Global Warming rekindles nuclear power debate
May 2008


Volunteers needed for LeConte Lodge
March 2008


Action Alert!
Tell the Governor to support Zero Emission Vehicles
March 2008


A gift for the Corrizo Plain pronghorn
January 2008


SB 375 would link land use planning and transportation
January 2008


Governor proposes closing state parks & cutting lifeguards
January 2008


Track green-ness of your electricity
December 2007


UC named 4th in Sierra's list of cool schools
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Clair Tappaan Warming Hut property protected by conservation easement
October 2007


Cutting back on meat can help global warming
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Disappearing polar bear habitat
October 2007


International trade
August 2007


Green wedding
August 2007


New roles for our National Parks
August 2007


How we reduced our carbon footprint
April 2007


Joyce Stevens turns 80!
February 2007


Sierra Club launches weekly radio show
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Co-op America's 12-Step Plan for Climate Action
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A visit with the great California condors
June 2006


Bush administration abandons long-standing protections for critical wildlife habitat on Alaska’s North Slope

Chapter opposes water management scheme for Seaside Aquifer

Chapter and Group events to highlight marine sanctuary

End of an era: Ventana Chapter Bookstore closes

California has opportunities to reduce mercury poisoning

A biting issue

Sanctuary Draft Management Plan due out this summer

Nature Conservancy acquires gateway to Pinnacles National Monument

Elkhorn Slough threatened by subdivisions

Open space preserved on San Mateo County Coast

Greased lightning - Peregrine falcons in California

It’s time to restore Hetch Hetchy

Appeal to deny subdivision near Elkhorn Slough successful

Chapter revises Los Padres National Forest map

Forest geneticists visit Point Lobos

Methyl bromide poisoning devastates farm workers’ health

Resurrect those old Sierra Club cups?

Transit - highway rules unfair

California's oak woodlands need your help!