crescenta valley view - sierra club · 2017. 10. 1. · t, joan holtz' touring channel...
TRANSCRIPT
Chair Fred Dong
Vice Chair Jeffrey Wilson
Secretary, Publicity Marlene Plummer
Treasurer Jerry Burnham
Programs Wayne Fisher
ExCom Representative John Lajeuness
Membership, Outings Silvia Darie
Newsletter, Conservation Bettie Pearson
Webmaster Chuck Gooley
Crescenta Valley View
VOLUME IV, ISSUE X
In This Issue
• Channel Islands 1
• Programs & Outings 2
• Chapter elections 2
• Zimbabwe 3
• Mountain Lions 4
Management Committee
The Crescenta Valley Sierra Club will
present, Joan Holtz' Touring Channel
Islands, Tuesday, October 10th, at 7:30 pm
at the Los Angeles County Public Library
in La Crescenta, located at 2809 Foothill
Blvd, La Crescenta, 91214.
Joan Holtz is a Political Committee
person with the Sierra Club and long-time
member of this Chapter. Her many trips to
Channel Islands over the years has been as
fundraising efforts for the Chapter. It has
proved to be a popular event. We will look
at this interesting cluster of offshore is-
lands.
From the coastal cities of Santa Barba-
ra and Oxnard across the Santa Barbara
Channel, go south and there will be the
Channel Islands National Park.
Our program begins following news of Conservation and
Outings. This is a free program and everyone is welcome.
Refreshments will be served. Please contact Wayne Fisher
at 818 353-4181 or at [email protected] for fur-
ther information.
VOLUME IV, ISSUE X
Crescenta Valley Group of The Sierra Club Monthly Newsletter
October 2017
October Program:
Joan Holtz' Touring
Channel Islands
Programs, Outings, Announcements
Date and Time
Los Angeles Chapter chapter and group elections
Sunday, 10/8/2017 to Friday, 11/17/2017
Conservation Open House 3250 Wilshire Blvd Suite 1507 Los Angeles, CA 90010
For more information [email protected] and
RSVP
Saturday, 10/21/2017 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sierra Club California - 2017 Summit and CNRCC Rancho El Chorro, 2450 Pennington Creek Rd, San Luis Obispo Register online at: www.sierraclub.org/california/cnrcc
Friday, 10/27/2017 to Sunday, 10/29/2017
Nepal Sightseeing and Mountain Hiking Adventure Fred Dong - 818-545-3878, [email protected] Stephanie Gross - 818-409-0015, madelinesmoth-
Friday, 10/27/2017 to Wednesday, 11/15/ 2017
PAGE 2 October 2017
Take that first step and become a Leader!
The Election Committee is now intensely engaged in
preparing the ballots. Election information will go out
SoCal Now and by email on 10/8/2017. Voting will run
from 8 October through 17 November 2017. Mark your
calendars and be sure to cast your vote. Every vote is
important. You have a voice in the operation of the An-
geles Chapter Executive Committee and its Regional
Offered just twice a year, the next Sierra Club Ange-
les Chapter's Leadership Training Seminar is scheduled
for Saturday, October 7, 2017, at the Eaton Canyon Na-
ture Center, Altadena, CA. Register by September 23rd.
Obtain more information by e-mail LTC Registrar:
This all-day (7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) event covers group
management, our ratings system, rules of conduct, safety
and much more, from presentations, breakout groups and
scenarios.
• Time: Arrive at 7:30 a.m., done by 4 pm
• Register by Sept. 23
E-mail LTC Registrar for information NEW -- Pay-
Pal option is now available - see LTP Application for de-
tails. Note: Paypal does not give us your identity or con-
tact information. Be sure to let the Registrar know (by
email) that you are using Paypal when you pay.
Groups. Make your voice heard.
There are five at-large representative positions to
the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee up for elec-
tion. The candidates are Yvonne Watson, Lynne
Plambeck, Bettie Pearson, Dennis Loya, Jason Islas,
Debbie Drezner, Joy Cernac, Murray Aronson.
Chapter Elections are just around the corner – Remember to Cast Your Vote!
From Jerry’s Blog – Part I
See Zimbabwe Blog, Page 3
Victoria Falls, located in southern Africa on the Zambezi
River at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe
Photo by Jerry Burnham
October 2017
CRESCENTA VALLEY VIEW
PAGE 3
Zimbabwe Blog, From 2
I remember years ago reading
about how a proper Englishman
who was sent to Africa to work at
an isolated outpost during colonial
times maintained his structured
lifestyle. Having a set personal
routine with specified times to get
up, to eat breakfast and to begin
his workday helped him maintain
his composure when unexpected
or difficult situations occurred
related to his work. He even had
a neatly folded newspaper deliv-
ered at breakfast and although it
was old and the same one every
day, it still maintained the struc-
ture pending the future arrival of a
new one.
You may wonder how this sit-
uation could be related in any way
to Imvelo, the company that man-
ages lodges, water holes, a rail-
road car and a ranger station in
the northwest portion of Zimba-
bwe. The answer is the care,
structure, and attention to detail in
a calm and unimposing way that
was very evident when my son
and I enjoyed a twelve-day father-
son safari with stays at five of
Imvelo’s safari camps. The own-
ers and staff understood what
makes guests feel comfortable and
excited to be staying there. The
lodges varied from a virtually
four-star property through rustic
to one that was very rustic. How-
ever, the basic amenities were al-
ways there including hot showers,
quality dishes and silverware,
good food, clean linens, comfort-
able beds with the bedding tucked
in equal to any fine hotel and flush
toilets. On the colder nights, a hot-
water bottle in a furry bag would be
found in each bed.
“Three very long flights”
The order that we stayed is the
various lodges did not seem signifi-
cant to me at the time but looking
back, it certainly made sense. After
three very long airplane flights we
landed in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
and were met by a representative
who took us to the Gorges Lodge
on the edge of Zambezi River
Gorge several miles east of the
town. This was the best place to
wind down and get some needed
rest after the flights from Los An-
geles. After plenty of time to settle
in and rest, we went on a short hike
to the east side of the property
where a table was set with snacks
and the bar was open. Here we en-
joyed a nature talk about the resi-
dent eagle pair that soars over the
canyon every afternoon. After
dark, the evening included a buffet
dinner enjoyed at a long table with
the other guests outside under the
stars. Finally, we were treated to a
native dance troop that performed
traditional African dances that in-
volved our participation.
Departed for Victoria Falls
After a good night’s sleep, we
enjoyed a buffet breakfast, then
departed for Victoria Falls to hike
and photograph the mile-wide nat-
ural wonder. Toward the end of
the hike, we were accosted by an
angry baboon that was deflected by
our guide as it came toward us. I
could not help but wonder if a ba-
boon could be this aggressive, how
would we fare with lions, hippos
and cheetahs. Following lunch and
a visit to the local snake zoo, we
departed for a seven-hour ride to
our next lodge.
Next up, we go to Nehimba
Lodge in the next blog.
~~~~
Jerry Burnham shares his
recent Travel Adventure with
his son, Jon, in Zimbabwe
August 3 – 13, 2017
Elephants near Nehimba Lodge, Zimbabwe - Photo by Jerry Burnham
First of a five-part series
PAGE 4
October 2017
Robin Parks speaks to law en-
forcement, to teach them what to do
and not to when confronting a moun-
tain lion. He calls is program Moun-
tain Lion 101 and came the second
Tuesday this September to share with
us.
A volunteer with the Mountain
Lion Foundation, Parks traveled from
his home in San Diego to distill fears
and myths, share anecdotes and edu-
cate us anew – he was here three
years ago – about mountain lions (aka
puma, cougars).
“Mountain Lions are protected” “There is no mountain lion hunt-
ing in California,” he noted. And one
of the premier politicians to advocate
for banning hunting of the big cats in
this State was President Ronald
Reagan. You can’t be a good republi-
can if you want to hunt mountain li-
ons, he said adding: if it’s good
enough for Ronald Reagan, it’s good
enough for me.”
In Half Moon Bay, CA, two baby
mountain lions took shelter under a
woman’s porch, they were cold and
hungry. Those who came with skills
were threatened with arrest. Fish &
Wild Life killed the two cats claim-
ing they were a threat to public ser-
vice. The public outrage that fol-
lowed led to SB 132, The Mountain
Lion Protection Law, which states
that you can’t kill a mountain lion
that is not a threat and not acting ag-
gressively (i.e., in response to aggres-
sive human behavior). Authorities are
to use non-lethal means to handle the
big cats.
“Taking their habitats will kill them…”
The cubs are dependent on the
mother until 18 months, so if the
mother is killed the cubs will die.
You cannot distinguish a male from a
female unless the lion has cubs, then
it’s a female – of course. Usually
males are little larger, but you can’t
tell the difference without lifting its
tail.
They are living among us and
have been seen in the diverse areas of
Hawthorne and Eaton Canyon.
Average weight is around 110 lbs.
Males can jump vertically 22 feet;
they have a lot of power in the rear
end. They can leap 45 feet and can
carry a 100-lb deer. They can spring
along at 50 miles per hour in short
sprints. They can swim; and further-
more, like a house cat, sleep all day
long.
Deer is the number one thing on
the menu. Mess with the deer popula-
tion, chase away deer, then mountains
lions would have to go because that’s
what they feed on.
A thought-provoking statistic is
that since 1895, there have been 19
human fatalities from mountain lions
(one source said 22) three of those
children – in all of North America,
which includes Canada, one was in
captivity.
CRESCENTA VALLEY VIEW
“Cats (mountain lions) will disappear in LA in 10 years.” —Robin Parks
Robin Parks with CV member Ali De Vera
Post program Q & A with audience member