sierra club, tehipite topics, october 2011

8/4/2019 Sierra Club, Tehipite Topics, October 2011

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TopicsGoing Quarterly

Starting with the January, 2012 issue,Tehipite Topics will be issued quarterly, in January, April, July, and October. Times aretough, and the newsletter is by ar our biggestexpense. We need to sayve money. We also

want to save some trees and reduce our carbonootprint a bit.

In some ways the Topics will improve. Issueswil l have more content, and we are thinking oofering color photos and a glossier product.

We know that many o our subscribers are on-line, and they can get requent updates on out-ings, environmental issues, and the outdoorsat our web site, tehipite.sierraclub.org .

We would like to hear what you think o allthis. Please send us your comments to watts-

[email protected]. or via the

Postal Service to PO Box 5396, Fresno CA93755-5396

Willow Creek Collaborative

Elissa Brown of the Willow Creek Co

orative Project contacted Tehipite Chain June. Several of our activists met w

her and learned about this project. TWillow Creek Project is part of the Sus

able Forests and Communities Collabtive, under the Sierra Nevada Conservaan agency of the California State Gove

ment. There are other projects besides low Creek, and all have the following ob

tives:Fuel reduction and forest restoration

Local economic and environmental

tainability

Enhancements to the watershed to

tect local users and benet downstre

users

Protection of cultural, historical and

chaeological resources

Promoting environmental stewards

and awareness

Renewable energy production

Ongoing environmental assessm

monitoring and outreach

Promoting projects that support hea

community wild re and urban in

face

Build capacity to plan, fund & im

ment projects

The Willow Creek watershed is loc

in the Sierra north of Bass LakeThe low Creek Collaborative had its rst st

holders meeting On September 9th at

North Fork ofce of the U.S. forest Serv

It will be a six month process. If you

interested in participating or would to learn more, visit the following webdress:

http://sites.google.com/site/sustaina

sierragroup2/potential-projects/wil lcreek-project .

Clearing the Air

By Kevin Hall

The No Spin O-Zone

Readers of The Fresno Bee were greeted to

an amazing front-page headline a few weeksback, one that must have had many thinking

theyd awakened in a parallel universe. Youknow, that mythical place were the progres-

sive policies of the San Joaquin Valley haveled to effective pollution control resulting inclean air. Because blazoned across the top of

the Sept. 1 edition were the words, Valleyavoids August ozone offenses.

My rst thought was, Man, I hate beingright sometimes. Last month I had pre-

dicted the valley air district would be usingits removal of the Arvin air pollution moni-tor to paint a false picture of progress at re-

ducing the lung-scarring, brain-damaging,heart-stopping gases and chunks of crud in

our air, but the speed at which they did sowas stunning. And if the weather stays rela-

tively mild throughout September, there wi llbe a repeat of the big lie come Oct. 1.

At issue is the one-hour ozone standard. Thisis the measurement that reects the highest

ozone level in a single hour. The valley airdistrict was crowing loudly about the fact

that they had recorded See Air page 4

The Fresno-Drummond staon mysteriously shut

down for a crucial hour on Sept. 6, 2011.

Tehipite Contributes to Climate Ride Cali-fornia 2011

At our August ExCom meeting TehipiteChapter approved a motion to contribute

$500 to Tom Cotters participation in theClimate Ride California, October 2-7. Tomis the Central Valley sales manager for Real

Goods Solar, and the Climate Ride is a ve-day bicycle race from Eureka to San Fran-

cisco to promote bicycling and sustainableliving.

Climate Ride California is a gorgeous cy-cling adventure that begins in Californias

historic Redwood Empire near Eureka, trav-els along the scenic coast and ventures intothe famed Russian River Valley before cross-

ing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Fran-cisco. Climate Ride California is more than a

bike trip its an inspiring journey with like-minded people who are united by their pas-

T h e S i e r r a C l u b T e h i p i t e C h a p t e

ehipite opics

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

October 20 1 Vol. 57, No. 8 www.tehipite.sierraclub.o


2/8

Tehipite Chapter

of the Sierra Club

P.O. Box 5396

Fresno, California 93755-5396

Copyright ehipite Chapter, 2008

Chapter phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ( 5 5 9 ) 2 2 9 - 4 0 3 1

Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tehipite.sierraclub.org

Ocers

Chapter ChairJohn Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 John@BigBaldycom

Chapter Vice-ChairGary La sky (559) 790-3495 datanations@gmailcom

Chapter SecretaryConnie Peterson cpeterson8784@sbcglobalnet

Chapter TreasurerWayne Dill wd@whcparmcom

Executive Committee Members

Marcia Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 Marcia@bigba ldycomChip Ashley (559) 855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcomDavid Cehrs (559) 875-9495 dcehrs@JunocomWill iam Fjel lbo (559) 642-4511 jbellbo@stinetRichard Kangas (559) 896-5337 rkangas02@comcastnet

Ron Mack ie 559) 683-0293 rmackie@sierratelcom

Merced Group Appointee:JoAnne Clarke (209) 726-0636 jo_clarke@attnet

Council of Club Leaders ExComm Gary La sky (559) 790-3495

Council of Club Leaders Delegates Open

Gerald Vinnard (559) 431-5780

Chapter Committee Chairs

Honors & AwardsMarcia Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 Marcia@bigba ldycom

ehipite opics EditorChip Ashley (559)855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcom

ehipite opics Website EditorJohn Rasmussen (559)332-2419 John @BigBaldycom

HospitalityKaren Hammer (559) 298-5272

ecuagirl45@yahoocomMembership/Newsletter DistributionMarian Orvis (559) 226-0145

Outings and Outings Leader TrainingMarcia Rasmussen Marcia@bigbaldycom (559) 332-2419

Steve Fretz saretz@earthlinknet (559) 439-6673

Political CommitteeWill iam Fjel lbo (559) 642-4511

ProgramsHeather Anderson (559) 681-6305Conservation Committee

Conservation ChairChip Ashley (559) 855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcom

Energy, Climate Change, PopulationChip Ashley (559) 855-6376 wattsvalleypreservation@gmailcom

Sprawl, Air Quality

Gary Lasky datanations@gmailcom

Kings Canyon National Park /Giant Sequoia NatioMonument /Sequoia ForestJohn Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 John@BigBaldycom

Sierra National ForestRichard Kangas (559) 896-5337 rkangas02@comcastnet

Water, Kings RiverDavid Cehrs (559) 875-9495 dcehrs@Junocom

San Joaquin RiverChris Acree (559) 709-4913

Wildererness/DesertRon Mackie (559) 683-0293 rmackie@sierratelcom

Yosemite National ParkGeorge Whitmore (559) 229-5808 geowhit1954@comcastnet

CNRCC ExCommGerald Vinnard (559) 431-5780

CNRCC DelegatesHeather Anderson (559) 681-6305Chip Ashley (559) 855-6376

CNRCC AlternatesRichard Kangas (559) 896-5337

Publicity

Karen Hammer (559) 298-5272

ecuagirl45@yahoocom

Conservation & ExecutiveCommittee Meetings

October 2thTe Conservation Committee meets at 7 PM

Te Executive Committee meets at 8 PMUniversity o Caliornia Center

550 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno

Chapter Meetings

General MeetingOctober 9th at 7 p.m.

UC Center, 550 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno

( 2 ) TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011

Dont Miss Tis Film!!!

For our October Program we will be screening the critically ac-claimed lm Gasland In this Oscar-nominated documentary,director Josh Fox journeys across America to examine the nega-

tive eects o natural-gas drilling, rom poisoned water sourto kitchen sinks that burst into fame to unhealthy animalsand people Is natural gas a viable alternative to the countrydwindling energy resources, or do the potential harmul consequences outweigh the positives? Foxs lm raises these and

many more probing questions


3/8

Merced GroupSierra ClubBox 387Merced, CA 95341

Group ChairRod Webster (209) 723-4747 rwebster@elitenet

Group Vice-Chair Jon Hawthorne (209)723-5152

Group TreasurerJoAnne Clarke (209) 726-0636

Group Secretary Annette Allsup (209) 723-5152

Member-at-Large

John Magneson jmagneson@gmailcomConservation ChairJoAnne Clarke (209) 726-0636 Jo_Clarke@attnet

Publications Annette Allsup (209) 723-5152

AgricultureCharlie Magneson (209) 394-7045

M e m b e r s h i p open

PublicityRod Webster (209) 723-4747

Population open

Merced Group

TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011 ( 3 )

Merced GroupConservation and Executive Committee Meetings

(the rst Thursday of each month)

Next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 6th, 7:00 P.M. Rod

Websters home, 345 E. 20th St., Merced. Conser-

vation meeting is rst and can last 30-40 minutes.

Anyone with an interest in local, state, or national

conservation issues is welcome to attend.

Merced Group General MeetingsThe third Thursday of each month (except Dec. and

May)Starts at 7:00, usually over by 8:30 or so.

This month:Thursday, October 20th

Program: Issues Regarding the Merced River

Speakers: Ralph Mendershausen and Jeff Gabe of the

Merced Canyon Committee

During the past couple of years protection, and man-

agement issues about the Merced River have been a

focus in our region. They will continue to be so in

the year ahead.

Of wide reaching impact is the dam relicensing pro-

cess currently underway. It is overseen by FERC (the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and creates

conditions for Exchequer and McSwain dams and

the sections of the Merced River impacted by them.

Under contention by MID (the Merced Irrigation

District) is whether the sections of the Merced River

below the dams need to be addressed even though

they were in the past. Encompassed in the relicen

ing are such topics as land use, recreation, water su

ply, habitat, threatened and endangered species, an

historical and cultural values. As you can see the

conditions of the new license will be wide reachingGravity is added by the fact that the conditions of t

relicensing will be in effect for the next 30-50 years

Our speakers will also address details in the recre-

ational component of the relicensing. There is pot

tial for improving opportunities on and around the

lakes but also in the river corridor. Of special inter

est is further development of the trail system run-

ning along the river from Lake McClure up to Bag

This would be an important leg in eventually perha

creating a continuous bicycle/hiking trail connect

ing the town of Merced with the park.

Foremost on the near horizon is MIDs desire to ra

the water level behind Exchequer dam. This would

inundate a lower portion of the Merced River which

was designated Wild and Scenic in1992. Current la

would prohibit this but Sen.Jeff Denhams propose

bill HR 2578 would allow it. This is unprecedente

and could have nationwide ramications. Our

speakers have a thorough knowledge of the detailsof this bill and the politicking going on behind the

scenes.

So join us- so that in the months ahead as these is-

sues become more prominent you will be up to spe

Location : United Methodist Church, 899 Yosemite

Parkway, Merced. We meet in the Fireside room, a

cessed from the parking lot on Cypress Ave. Park

the end near Yosemite Parkway. There will be sign


4/8

Protect the Wild and Scenic

Merced River

Rod Webster

Recent bills introduced in Congress by Rep-resentative Jeff Denham (R) would removethe portion of the Merced River shown on

this page from protection under the Nation-al Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. HR 869/2578

would allow the pictured portion of the riverto be ooded during prime rafting and hik-

ing season.

The Merced River is a National Wild and

Scenic River until it reaches the level of867 feet above sea level. That is also themaximum legal and physical upper limit of

Lake McClure. When that reservoir is full24 miles of river downstream of the desig-

nated and protected river are under MercedIrrigation Districts reservoirs. Above the

legally established level of 867 the river is

protected from dams and reservoirs all theway to Yosemite Valley. Now Merced Irriga-tion District (MID) is trying to grab aboutten vertical feet of reservoir space through

HR 869/2578. The primary effect of thesebills will be to roll back protection for more

than half a mile of National Wild and Sce-nic Merced River. Such a de-designation of

a Wild and Scenic River segment has neverbeen done before! The small economicgains promised in support of the bills are

outweighed by economic losses in Mari-posa County and the general damage to the

Merced River and a ll National Wild and Sce-nic Rivers protected since the late 1960s.

HR 869/2578 may bring marginal and oc-casional additional water to MID reservoirs,

but there is no guarantee that additionalwater (maybe an average of 10,000 acre feet

per year --- 2% of the Districts typical di- versions) will go to Merced County farms. The additional water may go to senior wa-

ter rights holders well outside the District.Many other questions are raised by this pro-

posal, but MID claims they will be resolved

as the district goes through its re-licensingprocess with the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC). However, FERC isnot the place to expect fair judgments about

endangered species, dam safety, destructionof recreational sites, and other issues raised

by HR 869/2578. MID has good reasonto expect that FERC, which licenses dams

and is notoriously inattentive to other val-ues than energy production, will give themplenty of slack. Indeed, FERC has already

done so! HR 869/2578 is only necessary

because raising the maximum pool on LMcClure is currently illegal. Even FE

cannot overlook that.

Since 1991 we have had a good balance

tween conservation and recreation upstrof 867 and agriculture and power pro

tion downstream. HR 869/2578 viothe present balance; more importantly t

violate the essence of the National Wild

Scenic Rivers Act by removing a beautstretch of Wild river for inclusion with

reservoir. They set a terrible precedent.

Merced River in Mariposa County


no violations of

one-hour standard the entire month of August. Furtherm

they were taking credit for their air alsystem aimed at getting people to volunta

drive less as having made a ll the differen

Wow. If mendacity were a slip, Id say th

is showing.

Setting aside the Arvin monitor, Auguunusual winds and low temperatures, the delayed almond harvest, consider

the one-hour standard was supposed to hbeen reached 12 years ago, and not just fo

month but the entire year. 1999 should hbeen the rst of three years in a row withany violations.

The current standard for ozone is the e

hour measurement. Although still too hthis level more accurately reects the le

at which human health is directly harm

In the month of August, the standard exceeded on 29 out of 31 days with 152 m

itors having recorded violations in the Joaquin Valley.

It was the worst August in ve years, but wont see that press release coming from

air board any time soon.

To the contrary, the valley air districts lic information ofce has been turned inpublic relations machine bordering on

paganda mill, and The Bee headline dem

Air from page 1


5/8

Island Hopping

in Channel IslandsNational Park

Reserve early or 20 !!

September 9- and October 7-9Explore the wild, windswept islandsChannel Island National Park. Enjoy rolicking seals and sea lions. rain ybinoculars on unusual sea and land bHike the trails to nd blankets o wfowers and plants ound in no other pon earth. Kayak or snorkel the pris

waters--- or just relax at sea. Tese aboard, eco tours depart rom Santa bara aboard the 68 twin diesel ruth. ($785 or July trips; $590 or Septemand October) includes an assigned ball meals, snacks, beverages, plus the

vices o a ranger/naturalist who will trwith us to lead hikes, call attention to ito interest and present evening program

o make a reservation mail a $00 chpayable to Sierra Club to leader: J

Jones Holtz, 826 Te Wye St., El MoCA 9732.

Contact leader or more inormation (443-0706; [email protected])

GreatSan Joaquin River Clean-up

Please contact Richard Sloan at559-696-2971, riverrich1509@aolcom, Steve Starcher, 559-289-887

sastarcher@gmailcom or SteveHaze, 559-970-6320 re oppor-

tunities to help clean up the SanJoaquin River


Calling a Book!Please come home. I

miss you terribly; you

were such a good

friend.

Love, Heather

(The book, Wilderness Forever: Howard

Zahniser and the Path to the Wilder-ness Act of 1964 by Mark Harvey wasborrowed from Heather Anderson and

she would greatly appreciate its return.681-6304 or heather.anderson8@com-

cast.net or bring it to a meeting.)

strates how effective theyve become at mis-

leading the media and public: 152 violations

and the headline reads zero. Press releaseswarn of nancial sanctions, not of threats toyour childs life or her grandfathers heart.

Monitoring Monitors

So dedicated are they to perpetuating the

myth, it has to raise ones suspicions whenair monitors seemingly on the verge of a vio-lation suddenly shut off. Just a few days after

the celebratory headlines and news reports(and there were plenty around the valley),

ozone levels started to spike again, particu-

larly in southeast Fresno. On Tuesday, Sept.

6, the Fresno-Drummond station was rock-

eting upward when at 4 pm it just stopped

working for an entire hour; violation averted.The following day it was again spiking at aneven faster pace. Concerned breathers werechecking in online every hour when sudden-

ly the air districts website simply stoppedworking a little after 5 p.m. and instead post-

ed an error message for the southeast Fresnoand Clovis monitors. They came back online

after about 30 minutes and, wait for it, theone-hour ozone reading peaked at 124 partsper billion one part per billion below the

violation level of 125.

Meanwhile, a short distance away theRoosevelt High football team was outside,

practicing in full gear, running hard andbreathing deeply. A few miles up north inClovis, boys peewee football and girls soc-

cer were also running at full steam. Noproblem here, folks. My air district just told

me the air was clean. I read it in the paper. Isaw it on the news.

The lucky few were listening to indepen-dent media. The one news source that told

the story completely was KFCF/KPFA.

Through the valley stringer project, VicBedoian delivered a thorough report on thePacica Evening News (check it out onlineby going to the 25:38 minute mark at http://

www.kpfa.org/archive/id/72985).

Et tu, Obama?

This column cant end without a quick com-ment on President Obamas decision to delay

implementation of a new ozone standard byat least a year. An esti-

This screenshot of an error reading from the valley air district on

Sept. 7, 2011 shows when the system went ofine.

See Air page 6


6/8


mated 3,000 lives willbe lost every year the

standard is pushed back.

That pales in comparison to the Tar Sands

Oil Pipeline issue. When Dr. James Hansenof the NASA Goddard Institute describes

the possible outcome of allowing that proj-ect to move forward as game over for theclimate, only a fool would fail to listen. The

President has the authority to single-hand-edly stop the project. There is no negotiat ion

required with the free marketeers of doom.Take action by going here: http://act.350.

org/sign/tar-sands/.

(Kevin Hal l is director of the Central Valley

Air Quality Coalition based in Fresno andonline at www.calcleanair.org and on Face-book. He can be reached at kevin@calclea-

nair.org.)

sion for sustainabil ity, renewable energy, andbicyclesthe ultimate carbon-free form oftransportation. You can learn more about

Climate Ride California at http://www.cli-materide.org/rides/california/ .

Tehipite and Tom Cotter have agreed to pro-mote sustainable living and solar technology

through a partnership. Tom wil l promoteTehipite Chapterin fact he is planning to

wear a Tehipite Chapter jersey on one day

of the rideand Tehipite Chapter will pro-mote Real Goods Solar. This arrangement

benets our chapter because Real Goodswill be donating $500 to the Tehipite Chap-

ter for each home or business that upgradesto solar! (See the Real Goods ad in this edi-

tion of the Topics.) Please be sure to tell RealGoods you were referred by Tehipite Chap-ter. Its a win-win-win! Fight global warm-

ing, make your utility electricity bill disap-pear, and strengthen Tehipite Chapter all at

the same time!

Real Goods can help you discover just howaffordable and freeing solar power really is.They can design systems for families on just

about any budget, and use all available re-bates and incentives. In fact, if you chooseto go solar through their PowerSavings Plan

(where you buy the power you use insteadof the system that generates it), you may not

have any upfront costs at all. A typical hom-eowner can now add solar to their home for

no money down and pay less monthly thantheir current electric bill. Those who wish

to purchase a system will enjoy enough sav-ings on electricity to pay for the system in

a matter of years (typically 5-8 years), andfree electricity for decades after that. With

either option, they are experts at making so-lar power affordable.

Tehipite is particularly proud of our arrange-ment with Real Goods because it is a reallygreat company, started by John Schaeffer.

According to Wikipedia, In 1977, 29 year-old John Schaeffer lived on an off-grid com-

mune in Mendocino County, California, andcommuted 35 miles (56 km) to work each

day as a computer operator. Since he droveinto town, he became the designated personto pick up supplies for the commune. Frugal

by nature, Schaeffer found himself drivingall over Mendocino County to buy needed

tools and equipment at the best prices. Af-ter an especially frustrating shopping trip,

Schaeffer thought how great it would be ifthere was one general store that sold all the

real goods for off-grid living at fair prices. Within a year, Real Goods was born. In1978, Schaeffer took $3,000 in savings and a

$5,000 loan from his father and opened therst Real Goods store in Willits, California.

Real Goods has come a huge distance in 33years. According to Berman and OConnor

in Who Owns the Sun? In 1996, Schaef-fer inaugurated the Real Goods Solar Liv-

ing Center in Hopland, California, as a k indof solar theme park, designed and built inclose collaboration with architect Sim Van

der Ryn and David Arkin of the EcologicalDesign Institute, and incorporating innova-

tive energy-generating and energy-efcientcomponents as well as integral demonstra-

tions of new approaches to ecological con-struction and landscaping.

Real Goods is now one of the largest solarinstallers in the United States, having in-stalled over 11,500 solar electric systems for

both residential and commercial properties.Real Goods vision is to lower humankinds

ecological footprint on Earth, thereby con-tributing to a healthier future for people

and the planet. Their mission is to realize itsvision through providing the best in earth-friendly products, sustainable living edu-

cation and leading-edge renewable energysolutions (Wikipedia). Real Goods made

Inc. magazines list of the Top 500 fastestgrowing companies and has been covered in

Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.And to think it all started in an off-grid com-mune!

You can learn more about Real Good Sby reading John Schaeffers A Place in

Sun and by going to http://www.realgocom/ .

Air from page 5

Climate Ride from page 1

How to See Nature and Wilderne

In the January 2011 edition, Heather An

son says, When I teach art and awarenes

the [San Joaquin River] and ask students w

is the importance of our river, they are qto mention clean water, habitat, intact eco

tem, recreation, wildlife and plants, but n

beauty.

This is interesting, and I have to ask why be

is not the rst thing that springs to mind w

students are asked about the importance o

natural feature, whatever it might bem

tain, meadow, tree, or river. The respo

piques my curiosity because beauty IS my

response when I am in natural surround

Beauty, after all, is why Im there. So why i

response so different from Heathers stude

I believe all these students really do apprec

the beauty of nature. However, the abilit

articulate a response is just down there d

below the surface, and these students n

Heathers nurturing to help them get dow

their natural connection with natural be

in order to be able to express it. I believe

humans are hard-wired to appreciate nat

beauty because our ancestors lived in nat

surroundings for mil lions of years. The ca

ity to appreciate natural beauty is innate, b

has been buried under layers of modern culWe have been taught to atomize nature into

many componentsendangered species

natural resources so that it is very difcult

us to see nature immediately and holisticall

I have even heard environmentalists opine

beauty is the last consideration when plann

how to ght climate change. I strongly

agree.

I was lucky enough to have an artist for

mother and a hiker-photographer-bio

teacher for my father. Mom taught me howdraw and paint, and many of my early subj

were the surroundings of my boyhood in

Sierra Nevada. Dad took us hiking as a

ily on day hikes before I was ten and later

the High Sierra with his hiking partner si

the 1940s, Dick Moller. Dad took many

tos on these trips. We three kids always loo

forward to the slide shows of Dad and Di

most recent trips, which inspired us to wan

go along, as we all started to do in our e

See Seeing Nature pag


7/8

Outings ScheduleOuting RatingsDistance Elevation Gain

1) up to 6 miles A) under 1,000 eet

2) 6 to 10 miles B) 1,000 to 2,000 eet

3) 10 to 15 miles C) 2,000 to 3,000 eet

4) 15 to 20 miles D) 3,000 to 4,000 eet

5) over 20 miles E) over 4,000 eet

Our ehipite Chapter Outings Chair isMarcia Rasmussen, Marcia@BigBaldycom,559-332-2419 Please contact Marcia withany questions concerning our outings pro-gram Contact the trip leader directly i youare interested in one o the listed trips

ehipite Chapter outings are ree and opento the public All leaders are unpaid volun-teers assuming responsibility or a good trip,and your cooperation is mandatory Pleasereview additional trip and participantrequirements at wwwtehipitesierraclub

org/outings

OutingsLeaders may post their own tripson the web page or send them toMarcia@BigBaldycom

CS #2087766-40 Registration as a sellero travel does not constitute approval bythe State o Caliornia Caliornia hasestablished a ravel Consumer RestitutionFund (CRF) under the Caliornia Sellero ravel Act Te CRF is not applicableto these Outings Te law requires us toadvise you that you would not be eligible

to make any claim rom the CRF in theunlikely event o deault by the Sierra ClubCaliornia law also requires certain sellerso travel to have a trust account or bondTe Sierra Club has such a trust account

Would you like to be an Outings Leader?

Being an Outings Leader can be very rewarding Basic qualications includa desire to lead outings, basic rst aid or the ability to devote time to gettinqualied in rst aid, and reading the Sierra Club Outings Leader Handboo

Te ehipite Chapter would like to ofer outings to people o all abilities anages I you are interested, phone Marcia Rasmussen (559) 332-2419 or emaher at Marcia@bigbaldycom


Required Liability WaiverAll participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver I you wo

like to read the Liability Waiver beore you choose to participate on an outing, please go to: htt

wwwsierracluborg/outings/chapter/orms/, or contact the Outings Department at (415) 977-5

or a printed version

October 8, 2011 Saturday

Day Hike (1A)

Bear Lake, Emigrant Wilderness (Yokuts)

This is approximately a six mile hike, beginning at Crabtree at elevations of about 7,20,700ft with a moderate uphil l on the way in. Swimming is an option, if warm enough. Br

lunch, ten essentials, and money for dinner at Mi Pueblo in Sonora on the way home. MeeDennys parking lot in Oakdale at 8:00 a.m. Contact Monica Casey at hikerlady1955@gm

com , or co-leader, Alan Bernikoff at abernikoff@gmai l.com .

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Day Hike Leader: Karen Hammer Difcult Maximum Elevation: 9,100 feet Distance: 9

miles Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet

Fall colors hike to see the quaking aspens. If we are lucky the mountains may have a light d

ing of snow. Rain wi ll cancel. This is a long and rigourous hike starting at over 8,000 felevation. Trailhead is at Badger Flat along Kaiser Pass Rd. Bring a minimum of 2 quart

water, rain gear, layers of clothing for cold weather, hiking boots, high energy snacks and lunContact: Karen Hammer 559-298-5272 Call to nd out meeting place and time and to conthat you have the necessary conditioning requirements and essential gear for this day hike.

Saturday, October 29, 2011 - 7:30am

Day Hike Leader: Randall Brown Rating: Intermediate

We wil l hike the Big Oak Flat Ghost Road in Yosemite Valley. Meet at parking area behFruityard (Geer Rd. & Hwy. 132) at 7:30 am. Sign up with leader Randa ll Brown. Cont

Randall Brown (209) 632-5994

teens. I still remember vividly my rst trip with Dad and Dick out of the Granite Creek t

head in 1963. I had a litt le altitude sickness at our rst camp at Sadler Lake, but the warmwhisky Dad poured into my trail cup cured that soon enough.

Our parents had lots of books around and encouraged us kids to read. Since I was inested in backpacking and the Sierra Nevada, I read quite a lot about the Sierra. I also bel

Coninued page

Seeing Nature from page 6

The Sun

Wants to

Work for

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Inside Tehipite TopicsClearing the Air CoverClimate Ride Cover

Willow Creek Collaborative CoverChanges to opics Coverehipite Meetings and Ino 2Merced Meetings and Ino 3Protect the Merced River 3How to See Nature 6Outings 7

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TEHIPITE TOPICS October 2011

that reading shaped my appreciation of my

natural surroundings as well as my ability toarticulate it.

Some have suggested that language weak-ens our experience of nature. For example,

In Running on Emptiness modern primitivistJohn Zerzan argues that languagesym-

bolic thoughtcomes between us and ourexperience of reality: We seem to have ex-

perienced a fall into representation, whosedepths and consequences are only now be-ing fully plumbed. In a fundamental sort of

falsication, symbols at rst mediated real-ity and then replaced it. At present we live

within symbols to a greater degree than we

do within our bodily selves or directly witheach other.

While I agree with Zerzan on nearly every-

thing in regards to re-evaluating primitivesocieties and learning from them so that

moderns can live more fullling, healthierlives, I do not agree that language itself is a

problem. Of course language can be used tofurther and further separate us from natureby increasingly isolating in a technological

and technocratic reality. But this is a re-

sult of how we choose to use language andsymbols, not a result of language itself.

Shakespeare provides guidance on how

language helps us appreciate nature in thewords of the character Theseus inA Midsum-mer Nights Dream:

The poets eye, in a ne frenzy rolling,

Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth

to heaven;

And as imaginat ion bodies forth

The forms of things unknown, the poets pen

Turns them to shapes and gives to air y nothing

A local habitation and a name.

How to Experience Nature might have been

a better title. Different people, of course, havedifferent ways of experiencing reality, nature. Ithink it must involve all the senses, not just sight.

Theseuss frenzied approach may work for some.

For me, a quiet way works best. Yesterday, forexample, I chose the mid afternoon in Watts Val-

ley to sit and look to the High Sierra, across theat, lled with dry grass, soft chess, wild oats,

maiden clover, tarweed, and lupine; over the line

of oaks, sycamores, and cottonwoods markingan intermittent stream beyond; and on to Brans-

ford Mountain, a few miles distant. It is dry andwarm, not uncomfortable for a late summer day,

with autumn coming on, the rst dry leaves scat-

tering in the warm breeze. After a time the msettles down, all its important issues lo

themselves in the innite indifference of the

verse; the ctional self known as Chip Assorts itself out among the sounds of million

insects, the ubiquitous laugh of the acorn wpecker, the scolding of a scrub jay, the skitte

of a California Towhee in the dry leavesyes, the rumbling of dual-trailer gravel tru

along Watts Valley Road. Quail y stealthily

by one to avoid a Coopers hawk from the toa live oak to the gravely dry stream bed. Th

is scented with tarweed and blue curl. Insbuzz among the heart-shaped leaves of the

talpa. A dragony sits perfectly still on a r

barb on the fence wire, transparent wings tipwith specks of black. The rush from air brake

the school bus dropping off my daughter snme back to reality.

Seeing Nature from page 7

sierra club, tehipite topics, october 2011

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