The Roadrunner

Bimonthly Publication of the Kern-Kaweah Chapter of the Sierra Club — May/June 2005

2005 CHAPTER BANQUET HAPPY EVENT FOR ATTENDEES

SOCIAL HOUR, EXHIBITS, FRIENDLY ENCOUNTERS HIGHLIGHTS.
The annual Kern-Kaweah Chapter Banquet was a rip-roaring success. Over 100 club members and guests
attended. Friendly embraces, handshaking, and much conversation including words like “so glad to see you
again” and “have you heard...” were a prominent part of the social hour. A great dinner preceded the evening’s
program, emceed graciously by Lorraine Unger, our Chapter Chair.
Activists’ reports Club members gave the crowd updates on the latest environmental challenges: Harry Love (air
mitigation appeals in regards to housing developments) reported that the Bakersfield City Council appears to be
considering requiring payments of air mitigation fees from developers; Carla Cloer (Sequoia Task Force) was
happy to report that three suits have been filed challenging the Sequoia Monument Plan (see below); Pam Clark
(Kaweah Group) said that their group is making headway in defining a sand and gravel’s proposed operational
plan to make it more environmentally sensitive; Georgette Theotig reported on a wind development proposal that
basically could be supported but with questions concerning such things as erosion; and Mary Ann Lockhart
briefly outlined the status of Tejon Ranch Corporation’s development plans.
Kern-Kaweah Sierra Club Cup Award: Paul Gipe This is the highest award granted by the Kern-Kaweah Chapter.
Paul Gipe was this year’s recipient of the simple Sierra Club cup engraved with the awardee’s name. Paul's work
with wind energy issues, his chairmanship of the Chapter. and his role as spokesperson to the media were major
noteworthy activities for his choice cited by Janet Wood, last year’s recipient.
Ruth Allen /Susan Miller Award: Diane Jetter This award is given to Chapter activists who quietly work behind
the scenes providing important institutional support. This year’s recipient is Diane Jetter of the Kaweah Group,
who was honored for her work in arranging and publicizing activities as well as taking on responsibilities for jobs
that needed to be done to keep things going smoothly. This award is named in honor of a state Sierra Club
employee in the San Franciso office, Susan Miller, and our Chapter's former historian.
Chairman's Award: Janet Wood Lorraine Unger presented the award with grateful thanks to Janet Wood, the
Chapter’s treasurer. Lorraine praised Janet’s willingness to take on responsibilities for tasks needing to be done
beyond the duties of treasurer. This award is given annually by the incumbent chair of the Chapter.
Long Trail Award: Harry Love was the person honored with this award, which recognizes long service for the
Chapter. Harry has worked on everything from aiding Gordon Nipp with the air pollution appeals in Bakersfield
to arranging and carrying out (with his wife Kathy) successful banquets. The award is traditionally accompanied
by a walking stick. This year’s stick featured the head of a roadrunner, beautifully carved and painted at the top of
the stick.
Wind Wolves The final treat of this banquet was a slide show presented by the Clendenens, managers of Wind
Wolves Preserve. The Wind Wolves Preserve is privately owned land devoted to preserving, restoring and
educating the public, including up to 15,000 school children each year, about the wonders of and need for a
healthy natural environment. Call 661.858.1115 for information re visits, camping, volunteering.
Grateful thanks from us all to the crew headed by Kathy and Harry Love who made this unforgettable event
possible.
THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE MARCH APPEAL
Your financial help is important to the folks who are working on the ground to help ensure that
environmental protections gained are not wiped out by administrative edict and legislative action.
Court suits must be resorted to more often in the present governmental climate, and that takes dollars.
It is never to late to support Sierra Club actions financially. Please send your contribution to
Kern Kaweah Chapter, PO Box 335, Bakersfield, CA 93385
2 THE ROADRUNNER

THREE SUITS CHALLENGE SEQUOIA MONUMENT PLAN

LAWSUITS HAVE TO BE FILED WHEN GOVERNMENT VIOLATES LAWS
Bush Administration officials and timber industry supporters falsely accuse environmentalists of filing frivolous
lawsuits against the government, and in particular, against the Forest Service, costing taxpayers millions of
dollars. Congress, however, provides no effective oversight of poor forest management practices. Filing lawsuits
to conserve our forest resources and to stop illegal forest management practices is necessary and, importantly,
saves millions in restoration funds that need not be spent to restore the land following harmful projects.
The Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan, despite Forest Service advertising, fails to protect
communities. It proposes to log fuelbreaks throughout the Monument miles from communities. These clearcuts
either become brush-clogged, fire-prone areas or require costly maintenance with funds the Forest Service does
not have. Logging fuelbreaks miles from communities is not the answer. Rather, fire science demonstrates that
protecting communities requires creating fuelbreaks in the 200 feet immediately surrounding structures and
requires thinning in these 200 feet to prevent crown fires. Thinning is the removal of brush, ladder fuels, and
small diameter trees up to nine inches in diameter, not the logging of large trees which are more fire resistant and
help to prevent fires by blocking the growth of shrubs and keeping the forest cool.
What spurs the Forest Service’s poor management practices is the fact that the more logging the Forest Service
plans, the larger the Forest Service budget. This is a conflict of interest. The Forest Service develops and proposes
logging projects, benefits financially from such logging, and then judges the appropriateness and legality of its
own logging projects. The outcome of this conflict of interest is bad forest practices, larger and more radical
logging projects, and the need for citizen lawsuits.
Unfortunately, Congress and the Bush administration have demonstrated no inclination to curb this conflict of
interest. In fact, Congress and the Administration have actually promoted laws that encourage more logging.
Environmentalists and the people are left with no remedy but to provide their own oversight through lawsuits to
stop the government from destroying the people’s natural resources. The Bush Administration ignores the fact
that environmentalists file lawsuits when the government is violating the laws.
The Sierra Club, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Sequoia ForestKeeper, and six other environmental
organizations, which defend public lands for the people, filed suit to stop the Monument Management Plan
because the process and plan violate the laws. Ara Marderosian

The Kern Kaweah Chapter is sponsoring a

CHALLENGE!
Who can contact persons of power the most times this year?
All you have to do is keep track of all the times you write a personal letter or fill in a postcard or click on send for
an email letter as part of our constant campaigns to let elected and appointed governmental figures know our
opinions as to legislation and /or actions being contemplated.
We will ask you to turn in your records in March of 2006. Rewards for your diligence and perservence will be
presented. No specifics on the tangible rewards at this time, but the best reward for all is the fact that we may
have, by our constant pressure, affected the content of legislation and/or passage or defeat of legislation actions,
whatever is hoped for. At the very least we will know that we have tried.

HERE IS HELP FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO EASILY USE YOUR RIGHT TO WRITE!!
1. Join Sierra Club California's Legislative Action Network at: http://cal-legalert.sierraclubaction.org . 2. Join the
National Sierra Club Action List. Go to Sierra Club Home Page for directions. 3. Join the local Action List. Call
Art Unger to sign up, 661.323.5569. See page 7 for names and addresses of some persons who are commonly
contacted.
THE ROADRUNNER 3
OUT AND ABOUT
Things to do, places to go Listings For May And June
REQUIRED READING: Everyone is welcome, Sierra Club members and non-members, to join in any of the outdoor
activities. Requirements: You must be in condition for type of hike, equipped appropriately for the activity, and prepared to
sign a Sierra Club release from liability. You must be willing to follow leader’s directions. Unprepared for the prospective
hike? It will be a no-go for you. Please let the leader know ahead of time that you are intending to participate. Customary
appropriate equipment includes good hiking shoes, plenty of water, snack, sunglasses, sun tan lotion, layered clothing. Long
pants recommended. It is always wise to call before coming to a listed activity. All events are subject to change.
TUESDAY CONDITIONING HIKES. 7 PM 4–5 miles. Corners of Highways 178 & 184. Gordon
661.872.2432 or Larry 661.873.8107 (KK Chapter)
May, June EVERY Sunday Strolls These are easy walks in the Pine Mountain Club area with a minimal
driving time. Strolls will start at 8 AM, last approximately 1 1/2 hours. Children accompanied by adults are most
welcome. Meet at PMC Clubhouse parking lot. More info? Call Mary Ann, 661.242.0432.
May 7 (sat) 18th-anniversary Pacific Crest Trail/Windmill Hike. 9 AM. Six mile route; leaves trailhead
junction of Cameron Road and Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road promptly at starting time. Besides wonderful
wild flowers, will pass by 3.500 wind turbines, and has great views of Mojave Desert and Garlock Fault. Spring
weather at 5,000 feet unpredictable. Dress layered; bring at least one quart of water per person, pack a lunch. Car
pool will leave from Bakersfield at 7:30 AM. For more info call Tony Swan at 661. 363. 5106 or Paul Gipe at
661. 325. 9590. (Kern-Kaweah Chap)
May 11 (wed) - 6 PM - Get-Together. Meet us for eats and conversation at Joy Luck Restaurant, Visalia More
info? call 559.739.8527 (Min King Gp)
May 14-15 (sat-sun) Mineral King Group Ex Com Retreat in Three Rivers. More info? call 559.739.8527 (Min
King Gp)
May 15 (sun) Kaweah Group Ice Cream Social 1:00-3:30 PM in Porterville. New members are welcome. Meet
other SC members, learn about important local issues. Call 559.781.8897 for more information and directions.
May 21 (sat) North Fork, Big Pine Creek, Ridge Ascent (Ascent of the N Ridge of the N Fork of Big Pine
Creek, the start of the route to Baker Lake, max elev. 10295 ft, 2500 ft gain, 7.6 mi RT). This little known and
seldom taken trail was used in the 1800s and early 1900s for wood gathering and as a packers’ route to Parchers
Camp on Bishop Creek via Baker Lake and Green Lake. We won’t go all the way over, but will explore to the
first ridge crossing high above the N Fork of Big Pine Creek, where we should have a splendid view of the late
spring Palisades. We will pass Grouse Spring and “Logging Flat.” Since this trail is so seldom used, there will be
a bit of a historical or archeological aspect to the hike, not to mention possible lost trail sections. At the ridge
crossing, it is possible to follow the ridge higher for those wanting a better view or more exercise. Moderate hike
due to distance and elevation gain. Meet at 7:30 AM at the Ridgecrest Cinemas parking lot. More info call Dennis
at 760.375.7967 or Jim at 760.375.8161. (Owens PK Gp)
May 21 (sat) Hike to Tokopah Falls. (tentative date) More info? call 559.739.8527 (Min King Gp)
May 21 & 22 (sat, sun) Reception, Auction, & Hike for “Restore Hetch Hetchy” at Evergreen Lodge,
Yosemite. For info see: http://www.hetchhetchy.org/reception_may_2005.html More info? call 559.739.8527
(Min King Gp)
May 23 (mon) 7:30 Current situation on State Parks as told by Mark Faull. Mark is the now retired former
Chief Ranger of Red Rock Canyon State Park. Maturango Museum.. For info call Stan or Jeanie at
760.375.8973.(Owens Pk Gp)
May 28 (sat) Yellow Jacket Trail. An OHV trail that leads to several vernal pools and an unnamed stream that
have water this spring. Water means wildflowers, a special treat for this hike, which is approximately 9 to 10
miles in length with only 200 to 300 feet elevation change. Wet feet may result from this hike. Meet at Tennis
Courts, PMC, 8 AM, or MiniMart, Lockwood Valley and Cuddy Rds. 8:20 AM. RSVP to Dale 661.242.1076 or
Ches 661.242.0423. (Definitely subject to change. Dependent on access openings.)
June 4 (sat) Wildflowers of Transverse Range, PMC area. Tribute to Mike Foster, late Los Padres National
Forest botanist. Actual flowers, identified, on display. Lynn Stafford, presenter. 6 PM Potluck, 7 PM Flower
report. (Condor Gp)
4 THE ROADRUNNER
June 8 (wed) 6 PM Get-together. Meet us for eats and conversation at El Tarasco, Main Street, downtown
Visalia. More info? call 559.739.8527 (Min King Gp)
June 17 (fri) 7 PM See "Oil on Ice" - fabulous new documentary about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Meet at Tazzaria Coffee & Tea, 208 W Main St, Visalia. See http://www.tazzaria.com and/or call 559.739.8527
for more information. (Min King Gp)
June 18 (sat) Horton Lakes (Up the Horton Creek drainage W of Bishop, elev. 9951 ft, 2240 ft gain, 8.4 mi RT).
The flowers along Horton Creek on the way to Horton Lake should be just about peaking. Horton Lake is the
jumping off point for climbs of Basin Mountain, Four Gables, and Mt Tom, whose south wall towers above the
route to the lake. Those wanting more exercise can follow the old mining road N to Hanging Valley, W of Mt
Tom, where the Hanging Valley and Tungstar mines are located. This hike is one of a series to explore the
country that is day-hike accessible from eastern Sierra trailheads. Moderate hike due to distance and elevation
gain. Meet 7:00 AM (NOTE TIME!) at the Ridgecrest Cinemas parking lot. More info? call Dennis at
760.375.7967 or Jim at 760.375.8161. (Owens Peak Gp)
June 25 (sat) Mt. Pinos to Grouse Mt. to Boy Scout Camp on Lockwood Valley Road. Starting at nearly 9000
ft, hike will descend to 2000 ft or so. Crosses variety of habitats. 11 miles, moderate as far as obstacles. 8 AM at
PMC tennis courts. Bring water, lunch. Reservations necessary (hike location definitely subject to change). Call
Ches, 661.242.0432 or Dale, 661.242.1076. (Condor Gp)
For Buena Vista Group schedule see p. 8.
LOOKING AHEAD
July 23 (sat) Peak to Peak Hike Cerro Noroeste to Mt. Pinos (or reverse). 8 mi plus at 8000 ft. Moderate to
difficult. Bring lunch, water. 8 AM start time at PMC tennis courts. Reservations a must. Call Ches, 661.242.0432
or Dale, 661.242.1076 for more info. (Condor Gp)
Aug 4-10. (thurs to wed) Pine Creek Base Camp. Mules will carry our packs to and from Honeymoon Lake. In
between, we will day hike to lakes and peaks and enjoy the flowers. Trip size limited to 10 qualified participants.
Leaders: Gordon & Eva Nipp, 661.872.2432, gnipp@att.net.
Sept 8 to 11 (thur to sun) Sierra Summit, San Francisco. Another reminder; the Sierra Club will hold its first
large-scale convention. It will bring 3,000 members and activists from all over the country together with top-
notch keynote speakers and entertainers. Robert Kennedy, Bill Maher and Arianna Huffington lead the list. Also
included are Ric Burns of PBS specials fame (Civil War, Baseball, etc.) and William McDongough, winner of
Hero of the Planet award for environmentally sustainable architecture.
There will be 60+ educational workshop sessions, grouped around Environmental Expression Through Art Living
Well, Natural Heritage, Outdoor Adventure, Working Smart, Visionary Solutions, and Youth. An exhibition hall
will be filled with hundreds of the latest outdoor adventure and “green” ideas, products and technologies. It will
be an opportunity to showcase the Sierra Club’s work. It will be a time to celebrate accomplishments that show us
just how much we can do together and give us an opportunity to talk together about the Club and its future
direction.
In order to qualify for the established registration fees, all forms must be received by 12:00 midnight EST on the
following dates:
Member Early bird (May 31) $260 * Regular (August 8) $335 * Late $385 * One day only $140
Desert Committee Hikes for May and June include the following: Alabama Hills, Manzanar and Lone Pine
Lake, Cottonwood Creek (White Mts) Telescope Peak, Death Valley. For further info contact Craig Deutsche
2231 Kelton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90064, (310.477.6670), e-mail from <deutsche@earthlink.net>.
If you live in Kings or Tulare County, California, please e-mail harold.wood@sierraclub.org to request being
placed on their monthly e-mail notification list for upcoming events.
THE ROADRUNNER 5
REMINISCENCES OF THE KERN/KAWEAH CHAPTER
Sequoias, wilderness, logging, land use just some of issues faced by Chapter
Recently some of us old timers were asked by the Chapter executive committee to go through the Kern/ Kaweah
Chapter records and prepare them for archiving at the Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley.
That is the repository for most Sierra Club records where they are available to anyone wanting to research the
history of the Club and our environmental campaigns. It was a nostalgic trip into the past and reminded me of so
much work by so many people since the Chapter was established in the 1950s.
We found a Sierra Club membership application from the early 60s that required the signature of two Club
members before the applicant could be admitted. Bob Fisher and Lanny Graff signed my application.
Over the years we have always had social occasions such as dinners and outings. All of us in the photos from
those early days are either gray headed or have passed on. Even though we only had about 200 members in the
beginning, outings and dinners were well attended.
Does anyone remember the outing to the Mother Lode led by Lanny Graff? How about the dinners we had in
eastern Kern County at Johannesburg and Inyo-Kern? We had a rock climbing section with active climbers
including Roger Burcher, Bob Thomas, Willis Dallons, and Jim Clark. Jim lives in Porterville at 98 years young
and still attends Chapter functions. We no longer include rock climbing among our outings due to insurance
problems.
The issues never go away, but we have made progress. Wilderness and public land issues have always been a
priority. Our first major victories came in the banner year of 1978. Mineral King was added to Sequoia National
Park permanently blocking a year-round destination resort promoted by the Walt Disney Corporation. The over
300,000-acre Golden Trout Wilderness in the southern Sierra Nevada was added to the National Wilderness
Preservation System. A campaign that included local farmers and the Sierra Club successfully prevented the
construction of a nuclear power plant west of Wasco proposed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power. An advisory vote by the people of Kern County overwhelmingly rejected the project. Portions of the Kern
River have been added to the Wild Rivers System and subsequent legislation added hundreds of thousand more
acres to the Wilderness System in our Chapter area. Off-road vehicle users have always been and still remain
some of our main opponents. Remember their opposition to the creation of Red Rock Canyon State Park? We
won.
Our former Chapter historian Ruth Allen, unfortunately no longer with us, clipped articles from newspapers and
kept records of our correspondence and minutes of our Executive Committee meetings for many years. Those old
clippings with the ranting and railing of our opponents revived the stress and the euphoria of winning nearly every
campaign. Thanks to her, our records up to the mid 1990s are very complete. We badly need a historian to carry
on the tradition established by Ruth Allen. Are there any librarians or newspaper clippers out there who want to
help? If so, contact Lorraine Unger our current chair. Joe Fontaine

EXHIBIT OF WORKS OF AUDUBON OF THE WEST: ANDREW JACKSON GRAYSON TO BE

FEATURED AT KERN COUNTY MUSEUM
Official Opening: May 7th from 10 AM to 1 PM.
The works of Andrew Jackson Grayson, known as the Audubon of the West, will be on exhibit at the Kern
County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave, Bakersfield, CA from April 20 to June 20, 2005.
This lovely exhibit explores western bird life through the works of Andrew Jackson Grayson. At the time of
his death in 1869 he was the most accomplished bird painter in North America. Called “Audubon of the West,”
Grayson was also a Gold Rush entrepreneur, an explorer and an artist whose formidable body of work has only
recently been brought to the public’s attention. Grayson’s life work after 1853 was to travel into the western
wilderness to paint all the birds in the wild missing from Audubon’s Birds of America. Unlike Audubon, he
preferred to paint from living birds to capture their natural behavior and habitat. He supplied the Smithsonian with
2,000 bird specimens and images during those years.
The Kern County Museum’s official opening activities for this exhibit on Saturday, May 7th from 10:00 AM
to 1:00 PM will be a fun-filled day for families, teaching them about birding using the works of Grayson. The
Kern County Museum’s hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Sundays 12:00
PM to 5:00 PM.
6 THE ROADRUNNER

MIDGEBUZZINGS
A recent letter to the editor of a major newspaper ended with two provocative sentences: “America has grown
strange and ugly. We mustn’t stop talking about it.’ We are all aware of reasons for the first premise, though we
may see them from different perspectives. But I wonder how much thought we are giving to the second.
It was the call for dialogue that captured my attention. To be sure, there is no doubt that we are talking. Never has
there been so much chatter among like-minded people. On-line e-mail services fairly hum night and day. Talk
radio and listener call-ins fill the airwaves, and our ears, with gratuitous opinions. Somehow, though, we find
fewer and fewer conversations characterized by thoughtful respect and attention.
Is this dialogue? Or is it merely the constant iteration and verification of our own opinions and feelings, as if we
were talking only to ourselves? Was this what the writer meant when he said that we must not stop talking? Since
he was not clear about that, I cannot say. But I can tell you what thoughts this sentence evoked in me, and hope
for understanding.
It was the prophet Isaiah who said: “Come now and let us reason together.” What beautiful words these are, and
what an invitation! Who with a heart for his brother or sister could resist it? It is true that the mere desire for
reason will not necessarily result in its realization. Efforts to communicate sympathetically can be cut short by the
unwillingness of another to participate. Sometimes disappointments are acute; for example, when we discover, in
some petty betrayal or evasiveness of behavior, that a person whom we have always held in high esteem suffers
from a poverty of character or spirit which we could never otherwise have imagined. But I believe that a greater
rule of conduct is more likely when reasonable people bring their beliefs and feelings into genuine dialogue. This
is what we mean by community, and this, I think, is what the writer of the letter meant to say.
Regarding our experiences of disappointment in others’ responses, can we not find in them motivation for the
examination of our own words and behaviors? Our yearning for common ground does not necessarily mean that
we always welcome it. Honest self-examination can lead to valuable insights into our own failings, as well as to
an appreciation of our potential for sympathy. But for any enlargement of spirit to be achieved, it must happen in
community. All human institutions originate and find their fulfillment in numbers. Even contemplatives must
interact with others.
Our community is growing with shocking speed, and the resulting changes are not always for the better. Many of
our old assumptions and comforts are falling away. As the population increases, and as values change, where will
we stand in security?
I can think of no better answer than this: that we must take Isaiah’s words seriously, and we must not stop talking
about them. Ann Williams

ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION ACTIONS THAT MAY NEED OUR ATTENTION SOON.

NEPA—NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT UNDER ATTACK.
Hearing scheduled to be in Bakersfield. No date yet.
Richard Pombo, head of the House’s Natural Resources Committee, and his compatriots are unveiling their plan
to gut the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), one of America’s bedrock environmental laws. Already
one is hearing those ever contstant business words, “balanced,”“streamlined,” “reasonable.” and “modernize,” to
justify changes, but the real reason is easy to detect: disallow public participation in the management conduct of
our public properties in regards to forests, oil, recreation, water, air and more.
$$$ The case for these changes will be presented in the framework of $$$. The point of pressure will be
“expenses for public input are hurting business” and the whole economy, and thus crippling the “common
man.”Not a word will be said about public input and pressure saving the government many $$$$ that will
certainly have to be spent for restoration of damaged properties that will result from basically unrestricted
business practices. Little need to say that business interests are supporting these efforts with all the energy they
can.
THE ROADRUNNER 7

The following are legislative items that are being supported by Sierra Club California. Please read
carefully, as you may well be called on to write letters of support.
Schwarzenegger Appears To Use Housing Shortage In Attempt To Curb CEQA Requirements.
Housing is in short supply. Developers say meeting CEQA requirements is hindering their supplying demand.
Proposals are not clear-cut but in his State of the State speech, the governor promised a plan that “eliminates
regulatory and legal hurdles that delay construction and increase the costs of new housing.” Thus it seems that the
CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act )will become the scapegoat for all the present housing concerns.
CEQA requres that if a project is likely to have a real impact on the environment, an adequate review of the
potential effects and cumulative impacts of that development must be made, usually in an Environmental Impact
Report. A present potential proposal of modification suggests that if a development is allowed under local
governmental restrictions of zoning and construction, the project should be allowed to go ahead.
Local rules and regulations are usually too loose and vague, especially in terms of overall environmental
protections and cumulative impacts. Environmentalists are open to minor tinkering, such as making it easier to
build on infill lots, but oppose any “gutting” of the act. It is not just about how many units, but where you build
the needed new housing units and what choices the buyer is given. Environmentalists contend that proposed
changes would encourage sprawl and largely shut the public out of the process.
Reducing Petroleum Use and Air Pollution: SB 757 (Kehoe), the Petroleum Demand Reduction Act, would
declare that it is the policy of the state that state agencies should take all cost effective and technologically
feasible actions needed to achieve a net zero increase in on-road petroleum consumption by 2010, and a
significant reduction in petroleum demand and oil consumption by 2020. The act would further declare that state
agencies should take the state’s petroleum reduction goals into account in adopting rules and regulations. (During
his campaign, Gov. Schwarzenegger promised to “Restore Independence From Foreign Oil.”) SB 757 would also
require a cleanup of the petroleum industry, making it much less destructive to community health, worker safety
and environmental justice.
Water Resource Planning: SB 820 by Senator Kuehl would strengthen the state’s water conservation policy and
increase the amount of information available about the state’s water resources. It would reduce the uncertainty
about the use and abundance of the state’s water and increase the integrity and integration of water resources
planning and management. For the first time, under SB 820, groundwater users would be required to annually
report their use of groundwater. The bill would also require the State Water Resources Control Board to establish
and publish a list of fully appropriated stream systems.
Phasing Out Toxic Products: Some toxins are so poisonous that they should be banned from consumer products,
particularly when safe substitutes are available. AB 1415 (Pavley) would accomplish that goal in two areas:
removing mercury from switches, relays and measuring devices, and setting a safe standard for lead in jewelry.
Coastal Protection: Our members are placing a high priority on identifying a source of adequate and secure
funding for the state’s coastal management program. In particular, the California Coastal Commission has had a
bare-bones budget since the days when Governor Duekmejian singled it out for elimination. The coastal program
needs to be protected and grown in order to face the pressures for developing the coast and offshore areas.
Californians demand a strong coastal program, and Governor Schwarzenegger campaigned on having a strong
Coastal Commission.
Addresses, telephone numbers of persons, agencies that may need to be contacted.
State: Check Government Officials page of Bakersfield telephone book, pg 13. (pages lined in blue) California
Capitol Switchboard: 916.322.9900
Federal Pres. George W Bush: president@whitehouse.gov *VP Dick Cheney: vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500 *US Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121
Senators Barbara Boxer 112 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington DC 20510 202. 224.3553 *559.497.5109
Diane Feinstein 331 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington DC 20510 202.224.3841*415.393.0707
Rep Bill Thomas 2208 Rayburn HOB,Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202.225.2915 *661.327.3611
8 THE ROADRUNNER

The Roadrunner
Kern Kaweah Chapter
Sierra Club
Send to: P.O. Box 3357
Bakersfield, CA 93385
Return service requested

Roadrunner Contact: Mary Ann Lockhart, Editor

jmal@frazmtn.com 661.242.0432

Yes, I want to join the Sierra Club. Check enclosed.

Name

City State Zip

Check 1:
Intro $25 Sing $39 Joint $47
Senior: (sing) $24 (joint) $32
Send to Sierra Club, PO 52968, Boulder, CO 80322
F94Q W 6000-1

Bakersfield’s BUENA VISTA GROUP HIGHLIGHTS (Call Glenn 661.832.3382 for further info.)
May 7 (sat) Trails on Hart Park Bluffs. 8:30 AM. Join the Buena Vista Group at the Jungle Cafe (Truxtun) for
breakfast and a visit with Michelle Beck, who will bring everyone up-to-date on this topic. A good time to meet
new friends and old.
May 28 (sat) Highway Cleanup. 9 AM, done by 11 AM. Our group has the privilege of maintaining the
cleanliness of Hwy. 119 (Taft Hwy) coming east from Buena Vista Road to Gosford road, a distance of about 2
miles. Meet at the midpoint at Old River Road in the parking lot of the Monte Carlo Club. Come and bring your
kids older than 16 only (Hwy danger considerations). Bring water, a sun hat, gloves, sunscreen. We will then head
for Rite-Aide on Panama Lane for ice cream.
June 4 (sat) Join us at the Jungle Cafe (Truxtun) 8:30 AM. Speaker to be announced.
June 25 (sat) Highway Cleanup (see above).

Volunteers are needed to work at the Bakersfield Street Fair, May 19, June 16 to publicize Buena Vista Gp.
Kern Kaweah Ex Com and Group Chairs
(Usually meets at the Beale Library, Bakersfield, once a month: call the Chair for specific information.)
Lorraine Unger, Chair, 661.323.5569; Harry Love, Vice-chair; Ara Maderosian, Secretary. Marisa Albridge,
Ches Arthur, Richard Garcia, Mary Ann Lockhart, Gordon Nipp, Arthur Unger. (Janet Wood, Treas.)
Buena Vista Group: Glen Shellcross, 661.832.3382 Condor Group: Chester Arthur, 661.242.0423 Kaweah
Group: Pam Clark, 559.784.4643 Mineral KingGroup: Harold Wood, 559.739.8527 e-mail harold.wood@
sierraclub.org. Owens Peak Group: Dennis Burge, Chair, 760.375.7967