Vidaver described the structure and method of operation of the Sierra Club. The Redwood Chapter is one of thirteen Sierra Club chapters in California and is divided into five groups - of which the Mendocino-Lake group is one. The Sierra Club considers itself a "grass-roots" organization with program emphasis and policy flowing from local groups. The Redwood Chapter is governed by an executive committee on which the five groups are represented. Chapter headquarters and staff are in Santa Rosa.
Vidaver also summarized major Sierra Club forest goals for the forthcoming year. They include:
* Passage of Dan Hamburg's Headwaters Forest Act.
* Changing the composition of the State Board of Forestry so that environmental interests are represented.
* Opposing destructive legislation including attempts to dismantle the Forest Practices Act and the California Environmental Quality Act.
Persons attending the meeting described their areas of interest and those environmental issues requiring special attention in 1994. Representatives from Lake County emphasized the need to oppose inappropriate development on Clear Lake, to preserve water quality and protect vulnerable areas of Mendocino National Forest. Mendocino County members focused on forest issues, land-use, air-quality, and watershed concerns. Both Lake and Mendocino members emphasized the need for the development of programs providing greater public access to forest lands and riparian areas.
Of major interest was the question of the re-introduction of the Mendocino County Forest Advisory Committee rules before the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. Hannah Burkhardt and Judi Vidaver argued persuasively in their favor. A week later, on January 15th, the Executive Committee of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club, meeting at the Willits Environmental Center, endorsed the rules and recommended their adoption. Subsequently, the Northern Regional Conservation Council of the Sierra Club also voted to support the adoption of the rules.
The emergence of an articulate and effective presence by the Sierra Club in the inland region could well serve environmental causes. There are pressing issues relating to land-use, forestry, commercial development and recreation in which the Sierra Club has a long-standing interest. If those interests are to be represented it will require active involvement by Sierra Club members in the inland area. Burkhardt encouraged Sierra Club members to attend the next committee meeting: Saturday, April 2, 1994, 10:00 AM at the Willits Environmental Center, 316 S. Main, Willits.
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTSierra Club Inland Conservation Committee
On Saturday, April 2, 1994, there will be a meeting of The Sierra Club, Mendocino-Lake Group Inland Conservation Committee. The meeting will at 10:00 AM at the Willits Environmental Center, 316 S. Main, Willits. Hannah Burkhardt, Inland Conservation Committee Chair, will conduct the meeting. Primary focus of the meeting will be the forthcoming public hearing, on April 7, 1994, before the Mendocino Board of Supervisors, concerning the Forest Advisory Committee rules.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1998
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