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Home April 2007 |
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Greenbelt Newswire
In this edition Volunteer of the Month: Carli Paine The April Volunteer of the Month, Carli Paine, is a Greenbelt Outings leader. After getting a degree in city planning at MIT, Carli Paine returned to her native Oakland to enjoy two of her favorite things: exploring the Bay Area’s outdoors and connecting great destinations with public transit. For over a year now, Carli has created Greenbelt Outings that do both. Carli’s outings often highlight little-known pockets of Bay Area open space in urban areas; she’ll take people on a tour of an inner-city organic farm in Richmond, or explore the Berkeley/El Cerrito Ohlone Greenway. Check out Carli’s upcoming outing, “Springtime Family Day.” Thank you, Carli, for your energy, creativity, and dedication!
Update: Victory for South Bay Farmland! Last month, we asked you to speak up to protect South Bay farmland – and now we have some good news to report! Until now, developers paving over Santa Clara County farmland have not had to pay the true costs of destroying this resource, and thousands of acres of farmland have disappeared from “the Valley of Heart’s Delight.” Greenbelt Alliance has been working hard to change that, so that all of the agricultural land in Santa Clara County is not lost to sprawl development, and developers pay their fair share. On April 4, Santa Clara’s Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) adopted policies that will help preserve some of the last prime farmland in the county. The new LAFCO policies recommend that cities require that for every acre of farmland being paved, an acre of local farmland must be preserved. Because LAFCO makes the decision about when and how cities can annex land for development, cities have a strong incentive to adopt the recommended requirements. This decision could lead to the preservation of hundreds of acres of prime farmland outside Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San Jose. This is a great victory for Greenbelt Alliance, its local partners, and everyone who appreciates the agricultural heritage of the South Bay.
Event: Forum on Coyote Valley Wildlife, May 6 Have a wild afternoon! Join us for a community forum on the wildlife of Coyote Valley, the 6,800-acre swath of open space south of San Jose that is being planned for development. Coyote Valley and the neighboring hillsides are home to many fascinating animals, including tule elk, mountain lions, badgers, and rare butterflies. The City of San Jose has just released a draft Environmental Impact Report on its plan to develop the valley. This is an important opportunity to protect Coyote Valley’s wildlife habitat and biological diversity. This event is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by: Greenbelt Alliance, Committee for Green Foothills, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Silicon Valley Land Conservancy
Action Alert: Protect Contra Costa's Hills The hills south of Pittsburg—the iconic hills of Contra Costa County—are still at risk. Last month, many concerned citizens showed up at Pittsburg’s workshop on its proposed hillside development ordinance and spoke up in favor of keeping development off the hills. Although the City was impressed by the turnout, it has not strengthened the ordinance: the ordinance is still much more about developing the hills than protecting them. Developing these hills makes no sense; new development here will put thousands of additional cars on the road, snarling traffic on already-gridlocked Highway 4. The development could be visible from much of the East Bay. It could also be dangerous; several landslides have already occurred due to inappropriate grading for development on the hills. The next three meetings on this issue will decide the fate of the hills. We need to keep the pressure on. Please come to these meetings and tell the City to do a better job of protecting its hills! All meetings are at City Hall Chambers, 65 Civic Avenue, Pittsburg:
For more information, visit the website of local citizens' group Save Our Hills.
Action Alert: Speak Up for Good Redevelopment at the Concord Naval Weapons Station The city of Concord is soliciting public opinion on its redevelopment of the Concord Naval Weapons Station in a series of upcoming workshops. Please come to the next workshop and advocate for protection of the base’s wildlife habitat, creeks, and hills, with good development around the BART station.
Find out more, sign up for updates, and RSVP for the workshop on the City's website.
Get Out and Help Out: Opportunities Galore! It’s spring! The days are longer and sunnier! Want to get out and do something about it? Join us for volunteer opportunities, especially tabling, in April and May around Earth Day and Bike to Work Week. To find out more and get involved, contact Brianna Swartz by email or at (415) 543-6771 x304. Would you rather pedal than table? You’re in luck! There’s still time to sign up to ride Go Greenbelt!, the Bay Area’s best bike tour. The ride will be June 3 – 9. Sign up today to see the region—all its back roads, rolling hills, and spectacular views—like you’ve never seen it before.
Sat Apr 21: Spectacular Sonoma - Member Outing - Full (waiting list available) Sun Apr 22: Coyote Ridge, South Bay - Member Outing Sun Apr 29: Wildflowers and Wine, South Bay June 3 - 9: Go Greenbelt! 18th Annual Bay Area Bike Tour — sign up today! Save the Date:
Sun Sept 9
Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support Greenbelt Alliance's work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make its cities
better places to live. Join or renew now, or join the Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club.
Thank you for reading! To subscribe to the Greenbelt Alliance Newswire email list, enter your name and email address at www.greenbelt.org. To unsubscribe, simply send an unsubscribe request to unsubscribe@greenbelt.org. |
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