"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

~John Muir, Naturalist, Preservationist and Founder of the Sierra Club

TCEC members receive the Eco-Logic Newsletter, which is published monthly except for July/August and November/December issues. Each issue is full of local environmental news, events and activities, and ways you can get involved in environmental issues. Review a sample (past) issue.

Online, we feature the Closer Look column, written for our newsletter by TCEC Board of Directors Chairperson, Donna Olsen.

Closer Look
July 2010

Patterson Ranch Project RDEIR Available

What is a RDEIR? Well, it’s a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that is being re-circulated due to changes in the information provided in the first DEIR. Last December, about 40 people responded to a DEIR on the Patterson Ranch Plan. Almost immediately, this report became obsolete because of major changes to the plan.

If you are interested in reviewing and commenting on the revised plan, go to http://www.fremont.gov/ceqa. Your comments are due Monday, August 2 at 4pm.

Newark Moves Ahead with Controversial Housing Plan

On June 30, the Newark City Council voted unanimously to approve the final EIR and sign off on an development agreement for the construction of 1200 houses in Areas 3 and 4 in western portion of Newark. The approximately 650-acre site contains wetlands that will require several federal permits. In addition, 2.1 million cubic feet of fill will be needed to keep the area from flooding. A golf course as part of the plan has become an optional component.

Opponents to the plan are discussing their options, including a referendum..

350.org Project Needs a TCEC Leader

The 350.org movement is gaining momentum worldwide. TCEC would like to be part of it. But we need someone (or a group) who will guide us through the project until 10/10/10 which is the international culmination of the project. Can you help? Call Donna at 797-2755. Details below…

What is 350.org? 350.org is an international grassroots campaign that aims to mobilize a global climate movement united by a common call to action. By spreading an understanding of the science and a shared vision for a fair policy, we will ensure that the world creates bold and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. 350.org is an independent and not-for-profit project. On 10/10/10 it will show that we the people can do this--but we need bold energy policies from our political leaders to do it on a scale that truly matters. The goal of the day is not to solve the climate crisis one project at a time, but to send a pointed political message: if we can get to work, you can get to work too--on the legislation and the treaties that will make all our work easier in the long run. The group is headed by Bill McKibben.

What is 350? 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Scientists measure carbon dioxide in "parts per million" (ppm), so 350ppm is the number humanity needs to get below as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change. To get there, we need a different kind of PPM-a "people powered movement" that is made of people like you in every corner of the planet. Source: 350.org

Another Student Receives TCEC Eco-Grant

Congratulations to Shyam Patel. Shyam received funding for his Eagle Scout Beautification Project next to Mission San Jose de Guadalupe in Fremont. His presentation to the Board was well organized and compelling. What a wonderful experience for him and the Board. Visit our website (tricityecology.org) for the updated Eco-Grant form. If you need funding for an environmental project, please contact us!

Beyond Catalogs, More Choice
of unsolicited mail per year. There is lots of mail that goes straight from the mailbox to the garbage can or the recycling bin. The time has come to stop more of your unwanted mail.

Based on member suggestions, we are adding thousands of new titles covering categories such as phonebooks, pre-approved credit card offers, coupons, letter size direct mail and other unsolicited marketing offers. Opt-out of unwanted mail to do your part to reduce waste and clutter today. Contact: www.CatalogChoice.org.

Costco Continues to Sell Unsustainable Fish

Millions of Americans are looking forward to backyard BBQs and picnics this summer. As people flock to super-markets and shopping centers to stock up, those ending up at Costco Wholesale might be surprised at what they find…… In the Costco warehouse, you'll find freezers and coolers full of unsustainable fish. Greenpeace surveys found that Costco continues to sell fifteen of the twenty-two red list seafood items.

Costco is the largest wholesale club operator in North America. While Costco continues to grow bigger and bigger, so does its footprint on the environment. Did you know that Costco is destroying our oceans through its harmful seafood purchasing practices? It's time to shine a spotlight on Costco and expose the truth behind their destructive seafood policies. Costco can be a leader in ocean conservation, not a contributor to ocean destruction. Greenpeace is urging Costco to implement a sustainable seafood policy, to offer transparency in its seafood labeling, and to stop selling red list seafood starting immediately with orange roughy and Chilean sea bass. For more information, visit www.greenpeace.org.

Schwarzenegger Seeks to Take Water Bond off Ballot

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 29 urged lawmakers to pull an $11.1 billion water bond off the November ballot, saying the timing is poor and he wants to delay it until 2012. In reality, many feel there is very little support for the measure. Some groups are now encouraging state legislators to drop the measure altogether. TCEC had not taken a position on the Water Bond, but had many concerns about it.

Thanks for Responding to Strawberry Alert

June 29 marked a historic moment in California history. More Californians than ever before weighed in on a Department of Pesticide Regulation pesticide proposal. And the majority of the more than 50,000 comments spoke to the need for: scientific integrity, an end to prioritizing corporate profit over public health, and a healthy and safe food system for all. In other words, NO methyl iodide.

Thank you so much for taking time to take action. PAN activists - together with people and groups from up and down California - all weighed in. PAN presented signatures en masse to the Governor's office, together with partners from CREDO and Californians for Pesticide Reform. This week, PAN presented scientific and technical comments on the state's proposal. They partnered with communities that live right next to where the chemical will be used, who submitted their own statements of anger and deep concern. Newspapers around the state are following the issue. You made this happen. While the state's public comment period is over, this is just the beginning. The decision could take months, and the EPA still needs convincing. Source: Pesticide Action Network (PAN)

High School Environmental Coalition Forms

FIERCE (Fremontians Enabling Real Change in the Environment) is a coalition of all five high schools in Fremont. It is an organization for students to work together on environmental projects and discuss any issues regarding the environment.

One of our recent projects is an intra-district garden located at American High School. We aim to have it converted into a large garden by early fall. Upon completion, the garden will have areas for vegetable and fruit cultivation, a native plant section, and a plant nursery (which would focus on natives as well). Since the garden is in a very conspicuous location in front of the school, we hope that, once it is completed, it will serve as a constant reminder to students and adults alike of what sustainable agriculture can accomplish. As we work to finish the garden, it will teach the students involved a good deal about gardening sustainability and efficiency; at the same time, it will bring unify students from different schools to work towards a common goal. We plan to work on the garden several days a week throughout the summer. Source: FIERCE

EXXON Valdez Oil Persists in Beaches….from the Cousteau Society

Everyone remembers when the EXXON Valdez ran aground, spilling nearly 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, in 1989. The black goo washed onto beaches where a huge response effort tried to sop up the harmful chemicals. Subsequent remediation was halted in 1992 in expectation that any remaining oil would biodegrade and wash away. Not so. Field date show that oil is still trapped in the gravel beaches. Larger rocks in the top layer allowed oil to drain down to finer gravel underneath where there is little water flow from the land to flush it out and little oxygen for biodegradation. The study predicts that more decades will be needed for the oils to disappear.”

Steelhead Trout, Salmon Closer to Alameda Creek Return

Environmentalists and Alameda County Water District officials on June 23 celebrated the removal of a dam on Alameda Creek , and the installation of structures aimed at helping the fish get upstream.

Alameda Creek, the largest local watershed flowing into the Bay, once was prime habitat for steelhead trout and, to a lesser extent, salmon, both of which live in the ocean but swim up freshwater streams to spawn. But a series of barriers installed to collect water for underground aquifers and to protect the streambed as Fremont was developed have blocked the fish from heading upstream. Steelhead trout were placed on the federal threatened species list in 1997, making it illegal to catch them.

The water district has been working for nearly a decade to make the watershed once again hospitable to trout and salmon. In 2008, the district installed four fish screens along Alameda Creek just south of Mission Boulevard that keep young steelhead trout from getting pulled into drinking water pools at nearby Quarry Lakes. Last year, the water district removed a rubber dam that blocked trout farther downstream, adjacent to Quarry Lakes Regional Park. About the same time, the water district installed a fifth fish screen, across from the other four at Bunting Pond, just west of Mission Boulevard near the Niles district. The screens are made of wire mesh that allows water to flow into Quarry Lakes, but keeps out young trout.

There are two major remaining trout barriers in lower Alameda Creek. One is a 12-foot cement structure needed to prevent flooding and scouring of creek channels located adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad overpass, and the other is a dam just west of Mission Boulevard. Both structures are too important to the water supply to remove, but water officials hope to construct a series of ponds, known as fish ladders, rising in elevation around the obstacles by 2013.

At the same time, Pacific Gas &Electric is working to modify a cement barrier farther upstream in Sunol to help steelhead swim farther into the watershed, water officials said. When those projects are completed, steelhead trout will be able to migrate upstream to spawning habitats in the Sunol Valley for the first time in a half-century. "We're getting to the point where we can actually see that we're going to get some results soon, Alameda Creek Alliance Director Jeff Miller said at Wednesday's event.“All of the pieces are coming together." Source: Matt Artz (Argus) at 353-7002.

Visit Our Lemonade Booth on July 31 & Aug. 1!

On Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1, TCEC will be serving lemonade at the Festival of the Arts. We’re located at our usual location, the corner of Paseo Padre Pkwy. And Capitol. Join us for lemonade under our tent.

As in the past two years, we will use 24oz. Compostable Cups and straws. However, there is a price change….One 24oz cup will be $3 or you can buy 2 for $5. (One 24oz cup of lemonade equals 2 aluminum cans of soda.)   Another change. This year, due to the high cost of the booth rental and health certificate, we decided not buy new sports bottles.

As you know, this is TCEC’s major fundraiser. The money will be used for library book donations, eco-grants, our website, office, mailing expenses and Museum of Local History Garden maintenance and more. See You There!!