"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 2008

Will the City Take on Earth Day?

For the past three years, the Earth Day Family Fair has been cosponsored by the ecology center and the City of Fremont. While the city provided the venue (Teen Center), banner and some publicity, TCEC supplied the manpower. Adrienne Stephens and I worked from January to mid-April putting together a winning event. Even with help from other volunteers, the required amount of work and ultimate responsibility fell on us.

Now, we feel it is time for the City of Fremont to resume the responsibility of organizing the event. On June 9, Adrienne and I met with the Environmental Services Departments’ Kathy Cote, Ken Pianin and Chanel Patterson. We gently announced that we could not continue as volunteer coordinators, and the time had come for the city to take over. We were pleased when department head Kathy Cote said, “We’re not pulling the plug.” Since the meeting, Chanel has asked for a time-line, which we sent to them. We also made it clear that we would provide the city with all our materials, information, lists and vendors. In addition, we will provide volunteers to help on that specific day (probably April 25) and make a donation of $1000 to help fund the event.

In three years, the ecology center returned the Earth Day Family Fair to the standing it had achieved when it was cancelled in 2002. Exhibitors again numbered 35, and crowds returned in force. Music, good food, a raffle, the Passport Game, poster contest, and crafts were all back. In the days following the event, the feedback was more than positive…it was ecstatic. It is crucial that the public learn about the environment, its problems and solutions. To be able to do this while having a good time is a significant achievement.

Finally, the City of Fremont’s Green Task Force, which has been meeting for the past few months, will include Earth Day as part of its educational component. If you would like encourage the city to continue Earth Day Family Fair, Adrienne and I recommend that you e-mail Kathy Cote at kcote@ci.Fremont.ca.us. Or write a letter to the Fremont Mayor and City Council at PO Box 5006, Fremont CA 94537.

Bayside Marketplace to Reflect Fremont’s History

Background: The 150-acre King & Lyons site is located on the west side of I880, north of Dixon Landing Road. One hundred acres of wetlands will be donated to the Wildlife Refuge in the near future. The remaining 50-acres will be a commercial center, currently named Bayside Marketplace. The name will likely change to reflect the history of the area.

The designers of the project want to reflect the topography of Fremont, its five original townships and Dixon Landing

in its design. As you know, Dixon Landing was a former commercial center connecting Washington Township to surrounding areas via the Bay, starting in the Gold Rush Days. Design elements for the center will endeavor to echo the rich history of Fremont. This is an exciting idea with lots of possibilities. I have referred consultant John Zentner to the Museum of Local History and to Phil Holmes. Ideas? Let me know.

Patterson Ranch Community Park Reviewed

Last Month, TCEC board members met with Fremont city staff members Scott Ruhland (Planning), Annabell Holland (Parks & Recreation) and Roger Ravenstad (City Landscape Architect). The point of discussion was the Community Park in the proposed Patterson Ranch Plan. After a park plan overview, three areas of concern were discussed at some length.

First to be discussed was the odd, narrow configuration of open space next to the community park near Alameda Creek. It was generally agreed that this could be changed to act as a better buffer for the Patterson Slough and as more viable wildlife habitat.

A more controversial item was sports lighting. Two soccer and four cricket fields are planned for the park; they call for nighttime lights. We are assured that lights have been developed that are targeted on the field and will not disturb wildlife (and nearby residents). This is an issue that we will follow closely.

Finally, the topic of artificial turf was discussed in detail. The League of California Cities is touting Synthetic Turf as “green” and more cost effective than lawn. There is little doubt that the latter is true, but greener is still questionable. The new version of artificial turf uses a soybean-based replacement for petroleum-based components, and recycled plastic bottles or tires are used for turf-backing. Still, the question of lead in artificial turf has arisen recently, thanks to the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and the Center of Disease Control (CDC). Presently, we are searching for complete and clarifying information.

Rwanda Has Banned Plastic Bags…So Has Bangladesh…Why Won’t We?

Please view an amazing, thought-provoking power-point production on our website www.tricityecology.org. Go to the home page and look for a link accompanied by a photo of a non-plastic shopping bag.

The United States is far behind many nations in recognizing the plastic bag for the menace it is. Are we in a state of denial? Lazy? One of the beginning slides of this “show” states, “Plastic bags photo-degrade over time. They break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers. What could be clearer?

The presentation is put together by the City of Fremantle, Australia. The Sources are National Geographic Society, World Wildlife Fund and the BBC. Please pass this along to your friends and relatives. And don’t forget to take your cloth bag on your next shopping trip.

Urban Moth Spraying Cancelled

On June 19, the State of California announced that it will abandon aerial spraying over urban areas in its program to eradicate the light brown apple moth (LBAM). In its place, a program of sterile moth release will be launched in early 2009. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and many other individuals and groups have been urging the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to replace unnecessary spraying with ecologically-sound and safer ground-level bio-control programs.

A Victory for the Everglades

June 24, 2008: In a historic deal, U.S. Sugar, the nation's largest producer of cane sugar, said it was leaving the Everglades and selling its nearly 300 square miles (187,000 acres) of land to the state of Florida for Everglades restoration. According to Florida Governor Charlie Crist, U.S. Sugar agreed to begin negotiations to sell the land seven months ago, after it became clear that the state would require the clean-up of dirty farm runoff before it was back-pumped into Lake Okeechobee. Back- pumping is a violation of the Clean Water Act. Restoring the natural water flow between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades means a future for this unique landscape and many endangered species -- from sea turtles to manatees to crocodiles.

Learn more: http://www.earthjustice.org/our_work/victory/a-historic-victory-for-everglades-restoration.html

Source: Earthjustice, 426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612-2820, 510.550.6700

 

Phone 510-793-6222   email: tcec@tricityecology.com

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