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Protest at Sierra Club
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Date:
Monday, June 13, 2016
Time:
12:00 PM
-
1:00 PM
Event Type:
Protest
Organizer/Author:
Forest Action Brigade
Email:
Location Details:
2100 Franklin St, downtown Oakland, very near 19th St BART
Believe it or not, the Sierra Club has sued to demand deforestation of the East Bay Hills, followed by the use of pesticides! East Bay Regional Park District, UC Berkeley, and the City of Oakland will use FEMA dollars to raze hundreds of thousands of healthy trees in a plan to convert public lands to hot, dry “grasslands with islands of shrubs.” Driven by the Sierra Club, this project will WORSEN CLIMATE CHANGE by releasing vast amounts of carbon. It will also SHATTER A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM, destroying precious habitat for millions of creatures. Finally, according to fire experts and the US Forest Service, it will WORSEN FIRE DANGER:
• By eliminating shade and fog drip provided by living trees, which retain moisture and serve as natural fire retardants;
• By destroying windbreaks that provide barriers to wind-driven fires typical of California wildfires;
• By replacing trees with highly flammable grass on unshaded ground. Most California wildfires start in grass.
After cutting the trees, they will apply thousands of gallons of toxic pesticides, Including Monsanto’s RoundUp and Dow’s Garlon. The World Health Organization has classified RoundUp as a probable human carcinogen.
Over 1,800 members of the local Sierra Club Chapter have signed a petition in opposition to the Sierra Club’s support for this project. The Club’s by-laws now obligate the Club to conduct an official vote of the membership on this issue. The Club must change its policy if the membership votes against it.
• By eliminating shade and fog drip provided by living trees, which retain moisture and serve as natural fire retardants;
• By destroying windbreaks that provide barriers to wind-driven fires typical of California wildfires;
• By replacing trees with highly flammable grass on unshaded ground. Most California wildfires start in grass.
After cutting the trees, they will apply thousands of gallons of toxic pesticides, Including Monsanto’s RoundUp and Dow’s Garlon. The World Health Organization has classified RoundUp as a probable human carcinogen.
Over 1,800 members of the local Sierra Club Chapter have signed a petition in opposition to the Sierra Club’s support for this project. The Club’s by-laws now obligate the Club to conduct an official vote of the membership on this issue. The Club must change its policy if the membership votes against it.
Added to the calendar on Sat, May 28, 2016 5:29PM
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John Muir is rolling in his grave at what sierra club has become.
Eucalyptus trees have become a lightning rod in the dispute.
The Sierra Club threw itself into the fray by filing a lawsuit in May challenging the current FEMA plan that calls for thinning eucalyptus tree groves in some areas.
Sierra Club spokeswoman Virginia Reinhart said the organization advocates removal of eucalyptus trees in targeted areas where the trees are adjacent to homes and other urban areas.
She strongly disputed protesters' claims that the Sierra Club advocates clear cutting and herbicide use. Many thousands of non-native trees would remain, she said.
Thinning eucalyptus groves is misguided, and does not allow native plants to get reestablished, the best method for restoring ecosystems and removing fire dangers, Reinhart said.
"The preferred strategy for vegetation management in the East Bay hills entails removing the most flammable, ember-generating species like eucalyptus in phases -- and only in select areas considered most at risk for fire along the urban-wild interface," Myers said in a statement from the chapter. "Once the flammable non-natives are removed, less flammable native species can reclaim those areas and provide for a rebound of biodiversity."
The Sierra Club threw itself into the fray by filing a lawsuit in May challenging the current FEMA plan that calls for thinning eucalyptus tree groves in some areas.
Sierra Club spokeswoman Virginia Reinhart said the organization advocates removal of eucalyptus trees in targeted areas where the trees are adjacent to homes and other urban areas.
She strongly disputed protesters' claims that the Sierra Club advocates clear cutting and herbicide use. Many thousands of non-native trees would remain, she said.
Thinning eucalyptus groves is misguided, and does not allow native plants to get reestablished, the best method for restoring ecosystems and removing fire dangers, Reinhart said.
"The preferred strategy for vegetation management in the East Bay hills entails removing the most flammable, ember-generating species like eucalyptus in phases -- and only in select areas considered most at risk for fire along the urban-wild interface," Myers said in a statement from the chapter. "Once the flammable non-natives are removed, less flammable native species can reclaim those areas and provide for a rebound of biodiversity."
For more information:
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/article/ZZ/20...
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