Free Republic

IF YOU LOOK at projections for the Pacific Northwest, through the 21st century, a population equivalent to 15 Seattles will move into this "livable" corner of the planet. "We have one last chance to get this right," says Gene Duvernoy, president of the Cascade Land Conservancy. What is "right?" The answer -- strike a balance that preserves what makes us "livable." According to a recent Pew Research poll, spaces and cities of the West exert a powerful draw on Americans. Denver, Seattle and San Diego topped the list of where folks would like to move. So as not to wreck...

Steps to prevent catastrophic wildfires in the Lake Tahoe basin, one of the country's most treasured natural wonders, have been hampered for years by bureaucratic infighting among agencies that often work at cross purposes, according to thousands of pages of documents reviewed by The Associated Press. The failure of the agencies to adequately protect the basin was brought to light last June when the Angora Fire ripped through a thickly forested ravine and destroyed 254 homes near South Lake Tahoe. Since then, blame has fallen on the overlapping agencies that have environmental and regulatory oversight of the Tahoe basin. A...

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy approved a controversial plan this week to further open the rugged hills of Malibu for camping, hiking and other activities, heightening a battle with canyon residents and city leaders over public access. Malibu city leaders and other opponents have harshly criticized the access plan, contending that greater use of hillsides and canyons would result in more traffic, heightened fire risk and damage to wildlife habitat. City officials also say the conservancy, which plans to present its proposal to the California Coastal Commission, is trying to circumvent local land-use laws. Proponents have accused residents of seeking...

37,000 Acres of Irvine Ranch Land Receives Prestigious ‘National Natural Landmark’ Designation from U.S. Department of Interior • ‘The Irvine Ranch National Natural Landmark’ joins Mount Shasta, Anza Borrego, Hawaii’s Diamond Head and other beloved national landmarks • Honor recognizes designated land as “a nationally significant natural area” • First site in California to receive NNL designation since 1987 • Land is “a shining example of our nation’s natural treasures,” says National Park Service Director Fran Mainella • Governor Schwarzenegger notes, “Today’s event celebrates another area of our state that can be enjoyed for generations.” NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Standing on...

Millions of dollars from voter-approved bonds meant for parks, water and wildlife have been vulnerable to waste and misuse because of faulty controls at state agencies, according to a series of recent audits. While agencies say the problems account for only a small fraction of the $10 billion from four environmental bonds voters passed between 2000 and 2002, state Department of Finance auditors have flagged questionable spending on public relations, lobbying and even yoga classes, documents show.In addition, some groups that received grants from the bond funds failed to properly document expenses, claimed unallowable costs and went over budget because...

The Bureau of "Nature Conservancy" How this non-governmental entity governs... Article, with links to related material, posted May 26, 2006 at Trumpet America JOYCE MORRISON * The Bureau of "Nature Conservancy" It would almost appear The Nature Conservancy has been given bureau status with the United States government. They don't need appropriations to run their bureau as they are funded from grants given to them by their close partnerships, Memorandums of Understanding, agreements, and other connections to government agencies - as well as public donations. One of TNC's most recent actions as a bureau has been the signing of an...

In an unusual campaign to hedge their political bets, a coalition of 11 leading environmental groups has quietly drafted a ballot measure asking California voters next year to approve the largest parks and water bond in state history. The proposed measure, now awaiting a title and summary from California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, would raise $5.4 billion to shore up aging levees in San Francisco Bay's delta, build new drinking water treatment plants, fund flood control, restore salmon runs and purchase new parklands from Monterey Bay to Lake Tahoe to inner-city Los Angeles. --snip-- ``We're hopeful the governor and the...

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ruled that the Los Angeles Unified School District can proceed with its plans to demolish most of the historic Ambassador Hotel and build a $318-million campus, attorneys said Monday. The Los Angeles Conservancy and a coalition of local organizations had filed suit after the school board voted in October to build a facility for 4,200 kindergarten through high school students on the 24-acre property where movie stars, politicians and royalty once mingled and where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The suit contended that the district had failed to comply...

Gilroy - City leaders said Friday that Gilroy will not join the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, but vowed to explore other options to preserve open space and farmland in and around the city. Officials gathered at a City Council policy retreat said the deciding factor was the cost of polling and underwriting the special election required to join the authority, which levies a parcel tax to buy property and conservation easements. “If you’re looking for some enthusiasm on this I’m not going to be able to do it because of the cost of putting it on the ballot,”...

The Internal Revenue Service has established a team dedicated to tracking down abusive tax breaks claimed through conservation easements. The team is searching for patterns of abuse and for individuals who promote tax schemes related to land conservation, according to Steven T. Miller, the IRS commissioner for tax-exempt entities. "We are going to shine a searchlight in their direction, and will use all civil and criminal tools at our disposal to combat abuses," Miller said in written testimony presented yesterday at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. The hearing focused on a range of concerns. Many involved the Nature Conservancy, the...

Eight towns would love to land the new Sierra Nevada Conservancy headquarters, projected to eventually have 70 employees and a $10 million budget. But only two showed up at the historic first meeting of the conservancy board Thursday in Sacramento, and both were from Nevada County. Nevada City used a laid-back approach in its pitch, but Truckee came on like a runaway snowboarder. Auburn, Colfax, Placerville, Amador City, Ione and Jackson were no-shows. “Give us your serious consideration,” said Truckee Mayor Craig Threshie in a lengthy speech that trumpeted the town’s location, history and commitment to the range. “We have...

Increased solar activity causing disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field may cause whales to run aground in the North Sea, say researchers. Analysis of whales stranded between 1712 and 2003 shows that more are stranded when solar activity is high. Writing in the Journal of Sea Research, scientists propose that whales use the Earth's magnetic field to assist navigation like homing pigeons do. As the Sun disrupts the magnetic field whales can become confused, they say. Animal magnetism The Sun goes through a cycle with an average length of about 11 years, though individual cycle lengths have ranged from 8...

The Sierra Nevada, historically a majestic battleground for competing local interests, comes under the stewardship of the state's newest and biggest conservancy this week. Proponents say the 25-million-acre Sierra Nevada Conservancy will be more than a protector of the mountain environment - it will also be an incubator for jobs and economic growth. The conservancy's 13 voting board members - seven state appointees and six county supervisors - will hold their first meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday in Sacramento at the state Energy Commission building, 1516 Ninth St. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is the ninth conservancy created by the Legislature...

LOS ANGELES Soka University of America has sold its 588-acre land in the Santa Monica Mountains to the state for 35 (m) million dollars. The land is expected to become public park land consisting of nature trails. It also will house the headquarters for the Santa Monica State Recreation Area and a national park visitors' center. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will own and oversee most of the land once it's turned over to the state in three years. Under terms of the deal, the university will lease the land until current students graduate. Joseph Edmiston, conservancy executive director, says...

The Nevada City sales pitch to land up to 70 jobs and a $10 million budget with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy headquarters will be spurred today with an artistic boot. A four-color promotional booklet sent to conservancy directors and key state officials trumpets Nevada City's scenic grandeur, job base, schools and lifestyle as pieces of the perfect strategic location for the new agency. Julie Soderlund of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office said "I can't speculate" where the conservancy will eventually land, but that has not stopped a core group of Nevada City advocates from trying to acquire it. The conservancy was...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading critic of the Bush administration's environmental policies, is expected to tell Sacramento legislators today how federal changes in policies and laws could harm California. Kennedy is scheduled to speak this morning at a Legislature hearing by joint environmental committees dealing with the threat of pre-emption of state laws as well as with new air-quality and water-supply problems.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - One of the largest land conservation deals in California history became final Friday when the state and two private groups closed escrow on a $95 million agreement to preserve the nearly pristine stretch of coastal rangeland that surrounds Hearst Castle. Nearly all the 82,000-acre Hearst Ranch about 200 miles north of Los Angeles will remain undeveloped, while 13 miles of coastline that has been privately held for generations will transfer to the state for public access, according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office. "The landscape and the coastline will remain pristine," said Nita Vail, executive director of...

Los Angeles Daily News Valley Rim plan opposed U.S. may squeeze out property owners By Susan AbramStaff Writer Saturday, February 12, 2005 - The way Sunland resident John Brown sees it, once the government is allowed to circle in on his land and home, it'll do everything it can to squeeze out the kind of lifestyle he's enjoyed for decades. He's seen it before, he said, in the East Mojave Preserve where he owns a ranch, and where roads that opened in the 1800s have been closed off, and cattle fences have been eliminated. And he believes the government...

WASHINGTON - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed a North Coast wilderness bill that swiftly cleared a Senate committee Wednesday, and proponents said they hope the legislation has the momentum to be enacted into law. The legislation sponsored by California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, in the House, would designate more than 300,000 acres of federal lands as protected wilderness. "This bill protects the natural beauty that is at the heart of California's identity," Boxer said of the measure. --snip-- Last year, the legislation was approved by the Senate but died in...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Former state Senate leader John Burton has been appointed to the board of the California Tahoe Conservancy by the Senate committee he used to head. Burton, a San Francisco Democrat, spent 26 years in the Legislature, serving as Senate president pro tem from 1998 until last November, when he was forced from office by term limits. He was also a member of Congress for eight years. The conservancy, established in 1984, acquires property in the Lake Tahoe area to protect open space and wildlife habitat and to provide recreation. The appointment was announced Wednesday by the Senate...

After signing the Sierra Nevada Conservancy bill along the Bear River, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a thumbs-up to dignitaries and the media. From left are Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz; state Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman; California EPA Secretary Terry Tamminen; and Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City. The Union photo/John Hart Standing on a wide gravel bar with the Bear River flowing gently by him, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Sierra Nevada Conservancy bill Thursday to the sound of bipartisan applause. "California is where the conservation movement began, and today we are happy to continue this noble tradition," Schwarzenegger said....

Bear River Canyon, Placer County -- Framed by a crystalline stream and steep slopes carpeted with ponderosa pine and black oak, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Thursday authorizing the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a new state agency dedicated to preserving the 25 million acres of forest, meadow and craggy granite peaks that comprise John Muir's "Range of Light."

09-23) 16:56 PDT COLFAX, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger chose a woodsy mountain setting Thursday to sign legislation establishing a 25 million-acre Sierra Nevada Conservancy, while also signing nearly 20 other bills to protect the Pacific Ocean, curb smog and clean up blighted urban land. With numerous strokes of the pen, Schwarzenegger opened 1,100 miles of car pool lanes to hybrid cars, established the nation's first Cabinet-level Ocean Protection Council in state government and barred cruise ships from burning garbage and dumping sewage inside state waters. He also banned commercial fishing fleets from bottom trawling along designated parts of...

California Farm Bureau Federation vigorously opposes a measure approved by the Legislature last week that calls for the creation of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an added layer of government that could impact members in 22 counties throughout the Sierra Nevada region. "We are extremely disappointed," said Bill Pauli, California Farm Bureau Federation president. "This legislation is contrary to the governor's California Performance Review and deserves to be vetoed." For almost four years, Farm Bureau and other business groups have worked to oppose legislation that would create a Sierra Nevada Conservancy and further increase government ownership of private lands. The government...

After four years of on-and-off negotiations, state lawmakers have sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill to create a state conservancy for California's largest mountain range, and the governor is expected to sign it. The Assembly voted 62-14 Wednesday to create a Sierra Nevada Conservancy with a stated mission of protecting sensitive areas, reducing fire risks and improving tourism opportunities in 22 counties, including Placer and El Dorado. More than anything, the new conservancy would allow the Sierra's rural counties to tap millions of dollars in state bond funds that have gone largely to affluent coastal areas and urbanized Lake Tahoe....

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faces decisions on bills that would create a Sierra Nevada conservancy, require economic impact reports before local governments approve Wal-Mart-like superstores and promote recycling of cell phones. Also headed to his desk are measures that would bar kids under 14 from using tanning salons without a doctor's approval, require schools to notify parents when they serve students irradiated food and give consumers at least 30 days to claim rebates. California lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to dozens of bills as they rushed to wrap up their 2004 session by Friday. The Sierra Nevada bill,...

SACRAMENTO - The Senate on Wednesday revived an effort to require a paper trail to ensure that electronic voting machines aren't tampered with and accurately record voter preferences. Meanwhile, the Assembly approved a bill that would create a state conservancy to help protect the Sierra Nevada from overdevelopment, and the Senate passed legislation requiring economic impact reports before local governments approve Wal-Mart-like superstores. The Senate also approved a bill by Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, that would require that all touch-screen voting machines used after Jan. 1, 2006, give voters paper receipts verifying how they voted. The machines would also have...

SACRAMENTO - The Senate on Monday approved creation of a state conservancy to protect the majestic Sierra Nevada, but another environmental bill, which would ban smoking on state beaches, stalled as lawmakers began the last days of their 2004 session. The conservancy bill, by Assemblymen Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, and John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, cleared the Senate on a 21-14 vote and was returned to the Assembly, which approved a somewhat different version of the legislation in May. If the Assembly adopts the Senate changes, the legislation will go to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The beach-smoking bill, by Assemblyman Paul Koretz,...

Dear Sierra Friends, A very good Friday afternoon to you all! In case you had not heard, I wanted to make sure you knew that the Sierra Nevada Conservancy bill, AB 2600, will be heard on the Senate Floor this coming Monday, August 23. Senator Bruce McPherson (R—Santa Cruz) will be presenting AB 2600 as the bill’s official floor jockey. Below, I am including material we’ve put together on the highlights of the consensus reached by Assemblyman Leslie and Assemblyman Laird and the Schwarzenegger Administration. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by phone or e mail....

State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, said he fears water rights in the Sierra could be jeopardized by a conservancy aimed at protecting the mountain range's resources, such as the South Yuba River, shown here off of North Bloomfield Road. State Sen. Sam Aanestad on Monday attacked the idea of a Sierra Nevada Conservancy, fearing it will infringe on property and water rights. Despite Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement of the plan, the Republican legislator last week voted against a compromised version of the bill, which would create an organization aimed at gathering grants and other funds to protect and improve...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California is set to spend more than $14 million on new river parkways and open land in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges under the budget signed Saturday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But Schwarzenegger sliced the nearly $50 million sought by Senate leader John Burton, D-San Francisco, because the two new programs will start halfway through the budget year. It was unrealistic to expect to spend all the money in just six months, budget officials said. The now-$4.15 million mountain program is contingent on legislative approval of a new Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a sweeping new government...

Along a stretch of a state highway leading to Yosemite National Park, a band of conservationists has been buying up vacant land. The group has cobbled together about 400 acres in a desirable meadow off Highway 120. But the scrappy Tuolumne County Land Trust is no match for a proposed golf-course community that would rise next to its land onto a spur of Table Mountain, a 500-foot lava formation fabled by Western author Bret Harte. "A little land trust like ours - nobody even listens to us," said Marlee Powell, who also is Sonora's mayor. The only way to compete...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two conservancies paid $13.2 million to purchase 4,520 acres of sensitive desert habitat once slated to become the site of a new city, the conservancies announced Thursday. In addition, the Nature Conservancy and the state-owned Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy said they would buy about another 4,000 acres as part of their plan to protect sand dunes and palm oases and to create a wildlife corridor between the nearly 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park and the 20,000-acre Coachella Valley Preserve in southeastern California. The land was once slated as the site of the Joshua Hills development, which...

Dear Sierra friends, I am seeking your thoughts. As you know, I am carrying AB 1788, which would create a Sierra Nevada Conservancy. A state conservancy is an agency that delivers state funds to areas of special value, such as Lake Tahoe or the California Coast. It makes grants and undertakes projects for a wide range of efforts, from acquisition of habitat to fire prevention and economic development. Unlike entities such as the "Coastal Commission" or the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, a conservancy does not have any power to regulate lands. As a staunch defender of private property rights...

OPINION -- The Mighty Mississippi River is truly unique - it is the main artery dividing the East from the West. This magnificent river is multi-purpose. The river supports habitat for all kinds of plant and animal species on its many islands and along the extensive shoreline. There are hundreds of little fingers and coves where recreation abounds, while co-existing with many species that call the river area their home. Long overdue legislation has been introduced authorizing 1200 foot locks to be built on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers to replace the outdated 600 foot locks. The shipping industry, commercial...

Two bills making their way through the California Assembly would create a Sierra Nevada Conservancy. If passed, the conservancy would direct money to help manage the public lands in the mountain range. The Union photo/Pico van Houtryve It spans nearly 500 miles, supplies the water that nourishes California’s economy and has provided vocations and vacations for generations, but the Sierra Nevada has no benefactor like the conservancies that care for Lake Tahoe or the state’s vast coastline. That could change this year, however, if one of the two bills now winding through the Legislature is approved - or if...

Socialist agenda being pushed through the California Legislature.ALERT:Hearing scheduled for Sierra Nevada Conservancy bills 6/29/04 AB 2600 (Laird) SUMMARY : Creates within the Resources Agency the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (Conservancy) to acquire and manage land for various specified public objectives, and to make grants for those purposes, in the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Mountain Region. AB 1788 (Leslie) SUMMARY : Creates within the Resources Agency the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (Conservancy) to acquire and manage land for various specified public objectives, and to make grants for those purposes, in the Sierra Nevada Region. AB 2631 (Wolk) SUMMARY : Establishes an interagency council (more...

DATE: JUNE 16, 2004 TO: ALL GRASSROOTS AND CONCERNED CITIZENS FROM: ROSE COMSTOCK, ALLIANCE FOR AMERICA www.allianceforamerica.org PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR LIST AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO RESPOND. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! WHAT: WILD LANDS PROJECT AT WORK - JUNE 29, 2004 - HEARINGS ARE SCHEDULED FOR TWO BILLS - AB1788 & AB2600 -EACH AUTHORIZE ESTABLISHING A SIERRA NEVADA CONSERVANCY IN CALIFORNIA TO ACQUIRE, AND DIRECT THE MANAGEMENT, OF PUBLIC LANDS LOCATED PRIMARILY WITHIN THE CORE SIERRA NEVADA REGION. STATUS: BOTH BILLS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE. THIS COMMITTEE IS CHAIRED BY ONE...

Two bills that would create a Sierra Nevada Conservancy are set to move into the state Senate. The two efforts, AB 2600 and AB 1788, are progressing despite lingering questions over the degree of local control in the legislation. The aim of a conservancy is largely to coordinate funding and conservation efforts for the 400-mile long mountain range. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is an almost five-year effort by conservationists to focus funding on an area that they say has largely been looked over. The California coast and Lake Tahoe both have conservancies, but the Sierra Nevada as a whole is...

A state audit has accused the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy of mismanaging $7 million in voter-approved bond money that was supposed to be used to acquire and restore parkland. In a scathing report, Department of Finance auditors found that the conservancy “does not adequately manage, control, or oversee” $115 million in bond funds, funneling away money to pay for legal fees, office expenses, conferences, cars, travel, vacation and sick pay, and “excessive” overhead charges. “In our opinion, they’re not spending funds in line with the bond measures,” said Samuel E. Hull, chief of the Office of State Audits and Evaluations....

Sierra Conservancy bills - Gov needs to hear from you DATE: MAY 2, 2004TO: ALL GRASSROOTS AND CONCERNED CITIZENS . . . . . . . . . . . (PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR LIST OF CONTACTS) FROM: ROSE COMSTOCK - PRESIDENT - ALLIANCE FOR AMERICA           www.allianceforamerica.orgWHAT:    Wednesday of this week the California Assembly Appropriations Committee approved two bills that would establish a Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Governor Schwarzenegger has indicated that he intends to create a Sierra Nevada Conservancy during his first term in office. These two bills-AB 1788 and AB 2600-present radically different...

RED ALERT!!! RED ALERT!!!There are three bills ready for a vote in the Assembly. Two would turn the entire Sierra Nevada mountain range into a conservancy. The other one would give the state total control over water and private property. Unless these bills are stopped, you can give up on CA.Ab 2600/a>Ab 1788AB 2631RED ALERT, RED ALERT!!!All bills are to third reading!!!

SAN SIMEON – The Hearst Corp. has extended its deadline for a conservation group to come up with its share of $95 million to preserve vast stretches of ranch land surrounding Hearst Castle, a company attorney said. The deal calls for the San Francisco-based American Land Conservancy to give Hearst $80 million and for the state to grant $15 million in tax credits. The nonprofit conservancy is relying on multiple sources to fund its end of the agreement, including state money and donations from foundations and individuals. The agreement expired in February, but Hearst agreed to extend it until May....

HARTFORD, Conn. - The wife of Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland has been subpoenaed by federal authorities investigating alleged corruption in her husband's administration, according to published reports. The subpoena requires Patricia Rowland to produce documents or records, but it does not compel her to appear before a grand jury, The Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register reported Saturday. Patricia Rowland's personal attorney, Robert M. Casale, told the Register the subpoena seeks documents relating to gifts she or the governor may have received. When reached by The Associated Press, the governor's chief counsel, Ross Garber, declined comment. The first...

<p>Some Laguna West residents say Tsakopoulos hasn't kept his vow to donate land to a wildlife preserve.</p> <p>A group of residents is considering whether it can force one of the area's most well-known developers to donate 1,400 acres of open space to a wildlife refuge, fulfilling a promise many residents say attracted them to buy homes in Laguna West.</p>

Choosing a time when the attention of all Americans is on our conflict with Iraq, the Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would unleash a major attack on private property rights. It would empower environmental groups and government agencies to use taxpayer funds to purchase land. The bill, S. 476, called the "Faith-based Initiative," has two insidious sections, 106 and 107, that call for a 25% tax cut on capital gains of land sales, but only if the land is sold to an "environmental group" or a government agency. This legislation is a classic Trojan horse....

<p>WILLOWS -- A humming sound rises above the otherwise still silence as visitors enter the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex.</p> <p>With more than 300 bird species over 35,000 acres, the refuge complex is a treasure trove of beauty in the Sacramento Valley.</p>