Sierra Club Says No on Prop 98, Yes on 99
According to an e-mail from National Sierra Club, the two propositions on your June 3 ballot "say they want to protect Californians from eminent domain seizures that favor private development. But only Prop 99 would do that without serious environmental side effects." Prop 99 bars the seizure of private homes for redevelopment by private developers - but without setting up roadblocks for local activists and agencies trying to protect our state's wild places. A vote FOR Prop 99 helps cancels out votes for the landlord-backed Prop 98, passage of which National says would translate to 1) an environmental minefield, 2) potential hobbling of local zoning decisions, 3) more lawsuits filed against proactive public agencies, and 4) more urban sprawl.

A reminder that Sierra Club has endorsed Mark Lovelace in his bid for the District 3 Supervisor seat.

Still Time to Give to Camper Fund
As of May 20, we had received enough tax-deductible donations to send 2.5 local children to the "Towering Trees & Tide Pools" camp near Crescent City. Our goal was to sponsor three kids this year. We need to notify the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry by mid-June as to the number of slots North Group will be sponsoring, so there is still time to send a check payable to "North Group Environmental Education Fund" to PO Box 238, Arcata 95518.

North Group also will be contributing $150 in scholarships to the Arcata Recreation Division's Natural Resources Science Camp. Three sessions of the day camp for ages 9-12 are planned for this summer: Forestry (July 14?18), Wildlife Biology (July 21?25), and Aquatics/Fisheries (July 28-August 1).

Fortuna Water Tank May Destroy Redwoods
A North Group member from Fortuna has alerted us to a proposal to cut down 69 mature second-growth redwoods in Rohner Park in order to construct a 2-million-gallon water tank. Project drafts indicate a fence line around the tank with a diameter of 170 feet (over a half acre). Approximately 80 people attended a 2.5-hour public hearing on 5/15 to oppose the project, based on its impact to the environment and recreation, plus the city's failure to seriously consider alternative tank sites. HSU forestry professor Steve Sillett visited the site and described the stand of redwoods to be logged as "among the finest mature second-growth redwood forests I have seen... Today, mature second-growth redwood forests are far more scarce than even old growth, with only a few hundred acres left in all of Humboldt County." According to Dr. Sillett, the Rohner Park Forest is "an outstanding example of native redwood forest, with a well-developed understory dominated by native shrubs and herbs" and he urged the city to reconsider the site as "simply too precious to sacrifice even half an acre." For more information on citizen efforts to have the tank relocated, contact Marian at 707-725-3519.

Bi-Annual Banquet Set for Oct 4
The North Group Banquet will be held Saturday, 10/4, in the View Room of the Plaza Grill, Arcata. The speaker will be Carl Zichella, regional staff director of Sierra Club's California-Nevada-Hawaii Regional Office, discussing the energy situation in California. The buffet menu will offer a vegetarian and chicken entrée, along with salad, vegetable, rice/potato, bread, and dessert. Details on pricing and schedule are in the works, but please reserve a space in your schedule.