NEW! - Monthly Meetings and Electronic Newsletters

We are going to monthly meetings!
And the bad news: Due to budget constraints, two issues a year will be paperless (available on our website), and two paper issues will be
mailed. See sidebar for details.

Next Meeting

June 10 7:00 pm - OHV
Learn about and discuss the environmental impacts of Off Highway Vehicles,the new roadless rules, and the destruction on the Rubicon Trail. What can be done, what is being done, and what you can do. St Stephens Church, 1001 Olson Lane, El Dorado Hills (off of El Dorado Hills Blvd)
Click for map
Bring a snack or dessert to share and your own drink (non-alcoholic)

Current Newsletter

Spring 2009

Decline of Sierra Frogs

A Win for Pine Hill Plants

Rubicon Trail Update: Action Needed!!

Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival

Gleanings from the Recent California Native Plant Society Conference

Meet President Obama's Green Team

Maidu Election Results

Rubicon Trail Update

Recently, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has set deadlines in the next year or so for the El Dorado National Forest Service and El Dorado County to come up with various plans for preventing contamination to mountain streams and lakes from the human feces, motor oil and eroded soil left behind by use of the popular trail. They need to:

Make a plan for preventing sediment runoff from the trail during times when rain or snowmelt have saturated the soil. That plan might include temporarily closing the trail to motorized vehicles.

Negotiate with each other to fully define each entity's responsibilities on the trail, including who will provide adequate law enforcement.

Accurately count the number of people and vehicles using the trail and come up with a long-term management plan for protecting water quality, including plans for removing human waste from along the trail, enforcing the use of kits to clean up oil spills and finding a way to pay the costs by charging fees or selling permits to trail users.

http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralvalley/board_decisions/tentative_orders/rubicon_trail/rubicon_trail_cao_att.pdf
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralvalley/board_decisions/tentative_orders/rubicon_trail/rubicon_trail_cov.pdf
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralvalley/board_decisions/tentative_orders/rubicon_trail/rubicon_trail_cao.pdf

This county road - arguably the most famous four-wheel-drive (4x4) trail in the world - is the source of a million cubic yards of soil that has eroded into streams and lakes on Eldorado National Forest . Oil and transmission fluid also find their way into the environment because vehicles often suffer damage to their oil pans, differentials, and transmissions when negotiating boulder-strewn sections of the Trail.

Mather Airport Noise

Report Mather Airport noise to planenoiseinfo@saccounty.net or call aircraft noise report line at 916-874-0800.

Oak Woodlands Management Plan (OWMP)

Why Oak Woodlands and the OWMP are important

The comment period ended December 13th. Your comments can make a difference! Write and tell the how important oaks are. Sample letter .. Learn about Oak Woodlands

Join our Alerts List

Receive bulletins with the latest action information to help protect our area. Email Bob at twoperegrines@yahoo.com to be added to the list.

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Hiking, Flowers, & Bird Watching -

Sierra Club Hikes in our area:


Hike Ratings:

Grade 1: up to 6 miles	Class A: less than 1000 feet gain
Grade 2: 6 to 10 miles	Class B: 1000 to 2000 feet gain
Grade 3: 10 to 15 miles	Class C: 2000 to 3000 feet gain
Grade 4: 15 to 20 miles	Class D: Over 3000 feet gain
Grade 5: over 20 miles