Margaret Meyncke addressed the Temecula City Council: We are Santa Margarita Sierra Group

October 11, 2016

The text of presentation:

My name is Margaret Meyncke and I am a resident of Temecula and a registered voter.  I bring greetings to the Temecula City Council from your local Sierra Club…the Santa Margarita Group.

We want to take this opportunity to introduce you to our club and thank you for doing such a great job with the environmental issues affecting our valley.  We especially appreciate the work of Temecula city planner, Matt Peters, over the last three years on the Murrieta Creek Regional Trail.  Also, the work of Councilman Dr. Matt Rahn, in setting up the “Environmental Leadership Academy”, sponsored by Cal State San Marcos.

0ne of our future goals is to meet face to face with local legislators to discuss areas of mutual concern, such as traffic density, air quality, wildlife corridors, and transportation.  We look forward to contacting you soon to arrange meetings.

Now, allow me to introduce our club.  The national Sierra Club remains the oldest, largest, and most powerful grassroots environmental organization.  Started in 1892 by environmental icon, John Muir, the Sierra Club was instrumental in establishing our National Park System and protecting areas such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree.  It continues to connect people with nature through local groups such as ours, the Santa Margarita Group.  Our local group was initiated back in 2006 in response to a crisis called Liberty Quarry.  Since that time, we have been gaining momentum on a broad range of environmental issues.

Our priority issue is education.  This past year we sponsored a teacher education workshop regarding the Santa Margarita Watershed where teachers were introduced to subjects such as water quality, local habitat, and conservation topics.  These teachers are now forming a local network to share ideas regarding curriculum, projects, and volunteer opportunities.

We also offer a monthly community meeting which occurs on the second Thursday of every month, starting at 6:30pm at the Temecula Library on Pauba Road. These meetings are free to the public and include topics such as clean energy, wildlife, birds, native plants, organic gardening, bats, mountain lions, recycling, etc.

Our local club also offers many opportunities for citizens to connect with nature.  We have a meetup called “Outdoor Families” that offers easy hikes, trips to nature centers, and interesting excursions.  In addition, our Sierra Club certified hiking leaders offer more vigorous hikes for those seeking adventures on local mountains.

Our group is also improving our local environment.  We have a “Trails Team” to develop the Murrieta Creek Regional Trail.  Our “Transportation Team” is committed to connecting our community with public transportation.  Our “Conservation Team” is concerned about the wildlife crossing of mountain lions and other animals across the busy freeway system of Interstate 15.  Our “Outreach Team” participates in local activities such as the 4th of July Parade to educate and introduce the public to our club. And our “Political Action Team” seeks to register citizens and endorse candidates that are environmentally friendly.

Another benefit of belonging to the Sierra Club is knowing that there are environmental experts and concerned citizens, like us, that play a watchdog role of examining legislation and upcoming developments, such as the Altair project, to maintain a legal, positive, and beneficial aspect to our community.

In closing, I would like to invite everyone to join our club.  We are non-partisan, believing that clean air and clean water are environmental issues every citizen can share and together, we can EXPLORE, ENJOY, and PROTECT our planet.

Thank you.