Sierra Club, Santa Margarita Group Report, June 1, 2018

Santa Margarita Group

Michael H. Momeni

Transportation Issues

This congested Interstate 15 is the artery linking the communities within the Temecula Valley.  The options for improvement have been discussed over several years, but many improvement projects are not even on the planning schedule. 

The options for improvements are the realignment of the State 79 roads to carry some of the interstate traffic, the addition of express lanes to the Interstate 15, and construction of commuter electric light train linking San Diego to Ontario. Unfortunately, none of these options are on the planning board due to lack of financial resources and the lack of advocacy of the public interest.

Science Day, Teri Biancardi

Our first Science Day was a success! The event focused on watershed and water quality. The project involved Rancho Water, the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, and Riverside County Flood Control, and Water Conservation District. Several speakers addressed about 30 students. They evaluated water quality by testing

pH, dissolved oxygen, and nitrates in Santa Margarita River.

Flood Control agency sponsored the Science Day project; we anticipate the program to continue.

Political Committee, Elena Garcia

The Political Committee has been urging our members to inform themselves of the issues and candidates for the upcoming primary on June 5. A list of the endorsed candidates and issues is listed at https://www.sierraclub.org/california/2018-endorsements.

Only the top two vote-getters face off in November. Please vote in this primary!

Tree City USA, Margaret Meyncke

The Arbor Day Foundation promotes planting and maintaining trees within our cities. The program, called Tree City USA, requires four steps to achieve certification. 1- A tree board; 2- A tree care ordinance; 3- a Community forestry program with a per capita budget of $2 per person; 4-  Arbor Day celebration and proclamation. There are currently 3,409 cities that have achieved this distinction.

Margaret recently completed this process along with the City of Temecula and using her affiliation with the Temecula Valley Woman's Club.

Earth Day Celebration, Caren Hanson

The second Earth Day Celebration was on April 21, at the Vail Headquarters in Temecula CA. We shared this event with the Murrieta Arts Council (MAC) and Vail Headquarters, who donated the site.

We had ten speakers presenting an array of conservation issues and music group. The vendors ranged from Organic Food Companies, Project Wildlife, Astronomy, Water Resources, Recycling, Solar Panels, Waste Resource, and conservation-oriented games for the kids.

Monthly Speaker Program, Pam Nelson

Diana Lindsay, a dedicated volunteer for the State Park and an author addressed our general meeting in May.  Her books are on local Native American culture, geology, trails and botanical topics.  June is our last meeting until September 2018.

Please send your inquiries to:

Pam Nelson (Chair):  pamela05n@yahoo.com

Please also contact us by Email: sierraclubsmg@gmail.com

Our interactive blog: What's Up at the Southern California Nature Guardians

http://sierraconservation.blogspot.com/

Or, visit us on our Facebooks:

https://www.facebook.com/SierraClubSantaMargaritaGroup/

 Or

@advocateElectricTrain

Or

@SoCaNatureGuardians

And our webpage:

http://www.sierraclubsmg.org/

presents highlights of our activities.