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Home August 2006 |
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Greenbelt Newswire Photo of the Month
In this edition Volunteer of the Month: Jonathan Marshall Jonathan Marshall went on his first Greenbelt Outing more than 10 years ago. A longtime member, he decided to become a Greenbelt Outings leader because he liked that the outings were small, informative, and provided an easy way to explore the Bay Area's open space. Jonathan also recognized that Greenbelt Outings help people become more aware of the natural beauty of the Bay Area and the importance of preserving that beauty. "My favorite part of being a leader is witnessing the enthusiasm of people who enjoy some part of the Bay Area's beautiful open space for the first time, thanks to one of my outings." Participants always rate Jonathan's hikes highly and speak of his creativity and fun as a leader. Thank you, Jonathan! Have you been on a Greenbelt Outing yet? Visit the calendar
to find out about upcoming Outings.
Action Alert: Protect Farms at Farmers' Markets in the South Bay This November, Santa Clara County voters will have the opportunity to protect the county's hillsides and farmlands from development by voting YES on Measure A, the Santa Clara County Land Conservation Initiative. You can help get the word out! Volunteers are needed to table at farmers' markets in cities throughout the county to distribute information. Volunteers will be briefed on the Initiative and be given all the tools they need. Join us in to win this important effort to preserve the Santa Clara County's working farms, wildlife habitats, and streams. To get involved, email brooke@openspace2006.org.
Action Alert: Planning for the Concord Naval Weapons Station The former Navy base is being closed, and the City of Concord will be responsible for planning the reuse of 5,100 acres. Greenbelt Alliance is collecting postcards from concerned citizens urging the City to plan for smart growth and open space protection at the base. Greenbelt Alliance has submitted 245 postcards so far - but we need your help to reach our goal of 1,000! Sign up to distribute postcards in your neighborhood or at the Concord Farmers' Market by contacting David Reid by email or phone at (925) 932-7776.
Alert: Upcoming Votes on Creating Affordable Homes In September, elected officials in two East Bay jurisdictions - Contra Costa County and the City of Oakland - will vote on inclusionary housing ordinances, measures requiring all new residential developments to include affordable homes. Effective inclusionary housing ordinances offer families more housing options in existing urbanized areas, reducing development pressure on open space. In Contra Costa, to make the ordinance effective, the Board of Supervisors should reject changes recommended by the Planning Commission and adopt the original inclusionary housing ordinance, which is stronger and will create more affordable homes. In Oakland, an effective ordinance would create homes for families earning 30-100% of the area median income ($25,125-$83,800 per year). Covering a range of incomes will enable more people to live in Oakland, near jobs and existing transit. Help get these landmark ordinances adopted! Call the Contra Costa Supervisors and the Oakland City Council and urge them to adopt truly effective inclusionary housing ordinances.
Action Alert: Strengthen Sonoma County's Greenbelt Protections At recent meetings on the Sonoma County General Plan, the Planning Commission has gotten an earful from opponents of measures to protect water quality. This vocal opposition could convince the Planning Commission to throw these and other important environmental measures out of the updated General Plan entirely. Over the next month, the Planning Commission will decide whether the lands between Sonoma County's cities should have stronger protections from development. The Commission needs to hear from supporters of these protections. Please write to tell the Planning Commission these protections are important!
Urge the Commission to do two things:
Email Bob Gaiser, Sonoma County Planner, Planning and Resource Management Department (PRMD), or write to: Sonoma County Planning Commission, PRMD, 2550 Ventura Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
Event: Planning for the South Bay's Future, September 18th One of the most important decisions communities will face in the 21st century is how and where to house growing populations. The longer we put off these decisions, the harder they will be and the fewer choices we will have. We have to start planning for growth now. Join former Santa Clara County planner Don Weden for his call to action, "Winds of Change." He will talk about strategies for growth that can not only protect the environment, but can also provide more social and economic benefits to communities. Find out about strategies for your community at this fascinating talk. When: Monday, September 18th, 7:00pm-8:30pm Sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance and the Sierra Club
Event: Bluegrass for the Greenbelt, October 15th Save the date! Greenbelt Alliance is launching a new event: Bluegrass for the Greenbelt, a benefit concert to support Greenbelt Alliance's work to protect open space and promote livable communities. Local artist Laurie Lewis will be featured, as well as other great performers. The concert will be Sunday October 15th, 3:00-6:00 pm. Event sponsors are welcome. For more information, contact Brianna Swartz
at
Announcement: Click to Save Open Space How many Internet searches do you do per week? Now your searches can benefit Greenbelt Alliance, at no cost to you. With GoodSearch, just 500 people doing 4 searches a day will raise $7,300 for Greenbelt Alliance. Visit GoodSearch to make it your search engine and designate Greenbelt Alliance as the beneficiary.
Sat Aug 19: Marvelous Marshland Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support our work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make our cities better places to live. Click here to join or renew, or click here to join our Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club. Questions? Contact Brianna Swartz at 415-543-6771 or by email.
Thank you for reading! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Greenbelt Alliance Newswire email list or because a friend from the list forwarded the message on to you. For more information, please visit http://www.greenbelt.org. To unsubscribe, simply send an unsubscribe request to unsubscribe@greenbelt.org. |
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