SoCoCAN! Meeting Notes - Monday, August 30, 2021
SoCoCAN!
SoCoCAN! Meeting. Monday, August 30, 2021, 7-9 p.m.
22 people attended
Facilitator: Maya Khosla
Zoom Host:: Alexa Forrester
Notetaker: Mike Turgeon
Introductions.
Maya Khosla: wildlife biologist documenting forest practices
Alexa Forrester: SC Climate Mobilization, Arm In Arm, teaches philosophy at SRJC
Anne Jacopetti: AJR, 350 coordinator.
Steve Birdlebough: SCTLC. Sierra Club
Jack Swearingen: Professor of Engineering, President of Friends of Smart
Allison Ford: Prof. Sociology SSU. Climate change courses.
Bev Alexander: Monitoring Petaluma City council mtgs., Protect Wild Petaluma, Save Petaluma River and Wetlands.
Terry Harrison: Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Sonoma Chapter. We have been providing aid to farmers who are victims of fires.
Christine Hoex: 350 Sonoma.
Dani Sheehan: Friends of Smart
Gig Hitao: Long-time climate activist against gasoline. Media operator with Santa Rosa.
Jenny Blaker: CONgas, Local Cotati issues.
June Brashares: Local Clean Energy Alliance, AJR
Kevin Anderson: Daily Acts. Me to We.
Kyra Shi: Petaluma H.S. student, moderating SoCoCAN!’s Instagram.
Lilith Rogers: Rachel Carson Returns performer.
Pete Gang: SoCoCAN!, SC Climate Mobilization. Getting Jurisdiction to go from bold promises to bold climate action.
Peter Hess: Berkeley, SR and Cobb resident, recovering fire victim of the Valley Fire. Lake Co. Burning Association.
Tom Conlon: Sonoma Valley Climate Coalition, Sierra Club.
Woody Hastings: CONgas, Sebastopol Climate Action Committee.
Ivan O’Neill: Fire Safe Occidental, reduce wildfire risk.
Emerald: Occupy Sonoma County, Admin for SoCoCAN!
Mike Turgeon: FoCAP, Climate Center Volunteer.
Administrative report - Emerald
-The Peace and Justice Center is opening in September. Should SoCoCAN! go back to meeting in person? Group decided to assess this in-person possibility at each meeting. November meeting on Zoom.
-Next meeting: Monday, November 29th. 7-9p. Facilitator: Anna Jacopetti or Terri Moon. Anna will arrange. Notetaker Kevin Conway. The facilitator will draft an agenda proposal in advance of the next meeting with help & support.
-Article from Jenny Blaker, Maya, Anne Jacopetti and Emerald on protecting homes and forests published in the Gazette, the Peace Press, Community Voice and Sonoma Sun. Anne J. wrote a press release from this article that was distributed nationally. The press release was read on KPFA, brought us an interview on KRCB and contact from SonomaNews.
--Our endorsement of a letter by the Center for Biological Diversity on forest preservation and another one by the Chaparral Institute put our name on a national list. We are now a national org.
-SoCoCAN! has a national presence now along with 700 other climate activist groups targeting Congress to divest from fossil fuels.
-SoCoCAN! has teamed up with the Guerneville Forest Coalition to support them in preserving a forest along the Russian River that is designated for logging. There is currently a lawsuit pending and funds are needed for legal fees.
-Shelly, Pete and Kevin wrote a letter to Eric Roesser documenting Sonoma County’s investments in fossil fuels despite a county decision to divest. No response.
-SoCoCAN! supported Sunrise on their march from Paradise to San Francisco and the rally that they had here in Juilliard Park. The Sunrise Movement is seeking the establishment of a Climate Youth Core.
-Lynda Hopkins contacted Emerald about her comments on forest-based biomass plans here in Sonoma County. Report to follow (see below).
Social Media Report. Kyra Shi, an eco-activist junior in H.S. in Petaluma.
Kyra is posting interesting items on Instagram and on other social media accounts. Kyra is new to this group and would appreciate having people share content with her that she will disseminate.
Supervisor Hopkins Meeting with SoCoCAN! on August 30, 2021 Report.
Jenny, Tom Conlon, and Maya attended for SoCoCAN! Dr. Chad Hanson, Dr. Shaye Wolf, Dr. Brenda Flyswithhawks, Christine Byrne, Larry Hanson, and Janis Watkins were invited to attend. Ongoing communication facilitated by Emerald (who did not attend the meeting).
**Note: The topics of this meeting were “vegetation management" and the burning of forest woody biomass for energy. This is an important discussion with Hopkins since funds are pouring into Sonoma County for these purposes and this money could be used to provide good, well-paying job <https://nreconomics.com/reports/2018-04-28_EnvNow_Report.pdf> for essential home hardening. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL_syp1ZScM>)
Part of SoCoCAN!’s research includes the book by Dr. Chad T. Hanson, a definitive work on forest management practices called Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate. https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813181073/smokescreen/ Summary: …vegetation management is essentially logging. Fire just races through forests that have been cleared. One result is that invasive species then find it easier to gain a foothold. Hanson works with 300+ scientists. Foresters see forests as resources. Ecologists see bugs and fungi as essential in the natural world. Protect homes from fires by home hardening, not “vegetation management.”
Also, Dr. Shaye Wolf. (Forest Bioenergy Briefing Book). Burning biomass is worse than burning coal. Not taking into account that carbon is lost from cut trees and burning. Large, living trees are being cut. Sicknesses are occurring near biomass facilities due to toxic air.
There is a difference between Native American burning and prescribed burning. Prescribed burning has nothing to do with preventing fires. It has more to do with the extractive mindset. CLEE report reads like a business manual with nothing about home hardening.
Dr. Brenda Flyswithhawks. There are strings attached to money coming into the County for vegetation management. Maps show superimposed templates over current fires and the fires are racing through the thinned forests. (Latuna Fire). In all, Flyswithhawks is sympathetic with Hopkins difficult position at the center of this controversy.
Hopkins never mentioned biomass, though she claimed that she was impressed with the Phd’s at the table. The meeting went long, an indication that Hopkins was willing to be educated on these topics.
Hopkins admitted fuel breaks are not working. These fuel breaks are not at the ridge top which is the easiest place to fight the fires. She also said that the Permit Resource Management Dept. (PRMD) is working on a CEQA document for this issue. However, funding is being dispersed currently and Hopkins said that SoCoCAN!’s perspective has not been a part of the conversation. In essence, the County has ignored environment and marginalized communities. Hopkins indicated that she is willing to meet again with SoCoCAN!.
Christine Byrne spoke for Sunrise and the Climate Youth Core.
Notes from this meeting are being compiled and will be shared with the listserv.
COMMENT: Woody Hastings stated that policy is currently being made at the state level. AB 322 would create a fund for woody mass energy conversion. The only way to stop this now is for Gov. Newsom to veto it.
Group Reports and requests for support.
Sonoma County Climate Mobilization (SCCM). Alexa announced their work plan policy suite to get our elected officials to do what they have committed to. Had its first meeting in July and the next meeting will be sometime this fall, watch for details. Climate Mobilization Project is advertising for the position of organizer to support SCCM in its work.
Arm-in-Arm. (Alexa). Focusing on climate actions, public demos, civil disobedience, etc., visual discipline for effective action. No further report.
Sonoma County Transportation Authority. Steve Birdlebough announced that the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) will be deciding on its comprehensive transportation plan on Monday, September 13th at 2:30pm. He stated that it is in conflict with the Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) Climate Mobilization Plan.
COMMENT: Jenny Blaker asked if there is any overlap between SC Climate Mobilization (SCM) and RCPA’s Climate Mobilization Strategy. The answer is no.
Prescribed Burning. Peter Hess of the NorCal Sierra Club Forest Committee announced they are assembling a list of counties and what each county is doing for prescribed burning. They recruit young people to become citizen burners and learn about trees and how ecology can be safely inhabited.
350 Report. Christine Hoex announced they have been lobbying for good climate legislation this summer. They’ve met with Bill Dodd, Mike McGuire and Celia Aguilar-Curry to learn how they can help promote their priority climate bills. Please subscribe to the 350 newsletter from the website at 350BayArea.org.
-Zero Waste. Christine also announced that Sonoma County adopted a resolution to get to zero waste. They set a target timeline and expect to do education, and outreach. They discussed a proposed ordinance to ban plastic foodware, etc. Here is the Press Democrat article:
Board of Supervisors adopts ‘Zero Waste Resolution’ to promote waste reduction, recovery and reuse; considers ordinance to eliminate single-use polystyrene foam products
-Alliance For a Just Recovery. FIVE FOR FARMWORKERS, the North Bay Jobs With Justice farmworker petition for worker safety is now being promoted widely. They are seeking language justice, community safety observers, premium hazard pay, clean bathrooms and water. The PBS Newshour did a segment on this and it can be found at: northbayjobswithjustice.org/
Sonoma County Transportation & Land Use Coalition (SCTLC).
Steve Birdlebough reported they wrote an OpEd on reducing Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) in Sonoma County but it has not been published anywhere. The entire county must stop driving so much to take this path. Oped never got printed. He showed a chart that indicated switching to electric vehicles won’t solve transportation woes. He suggested everyone consider how each of us can take a role in reducing our own VMT as well as others.
He also spoke about how encouraging free parking throughout the years has made transportation problems worse. We should be paying to park everywhere, Parking for free won’t get us there. This would incentivize riding bikes.
Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations. (CONGAS). www.con-gas.org
Woody Hastings reported that the RCPA is going to bring a sample gas station ban ordinance to the September 13, 2:30pm SCTA mtg. Some cities are waiting to see what RCPA is going to do before they consider such an ordinance. The one in Sebastopol will come out after September 13th. Co-coordinator of this campaign, Jenny Blaker, noted that Cotati is working on an ordinance but is waiting to see what RCPA is going to do also.
Occupy Sonoma County (OSC).
Emerald reported on Occupy’s Plastic Free July in which 250 million people world-wide participated. For an action picker go to: https://occupysonomacounty.org/plasticfreejuly
Measure P was challenged by the County Sheriff’s office even though it passed in a landslide. OSC participated in keeping Measure P alive. IOLERO is still happening but slowly.
CA Alliance with Family Farmers.
Terry Harrison reported that the County Supervisors are working on an ordinance for criteria for events on farms. They want permits to be issued by staff. They don’t take into account VMT. We suggest that the number and size of events be limited. When the ordinance is up for debate we’d like to offer an announcement to the group for support in passing it.
Other reports.
Bev Alexander, new to this group has a new 501c3 non-profit with a mission to protect the area around the north Petaluma River. Question: They need experts on biological resources to look over some of the plots of land in question.
Campaign Proposals
AJR Symposium.
AJR has a committee on forest management. There are many perspectives on fire management. Could SoCoCAN! put together a panel on forest management? This could help avoid doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
COMMENT: Jenny stated that it is Industry being listened to. The killing of trees is what fuels the biomass industry.
Other comments expressed doubts about a symposium that might offer industry a platform to disseminate practices that continue to put emissions into the air. No decision was made on this suggestion.
9:00. End of meeting.
**Notes: Short film: "An Inconvenient Woodpecker," a 6 Min Short Film Inspired by
Chad's new book, SMOKESCREEN, by Dr. Chad T. Hanson: https://youtu.be/-VQZI9Ypy10
Sonoma County Climate Activist Network (SoCoCAN!)