June 2009

Condor dies of lead poisoning
One of the first condors released at Pinnacles in 2003 (#286) has died at the Los Angeles Zoo where it was being treated for lead poisoning. The lead came from ingesting bullets found in the carcasses of animals the condor used as food.

Since 1992 14 condors have been killed by lead poisoning. Lead ammunition is the greatest threat to wild condors. In July 2008 use of lead ammunition was banned in counties where condors are found.

A second condor (#375) which was also suffering from lead poisoning was successfully treated and has been released again to the wild in May.

Condor hatches in wild
For the first time in 70 years a condor chick has hatched in the wild. On April 18, the chick emerged in a nest on a private ranch in San Benito County. Biologists had switched the original egg with one they knew was viable and took the wild-laid egg to the Los Angeles Zoo. Condors do not fly until about six months after hatching.

Watsonville bans styrofoam
In April, Watsonville adopted a ban on styrofoam for take-out food, joining other Santa Cruz and Monterey County jurisdictions that had previously adopted similar bans. With the Watsonville ordinance, all of Santa Cruz County now bans polystyrene for take-out food packaging, following San Francisco to become the second counties in the state to adopt a county-wide ban. A bill to ban styrofoam statewide (AB 1358) is currently before the Legislature.

Networking
If you’re into social networking you might want to check out these new Sierra Club websites: Climate Crosssroads: http://climatecrossroads.org, Sierra Club Trails: http://sierraclubtrails.org, Sierra Student Coalition: http://ssc.sierraclub.org. Anyone can browse on these sites. Those wanting to participate in the discussion can do so by creating a user profile.

Community members will be able to blog, join and create groups, take action, start discussions, circulate petitions, organize rallies, and more. Through these online communities, activists can come together to tackle climate change, share knowledge of great hiking trails and waterways, or simply swap green living tips and earth-friendly recipes.

Solar plan
San Francisco has approved a plan to build a 5 megawatt photovoltaic system consisting of over 25,000 panels. The public/private partnership is for a 25-year agreement; the system would be built by Recurrent Energy with no up-front costs to the City. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by 2010. The City would be obligated to purchase power from the company at an agreed price and would have the option to purchase the system in years 7, 15, or 25.

Poaching petition
Audubon California is sponsoring a petition drive in favor of AB 708 which would dramatically increase penalties for poaching. Poaching violations more than doubled from 2003 to 2007. One Gilroy hunter killed over 300 birds, including protected species. To sign the petition which Sierra Club supports, visit www.audublog.org.

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