Santa Clara Valley Audubon files lawsut over solar project in Panoche Valley

Hollister, CA – Following the approval of a conditional use permit and other authorizations for the Panoche Valley Solar Project, Save Panoche Valley and Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society joined in filing a petition in Superior Court challenging the certification of the Panoche Valley project Environmental Impact Report. A project of Solargen Energy, Inc., the entire proposed project footprint is roughly 5,000 acres of grazing land in Eastern San Benito County.

The Panoche Valley is designated Core Habitat for the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, San Joaquin kit fox, and giant kangaroo rat, all federally and state endangered species. Additionally, the valley is designated an Audubon Important Bird Area of Global Significance due to rare bird species, including the Mountain Plover, a candidate for the federal endangered species list.

The petition itemizes numerous inadequacies in the environmental analysis that is provided to inform decision-makers.

“The environmental analysis has been reviewed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Both of these agencies, as well as numerous environmental organizations, have found the analysis, as well as the mitigations that are proposed to compensate for harmful impacts on endangered species, to be grossly inadequate. In other words, the project might have irreversible impacts on the survival of several species, and it has the potential to significantly contribute to the risk of extinction of these species” said Shani Kleinhaus, Santa Clara Valley Audubon’s environmental advocate.

The petition goes on to list inadequacies in the analysis of impacts on air quality, prime farmland, soil erosion, cultural resources, hazardous materials and emissions, hydrology and water quality, wildfires, and noise. “At its most basic level, the environmental document is supposed to inform the public and decision-making body of the full extent of impacts the project will have on the environment and on public safety and health. This document was so quickly put together it never addressed these basic issues or do so only in a cursory manner,” said Kleinhaus. “In no way does this environmental impact report provide the public and public officials with the information necessary to make an informed decision as to the losses, the costs and the risks associated with this project.”

The draft environmental impact report looked at four different project alternatives, and even with the smallest sized alternative, government agencies found irreversible, unmitigable impacts on wildlife and habitat. “One of many issues with this analysis was the narrow range of alternatives that were studied,” said Kleinhaus. “We expected alternatives to review brownfield sites, distributed solar as an alternative, and other locations in San Benito Co. None of these were analyzed. In addition, there is a feasible alternative that is less environmentally damaging, which involves developing the solar project on the Westlands property in Fresno County.”

“Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society supports sustainable energy programs that foster the development of renewable energy resources while focusing on energy conservation. We encourage the promotion of solar energy projects, policies and programs that focus on solar energy production in existing and planned communities, but do not impact landscapes that have agricultural or habitat value,” said Kleinhaus. “We support projects that do not endanger species, or the survival and health of the residents of rural communities.”

Wintu Audubon creates artificial burrows for Burrowing owl in Northern California

Using a grant from Audubon California, members of Wintu Audubon and other local bird enthusiasts in February constructed eight artificial burrows for Burrowing Owls in Chico. The weather held as the group installed two groups of four burrows each in the heavy wet soil of a location where the habitat will be conserved in perpetuity by the private property owner. Wintu Audubon conceived of the project because of the decline of Burrowing Owls, which is a California Species of Special Concern.


This type of habitat is important as increased development projects often result in the eviction of owls, caving in burrows and killing of the resident owls. According to local biologists, Burrowing Owls have been seen at the project location for nearly 20 years. Shortly after the project was completed, a Burrowing Owl was seen in the entrance of one of the artificial burrows. We are not sure if this is the one wintering there, or a new bird.

The project was funded through an Audubon California collaborative funding grant, which supports chapter conservation projects. Read more about the project in Wintu Audubon’s newsletter (page 7).

Photo courtesy Wintu Audubon. Pictured from left: Michelle Ocken, George Horn, Dorothy Davis, Dawn Garcia, Steve King, Nancy Nelson, Lonnie Swartout, Michele Swartout, Claudia Lyons-Yerion and Larry Jordan.

Sierra Foothills Audubon restores habitat in Placer Nature Center for Yellow-breasted chat, Yellow warbler

With a Collaborative Funding grant from Audubon California, Sierra Foothills Audubon restored grasslands and riparian habitat in the Sierra to benefit species of birds on the Watch List.

Volunteers in the restoration included youth, pictured here during one of the restoration days.

Read more about the restoration in Sierra Foothills newsletter The Phoebe online at http://www.sierrafoothillsaudubon.com/

Pasadena and LA Audubon present 4th year of AUDUBON FILM FRIDAYS at Debs

Pasadena Audubon Society and Los Angeles Audubon Society joined with Audubon Center at Debs Park to present the fourth year of AUDUBON FILM FRIDAYS, a summer series of free, outdoor, once a month high quality screenings of films about nature and conservation preceded by a bird walk. The last screening was on August 27, 2010.

This year's films included ROCK THE BOAT, a video documentary of the kayak ride down the LA River that proved the river is navigable reversing the ruling of the EPA, and FLY AWAY HOME the true story of one young girl's determination to help her Canada geese migrate naturally. The films are shown in English with  Spanish sub-titles, or Spanish with English sub-titles.

Shown here are Pasadena Audubon's Ron Cyger with LA Audubon's President Travis Longcore after the bird walk.

Audubon California and chapters meet to talk about nature education

Audubon California and local chapters in California have long felt that nature education is conservation. What this means is that if we want to protect the state’s magnificent natural treasures into the future, we need to ensure that the next generation of Californians appreciates the great outdoors as much as we do. In an effort to improve all of our programs, representatives of Audubon California and northern California chapters gathered last Saturday at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary for a Chapter Education Summit. The goals were to talk about our mutual goals, share programmatic ideas, and learn about each other’s curricula. But most of all, this was just a forum to find ways to share ideas and help each other succeed.


Participating chapters included representatives from Plumas Audubon, Yolo Audubon, Sacramento Audubon, Sierra Foothills Audubon, Central Sierra Audubon, Santa Clara Valley Audubon, Peregrine Audubon, Sequoia, Mendocino Audubon, Napa/Solano Audubon, and Golden Gate Audubon.

Peregrine Audubon kicked off the summit with a presentation of their multiple-visit bird focused education program, Flight School. This program includes a classroom visits and then a field trip where kids really become scientists. This is a great program and incorporates all the components Audubon strives for in an environmental education program.

Another summit was held on August 28 at Audubon Center at Debs Park with Los Angeles Audubon, San Bernardino Valley Audubon, San Fernando Valley Audubon, Sea & Sage Audubon, Ventura Audubon, Conejo Valley Audubon, Kerncrest Audubon and San Diego Audubon attending.

Sea & Sage Audubon's Queen of the Marsh Trude Hurd gave a presentation on the chapter's programs at San Jacinto Marsh in Irvine.

Results of the Summits will be posted on line at the Chapter Network Site www.ca.audubon.org/chapters.php

Important wetlands protected in So. California

The State Wildlife Conservation board approved the purchase of the Hellman Ranch wetlands, adding its 100 acres to about 62 other acres already set aside for restoration. The wetlands are part of Los Cerritos Wetlands, a corridor of important bird habitat along the Long Beach-Orange County shoreline.

El Dorado Audubon in Long Beach has worked to protect, help acquire, and monitor this site for years under the direction of Conservation Chair Mary Parsell.

Way to go Mary!

Calfornia Chapters win Together Green grants!

San Bernardino Valley Audubon, Monterey Audubon and Los Angeles Audubon will receive $ 48,000 in Audubon Toyota Together Green Innovation grants to restore habitat and educate youth in Southern California.

San Bernardino Valley Audubon recieves $18,000 for an education program for underserved youth at a Cahuilla Wetlands restoration site at the Salton Sea, Monterey Audubon will receive $20,000 for a restoration project on Carmel River at the Hilton Bialek habitat that includes an education program for youth, and Los Angeles Audubon receives $10,000 for continuation of the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Intern program and Restoration Leaders program in partnership with Newfields in the new Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park.

Congratulations to these California chapters!