Coasters - North County Coastal Group The Coasters are the geographic division of the San Diego Chapter for the north coastal area, Del Mar to Oceanside. We organize a variety of Sierra Club activities in coastal North County, including outings, social events, and conservation efforts. We organize local hikes, usually on the first Saturday of each month. Format is a 9 am morning hike, optional lunch, done by noon. We walk in the north coast area, from Penasquitos to Oceanside. When tides are favorable, we are on the beach. Hikes are listed here, below, and in the Happenings singles group newsletter. The Coasters meet on the third Tuesday of each month. Our meetings are from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Encinitas Community Center. The center is at the intersection of Encinitas Blvd. and Balour Drive. From I-5, take Encinitas Blvd East to Balour Drive (at the top of the hill) and turn right, then turn left on Oakcrest Park Drive. The entrance is off Oakcrest Park drive, just South of Encinitas Blvd on Balour. (Map) To get on the email list for local events and news, click here, click on Join, and follow the instructions on the screen. The news email is sent out about once every two weeks, depending on what news and events there are to report. scan of a T-Shirt Coaster News Updated on September 20 Coaster Meeting Programs Next meeting is October 21. Encinitas Community Center, 7 to 9 pm. Room 120A Coaster Fall Picnic Saturday October 4 at 11:30 AM San Dieguito County Park, Solana Beach (Map) The North County Coastal Group invites you to join us for a fall picnic. The picnic will follow the Coaster "First Saturday" hike (see Hikes below). We will fire up the grill, and serve your choice of grilled chicken or a veggie burger, plus salad, dessert, and a soft drink, all for the low price of $5.00. There is a $3.00 parking fee at the park. Park rules allow beer and wine if you would like to bring your own. Use the lower entrance to the park, off El Camino Real just south of Highland Drive. Cross the stream, turn left, and continue until you see our blue canopy. RSVP by October 1 to Peg at 760-753-0899, or by e-mail to DavidGrubb@sbcglobal.net, and state your preference for chicken or veggie burger. Also specify if you are willing to volunteer to help with preparations and setup. Email is best for RSVP's, so we can contact you with additional information if necessary. Past Programs - Click here to see what you missed Coaster Hikes OCT 4/SAT/E4A - EAST SAN ELIJO HIKE and PICNIC Ldr: Mac Downing 858 490-0583 - Asst: Needed MacDowning at Yahoo dot com Walk, then picnic. Bring water. NO hike reservations. Hike meets 9 am. From hwy 5 drive east on Lomas Santa Fe Drive to El Camino Real. Go north on El Camino Real 1.1 miles to trailhead west side of El Camino Real, Thomas 1167-J5. Open to Main Chapter. Picnic about 11:45 costs $5, RSVP by Oct 1 to Peg at 760 753-0899, or E-mail to DavidGrubb at sbcglobal dot net, specify chicken or veggie. Meet at San Dieguito County Park, near East entrance off El Camino Real. Nov 8/SAT/E4A - ENCINITAS SOUTH BEACH Ldr: Mac Downing 858 490-0583 - Asst: Needed MacDowning at Yahoo dot com Beautiful 9 am beach walk, great scenes. Bring water and comfortable hiking shoes or boots. Optional sack lunch at end. Rain or drizzle cancels. Limited to 20. For reservations email (prefer) or call Mac. Open to Main Chapter. More Outings As you may have noticed, the outings listing will not appear in the Hi Sierran, starting with the Jan-Feb issue. We have set up an online listing instead. You can find it here. (http://sandiego.sierraclub.org/outings/index.asp?content=calendar) You can sign up to receive an outings listing monthly by email. To sign up, click here. GreEncinitas Meeting GreEncinitas is a new environmentally active group in Encinitas. See GreEncinitas.org for more information. And more See other events at: Hiker Jaye's Notes San Diego Audubon events http://www.sandiegoaudubon.org/events.htm Buena Vista Audubon Events http://bvaudubon.org/ San Diego Coastkeeper http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org Surfrider Foundation - San Diego Events - http://www.surfridersd.org Beach Cleanups - http://www.surfridersd.org/beachcleanups.php The California Native Plant Society http://www.cnpssd.org/ The Escondido Creek Conservancy http://www.escondidocreek.org/events.htm The Natural History Museum calendar page http://www.sdnhm.org/canyoneers/calendar.html The combined environmental calendar page http://www.calsmerge.com/asd/environment/ REI Encinitas Events www.rei.com/stores/store_events.jsp?store=90 Adventure 16 Events www.adventure16.com/discover/events.html Environmental Links The California Coastal Commission http://www.coastal.ca.gov/ Carlsbad Watershed Network http://www.carlsbadwatershednetwork.org The Desert Protective Council http://www.dpcinc.org/index.html The Escondido Creek Conservancy http://www.escondidocreek.org/ The Solana Center for Environmental Innovation http://www.solanacenter.org/ Friends of the Foothills www.taskforce.sierraclub.org/friendsofthefoothills/ San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy http://www.sanelijo.org/ Save San Onofre http://savesanonofre.com/ Marine Protected Areas www.MPA.gov Wilderness For All http://wilderness4all.org San Diego Tracking Team www.sdtt.org The Wild Side News http://www.wildsidenews.com/ Endangered Species Coalition www.stopextinction.org GreEncinitas http://GreEncinitas.org Sierra Club Blogs Compass: http://www.sierraclub.org/compass The Green Life: http://www.sierraclub.org/greenlife Taking the Initiative: http://www.sierraclub.org/carlpope Food Links Food Not Lawns http://www.sdfoodnotlawns.com/ Local Food La Vida Locavore http://www.ediblesandiego.com/ Farmers Markets http://www.sandiegoroots.org/farmers_markets.html http://www.sdfarmbureau.org/Pages/farmersmarket.html El Salto Falls, Buena Vista Creek For More Information About the Coasters, contact: David Grubb, at 760 753-0273. The Coasters ExCom members for 2008 are: Sue Corringham - Secretary Robin Friedheim - Vice Chair David Grubb - Chair Peg Kessler Linda Lyerly - Treasurer Paul Richter Gene Walker Coaster Documents Bylaws     Environmental Events Buena Vista Creek Talk and Tour Sept 25 Thursday 7 - 9 PM Buena Vista Lagoon and Creek- Exploring a Restoration Linkage Buena Vista Nature Center Join the lagoon restoration Project Manager, David Cannon,and Buena Vista Audubon for this special 2 part series on the BV watershed. This Thursday evening session is a lecture presentation that will provide an update on the lagoon restoration and discuss the link between the health and function of the upstream watershed and the lagoon. This is an opportunity to learn more about how the acquisition and restoration of the BVCER (former Sherman property) relates to the health of the downstream lagoon. Lecture presentation is open to everyone at the BV Nature Center at 2202 S.Coast highway in Oceanside (Right on BV Lagoon, east side. Take Vista Way exit off I-5 and turn south on S. Coast Highway) Sept 27 Sat 8 - 11 AM Discovery Tour- Buena Vista Watershed This is the second part of the 2-part series on the lagoon and watershed- participants are free to attend one or both sessions. Andy Mauro and Diane Nygaard will lead this group carpool/caravan to three key locations in the lower part of the watershed. Meet at the Starbuck's in the Quarry Creek Shopping Center near # 78 and College exit. The entrance to the shopping center is on College Blvd- head west at the light at Marron Rd/Lake Blvd, then take first right into the shopping center. Starbuck's at the end of first commercial strip). We will walk to observation areas along the creek and the overlook of the sacred El Salto waterfall. From there we will head to the landing near the sewer spill last year and join the beginning birding class for a few minutes. The third location will be at the weir at the mouth of the lagoon. Wear sturdy walking shoes and bring water- there will be short hikes at each location. Two of the locations have limited parking so we will try to coordinate carpooling at the first stop( or make arrangements in advance at the Thurs lecture) Call 753-1266 for more information. Conservation Activities Toll Road at San Onofre Toll Road Hearing Sept 22 The Commerce Department has finally posted the list of speakers for the upcoming hearing regarding the Foothill-South Toll Road. Click here to see the list of speakers! As you can see, members of the public are being given little opportunity to speak. Just remember though your voice can be heard just by showing up and wearing your "Save the Park" t-shirt and waving your sign! Stop by our sign in booth to receive a t-shirt and sign. There will also be an opportunity to submit written comments at the hearing. Click here for more information The moment we all have been waiting for is finally here!! The Federal Government hearing has been rescheduled for Monday, September 22nd at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The hearing will be held from 10:30 am--8:30 pm at O'Brien Hall which is located at 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard in Del Mar. Use one of your vacation days this summer to help save one of California's most popular vacation spots! The Coastal Commission made history when it denied the Foothill-South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. We cannot allow the Bush Administration to overturn that very important decision. Without your help we could lose one of the most important environmental victories made in California. It's critical that you attend the hearing to show your strong opposition to the toll road. As we saw with the Coastal Commission, decision makers take notice and weigh their decision more carefully when thousands of people attend a public hearing. It's imperative that Save Trestles supporters, from near and far, are present to ensure the Commission's decision is upheld. Sunrise Powerlink The California Public Utilities Commission has delayed the decision until November to allow time to recirculate the DEIR. For more information, see the web site for the Smart Energy Solutions Campaign at: http://sdsmartenergy.org/ Kelly has more information on her blog at: http://kdfuller.blogspot.com/ For more on smart energy solutions, see the Smart Solutions Page Save Rancho Guejito You may have seen some of the local press coverage about a proposed development at Rancho Guejito. A large coalition of environmental organizations has been meeting by conference call to discuss a coordinated response. There will soon be opportunities to help preserve this important resource. For more information, see: saveguejito.org and this Article in LA Times For some information about the ranch, see the Save Our Heritage Organization web site at: http://sohosandiego.org To read a letter sent by many environmental organizations to elected officials, click here Save Water! http://www.bewaterwise.com/tips01.html SAY NO TO TO BLACKWATER It worked! Blackwater has abandoned their plans for a training facility in Potrero, and their fallback plan for a training center in San Diego is in trouble. Coasters T-Shirts are here! We have the Coasters T-shirts, and they look great! They will be available for purchase at our meetings and events for $20 each. Or, you can donate $25 or more to the Coasters Fund Appeal, and get one T-shirt "free".