"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has." 111Margaret Mead
THERE BE TARPLANT HERE AGAIN!
July 23 and 27, 2012. We inventoried for the endangered Holocarpha macradenia, finding 15 plants, which we reported to the City's Parks and Recreation Dept. We flagged the area to protect it from trampling and disturbance by visitors and their off-leash dogs. We also found two other coastal prairie grassland natives (Madia sativa and Deinandra corymbosa) that help identify Arana Gulch as important habitat for such species. To see pictures of the species in their Arana Gulch setting, go HERE.
December 5, 2011
Alas, the Coastal Commission vote was against us: 10 - 1. The one bright spot on the Commission was Esther Sanchez. To be fair, Danya Bocho was close to being with us, but when she asked two pertinent questions, she received misleading...well, lies, as answers from the Commission staff.
Now listen up! This is not over. The bicyclists and the City bureaucrats won nothing tonite. They won nothing because 1) the Conditions of Approval will never be met and I suspect they will never get their development permit (yes, we are eternally optimistic); and 2) we have other avenues to walk...
To everyone, from everyone who came to San Francisco, do not give up hope. We have come too far to give up, have we not? Tomorrow is another day. Go to Arana Gulch and get its glad tidings and reaffirm your care for this special place. Your affirmation is powerful, for you and for her (Arana Gulch). For anyone who hasn't yet signed our petition, go to http://signon.org/sign/no-broadway-brommer-in.
As ever,
Jean & Michael
on behalf of all Friends of Arana Gulch
The following poem was sent to us by Fran Gibson, tireless organizer for ORCA (Organization of Regional Coastal Activitists):
Aphrodite speaks on behalf of the gods:
We are not extremely sorry for the woes of men. We laugh in heaven.
We that walk on Olympus and the steep sky,
And under our feet the lightning barks like a dog:
What we desire, we do. I am the power of Love.
In future days men will become so powerful
That they seem to control the heavens and the earth,
They seem to understand the stars and all science --
Let them beware. Something is lurking hidden.
There is always a knife in the flowers. There is always a lion just beyond the firelight.
Robinson Jeffers (The Cretan Woman) [1954]
New Restoration Strategies for Holocarpha macradenia Our Report to Parks & Recreation Resource Managers (8/25/2011) Click here for report
FLASH! Our Restoration Strategies Implemented (October 13/14, 2011) Click here for pictures
THERE BE TARPLANT HERE!
On July 27, 2011, Friends of Arana Gulch members found thirteen tarplant individuals growing near another coastal prairie tarweedy species, Madia sativa (over 100 individuals). We notified the City of our discovery. They added our finds to their own later tarplant inventory,
with the final count more than forty plants.
Suggestion to the City for Collaboration (11/29/10) Read it here
One more reason for the Coastal Commission to deny approval of Broadway-Brommer, (10/3/2010) Click here to read.
FUNDING MYTHS
On April 11, 2010 FOAG sent the Santa Cruz City Council a letter explaining two funding myths that Jean Brocklebank researched and clarified that provide a clear path for the City to begin tarplant recovery and management in Arana Gulch. Click here to read the letter.
October 7, 2010 - Nina Hyatt paints before it disappears, standing in the path of the proposed paved bike route.
OUR "RESTORATION ALTERNATIVE WITH INTERPRETIVE TRAILS"
In response to the California Coastal Commission's direction to Staff and the City to look at alternatives to the transportation project in the ESHA in the Arana Gulch Master Plan, Friends of Arana Gulch presented a "Restoration Alternative with Interpretive Trails" to the Parks and Recreation Department in a meeting on April 7, 2010. Click here to see the FOAG Alternative. Click here to see the proposed interpretive trails (in yellow).
Friends of Arana Gulch Assists with Restoration Volunteer Labor (Augist, 2010)
Read it here.
Friends of Arana Gulch is an
unincorporated association of concerned citizens working for the
preservation of Arana Gulch as open space, and for the restoration of
the rare and native flora and fauna of this coastal prairie habitat.
OUR SHORT-TERM GOAL:
To stop construction of the proposed paved Broadway-Brommer bike route,
which would cut through the greenbelt and cause irreparable ecological
and aesthetic damage.
OUR LONG-TERM GOAL:
To advocate for an "Arana Gulch Greenbelt Master Plan," that would
include a management and maintenence plan to protect, preserve, and
restore the sensitive coastal prairie habitat, and that does not
include a specific transportation project.
JOIN US!
We need your help in preserving Arana Gulch Greenbelt.
To learn more about Friends of Arana Gulch, send an email to: malewis@calcentral.com or call
462-4919 (Jean or Michael)
FOAG members may join the Friends of Arana Gulch Discussion List,
for on-going discussion of Arana Gulch issues and announcements of important events.
