No campground for Sibley wildlife area

Sierra Club persuades Park District to drop plan

The Bay Chapter won a big victory on Jan. 10 when the Board of the East Bay Regional Park District voted 4 - 3 not to build a group camp in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.

The Sierra Club vigorously opposed this project because it would have encroached on a key portion of the East Bay's most important wildlife corridor. To boot, the site would be a poor one for camping. (This is only the second time in 25 years that the Club has opposed a group-camp site in the District.)

Key to success was the great turnout at the Board meeting. In addition to the Sierra Club, representatives came from Golden Gate Audubon, the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), and the Regional Parks Association. Afton Crooks of the Bay Chapter's East Bay Public Lands Committee made special efforts on this issue, and Joanne Drabek (by day the Chapter's administrative assistant) gave eloquent testimony as an Oakland resident who camps and uses the parks. The CNPS people turned out in great numbers and did a great job, especially Laura Baker.

I want to especially thank our own Terry Preston, chair of the Bay Chapter's Wildlife Committee. As a wildlife ecologist she wrote professional comments on why the District would have needed to prepare an Environmental Impact Report before it could have approved such a project. She worked hard, reading mounds of materials and visiting the site. Her focus was on the importance of protecting habitat near the corridor from any further human development or intrusion. Terry was just fabulous.

Voting to remove the group camp from the Land Use Plan Amendment were Boardmembers John Sutter, Ted Radtke, Jean Siri, and Ayn Wieskamp. The votes against removal were Beverly Lane, Doug Siden, and Carol Severin.

Norman La Force, chair, East Bay Public Lands Committee