Sunday, June 9.

Do you love Lake Merritt, the first wildlife refuge established in North America in 1870?

Well, so does the Sierra Club! We are one of the sponsors for Oaklavía, a three-mile car-free celebration taking place as part of the Love Our Lake Day festivities organized by the city of Oakland and Walk Oakland Bike Oakland to commemorate the completion of the new Lake Merritt Boulevard (formerly 12th Street) Bridge. Walk, bike, stroll, dance, paddle, and pedal the Lake.  Activities include salsa by the lake, food trucks (Snow Park and East 16th Street), free bike rentals including tandems, tennis, gondola rides, boating, bike repair, and live music. It will be a fun, safe environment for an entire family to enjoy.

The San Francisco Bay Chapter will be tabling at Oaklavía and we need volunteers to inform visitors about the Chapter’s events and our campaigns such as the Oakland Compost Collection campaign, and to guide participants in a fun, eco-friendly outdoor activity to activate the roadway space that is being reclaimed from cars for one day. To volunteer, contact Bay Chapter conservation organizer Jess Dervin-Ackerman at jess@sfbaysc.org or (510)848-0800, ext. 304.

The new Lake Merritt Boulevard bridge replaces the old 12-lane structure with a new six-lane bridge that includes bike lanes and sidewalks, and a second pedestrian-only bridge over the lake channel. The project also removed a dam that for 143 years restricted tidal flows from San Francisco Bay from entering Lake Merritt. This $35 million project was funded by Measure DD, a $198.25 million bond focused on waterfront improvements at Lake Merritt and the Oakland Estuary, approved by over 80% of Oakland voters in November 2002, with additional funding from the State Coastal Conservancy and Federal highway funds.

For more information see http://oaklavia.org.

Friday, June 14 – “The True Colors of Patagonia”

Patagonia is a region of intrinsic natural value and striking biodiversity, one of the precious few places on the planet where the array of natural beauty still defies humankind’s imagination. It is threatened, though, by plans to build five dams on two of the region’s wildest rivers, the Baker and the Pascua.

Our speaker Kate Ross is Patagonia coordinator with International Rivers, which is a member of the Patagonia Defense Council, a broad coalition of citizens, community groups, and national and international NGOs working to protect Patagonia from destructive development.

Green Friday Potlucks are held on the second Friday of each month at the Sierra Club Office at 2530 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley. An optional “zero waste” potluck dinner begins at 6 pm followed by our speaker’s presentation from 7 until 8:30. Please bring a healthful dish to share. Suggested donation $2. Beverages and tableware will be provided. To RSVP (appreciated but not required), to volunteer, or for more information, contact Ken Peterson at kenpeterson45@att.net or Joanne Drabek at (510)530-5216.

Tahoe National Forest in spring.

Monday, June 3, 6 – 8 pm, Sierra Club, 85 Second Street, third floor, San Francisco (map).

This year, the Forest Service is taking a fresh look at how the forests of the Sierra should be managed in coming decades. With so much at stake, we must make our voices heard and ensure California’s national forests are protected and restored for future generations.

Join us on June 3 for a presentation about California’s national forests and learn how you can help protect these spectacular places.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about these fabulous forests and how you can get involved in efforts to protect and restore them. We’ll be joined by speakers from the U.S. Forest Service, Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, and Defenders of Wildlife.

RSVP: http://action.sierraclub.org/CANFmeeting

Questions: Contact Sarah Matsumoto at sarah.matsumoto@sierraclub.org.

As the climate continues to change and temperatures around the nation rise, our national forests are more important than ever. Forests are the lungs of the planet, keeping our air clean and cool, while also providing 47% of our state’s water.

National forests are also a huge asset for California’s economy–providing nearly a million jobs and generating $5.3 billion in state and local tax revenues. People from across the world are drawn here to experience wonders like the giant sequoias–and maybe even catch a glimpse of a bighorn sheep, California spotted owl, or Pacific salmon.

But we can only ensure that our forests will be able to continue to provide for our people and wildlife if we take steps now to protect them.

RSVP today–join us on June 3 to learn about our state’s magnificent national forests and what we can do to protect them and the future of California. 

Shot from “Shored Up”.

Thursday, May 30 – Wednesday, June 5–full festival

Saturday, June 1, 4 pm, New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street (near Webster) in Japantown, San Francisco–”Shored Up”–co-presented by the Sierra Club Bay Chapter.

The 2013 San Francisco Green Film Festival includes 50 films from around the globe, with over 70 visiting filmmakers and guest speakers covering environmental topics surrounding clean energy, green chemistry, food, housing, trash, water, and art in the environment. For more details and to purchase tickets, please visit http://sfgreenfilmfest.org.

The Sierra Club Bay Chapter will be co-presenting the West Coast premiere of the documentary “Shored Up” by Ben Kalina, and our Bay Chapter director Michelle Myers will be there to speak about the Chapter’s efforts to protect the shoreline.

“Shored Up” asks tough questions about our coastal communities and our relationship to the land. What will a rising sea do to our homes, our businesses, and the survival of our communities? Can we afford to pile enough sand on our shores to keep the ocean at bay? In Long Beach Island NJ, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surfers, politicians, scientists, and residents are racing to answer these questions. Beach engineering has been our only approach so far, but is there something else out there to be explored? Our development of the coastlines puts us in a tough predicament, and it’s time to start looking for solutions. For more information, see http://shoredupmovie.com.