NAIL Progress Report
All NAIL Members,
We've come a long way in the four months since we all first heard of San Jose Water Company's plans to log the Los Gatos Creek watershed. A lot of work has been done and a lot of progress has been made. But there's still a long way to go.
Here is a short summary of recent developments:
- Over 2,000 signatures have been gathered in opposition to the plan.
- We've made a great deal of progress with the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The county has hired Thomas Lippe, one of the top environmental lawyers in the field,to help them analyze the logging plan. Mr. Lippe has been authorized by the County to subcontract with a team of experts to assist in his review of the NTMP.
- The Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club has decided to make fighting the SJWC's logging plan a top priority.
- Articles regarding the situation have recently been written in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Metro and the Los Gatos Weekly. We'll continue our outreach efforts with a variety of media outlets.
- NAIL has hired experts in fire management, erosion and water quality issues to help us fight the logging plan.
- NAIL has retained Jodi Frediani of Citizens For Responsible Forest Management to help review the NTMP
- NAIL is pursuing the possibility of a Conservation Easement to protect the Watershed lands.
- The NAIL website at www.mountainresource.org/nail has expanded. Everyone is urged to visit the site and read the posted documents.
Ongoing needs:
- Fundraising efforts continue. We continue to require outside experts to help in our fight. Please contribute. All donations will go directly to help preserve our community. The NAIL website at www.mountainresource.org/nail now has a link to PayPal, allowing for online donations.
- Continued petitioning. An online petition now exists at the website. Forward the link to others and tell your friends about it! Download the petition forms and gather signatures. Anyone can sign the petitions - they don't have to be mountain residents.
- Please continue to write letters to media outlets, elected officials and the California Department of Forestry. The more they hear our voices the more responsive they will be to our needs.
Next Steps In The Process:
- A public hearing is expected to be held in January where citizens can voice their concerns. We'll notify NAIL members as soon as we learn details.
Thanks again for all your help and all your efforts. We've still a long way to go before the forest is protected but we've made a great deal of progress.
Signed,
The NAIL Steering Committee