SIERRA MADRE EDITION

 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2019 

VOLUME 13 NO.7

SIERRA MADRE SEARCH AND RESCUE 

Six new recruits join Sierra Madre Search and Rescue in the field. 

RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT LA COUNTY 
SPRAYING OF BAILEY CANYON WITH CANCER 
CAUSING CHEMICAL 

 
An alert Sierra Madre resident shared with 
neighbors information she discovered regarding 
the possible use of the chemical Round Up Pro 
in Bailey Canyon, which is belieed to be a health 
hazard to both humans and animals. 

 In a public post on social media, Linda Beckham 
of Sierra Madre shared the following::

 " Last week I received a copy of an article entitled 
Bailey Canyon Herbicide Spraying “Monsanto 
Roundup Pro” Pet Owners Beware) that 
was written and researched by Alan Himmel of 
Sierra Madre. The article announced LA County 
was going to spray Round Up Pro in Bailey Canyon 
to eradicate weeds the end of February or 
early March 2019. This spray is not only deadly 
to weeds, but if it becomes part of a standing pool 
of water (due to rain which we have enjoyed over 
the last few weeks) it can also kill wildlife and dogs 
who drink the water. It contains glyphosate. The 
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard 
Assessment determined that glyphosate would be 
added to the list of chemicals known to the state 
to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65. The 
World Health Organization's International agency 
for research on cancer classified glyphosate as 
"probably carcinogenic to humans".

 She went on to say: I went to the city council 
meeting last night to present the article for the 
council members to consider. The good news was 
I was told that the county was going back off of 
the spraying because they had not notified the city 
that the spraying was to take place. I then gave all 
the members of the council copies the article I had 
received written by Alan Himmel. The article contains 
several links including the results of a San 
Francisco trial which the jury granted a unanimous 
250 million dollar verdict in punitive damages and 
intentional willful misconduct against Monsanto 
for lying about the safety of their product for over 
decades. Although the amount of the verdict was 
later reduced to 78 million, the trial connected the 
person who sued Monsanto (the plaintiff Dewayne 
Johnson) to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma as a 
result of his exposure to Roundup. The trial was 
part of this article. 

The good news is the county has backed off for 
now, but we must remain vigilant regarding what 
is sprayed in our own backyard. For me Bailey 
Canyon is part of my backyard because it is at the 
top my street and because my 8 month old Labrador 
Retriever puppy goes with my 34 year old son 
to walk/run the trails for exercise.

At the same time, Emily Dixon, a CNN reporter 
wrote an article entitled, "COMMON WEED 
KILLER GLYPHOSATE INCREASES CANCER 
RISK BY 41%, citing the results of a study 
by researchers from the University of Washington. 
In the article she names Glyphosate, an 
herbicide that remains the world's most ubiquitous 
weed killer, raises the cancer risk of those 
exposed to it by 41%, a new analysis says.

The researchers evaluated existing studies into 
the chemical -- found in weed killers including 
Monsanto's popular Roundup -- and concluded 
that it significantly increases the risk of non-
Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), a cancer of the immune 
system.

"All of the meta-analyses conducted to date, including 
our own, consistently report the same 
key finding: exposure to GBHs (glyphosate-based 
herbicides) are associated with an increased risk 
of NHL," the authors wrote in a study published 
in the journal Mutation Research.

The revelation lead to members of the community 
again sounding the alarm in hopes that Los 
Angeles County would abandon all plans to use 
the herbicide anywhere.

For more information on the study, go to: 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/health/us-
glyphosate-cancer-study-scli-intl/index.html

S. Henderson/MVNews

Sierra Madre Search & Rescue’s (SMSR) newest team 
members have begun to serve the team and respond to 
calls for help in the wilderness, but they still face a long 
and challenging training period. 

 As new recruits, these 4 women and 2 men are 
designated as probationary team members until they 
complete the training process. Their first 6 months 
of training have covered knot tying, helitac training, 
patient packaging, ascending a rope and a physical 
fitness test. One trainee reports, “The last 6 months have 
been about learning strengths and weaknesses I never 
knew I had, and facing challenges head on and working 
through the pain and frustration to conquer them.” The 
team is proud of their work, and looks forward to seeing 
them become full members. 

 Like all team members, probationary members 
are all volunteers. As they balance day jobs as sales 
managers and storyboard artists, the time commitment 
to the team is daunting. One full team member stated, 
“I knew going in that the time commitment was most 
probationary member’s Achilles’ heel, but as much as 
the current team members tried to convey this, it could 
not be fathomed without experiencing it first hand.” 

 Each member of the current training class will put in 
an average of 700 hours with the team in the next year. 
They attend probationary member training Monday 
nights, monthly team trainings, business meetings and 
search and rescue operations. Many more hours are 
spent practicing on their own and with their classmates. 

 In the remaining 9 months of their training they 
will learn to operate GPS units, face a field navigation 
test, build and operate rope systems, complete a 5 day 
backpacking course and much more. When their 
training is completed and they have passed written and 
practical exams they will become full team members 
and wear the Mountain Rescue Association’s “blue 
patch” on their uniform. 

 Even then training is not over. Once they are full 
members they will study to certify as Emergency Medical 
Technicians. Full team members continuously study 
to improve their search and rescue skills by learning 
new mapping technologies, search management, and 
operational leadership. This leadership training is often 
provided in house by the senior operations leaders, 
and is supplemented by attending national conferences 
such as the International Technical Rescue Symposium, 
and the annual Mountain Rescue Association Summer 
Conference. 

 When asked about their training year, whether 
you speak to those who completed it 10 years ago or 
10 months ago, team members often talk about the 
friendships made. One member stated, “During training 
you become a close knit team whose bonds are probably 
tighter than many friendships you’ve had in your 
life.“ Sierra Madre Search and Rescue 
exists to respond when others are in need of help 
in the wilderness, but to meet the demands that are 
placed on an individual to execute that goal they 
rely on each other. As one team member explained, 
”Before joining SMSR, I could count the number of 
lifelong friends I had on a single hand; but now...the 
bonds I have established with my fellow teammates 
and especially with my classmates are like none other 
I’ve experienced before.“ 

 If you would like to join the next recruiting class of 
SMSR visit their website at www.smsr.org. The team 
is made of volunteers like you who serve their motto, 
“Anywhere in the wilderness that someone needs help. 
. .” The requirements to join are that you be at least 25 
years old, live within 20 minutes of Sierra Madre and are 
comfortable in the wilderness. They will teach you the 
rest if you are willing and able.

 For over 60 years the all-volunteer Sierra Madre 
Search and Rescue team has been responding to calls 
for help in the local mountains and beyond. Funded 
entirely by private donations, SMSR provides a range of 
public programs on wilderness safety in addition to its 
search and rescue activities. The Team never charges for 
any of its services. 

 For more information, including how to arrange 
a wilderness safety demonstration for your school or 
group, visit www.smsr.org.


Residents in the City of Sierra Madre are receiving calls from 
a ROBO CALLER. The caller is stating that they are from 
the City of Pasadena Water and Power, and their water will 
be disconnected if they don’t call within 30 minutes. The 
caller will provide a 1-800 telephone number for you to call. 
The telephone number is “Spoofed”, meaning it is untraceable. 
Once the resident calls they will asked to pay their bill 
or a fee. Suspect usually target those that are elderly. This 
a SCAM, the City of Sierra Madre, City of Pasadena, other 
cities, any police department, any fire department, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 
DOES NOT CALL to collect money owed or ask for donations. These are ALL SCAMS you 
need to be aware of. DO NOT SEND anyone a check, wire transfer, provide your credit 
card or purchase a DOT credit card from a CVS, RALPHS, Best Buy or RITE AID. 

If you have any questions please call the City of Sierra Madre Police Department at (626) 
355-1414.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com