CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP:Conservancy hands out awards

Recreational Equipment Inc., better known as REI, was honored by the Bolsa Chica Conservancy with its 2006 Conservator of the Year award recently.

The outdoor retail company that educates and outfits about 3 million of its members was selected by the conservancy for promoting “environmental stewardship and increasing access to outdoor recreation through conservation, habitat restoration, youth education and community service,” the group said in a news release.

“REI’s concern for the environment guides every business and operational decision it makes,” company President Sally Jewell said in a written statement.

“Our corporate goal is to provide the highest-quality products and services while enhancing the environment.”

Other awardees included Orange County Business Council President Lucy Dunn, who received the “Friend of the Conservancy” award and the Robert Mayer Corp.’s Larry Brose, who received the “Chairman’s Award” at a Dec. 8 ceremony in the Hilton Water- front Beach Resort in Huntington Beach.

The conservancy was established in 1990 to create public awareness and preserve and restore the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. Dunn won the recognition for her work as a founding member of the conservancy and building the organization over the last 16 years to continue preservation of the wetlands.

Dunn also helped in getting funds from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to restore the low-lying parts of the wetlands.

Brose, who is senior vice president of the Robert Mayer Corp., received the award for volunteering at the conservancy, as well as providing leadership during the conservancy’s efforts to renovate its interpretive center on Warner Avenue.

Brose was the chairman of the conservancy’s building committee and a co-founder, overseeing the repair and renovation of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Interpretive Center. The center is set to be completed early this year and will showcase new exhibits and classroom resources.

Other dignitaries who attended the awards luncheon were Mayor Gil Coerper, Councilmen Keith Bohr and Don Hansen, Kathleen Hollingsworth, chief deputy for Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Matt Liffreing, chief deputy for Assemblyman James Silva.

The luncheon was sponsored by Pacific Life Foundation, Quiksilver, Sempra Utilities/Southern California Gas Co., Hearthside Homes and the Robert Mayer Corp.

Sister City tour to Japan holds info meeting

A Huntington Beach delegation will travel to Japan from April 2 to 12 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Huntington Beach-Anjo, Japan Sister City relationship.

The trip includes a two-day stay in Anjo in a Japanese home to experience the trademark hospitality of Japanese hosts. An information meeting will be held at the Huntington Beach Central Library at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The city is encouraging all residents, even if they are not interested in joining the group, to drop by and pick up information brochures on Japan, discuss the itinerary and find out about what to expect and bring for a trouble-free and fun trip.

The delegation is set to spend several days in Tokyo, including a trip to Tokyo Tower, a visit to its hi-fi electronics shopping area and an evening tour of the famed Ginza tower, known for its shopping and kaleidoscopic neon lights.

From Tokyo, the group will head south to Hiroshima on the Bullet Train and stop at Himehi City to visit Himehi Castle, one of the oldest and most dramatic buildings to survive from medieval Japan.

Next on the itinerary is a tour of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial or the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima and travel by ferry to Miyajoma Island to visit the Itsukushima Shrine, with its signature red gate that appears to float in the ocean during high tides.

The group will then head back north to visit the Okayama Prefecture to enjoy Korakuen Garden, one of Japan’s three greatest gardens. The trip will end with a visit to Kyoto, the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years and the cultural center of the country.

The stay will include visiting temples, the Golden Pavilion and the 1,001 gilded wooden statues of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, at the Sanjusangendo Temple.

Participants interested in the Sister City tour who cannot attend the meeting can call (714) 846-7685 to receive all the materials distributed at the meeting.

Volunteers needed to count homeless

Orange County officials are looking for volunteers to help with the 2007 Point-in-time Count and Survey of homeless people to secure federal homeless assistance funds. The Orange County region has been given about $75 million in assistance during the last decade through competitive federal grant programs.

But to obtain funding, the county needs about 1,000 volunteers to help count the homeless between 7 p.m. and midnight on Jan. 25, and all day and evening Jan. 26.

For more information on volunteering, visit pointintimeoc.org or contact Karen Roper at (714) 567-7418, karen.roper@csa.ocgov.com or Mary Bishop at (714) 567-5162, mary.bishop@csa.ocgov.com.

Officials say rumor is ‘completely false’

A rumor that the Orange County Humane Society would euthanize animals before closing Monday is “completely false,” according to some of the organization’s volunteers.

The humane society’s offices is at 21632 Newland Ave., behind the AES power plant. The center will remain open while its offices are renovated. Renovations begin Monday.

The volunteers who refuted the rumor refused to identify themselves. The humane society’s director Samir Botros confirmed that the rumors weren’t true. “I don’t even care,” he added about why or how the rumor spread.