We are reeling from the sudden loss a dear friend to the cause of protecting our region. Jeff Yann, a deeply engaged activist from Hacienda Heights died in a snorkeling accident in Hawaii.

A longtime leader in the Sierra Club, Jeff also served on the Advisory Board to the Wildlife Corridor Conservation Authority. Early on in the effort to connect our hills together into a backbone of open space, he put his analytical skills to work to figure out how to prioritize our actions. He brought then Democratic State Senator Hilda Solis on board the effort to save Coal Canyon in Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda. Working with Republican Assemblymember Dick Ackerman, together they provided the political will to save the now famous wildlife connection.

Jeff also analyzed the massive reservoirs that the City of Industry has proposed in Tonner Canyon. He demonstrated that the Industry needed to build 10 tall saddle dams along the side of the proposed reservoir to prevent inundation of existing neighborhoods in Diamond Bar.

Jeff loved hiking, all things nature, and stepping to the plate whenever asked. What we will do without his wonderful community spirit and brilliant mind?

Please keep his family in your thoughts. The photo above shows Jeff, second from right, at the grand opening of the Habitat Authority’s Hacienda Hills Preserve, then called Seventh Avenue.

Read the article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.