hard-hitting TV ads receive national notice
With a small staff and limited resources, CAPS has grown over the last ten years into an important national player in the population/immigration reduction movement, adding to the national call for cuts in mass immigration and often even leading the way.

The DREAM Act: More Lives (21 and Counting) Than a Cat
By Joe Guzzardi, CAPS Senior Writing Fellow
In U.S. political history back to 1776, no proposed legislation has a longer, more futile track record than the federal DREAM  Act.

Chairman's Message: 40 Years After the Report of the President's Commission on Population Growth and the American Future. Are We Better Off?
One of the most serious challenges to human destiny in the last third of this century will be the growth of population.  Whether man’s response to that challenge will be a cause for pride or for despair in the year 2000 will depend very much on  what we do today. If we now begin our work in an appropriate manner and if we devote a considerable amount of attention  and energy to this problem then mankind will be able to surmount this challenge as it has surmounted so many during the long  march of civilization. – President Richard M. Nixon, July 18, 1969

Population Overshoot Plays Role in Wildfires
By Maria Fotopoulos, CAPS Senior Writing Fellow
California is no stranger to wildfires, but the state may now have even more of them to battle. Through mid-August of this  year, California had 4,200 wildfires, about twice the number versus the same prior-year period. As September and October historically are the worst wildfire months, expect more.

CAPS Welcomes New Board and Advisory Board Members

New CAPS Project: Population Education for Environmental Scientists
A new project has taken CAPS messages about the environmental impacts of population growth directly to the scientific community. The outreach at major science meetings has given CAPS a very direct way to connect with a key audience, educate  about overpopulation and talk about the need for reduced immigration and small family size so that U.S. population  can eventually stabilize.

New CAPS Project: The California We are Losing: Bring us your views of the Golden State's Transition...Pristine to Imperiled
Search your bookcases and closets for books, diaries, film, maps, photos or other materials showing special California places  of the past (ideally, views of what those places look like today too)! Send us what you find for a new CAPS project … read on!

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With a small staff and limited resources, CAPS has grown over the last ten years into an important national player in the population/immigration reduction movement, adding to the national call for cuts in mass immigration and often even leading the way.

In just the last year we began running national as well as local television campaigns. This strategy has paid dividends in helping CAPS messages break through at unprecedented levels and introduced millions to the idea that we need to reduce both illegal and legal immigration.

CAPS ran its “Legal” Immigration TV Ad during the nationally televised Republican presidential debates on MSNBC and again in San Diego and Los Angeles markets. This ad laments the federal government admitting millions of legal immigrants and temporary workers to take jobs while more than 2 million Californians are unemployed.

The ad generated reactions from conservatives, liberals and those in-between. It also became part of the news coverage when reporters and bloggers expounded on the candidates’ debate performance and then talked about “the ad.” The good news is that more people have now begun thinking about the need to reduce mass immigration overall.

CAPS also ran its Carbon Footprint TV ad nationally in the week leading up to Earth Day.

Bloggers were fired up and comedian Stephen Colbert talked about the ad for more than five minutes in his show segment, “The Word.” In his lampooning of the ad, a new audience was introduced to the idea that we need to reduce legal immigration.



During the Memorial Day period, CAPS connected the dots between American joblessness and legal immigration in a spot that talked about particularly high unemployment among returning veterans. The Vets TV Spot ran nationally on FOX TV and then during the RNC and DNC conventions, again bringing attention to the impact of high immigration.

California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and also is one of the top destinations for legal and illegal immigrants to settle. CAPS launched another Jobs Ad campaign to hold representatives accountable. The TV ads call out specific politicians and ask why they are ready to admit 1 million legal immigrants again this year when nearly 2 million Californians can’t find jobs. Viewers are asked to call politicians and ask them why. This campaign ran in Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Sacramento.

These are the kinds of ads that can “break through” and make people, including politicians, think about the impact mass immigration is having on America.

All ads can be viewed on CAPS’ website, www.CAPSweb.org.

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Concern about American and world population growth was a huge subject, a national concern, in the late 1960s. Paul Ehrlich’s Population Bomb came out during this period and was a bestseller, warning of the perils that were coming from a world growing too rapidly. At that time, U.S. population was 203 million, and the planet had 2.3 billion people.

To study the effects of rapid and slowing population growth on all aspects of American life, in 1970 President Nixon appointed a prestigious commission, often called the Rockefeller Commission because it was chaired by John Rockefeller III.

The commissioners studied for two years and came up with 72 recommendations to U.S. policies, many revolutionary, such as legalized abortion, sex education in schools, contraceptives for minors, more funds for family planning services for the poor and increased adoptions. The report in its entirety was a major plan for a stabilized American population.

Today’s U.S. is home to 314 million people and the country continues to grow rapidly through immigration, both legal and illegal. There’s been significant and continuing growth on the global level as well. We’ve surpassed 7 billion people— up nearly 5 billion in just 40 years.

Very regrettably for the United States, overpopulation has become a taboo word since the topic was openly discussed in the 1960s and 1970s. Some businesses and religious groups encourage more population growth for their interests, while some environmental organizations specifically avoid addressing this issue which is at the core of so many environmental and sustainability issues. How can anyone truly be an environmentalist if they fail to talk about the pressure that adding more and more people to the planet exerts on biodiversity, natural resources … virtually every environmental and sustainability challenge that can be named?

Even while we were compiling our data for the 1972 Commission report, immigration was impacting U.S. population growth. Since our report, immigration has been the driving force of U.S. population growth. The commissioners recommended that employers be fined for hiring illegal immigrants and that our nation’s borders be closed to illegal entrance.

At that time, 400,000 legal immigrants were admitted each year. Now the number is 1 million and their families. The Census Bureau has never had an accurate account of the number of illegal aliens who cross our borders or those who enter the U.S. legally and then overstay visas. Our Commission’s recommendation was that the U.S. limit the number of legal immigrants taken in each year to 400,000 and then reduce this number by 10 percent each year. We also advised that immigration policy be reviewed each year and adjusted to meet the nation’s needs:

“The Commission believes that it is imperative for this country to address itself, first, to the problems of its own disadvantaged and poor. The flow of immigrants should be closely regulated until this country can provide adequate social and economic opportunities for all its present members, particularly those discriminated against because of race, ethnicity or sex. The Commission recommends that Congress immediately consider the serious situation of illegal immigration and pass legislation which will impose civil and criminal sanctions on employers of illegal border crossers or aliens in an immigration status in which employment is not authorized. To implement this policy, the Commission recommends provision of increased and strengthened resources consistent with an effective enforcement program to appropriate agencies.”

Another recommendation was to adopt a national population policy and identify a population ceiling. To implement this we commissioners said that the nation should have an Office of Population within the White House.

“After two years of concentrated effort we have concluded that, in the long run, no substantial benefits will result from further growth of the nation’s population, rather that gradual stabilization would contribute significantly to the nation’s ability to solve its problems,” John Rockefeller III wrote to President Nixon.

Pressured by the Catholic Church and others over family planning and sex education recommendations, President Nixon nixed the plan, as did Congress. So no action was taken on any of the report’s recommendations.

We members of the Commission were disappointed at every level, especially to see that none of these recommendations, or those of two other presidential commissions, was ever adopted.

The consequence of this is clear. U.S. population has grown by more than 100 million in a mere four decades, and the country now is way beyond sustainable. There was no doubt in my mind in 1972 that the country needed a population policy. Forty years down the line, we need it more than ever.

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Population Overshoot Plays Role in Wildfires
By Maria Fotopoulos, CAPS Senior Writing Fellow

California is no stranger to wildfires, but the state may now have even more of them to battle. Through mid-August of this  year, California had 4,200 wildfires, about twice the number versus the same prior-year period. As September and October historically are the worst wildfire months, expect more.

Two new reports about California point to higher average temperatures from 3 to 6 degrees and greater severity of wildfires due in part to warmer temperatures and extended drought.

But California no longer stands alone for its susceptibility to wildfire. Drought and heat waves have impacted large parts of the country this year, and scientists point to more with climate change. June was the fourth warmest June since recordkeeping began in 1880. Fire has come with these conditions.

Colorado suffered through several major wildfires, resulting in loss of life, loss of homes and huge insurance claims. Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah and Washington have been among other fire afflicted states.

Last year, Bastrop County experienced the single worst wildfire in Texas history. In New Mexico, the Las Conchas Wildfire near Los Alamos claimed 156,000 acres last year, and the Wallow Fire burned through 500,000 acres in both New Mexico and Arizona.

Mother Nature plays her role in wildfires (lighting strikes), but people often are responsible. There’s arson, but people unwittingly start fires too, be it through a mismanaged campfire, a cigarette carelessly discarded or a spark from a vehicle or machine.

Even our manmade infrastructure plays a role. Officials believe the Bastrop Fire may have started from power line sparks. And as in California, nationwide we continue to build in susceptible areas, such as the forested lands of some of this summer’s Colorado wildfires.

Add relentless, high immigration-driven population growth in America to increasing temperatures, drought and a forestry management policy of fire suppression which has created dense forests, and thus a tremendous amount of “fuel,” and more and larger devastating wildfires await the U.S. While we can do a better job of managing our forests and where we build in the U.S., we can also work to reduce population growth, which is contributing to the rapacious demand to build everywhere, including where it makes little sense.

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CAPS Welcomes New Board and Advisory Board Members

Tim Aaronson’s concerns about population growth grew during his time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines and as he experienced the 400 percent population increase in his native California.

He is a board member of the El Cerrito Traintrekkers, a group that builds urban trails, and volunteers with several organizations, including the Tilden Botanical Gardens, the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse and the West Edge Opera Company.

A retired mathematics and science educator from the University of California Berkeley, Tim earned a BA from UC Berkeley in Physical Science and an MA in Science Education from San Jose State University.

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Jake Sigg is a long-time populationist and environmental activist who describes experiencing a “near-idyllic youth on a ranch in  Montana”—a lifestyle that’s no longer possible in large part due to there now being so many more people.

The natural world is ventral to Jake's life, and he works to preserve California's biological inheritance. He leads and advocates for education and funding at all levels, frequently traveling to Washington and Sacramento.

Retired from a 30-year career and a gardener with Golden Gate Park, Jake is a member of the California Native Plant Society.

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Since studying at Stanford University, Wendy Yager has been active in the cultural, educational and political life of the Santa  Barbara community, here she has served on the boards and committees of numerous organizations.

Wendy counts her three sons as her proudest achievements, but her greatest concern now is the well-being of her grandchildren who are inheriting an overpopulated, environmentally stressed and economically challenged world.

She is looking forward to helping educate about these issue through her new role with CAPS.

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 A committed community volunteer in Santa Barbara, Karen Peus served for 20 years as a board member with the Scholarship  Foundation of Santa Barbara, which awarded more than $7 million in 2012 to worthy and needy students in Santa Barbara County.

Karen also has been active with the Junior League, National Charity League, Santa Barbara High School PTA, Parents Board of Stanford University, Little Town Club Board and Birnam Wood Golf Club Board.

At Mount Saint Mary’s College, she majored in education and German, in which she is fluent.

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Winifred W. Rhodes, CAPS Advisory Board Member Corona Del Mar, CA

A fourth generation Californian, Win Rhodes remembers growing up in a Los Angeles with vacant lots, clean air, little traffic and uncrowded schools.

She’s seen this change in the 30 years she’s worked in inner city education, watching the population grow, accompanied by  overcrowded schools that are home to gangs and drugs mostly fueled by rival multi-ethnic males trying to assimilate into alien neighborhoods and a foreign culture.

Win is a board member of Challengers Boys and Girls Club and founder of I HAVE A DREAM, a nationwide dropout  prevention and high school graduation program. Win, a naturalist with the Newport Bay Conservancy, is a graduate of UC  Berkeley, where she studied philosophy and psychology.

 

 

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A new project has taken CAPS messages about the environmental impacts of population growth directly to the scientific community. The outreach at major science meetings has given CAPS a very direct way to connect with a key audience, educate  about overpopulation and talk about the need for reduced immigration and small family size so that U.S. population  can eventually stabilize.

CAPS hosted a booth at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology (NAACB) in Oakland, California. NACCB is considered one of the most important meetings for conservation professionals and students working in North America. This meeting in July provided a forum for presenting and discussing new research and developments in conservation science and practice, and addressing current conservation challenges.

We also traveled to Portland, Oregon, in August for the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA). An organization of scientists founded in 1915, ESA promotes awareness of ecological science and works to ensure the appropriate use of ecological science in environmental decision-making by enhancing communications between the ecological community and policymakers.

Booths at both gatherings were staffed by CAPS’ staff and members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board, members of sister organizations and supportive scientists. They featured displays and lots of informational material, which stimulated lively conversations and interest in the issues among the event attendees.

At the ESA meeting, CAPS also led a half-day symposium, Population, Environment and Sustainability Issues in the U.S. The meeting was organized by Stuart Hurlbert, emeritus biology professor, San Diego State University, and moderated by Robert Costanza, director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University.

Marilyn DeYoung spoke on U.S. Population Policies, Trends and Projections: 1900-2050; Madeline Weld on Pernicious Myths Drive Canada’s Population Growth; Robert Dietz on Moving Toward Ecological Economics: Why Are We Still Haunted by the Ghosts of Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, and Julian Simon?; Philip Cafaro on Developing an Environmental Impact Statement for U.S. Immigration Policy; and David Schindler on Oil Sands Operations, First Nation Peoples and a Sustainable Canada.

Also speaking were Gerardo Ceballos González on Continental Ecology, Connectivity, and the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Mexico-U.S. Border Region; Hal Michael and Robert Lackey on Past, Present and Future of Salmonid Stocks in the Pacific Northwest; Ben Zuckerman on Population Growth and Projection of Future U.S. Greenhouse Gas Outputs, Stuart Hurlbert on Sustainability, Censorship and Unholy Left-Right Alliances; and Robert Costanza on Population, Environment, Economy and Sustainability: Toward an Integrated Synthesis and a Desirable Future.

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New CAPS Project: The California We are Losing: Bring us your view of the Golden State's Transition...Pristine to Imperiled

Search your bookcases and closets for books, diaries, film, maps, photos or other materials showing special California places  of the past (ideally, views of what those places look like today too)! Send us what you find for a new CAPS project … read on!

We Californians cherish the beauty of our “Golden State,” but many of us are dismayed by how California has changed.

Relentless population growth has birthed sprawl and a host of negative environmental and economic impacts that increasingly  degrade much of the appeal that draws people here and bring into question the prospect of a sustainable future for the region.

Change of this sort is often so incremental that it’s difficult to see, though there’s an impressive history of books from California’s past filled with prose and photos that chronicle a California “then,” unspoiled. This transformation was a topic recently discussed among our board members—some of whom have called California home since the 1930s and 40s—and the result of the conversation was the creation of a new project, The California We Are Losing: views of our Golden State’s  transition from pristine to imperiled.

Through this project we will work to educate the public about the long-term effects of population growth on special California places. This will be one in a visual way, showing yesterday’s landscapes and how they’ve changed.

We anticipate highly contrasting and vivid portraits of changing landscapes as natural environments of redwood groves,  meadows and oak-studded hills filled with wildlife, along with pristine beaches of yesterday, morphed into towns, cities and suburbs, with the supporting infrastructure to house and meet the needs of California’s still-growing population of 38 million people.

Given sufficient interest and funding, we hope to utilize a variety of communication means, including social media and video, to share what e find. But first, we need your help!

Send us your “then” and “now” pictures, stories and remembrances. Help us tell the important story of The California We Are Losing. Contribute to the discussion and help us educate Californians and others about how dramatic changes have re-created California. Let’s explore together whether there is a better way forward.

Through this creative and collaborative process with you, we hope to get some insight. Is perpetual population growth inevitable? What parts of our great state can be preserved for future generations and what can we do now to help?

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