Lakewood resident Rudy Vietmeier has been honored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club for what the selection committee described as his leadership in building “one of the most effective programs in the Chapter.”
Vietmeier is the longtime chair of the local Long Beach Group, which encompasses most of southeastern Los Angeles County, including Catalina.
The Group has been active in pushing for port air quality improvements, wetlands preservation and expansion of open space in Long Beach, especially Signal Hill, where the Group worked with the city to develop the hillside trail system.
It was Vietmeier’s leadership of the political committee that came in for special mention by the selection committee. “He has been able to reach out to the membership to bring in new activists,” the award narrative says. “Rudy is respected by all who work with him— even-handed, fair-minded. He works to bring about practical solutions when controversial issues arise.”
Besides heading the Long Beach Group, Vietmeier serves as vice chair of the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee. He is also a board member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and has served as a docent, leading tours of the wetlands.
The Long Beach Group, with a membership in excess of 3,000, also has an extensive outings program, offering several hikes monthly in addition to the weekly conditioning hikes along the beach and on the trails of Signal Hill.
Vietmeier was awarded the Certificate of Special Service at the recent Angeles Chapter banquet in Pasadena.