Roundup: Obama, Poznan and Sonoma

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SKIERS: SAVE OUR SNOW: Olympic gold medalists and others showed up today in Poznan, Poland, skiing down a ramp and presenting a petition to delegates to remind them of the importance of snow to the planet, and to skiers in particular. (Noted: the snowy ramp was trucked in.) In other Poznan developments, Swiss schoolteacher Louis Palmer arrived today after a 17-month, 32,000-mile, 38-country trip in what he calls a solar taxi. It was described as the first solar car to circle the globe.

OBAMA ENVIRO CHATTER: Now that jobs such as Treasury, State and Defense have been spoken for, attention is turning to key environmental posts in the incoming Obama administration. A California name is in the race for Interior secretary: Rep. Mike Thompson, whose northern coastal district includes the wine country. Another Californian, UC Berkeley Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu is being talked about for Energy secretary, reports the Washington Post.

OPENING SOON: JENNER HEADLANDS: Speaking of our northern coast, a sweet bit of unspoiled ranch land has been acquired by the Sonoma Land Trust and other organizations for $36 million, with plans to open it to the public by early spring. Among the highlights: rare birds and frogs, flowing streams and redwood forests. (See the video above.)

--Steve Clow