Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Mendocino Group Report Mary Walsh | |
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The Mendocino Group ExCom struggles to keep its collective head above water as the rain keeps raining down. Linda Perkins was seated as chair, Bill Heil as vice-chair and Mary Walsh as secretary. We thank the county members for their votes. Lorraine Buranzon, new Membership Chair for Mendocino Group, is in the process of setting up a membership contact/alert list. She has noted that very few members of Mendocino Group have provided email addresses to the Chapter, which makes it difficult to contact members. Mail is expensive and phone calls out to all members would take a great deal of time. She is requesting that members contact her by email at lorraine@mcn.org (preferably) or by phone at 937-3799, and provide her with your email address. This is a most realistic way of contacting all members in a timely fashion. She hopes to have this contact list completed in April, so please take a moment and contact her today. This contact/alert list will be used to notify members of upcoming activities and events that they may want to be involved with and to elicit opinions on future actions. She promises that you will NOT be inundated with emails! Thank you ! The Appeal to the Coastal Commission of an application by Georgia-Pacific for a Coastal Development Permit to remove foundations, perform additional assessment, and conduct interim remedial measures remains under consideration by Coastal Commission staff. The City of Fort Bragg has it that this Appeal will be heard by the CCC at its April meeting, the Mendocino Group has not yet been thus advised by the Commission. It should be noted that when the City talks about this matter under appeal, it is described as an application to perform additional |
assessment. This Appeal, it must be stated, was taken seriously by the California Coastal Commission. It was made to assure adequate oversight of the removal of quantities of concrete of untold enormity, the unearthing and stockpiling of which is to occur over and around fragile coastal bluffs. These coastal bluffs contain or are adjacent to singular habitat for several species of birds, some of which are protected and /or endangered, and other marine creatures. The several other issues contained in this Appeal and the staff report in response may be read at the California Coastal Commission web site. The Appeal by Midstream Partners of a permit application for a lot split on Albion Ridge Road which was denied by the County Planning Commission, was granted to Midstream Partners by the County Board of Supervisors. This is essentially a proposal by local developers to convert commercial timberland to residential use. Mendocino Group and local residents had opposed the permit because the larger context of forest land conversion and destruction of World Heritage Pygmy Forest was not addressed. A great deal of land bulldozing and road building had occurred which received no oversight because of the absence of a County Grading Ordinance. The matter is still under consideration by the Mendocino Group. The Mendocino Group meets in Mendocino on the second Tuesday evening of the even numbered months at 6PM in the function room of the Mendocino Hotel on Albion Street. Please call 937-0903 or 937-0573 for more info. |