Owen Bailey
Sierra Club, Great Coastal Places

The fate of one of California's last remaining coastal Monterey pine forests could be decided in the next few months, when the California Coastal Commission meets in March. The Monterey pine, grown round the world, survives in its original habitat in only three intact forests, and developers have proposed cutting down 17,000 threatened trees to add to their golf empire on the Monterey Peninsula. The Coastal Commission hearing could represent one of last opportunities for opponents to stop the project from moving forward.

Sierra Club has been one of the major groups involved in fighting this latest development scheme, facing off against the Pebble Beach Company, a highly influential and well financed development company, whose principal shareholders include Clint Eastwood, Peter Ueberroth and Arnold Palmer. The Pebble Beach Company already owns or manages four golf courses, and several resorts and restaurants in the area.

The company's contentious plan has shaped up to be one of the biggest coastal protection battles in many years. Twenty-two appeals have been submitted to the Coastal Commission against the project, making this the most appealed coastal development project since the creation of the Coastal Commission. (The previous record was nine.) The destructive project has been appealed by conservation organizations, concerned Californians and even by two members of the Coastal Commission, including Commission Chair, Meg Caldwell.

Now the Coastal Commission could represent the last stand for coastal protection advocates interested in protecting one of the few remaining places where you can still see California's wild coast. "These trees are icons of California's coastal legacy, and they are slated to be lost for more golf," says Sierra Club's Coastal Director, Mark Massara. "There are more than 20 other places to play golf within Monterey County, but if you want coastal Monterey pine forest, this is it."

Even though cutting 17,000 trees would not immediately wipe out the entire forest, experts believe that cutting this many trees could threaten even those trees left standing. Pine Pitch Canker disease is a constant threat to Monterey pines, and by opening up the forestland, you expose the remaining trees to increased risk. Those trees standing alone, exposed to humans or on the edges of forests, are far more susceptible to the disease that can be fatal to Monterey pines.

Sierra Club activists made a holiday presentation to the Coastal Commission last December in San Francisco, delivering potted Monterey pine Christmas trees to the Commissioners, hung with more than 1400 hand-written notes/ornaments from activists throughout the state, all urging the protection of the forest. "This forest is truly one of California's great coastal places," said Massara. "And if we are going to help protect this special place, people from throughout California need to work together."