Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Santa Rosa To See Major Coastal Protection Battle Join us June 14 and help stop a dangerous precedent from weakening our ability to protect the coast Mark Massara | |
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California's unique state run coastal protection program is sometimes a bit confusing. Decisions on development proposals are often made far from the coastal communities most affected and often over the course of several meetings in distant locations. A recent example of this was the Hearst Ranch deal, finally settled in 2004. This is how it will happen again in June when the Coastal Commission meets to decide the fate of 17,000 threatened Monterey pine trees and Pebble Beach's Del Monte Forest. In March, hundreds of people attended a hearing of the California Coastal Commission in Monterey in order to support this forest, the largest remaining native coastal forest of Monterey pines left in the world. Sierra Club members from the Monterey Peninsula and throughout California took time to join us and support the forest and to help stop what would be a very dangerous precedent for coastal protection throughout the state. The Pebble Beach Company's proposal to cut down the forest for golf, resorts and mansions would violate both past promises of "permanent" protection and be inconsistent with Coastal Commission staff's designation of the forest as Endangered Species Habitat Area (ESHA). Essentially, if the developer is permitted to build yet another golf course, driving range, equestrian center, more mansions and resort development over wetlands and ESHA it would bankrupt the very concept of "permanent" protection and begin to rapidly unravel the web of protected coast enjoyed throughout California. |
No final decision came out of the packed March hearing, and now at the Coastal Commission's upcoming June hearing in Santa Rosa, the Commission will finally decide the fate of this forest. In the process, the Commission will settle one of the most important issues any of these Commissioners will ever preside over and show the people of California if they can ever have faith in a developers promise to permanently preserve land. For this reason, I hope you will join Sierra Club activists from throughout the state when the Commission meets in June to decide on the fate of this forest. This is about more than a precious coastal spot on the Central Coast. At stake is our ability to protect California's threatened coast in Sonoma County and throughout the state of California. If you have never been to a Coastal Commission hearing, this is a great time to start. Just by being there and showing your support, and with just a few hours of your time, you can truly make a difference for the coast. The Commission will meet at the Fountain Grove Inn at 101 Fountain Grove Parkway in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, June 14th, starting at around 10:00am. If you would like more information, send us an email at savethecoast@sierraclub.org. |