There is a boiling issue whose impacts will be felt by all those in the Monterey Bay area for decades to come. This is the possibility of widening Highway 1 from Santa Cruz, into the mid county, and later further towards Monterey.
We are facing the prospect of many years of construction/destruction, an increase in taxes for years to come, the loss of our beautiful trees and vegetation along the highway, the loss of many businesses, and ultimately the realization that widening the highway is not the right choice. We are in a unique position to demonstrate effective mitigation of traffic problems in a way which will be sustainable, and ultimately effective well into the future.
Instead of accepting widening the highway as the only means to relieve traffic congestion, let’s step back and look at our alternative choices. We have a rail line in place, and funds set aside for its purchase, we have a very good bus system which is not fully utilized. We have excellent bicycle lanes in some areas which are not connected as through routes. Taxi and van service is available for point to point transportation and needs to be enhanced and utilized. We can create a model for other communities to follow.
As a refugee from Orange County, I know what happens when highways are built—sprawl occurs almost immediately, and the highways are bottlenecked again. The only beneficiaries of highway widening are construction companies and business developers. Please investigate this issue for yourself before giving a go ahead to something which will not relieve our traffic.
—Pat McVeigh
Aptos
Elkhorn Slough under siege
Elkhorn Slough, the centerpiece of the Ventana Chapter, is under siege. There is a plan to expand the Pajaro Valley Golf Club and build 84 town homes and 90 single family homes on the north end of the Slough. This plan prompted the formation of Friends, Artists & Neighbors of Elkhorn Slough (FANS).
In May author Berry Lopez spoke at fund raising events in Santa Cruz and Monterey. The proceeds will go to help save the Slough ecosystem. Please take the time to contact FANS and help preserve our local environmental treasure. www.saveourslough.org.
—Meade Fischer
Corralitos
We need many strategies to protect land and habitat
EDITOR’S NOTE: When Clint Eastwood made disparaging remarks about the Sierra Club in the Carmel Pine Cone, Chapter member Michael Stamp, 2001 recipient of the Sierra Club’s National William O. Douglas award, responded with a letter to the editor of the Pine Cone. Stamp’s letter was published. We think it’s good enough to publish again.
To the editor:
I saw in the Pine Cone that State Parks Commissioner Clint Eastwood took another shot at the Sierra Club last week. It seems that his fondness for environmental groups is limited to those that buy land. He says he dislikes the Sierra Club in particular, disagreeing with its efforts to work with the Legislature and in the Courts to enforce the law and provide more protection.
Unfortunately, this is not a simple “Us or Them” situation.
Buying land to protect it (and using tax deductions or other public funding) is a great strategy. It works. It should be supported. Its reach is limited, though, because there will never be enough money to buy all the land that needs saving. And you can’t buy land that a developer does not want to sell.
Other environmental strategies also work very well. They protect land, they protect habitat, they encourage good government. They give voice to the thousands of residents who cannot afford to buy parklands by themselves. They allow the public agencies to enforce important policies by applying them to individual applications, even when a landowner wants to play games with environmental issues.
Take a few quick examples. Look at the Sierra Club’s effort to dissuade Members of Congress who were planning to support drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and the Club’s legal challenges to corporate polluters. Locally, think of the Club’s successful suit against the September Ranch subdivision which would have used more water than it had a right to, and the Club’s legal intervention on behalf of the State of California in support of a park in Hatton Canyon.
Taking the tough stands on important issues is something the Sierra Club prides itself on. It does it very well. And it deserves the support of all the State’s Park Commissioners.
