Trumpeted this past Thursday in the LA Times was a humongous development deal between Tejon Ranch and a coalition of supposed environmental groups. In this time of oil and food shortages, the deal establishes a land trade for the right to develop this wildly beautiful and deeply invaluable remote Tejon area. This place is popularly known as the massive intact ecosystem (270,000 acres) reaching far beyond the the I-5 Grapevine.
The LA times (itself a shareholder in the ranch until 1997, and whose former owner, Harry Chandler, currently heads the investment group that currently owns the Ranch) announced this deal with uncritical, almost utopian, fanfare. Bullshit!
Unsurprisingly this deal makes less then everyone happy (the voices of condors, grasses, trees and hillsides have no say in the matter ), and a little digging turns up some fault-lines showing within the Sierra Club, a major deal-broker in this matter. To permit this building, the Sierra Club National apparently sold out Sierra Club locals- those who will be most affected by this pointless gas chugging chemical spewing sprawl.
The more principled Center for Biological Diversity all but condemns this deal....
Save the Tejon Ranch! Does southern California need more mega developments? Create a plan that empowers local residents- not one that limits there right to challenge sprawl (as this one does). Groups are calling for the creation of a huge new natural area (state or national) on this critical environmental treasure.
Stay current on the issue & folow Sierra Club dissident Jan de Leeuw excellent Californian blog Not In my Back Yard.
For more info check out and support SAVE TEJON RANCH.
The LA times (itself a shareholder in the ranch until 1997, and whose former owner, Harry Chandler, currently heads the investment group that currently owns the Ranch) announced this deal with uncritical, almost utopian, fanfare. Bullshit!
Unsurprisingly this deal makes less then everyone happy (the voices of condors, grasses, trees and hillsides have no say in the matter ), and a little digging turns up some fault-lines showing within the Sierra Club, a major deal-broker in this matter. To permit this building, the Sierra Club National apparently sold out Sierra Club locals- those who will be most affected by this pointless gas chugging chemical spewing sprawl.
The more principled Center for Biological Diversity all but condemns this deal....
Tejon Ranch covers over 270,000 acres of wilderness at the crossroads of Northern and Southern California. The Mojave Desert, the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the great central valley and the southern forests all converge on Tejon Ranch -- the only place in California where four ecoregions come together.
"This deal does a disservice to the wildlands and wildlife of Tejon, to the people of Southern California who will suffer the consequences of overdevelopment, and to all Californians, who will pay the price," said Keats. "We can and must demand better. We live in a world too fragile to allow this kind of sacrifice. Now is the time to say enough is enough."
Save the Tejon Ranch! Does southern California need more mega developments? Create a plan that empowers local residents- not one that limits there right to challenge sprawl (as this one does). Groups are calling for the creation of a huge new natural area (state or national) on this critical environmental treasure.
Stay current on the issue & folow Sierra Club dissident Jan de Leeuw excellent Californian blog Not In my Back Yard.
For more info check out and support SAVE TEJON RANCH.
I can't believe how the Times is covering this. I'm also shocked that the statewide Enviro block is trumping local environmentalists. I was really moved by that landscape. It's really disturbing to think of such huge developments going in there. What I'm not shocked about is Arnold's comment, "we can protect California's environment at the same time we pump up our economy." When is he going to loose the self-ridiculing Hans and Franz bit? I really hope this can turn around. It looks like the news has broken strategically late, making it difficult to fight this one. Hopefully blogs like this one can shed some light where the Times is shady.
xo,
Tom