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The Grizzly Bear National Monument vision is charging ahead with a theatrical caravan! For more information, please see our Grizzly Bear N.M. page.
CHAPARRAL WALKABOUTS
Nothing beats being out in the chaparral to learn about the chaparral. Please consider coming along for a Natural History tour and/or a Chaparral Walkabout sponsored by our partner, Naturalist For You!
March 4, 2010: Final Ruling confirms county violated state laws by exempting tree removal project from public/environmental review
Negative impacts to taxpayers, fire safety, and nature must now be considered
SAN DIEGO, Calif. The Superior Court issued its final ruling today in favor of the California Chaparral Institute requiring the County of San Diego to follow state environmental laws and conduct a full environmental review of its backcountry vegetation clearance and dead tree removal project. The court rejected the county's position that its three to four year, $7 million vegetation management project was a short-term project addressing an immediate, emergency occurrence. Hence, the project is not exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
"Removing dead trees nearly two football field lengths distant from roads and structures in the backcountry will not significantly reduce fire risk to people as the county claims," said Richard Halsey, director of the Institute. "In fact, besides potentially damaging habitat, such action may actually increase fire risk by introducing flammable weeds, giving people a false sense of security, and wasting taxpayer money that could have been used to create defensible space directly around homes and communities."
Requiring the county to conduct a public review of this project will allow objective scientific evaluation and citizen participation to help ensure public funds are used in a way that will protect lives, property, and natural resources in the most effective manner.
June 11, 2009: THE CALIFORNIA CHAPARRAL INSTITUE FILES LAWSUIT to protect chaparral and people from wildfire. Clearing project by San Diego County ignores science and law.
We filed a lawsuit in Superior Court to require the County of San Diego to follow state law and include public participation and proper scientific oversight in planning a 3-4 year, $7 million project to remove trees and shrubs in natural areas. Click here to see our full Press Release.
For additional details on our lawsuit please see the SD County Slash and Burn page. For information on how San Diego County can better protect its citizens from fire, please see our SD County Fire page.
September 27, 2008: A new defensible space law for California is enacted. See our Protecting your home page for additional details.
May 14, 2008: Proposal to burn, masticate, or clear protected native landscapes in San Diego County. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed County staff to "develop a comprehensive vegetation management program that would include mechanical, biological, and prescribed burns to be incorporated into the land management plans for all existing and future County owned lands and Multiple Species Conservation Program lands." We are working to make sure this extremely damaging and shortsighted proposal is prevented from becoming County policy. While vegetation management is a critical component to reducing fire risk around communities and homes, this proposal promotes the idea that protected wildlands need to be burned continuously to prevent the development of mature ecosystems. See our SD County Slash and Burn page for the latest information.
April 1, 2008: BLACK TUESDAY. In testimony to Congress on April 1, 2008, US Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimball and her supervisor, Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey, failed to support the US Forest Service firefighters they represent by dismissing critical problems facing USFS firefighters in the line of duty.
