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Local members urged to join Club Coastal Campaign
Representatives from the Sierra Club’s Great Coastal Places Campaign met
with local members in both Santa Cruz and Monterey this summer. On June 24 Elizabeth
Lambe and Owen Bailey spoke to a crowd of over 50 Santa Cruz members at the Louden
Nelson Center. In Monterey on July 14, Mark Massara and Owen Bailey updated Monterey
members about the phenomenal progress of this two-year-old Sierra Club program.
This campaign now has over 5,000 members participating in monthly California Coastal
Commission hearings and playing a crucial role in coastal protection.
Both presentations described the work of the Coastal Commission and many victories
and threats to our spectacular California Coast. In spite of some important successes
in the last 25 years, there are still a lot of threats to habitat and a constant
barrage of proposals to build mega mansions, seawalls and giant housing and commercial
developments along the coast.
Many local areas are under pressure of development which would destroy habitat
for listed and endangered plant and animal species such as nesting raptors, red-legged
frogs, snowy plovers, Smith’s blue butterfly, Dune gilia and Monterey spineflower.
The staff of the Great Coastal Places Campaign is committed to encouraging the
Coastal Commission to take a proactive role in protecting the coast. Some steps
Great Coastal Places Campaign would like to see instituted by the Coastal Commission
are:
• Mandated periodic reviews of Local Coastal Plans (LCP) with penalties
for noncompliance as outdated LCP’s serve only developers and speculators.
Failure to comply would result in sanctions.
• An increase in coastal development fees with a portion going to assist
communities to update their LCP’s.
• An amendment to the Coastal Act that would specify that the review standard
for appeals be based on Commission modifications.
Join in
The fine work of the Great Coastal Places campaign should attract all members
who cherish and love the coast. For more information about how you can get involved,
visit this website. |
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