Humboldt Bay Symposium addresses culture, history, science
4/27/12
The California Coastal Commission's executive director spoke about the past and future of the state's most powerful coastal development regulatory agency Thursday at the Humboldt Bay Symposium in Eureka.
Charles Lester, appointed executive director by the commission in September, talked to nearly 160 environmentalists, government officials and professionals at the symposium about being the “big, bad” agency that oversees California's coastal developments.
The rest of the day's activities included presentations on the bay's cultural significance and history, rising sea levels, climate change and managing matter dredged from the bay. The symposium continues today with presentations on fisheries, aquaculture, recreation and the bay's economy.
Lester's presentation looked ahead to protecting the coast for the next 40 years in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Coastal Initiative, the proposition that established the commission. He emphasized the importance of local government's management of local coastal developments.
”Local governments are essential to how we enact the Coastal Act,” Lester said, adding that he wanted to dispel the myth that the Coastal Commission is a “big, bad” organization that “always says no.”
According to Lester, the commission has approved nearly 20,000 permits since the 1980s, voting down only 85 permits.
Over the years, Lester said, the commission has improved public access and recreation opportunities, increased trails, protected watersheds and maintained urban and rural boundaries. California has 76 local governments in the coastal zone. Sixty of those governments now have or have started local coastal programs, or LCPs.
Jen Kalt, policy director for Humboldt Baykeeper, a nonprofit environmental group, asked Lester if the commission would consider setting a deadline for the renewal of local coastal permits. Many developers go through the process at the local level and essentially have to redo their plans when they reach the coastal commission because the local coastal plan is out of date, she said.
Lester said mandating updates is not something the commission plans to implement currently but that the matter has been discussed from time to time. A provision in the Coastal Act indicates that LCPs should be reviewed every year, but updating the plans is not mandatory.
Lester said this is compounded by the shrinking resources of local governments and the commission. Commission staff has been reduced by 36 percent since the 1980s, he said, with widespread furloughs and cuts to both local governments and the commission.
Another symposium attendee asked Lester about streamlining the permit process when it comes to environmental cleanup. Wiyot Tribe Environmental Director Stephen Kullmann cited the Indian Island cleanup as an example, indicating that it had been hindered by a lack of funding and a stringent permit process.
Lester said the commission should always aim to streamline the permitting process, but he suggested that those applying for permits meet with staff early on to ensure a smooth process down the road.
”It's difficult to do that sometimes,” he acknowledged.
Looking to the future, Lester said the commission needs to focus on several concerns, including population growth and rising sea levels.
According to Lester, California's population will rise from the nearly 38 million recorded in the 2011 U.S. Census to 60 million by 2050. He said the pressures for more development are unavoidable, and the conflict will be further complicated by understanding how to protect public infrastructure, such as coastal highways, as well as resources.
”I don't think for a second that those urban-rural boundaries are going to stay fixed unless we continue to address them,” he said.
To see how the coastline has changed over the years, view recent and historic aerial photographs of the California coastline at www.californiacoastline.org. For more information on the symposium, visit www.humboldtbay.org/harbordistrict/symposium/2012/.
