News

8/26/11

In the wake of the retirement of Peter Douglas after 26 years as executive director of the California Coastal Commission, it's hard to improve on the Associated Press report that broke the news: "They might not know his name but the millions of visitors annually lured to California's 1,100 miles of coastline are no doubt familiar with his work."

Meaning Douglas is largely the reason why long stretches of unspoiled coast have stayed that way, despite enormous pressure to render them otherwise.

The notion now being eagerly lobbied by the Pacific Legal Foundation, longtime foe of the Coastal Commission and the Coastal Act, is that his replacement should be chosen with an eye toward the selection of someone more moderate, more pragmatic, more balanced in his approach; specifically, someone more inclined to give additional weight to the wishes of developers so that the scales might be allowed to tip less often toward the mandates of public access and resource protection.

The only thing one need consider about this proposal is its source. It is a roadmap to the realization of an ill-concealed agenda, but it has nothing to do with the reality of California coastal politics.

It assumes the tilt in the playing field between the public and private sectors is the opposite of reality. When it comes to coastal development, regulators and public interest advocates are as outgunned, out-funded, out-lobbied and outmuscled by private interests as routinely as they are in every other arena of our society. That is the reality. The public interest is served only by people who are willing to fight for it.

That's why what the commission needs is another tough, passionate, full-throated advocate who knows coastal law and coastal politics backward and forward and who sees our relationship to the natural world as Aldo Leopold saw it, not as the Irvine Company sees it.

We need someone who knows how Leopold felt one afternoon in New Mexico in 1909, when, in the course of seeking to assure sufficient supplies of deer for hunters, he shot a wolf. He approached her body just in time to see "a fierce green fire dying in her eyes." He came to realize the value of wolves and wildness.

The testament and summation of Aldo Leopold's land ethic is "A Sand County Almanac."

For Peter Douglas, the testament and summation of his land ethic is the California Coastal Act.

The replacement for the commission's first executive director needs to embody those qualities to the maximum extent practicable. If we get anything less than that - which is to say, more moderate and pragmatic than that - we will live to see the end of California's wild coast.

Andrew Christie is the director of the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club in San Luis Obispo.

8/21/11

With 37 million people, it's remarkable that California has one of the most pristine coastlines in the United States. One man and the organization he's built are responsible for protecting it.

Highway 1 hugs the coast from Mexico to Leggett in Northern California, connecting you to the Pacific Ocean in a way no other road in the country does. In some stretches it's breathtaking and hair-raising; in others it's the most tranquil drive you'll ever take.

It goes through quintessential 1950s California beach towns. It has hairpin turns, open farm fields and hundreds of miles of unspoiled farmland. It's the kind of road built to be driven in a Porsche with the top down. The almost 400-mile coast drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco should be on everyone's "do it before you die" list.

Along the 45-mile stretch from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz there are no stoplights and less than 5,000 people.

Yet there's no rational reason most of the 1,100 miles of the California coast should look like this. Thirty-three million Californians live less than an hour from the coast. It's some of the most expensive land in the country.

Here's why most of the coast looks like this: Almost 40 years ago the people of California passed Proposition 20 -- the Coastal Initiative -- and in 1976 the state legislature passed the Coastal Act, which created the California Coastal Commission. The Commission acts as California's planning commission for all 1,100 miles of the coast. Its staff of 120 recommend actions to the 12 commissioners all political appointees who make the final decisions.

Among the Commission's charges are: 1 maximize public access to the coast and maximize public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone consistent with sound resources conservation principles and constitutionally protected rights of private property owners. 2 assure priority for coastal-dependent and coastal-related development over other development on the coast.

Last week, the single individual responsible for running the Commission staff, Executive Director Peter Douglas, announced his retirement after 26 years on the job.

Unlike Robert Moses who built modern New York City or Baron Haussmann who built 19th-century Paris in concrete and steel, the legacy of Peter Douglas is in what you don't see along California's coast: wetlands that haven't been filled, public access that hasn't been lost, scenic areas that haven't been destroyed.

An old political science rule of thumb says regulatory agencies become captured by the industries that they regulate within seven years. Yet Peter has managed to keep the Commission independent despite enormous pressure.

The Commission has been able to stave off the tragedy of the commons for the California coast. Upholding the Coastal Act had it taking unpopular positions, upsetting developers of seaside projects, homeowners who feel that private property rights unconditionally trump public access, and local governments that believe they should have the final say in what's right for their community.

Peter opened the Commission to public participation and promoted citizen activism. He built a world-class staff that understands what public service truly means.

The coast is never saved; it is always being saved. The work is never finished. The pressure to develop it is relentless, and it can be paved over with a thousand small decisions. I hope our children don't look back at pictures of the California coast and wistfully say, "look what our parents lost."

We commissioners must choose Peter's replacement. Hopefully we'll have the wisdom in finding a worthy successor. The people of California and their children deserve as much.

Steve Blank is a member of the California Coastal Commission.

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8/18/11

Plunging into the bay and beyond

Why would anyone choose to swim in an indoor pool with nothing to look at but painted stripes and concrete ceilings? Especially when right outside are the big, wide, inviting waters of Humboldt Bay and Stone Lagoon.

Mention “bay swimming” at a party, though, and you’ll hear, “Yuk,” “It’s way too cold,” “Are you kidding? It’s toxic!,” or “You’ll get hit by a boat.” This is a marketing problem! San Francisco Bay, with busier sea traffic and more turbulent currents, boasts a large and enthusiastic community of open-water swimmers. Yet almost no one swims in Humboldt Bay, and only a small cadre swims regularly in Stone Lagoon.

What could be more “locavore” than using the water that exists right here for exercise and pleasure? It’s not as straightforward as pool swimming, but with some strategizing beforehand, anyone can take advantage of our clean, legal, local, no-cost resource.

Of course, any natural body of water has potential risks. “In any ocean or bay, viral contamination is possible from bacteria associated with water runoff and sewage discharge,” says Susan Buckley, Humboldt County’s Public Health Branch director. Her advice to swimmers is to use common sense. “Don’t swim if you have cuts or open sores. Don’t swim after a heavy storm, or near runoff. Avoid swallowing water, and after swimming, dry your ears and shower.” For extra caution, she suggests keeping your head above water.

Bay sanitation also depends on the season. “It’s not safe after the first flush,” says Dr. Frank Shaughnessy, professor of botany at Humboldt State University. Fertilizer-laden runoff, which can lead to nausea and diarrhea, comes on the heels of the first major rains, typically in October, he said.

Although the bay looks murky, it’s clean enough that about 70 percent of the state’s oysters are grown here. “‘Turbid’ does not mean polluted,” says Susan Schlosser, marine advisor at the California Sea Grant, a federally funded agency that sponsors marine research and education along the state coast. “The only reason the bay isn’t crystal-clear is that the bottom is mostly soft sediment that gets stirred up by currents.”

Where to swim: Humboldt is the largest bay between San Francisco and Coos Bay, Ore., offering plenty of options for getting into the water. Before diving in, it’s best to plan backwards and think about the easiest places to get out. Hoisting up from the water onto Eureka’s C and F Street docks requires considerable upper-body strength. Easier options include the Samoa Bridge and Eureka Marina boat ramps, where a swimmer can walk right up the ramp, or the spongy floating docks north of the Adorni Center, which are only a few inches above the water. Swimmers can also use one of the four ladders spaced periodically along the wall of the Fisherman’s Terminal, currently under construction at the south end of the Eureka boardwalk.

Once in the water, swimmers have the option of hugging the shore or swimming out. Since Humboldt Bay is replete with fishing boats, crab boats, oyster boats, yachts, the Madaket, kayaks, rowboats and sailboats, the safest option for avoiding water traffic is to stay close to shore. Those who choose to swim out into the bay can’t assume boaters will see them, and ideally should be accompanied by a kayaker or rower.

For open-water orientation, landmarks that can double as swimming objectives abound: the channel marker halfway to Indian Island, the orange buoy just beyond, the fisherman‘s memorial, and the docks of moored sailboats at Woodley Island.

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8/15/11