For many years, EHL has advocated against expanding the “urban wildland interface” and creating more fire risk. EHL co-authored an op-ed and was quoted in the media.
East County Magazine (“San Diego Supervisors should just say no to fire-trap developments,” May 23, 2019) ran an
op-ed co-authored by EHL’s Dan Silver and the Sierra Club's Peter Andersen about development proposed in the middle of wildlands and which cannot be evacuated if there is a fast moving wildfire.
Proctor Valley, surrounded by flammable wildlands, is the absolute wrong place to develop. It’s the poster child for dangerous development. It’s time for our elected officials to learn from recent tragedies rather than set the stage for new tragedies in San Diego.
The
San Diego Union-Tribune covered the fire hazard posed by the Otay Ranch Village 14 project (“San Diego’s latest backcountry development to be built where California suffered one of its most historic wildfires,” May 27, 2019) and quoted EHL.
“People say that in San Diego everywhere’s dangerous, but not like this place,” said Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League. “This is a leapfrog into the wildness, surrounded by wildlands on all sides, with one road going in and out.”
The Union-Tribune also covered an egregious, growth-inducing sprawl project long opposed by EHL (“Developer withdraws plans for Warner Ranch development near Pala,” Mary 22, 2019).
“This is very positive news for patterns of growth and development in the unincorporated parts of the county,” said Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League. “We are very pleased about it and hope this indicates a new direction.”
While project withdrawal due to inconsistency with the General Plan is welcome, there is as of yet no overall change in land use direction on the part of San Diego County.
