	Volume 14 - No. 1 - Winter 2004

The Endangered Habitats League is dedicated to the protection of the diverse ecosystems of Southern California and to sensitive and sustainable land use for the benefit of all the region’s inhabitants. The EHL Newsletter is published quarterly to chronicle our plans, activities, and successes.

To learn more about the Endangered Habitats League and to access prior issues of the EHL Newsletter, please visit our website:

www.ehleague.org

If you are not already a member of the Endangered Habitats League, please join us in the ongoing effort to protect the irreplaceable plants, animals, and places of Southern California.

Free Membership Sign Up

EHL in the News

• After the recent huge, tragic fires in Southern California, EHL spoke out and raised critical issues about the connections between antiquated land use policies and fire risk. In the North County Times of November 29, 2003, EHL Executive Director Dan Silver stated, “... we also really need to reassess this insane pattern of scattered estate lots, which is utterly indefensible from fire, poses extreme risks and should not be subsidized.”

• Similar points on reducing fire hazards were made in the Riverside Press-Enterprise . On January 3, 2004, the Los Angeles Times published the following letter from Silver:

In "Night of Fire" (Dec. 28), on the San Diego Cedar fire, some of the most salient questions were not asked. Beyond a focus on preparedness, it is essential to understand how so many people were placed at great risk so that we can avoid future tragedies.

The bottom line is that inappropriate subdivision of high-risk rural land into ranchettes and low-density suburban enclaves has created "disasters waiting to happen" on a massive scale. Unless local governments can change course to limit such practices and refocus growth in a safe manner, the state needs to step in with some new ground rules. Besides the human tragedy, the huge bill for fighting these fires ends up on the doorstep of the taxpayer.

• EHL San Diego Director Michael Beck went on-the-record regarding important land acquisitions for the San Diego River Park . In the October 24, 2003 San Diego Union Tribune, Beck noted, “This project is a reflection of a new attitude that looks at the broader values of our river systems.”

• Executive Director Dan Silver was quoted both in the Los Angeles Times and The Californian about the Potrero Valley land acquisition. For example, on January 5, 2004, readers of The Californian learned that, regarding the Potrero Valley acquisition, “These thousands of acres of grassland, sage scrub and riparian forest are an ecological gem.”

• In the December 30, 2003 Orange County Register, Silver was queried about environmental attitudes toward Governor Schwarzenegger, and replied, “ …we want to give the governor a chance.”