Posted on 02/17/2005 1:43:37 PM PST by absalom01
Los Angeles Daily News
Valley Rim plan opposed U.S. may squeeze out property owners
Saturday, February 12, 2005 - The way Sunland resident John Brown sees it, once the government is allowed to circle in on his land and home, it'll do everything it can to squeeze out the kind of lifestyle he's enjoyed for decades. He's seen it before, he said, in the East Mojave Preserve where he owns a ranch, and where roads that opened in the 1800s have been closed off, and cattle fences have been eliminated. And he believes the government will do it again if the 500,000 acres known as the Rim of the Valley, of which Brown's home is a part, are turned over to the federal parks system. "I live within the area that would be affected," said Brown, a 36-year resident of the small community known as Riverwood Ranch, which is nestled near the Angeles National Forest. "The thing that bothers me is that the people who are affected are not aware of what (the proposal) is all about. Nobody is aware of it." The parkland would include the ranges south of the Santa Clarita Valley. National property rights groups are gearing up for yet another fight against a federal proposal to transform the Rim of the Valley into a nature preserve.
Part of the groups' concerns is that recreational activities that lure people out of urban areas to seek a more natural lifestyle will be threatened. The groups and some residents also say they have not been told of the proposal. "When the park service moves in, recreation goes out," said Chuck Cushman, founder of the American Land Rights Association, based in Battle Ground, Wash. "These people don't really understand that the biggest problem is the park services will move in, and then they'll just sit on the land." Cushman, who claims he fought and won a land acquisition in 1972 when his cabin and other private property owners in the community of Wawona in Yosemite National Park were threatened, has launched a campaign to alert property owners all across the Rim of the Valley. Earlier this month, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, introduced parallel bills that would require a study of the corridor that includes the mountains around the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, part of what's known as the Rim of the Valley, and whether it should be preserved. The area encompasses thousands of acres stretching from the Conejo Valley to the San Gabriel Mountains. If approved, the Interior Department would be directed to conduct a study of the 500,000-acre corridor that includes endangered plant and animal species, waterfalls and historically significant landscapes, as well as thousands of private landowners. Both Feinstein and Schiff have said the motion to turn the Rim of the Valley into a nature preserve would help guard open space from an expected future population growth.
Local environmentalists have said the proposed study symbolizes a recognition by the federal government that the natural resources surrounding Los Angeles County are worthy of preservation. Schiff also has said his predecessors had the foresight more than 20 years ago to approve a similar bill that helped to preserve the Santa Monica Mountains. And the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy also stated earlier this month the move would give continuity of the existing trails. But Cushman and landowners within the Santa Monica Mountains say acquisitions of parcels of land within have remained incomplete due to budget cutbacks, a good reason why more land should not be put on preserve. Landowners within Zuma and Trancas canyons have said the National Park Service, which owns most of the land nearby, has told them they simply can't afford to buy their properties. "Congress authorized the Santa Monica Mountains to be preserved 30 years ago, and as of today, they still haven't purchased it," said landowner Ty Sisson. "I am a landowner in the middle of the area. They purchased all the property, thousands of acres, except my land and maybe a couple of other people's. They say even though they want it, they don't have the money to buy it, so I am trapped there." Other residents said they were not informed of the proposal until Cushman alerted them.
"It's more than just chipmunks and coyotes that live up here -- it's people, too," said Woodland Hills resident Carl Olson, who discovered through a map provided by Cushman that his hillside home would be in the designated area. "The federal government will be able to usurp a whole lot of land use and other zoning issues, because they'll have the power to do it," he said. "This will infringe on a lot of commercial areas." But in a statement this week, Schiff said he had met with property owners and had included their concerns in the proposed bill. "My bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to seek to 'preserve recreational opportunities and facilitating access to open space for a variety of recreational users,"' he said. Schiff said he added language in the bill that states: "As part of the study, the Secretary shall analyze the potential impact that establishment of all or a portion of the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is likely to have on land within or bordering the area that is privately owned at the time the study is conducted. The report required by subsection (g) shall discuss the concerns of private landowners within the existing boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area." Schiff said part of the study will also include seeking public input. "I'm working very hard to both protect property owners and preserve open spaces in our community," he said. l=8s=8 Susan Abram, (661) 257-5255 susan.abram@dailynews.com
|
(of course that's after cutting non-military spending to meet current revenues)
More ....
Of course,private owners might build housing,industry,and recreation for profit! Wait,that wasn't always unAmerican.
The governments, federal, state and local, already own more than 50% of the land in California. In some sierra nevada counties its more than 90%.
Studies again and again show when there is no private property there can be no private wealth. The most impoverished countries in the world categorically have no private property rights, many have implement the UN Agenda 21 which is the origin of smart growth.
There is nothing the global collectivists in the environmental movement and elsewhere want more than for us to sign all our rights and property over to the federal government so that they can be meted out in public/private partnerships to the annointed few.
2220 E. Route 66, Suite 225
Glendora, CA 91740
(626) 852-2626
Fax: (626) 963-9842
Supervisor Antonovich
MICHAEL D. ANTONOVICH
(213) 974-5555
The other people who need to hear from us are in the House Resources Committe. Best case is it dies here:
All can be called at the Capital Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. You can fax the committee at (202) 225-5929
Republicans
Richard Pombo (R-CA) Chairman Don Young (R-AK) Elton Gallegly (R-CA) Ken Calvert (R-CA) Barbara Cubin (R-WY) George Radanovich (R-CA) Walter Jones Jr. (R-NC) Chris Cannon (R-UT) John Peterson (R-PA) Jim Gibbons (R-NV) Mark Souder (R-IN) Greg Walden (R-OR) Tom Tancredo (R-CO) J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) Jeff Flake (R-AZ) Rick Renzi (R-AZ) Stevan Pearch (R-NM) Devin Nunes (R-CA) (New Chairman of the Parks-Public Lands Subcommittee) Henry Brown (R-SC) Thelma Drake (R-VA) Luis Fortuno (R-PR) Cathy McMorris (R-WA) Bobby Jindal (R-LA) Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Democrats:
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) Charlie Melancon (D-LA) Dan Boren (D-OK) Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.