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The worst of it is the damage these idiots do to the land they purport to protect. They know nothing of habitat restoration and the amount of WORK that it takes (the whole concept is alien to them as bureaucrats). The water-hemlock is filling whole watersheds with tons of poison. The French Broom and Cape Ivy are so thick that you can't walk through the forests at all. Star thistle is spreading everywhere and as of a year ago their official pesticide applicator didn't even know what it looks like. The pigs cause more surface erosion than development does. The oaks are so thick that they are especially susceptible to sudden oak death, and there they stand, waiting to burn. The fuel load and the evacuation routes are so bad that if the San Lorenzo Valley burns we could have thousands of deaths.

Meanwhile, the whole county is falling apart. The schools are beyond horrible and the University is the worst in the system. The traffic is a mess. Businesses can be sued for hiring discrimination on the basis of (are you ready) personal appearance. If the County Roads were even close to the standards they imposed for private driveways their tax base would go up 10%. That with price of housing as the least affordable in the nation. My 2,400 sft home on 14 acres just appraised for $930,000 and I PROMISE you (since I built it) that it's nothing that special.

I am new to this forum, usually talk to rockhounds, and don't mean this to any one personal remark here, just a general statement about development. I live in Arizona, the east valley area, where there is building booming. We are loosing an acre of Sonoran desert a minute to development. I was born in Greeley Colorado and grew up in Aurora Colorado in the 60's, watched first hand how progress and money work. Here in Apache Junction, AZ the city has had use and developed a ball park in the middle of 2,700 acres State Trust Land. This land is part of the Buckhorn Water Shed built by the Corps some years back. There are Indian aritifacts and some very interesting fossils on this open space area; in our beauracratic bull do you believe there is hope for this land to be properly developed? Or will some corrupt politician and some big shot construction developer ruin and destroy it? California has been plagued with growth and development problems, just as the rest of the nation, when we took it away from the Indians.

Meanwhile, the whole county is falling apart. I'd be proud to have you as a neighbor. We have lots of forest land on our mountain for $6,000 per acre. Most lots have small springs or streams, and there are several big waterfalls within a short walk. It's a beautiful place, teeming with all kinds of wildlife.

The best thing is, we still have our freedom here in NC...at least for now.