California:State's acquisition saves 25,000 acres of redwoods

SACRAMENTO - California has acquired 25,000 acres along its far northwest coast that will be joined with other public lands to form the largest contiguous redwood forest to be safeguarded in the state.

The Mill Creek watershed, purchased for $60 million, will link the redwood groves of the Jedediah Smith and Del Norte Coast Redwood state parks and connect inland and coastal habitats. It also borders on parts of the Smith River National Recreation area and Redwood National Park, more than 6 million acres of protected public land in all.

Darn "tree-huggers" value plants over people.

I watched part of the Senate Judiciary hearings with Lehey, Kennedy, Schumer, Boxer, Biden and Spector. I am starting to agree with the "tree-huggers". My crab grass is smarter than that group and has more moral integrity. I have never met a redwood tree I didn't like.

Now there, you got me. Even a weed has more sense than that group you enumerated.

I have never met a redwood tree I didn't like.

Hmmmmm. Nah. I never once had the urge to hug a tree.

In Malibu Creek State Park, there is a decaying concrete bridge across a narrow part of the creek that has an enormous hole in it. There's a "Danger" side on one side of it but not the other; I didn't even notice the sign until I'd crossed it (gingerly) several times. The sign seems to be entirely ignored by park visitors.

If you're going to accomoodate people (and note that recreational uses for the new park were mentioned), there is stuff that needs to be maintained. As far as I can tell, it is not.

Seems to me they have a lot more land than they need in the park system down here, and yet they are angling to get even more. The park system has bought up a very expensive tract of land in Lower Topanga canyon, near the ocean, and they are in the process of throwing out all the current residents. Some renters will get payoffs of over $80,000 thanks to the high cost of even vaguely equivalent housing in the area. I think it's insane to remove housing units from a region that's desperately short on housing. It certainly says how hypocritical our Coastal Commission is when it claims "affordable housing" is a goal; Lower Topanga was one of the few areas of the Malibu/Topanga area where "affordable housing" was even vaguely close to being a reality. (We're talking about $1,000-1,500 a month rents here, instead of $3,500-50,000 a month).

I have never met a redwood tree I didn't like. Hmmmmm. Nah. I never once had the urge to hug a tree.

I have. Strap on a pair of spikes, a belt and start climbing. Limb it on the way up. When you get to a diameter of about 6 inches, cut a wedge out and start your back cut. Leave an inch. Hook the saw, grab your hatchet and start prying. Assuming you started with a 36 inch tree, you're probably way over 100 ft. in the air. When the top goes, it doesn't just fall over. It pushes the thing you're connected to WAY over. You will hug that tree.It's an "E ticket" ride. Ask Carry_Okie.

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