Habitat conservation planning

Monterey County Farm Bureau ^ | March 12, 2002 | Bob Perkins

[hedgetrimmer]

Warning! HCPs or habitat conservation plans are used in Santa Cruz County to completely restrict rights to use property as the owner sees fit. HCPs, courtesy of the federal government are coming to a county near you!

[hedgetrimmer]

Now the state is dictating that the California Department of Forestry Support the federal HCP.

In a stunning reversal California Department of Fire and Forestry (CDF) Santa Cruz mountain Chief, Steve Wert announced that the department would support the federal imposition of a Habitat Conservation Plan for Santa Cruz county despite uncontroverted citizen input that such action takes private property and will lead to worsening fire risks and potential losses of human life...

Some see the HCP process as a key element for implementing within Santa Cruz the U.N. Agenda 21 Wildlands project. “When combined with the other attacks on owners of mountain property like the Fishnet 4C ordinance, the timber harvesting ordinance, the confiscatory new road standard proposed ordinance, this massive land management control program (HCP) will turn productive citizens into desperate ‘willing sellers’. The government and their NGO cronies will own the mountain just like they own the North Coast. The landscape will become unproductive and degraded. Eventually the forest will become off limits to people. That is the Wildlands project. It is happening all over the country at a quickening pace. Washington was right: ‘Private property and freedom are inseparable’. America is in trouble,” said Michael Shaw a fire safe participant.

Read the full story

[Carry_Okie]

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.

[Carry_Okie]

Ping away.

[betheejaymes]

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.

[Carry_Okie]

Land-use control scams such as Agenda21, HCPs, Smart Growth, Sustainable Development, and Growing Smarter, are all out of the same place: the UN. What they promise is "controlled development," literally meaning that the land will be stolen from its owners at rock bottom prices using preferential enforcement of regulation, and the politically favored will be able to develop all they want. It's development to the tastes of the rich at the expense of what little will remain of the middle class. The rest will be slaves to their rents.

Meanwhile, who takes care of the land? You seem to think that it takes care of itself or that it shoud perhaps be done by central planning from Gland Switzerland? That's what you are getting from the IUCN (the globalists' EPA) and it's total crap. Centralized planning is no more capable of land use optimization than it is of running an economy. Nature is too complex for that kind of decisionmaking system. and please don't blather to me about consensus processes of stakeholders, it never works out that way. I've been there, and btw, please consider the sources of that disappearing desert crap. There is so much dishonesty among the environmental movement that you would puke if you knew. Many of those groups are funded by developers, or did it occur to you that the American Planning Association only makes money on new houses?

There are better ways to manage growth and best consider the balance of risks between concentrated urban development, rural sprawl, resource development, and habitat management than relying upon political favoratism, corruption, and bureaucracy. That is why I wrote a book on it, because the environment is too important to be run by politics.

[DoughtyOne]

I agree with you.

[betheejaymes]

Oops, where did I say I thought help would come from the government? Why you can't even get a good civil liberities attorney in this country anymore. Used to could find one or two on college campus' around DU and CU. The government has truly outgrown its purpose, out of control are some of the employees and worst of all, the general public either does not care, does not involve them (let the cops do their job is what they think they are promoting), too young to understand or be informed. Yes, I believe the potential for disaster and distruction can always be overcome. Timing is everything, attitude makes it all work. Most Americans don't know how to conserve, nor do they have respect for nature. They have to conquer, control, capture. In just a little over 200 years the white man (or whoever? non-natives came along) has accomplished to rid America of Her Native Children, the Buffalo and the middle class family (that was created here, in the USA). California has always acted so uptidy, rich, leaders in American dreams. So, why did they run out of power last year. What are the plans this year? Where do you fit in the revolution? Mine is "Roadside Revolution" with BetheeJaymes and TheHoleInTheHead Gang. We have a Red Dawn plan but also peaceful resolutions to for today's delima's and tomorrow and the next day and so on. My family has four generations living in Apache Junction, and still growing. I am teaching my grandchilren how to garden, and my daughter how to can/preserve. I am anxious to read your book. Sincerely, Bethee

[Dog Gone]

It's a good book, and although C_O keeps harassing me because I haven't finished reading it, he does correctly identify the problem and proposes a radical solution.

The problem, as I see it, is that the powerful vested interests like the current system and will fight to protect it. I guess I'll have to finish the book to find out how he proposes to get around that problem.

[Carry_Okie]

Just to upset that apple cart a little, but America's second wave (at least) of Native Children brought the Buffalo with them from Asia. The wolves likely followed the herds over the land bridge. It's really a whole lot more interesting and dynamic system out there than most people realize. Are you aware that current archaeological evidence suggests that the Amazon rain-forest may in fact be a humanly cultivated artifact?

[madfly]

Ping! M, do you know the author?

[madfly]

ping

[madfly]

ping

[madfly]

ping

[cake_crumb]

"No Surprises” means no surprises … unless there’s a surprise....

"The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Agency has made it clear that this policy does not apply if there is new biological information that was not anticipated in the habitat conservation plan permit issued by the Service. The Service has clearly stated that 'No Surprises' wouldn't cover 'unforeseen" circumstances.' "

Only a government agency could come up with this level of idiocy, then sign it into law.

[Bump in the night]

BTTT for later reading.

[madfly]

Trouble in Mayberry

"Hey Andy, I just found these here Lynx hairs down by the swimmin' hole.
Suhprize Suhprize!

Better call that thar nice Nature Conservancy man."

Gomer Pyle

[farmfriend]

Great information on this thread. Great posts following the original post.

[farmfriend]

You should read Carry_Okie's stuff on this thread.

[farmfriend]

C_O keeps harassing me because I haven't finished reading it

Glad I'm not the only one.