Letter Supporting the Preservation of the Del Monte Forest

[thom danfield]

On June 14th the California Coastal Commission is meeting in Santa Rosa for a critical hearing that could decide the fate of one of the few remaining stands of coastal pine trees, the Del Monte Forest in the Carmel area. Unfortunately, perhaps, for these trees, the “intelligent designer” failed to realize the risks of putting them in an area where golf courses that would cater to the very rich and powerful try to rule the environment. Never mind the fact that such areas are “national treasures,” if the developers are successful, the only “national” citizens that will be able to enjoy or possibly appreciate them are those that have landed themselves in the waiting line for the Fortune 500 club.
It has always puzzled me, a sometime hacker, why such gorgeous sites attract an activity where the focus is primarily to engage in a sport that requires great focus, thus somewhat negating the appreciation for the environment by most participants. It is equally puzzling why such courses cannot be built in areas more remote and away from easy public access, areas of natural beauty but NOT in an area that is in a very limited inventory of coastline beauty. The corporate golfers could have their beautiful courses at whatever price their elitist market will bear. When the golfing is over, they can still enjoy the beauty of the coastline pine forests by simply hiking around in them like most of us misguided “tree-huggers.”
I have never been against conscientious development and maintenance of golf courses. I believe strongly that as enterprising “citizens” of the community they have an obligation to consider the community as a whole, not just a select few with big bucks and clout. It is a very large world out there; it is a very limited coastline we are talking about.