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Pebble Beach Monterey pines at risk in golf course proposal
Why is the area important? It is the largest intact forest of coastal Monterey pine trees left in the world and provides a home to endangered animals and plants. Coastal Commission staff has identified the forest and its wetlands as Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area - an important designation which means it must be protected according to the California Coastal Act. Why is it threatened? Golf course developers, the Pebble Beach Company want to cut down 17,000 threatened Monterey Pine trees for the 21st golf course in Monterey County, as well as a driving range, equestrian center, mansions and resort development. This in spite of the fact that in the 1980's the Pebble Beach Company promised that they would never ask to build another golf course. More than just the number of trees or the size of the development in Pebble Beach, at issue here is a key environmental protection concept at the heart of California's landmark coastal protection law, the Coastal Act. The Pebble Beach Company and its high-profile owners want to develop an area identified by Coastal Commission staff as Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area or ESHA. Legally, a designation of ESHA should prohibit development of any kind. The project would also require development on wetlands and land that had been previously set aside for "permanent" protection through conservation easements. If allowed by the Commission, the precedent set could have dire consequences for future conservation in other coastal communities. The developers claim that they are entitled to cut down all 17,000 trees because of the passage of a countywide initiative vote in 2001 which they cynically called the Forest Preservation and Development Plan. However, an initiative passing is not by itself enough, if what the initiative called for is illegal. The fact is that people can vote to put a nuclear waste storage facility on the beach if they want, but if it isn't consistent with the Coastal Act, it can't be built. What you can do: Final decisions are expected in June, 2006, when the Coastal Commission meets in Santa Rosa. For more details on how you can help, write to savethecoast@sierraclub.org. You can also contact the California Coastal Commission and urge them to protect the last intact Monterey pine forest ecosystems for future generations. Golf can be played anywhere; once the Monterey forests are gone, they are gone forever. Remind the Commission that:
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Where is Pebble Beach? Pebble Beach is located in the Monterey Bay area of California's central coast.