Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Save Trestles for the Whales



Attention All Surfrider Activists and Suporters!

The South OC Surfrider Chapter will be participating in the March 3,
2007 Festival of Whales Parade in Dana Point. We need YOU! to come out and join our parade group so we have a huge showing of all ages!

Special guest Pro surfer Pat O'Connell will be leading our group!

Attendees need to be at the Strands Beach Parking Lot at the corner of Selva Road and PCH in Dana Point by 8am sharp. Please register prior with Rick Erkeneff, rickerk@cox.net .

"Save Trestles for the Whales" special edition tees will be distributed free of charge to the first 250 people prior to the parade which is scheduled to start promptly at 9am.

Join our group after the parade at Henessey's Dana Point at La Plaza Park, one block north of Street of the Golden Lantern. Food and beverages
are ala carte.

*City shuttle service will be available at the disband area to transport participants back to the staging area at the end of the parade if you are not joining our Surfrider group at Henessey's.

Monday, February 26, 2007

The Toll Road will be Good for the Park??

At least according to local Assemblywoman Mimi Walters. Here's her quote from a recent news story: "Gina Zari, spokeswoman for Assemblywoman Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Niguel, said the representative for coastal areas of southern Orange County and northern San Diego County backs the toll road and believes it actually will help the park, by providing money for improvements."

In reality construction of the 241 Toll Road Extension will destroy hundreds of acres of the park and close the scenic San Mateo Campground.

I suggest you write her an email and let her know how much you think the San Onofre State Beach and Trestles will benefit from a 6 lane toll highway. Here's her online comment Form

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Toll Road Radio Debate

Back in February '06 our own Matt McClain and NRDC Attorney James Birkelund took on reps from the TCA live on the local radio show Air Talk

Click Here to listen to the RealAudio recording of the show.

Groms love Trestles



Grant Cota (Left)
Age 7
Q: Why do you love the oceans, waves and beaches?
A: I like Surfing

Kayl Cota (Right)
Age 9
Q: Why do you love the oceans, waves and beaches?
A: I get to surf

These two brothers raised $110.00 for the Save Trestles Campaign by collecting cans and bottles from Jan. '07 to mid Feb. '07. They came by the Surfrider Foundation National office on Feb. 22 to drop off their donation.

Rock on!!!

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Trestles support from DC


Musician Brett Dennan recently put on a show in DC where the Capitol Chapter was able to talk about Surfrider and raise awareness about the Save Trestles Campaign.

Thanks to Brett, the band and the chapter..

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Boost to Save Trestles




Local film makers Michael Spencer Taylor and Joe Cheshire are soon to release "Boost to Save Trestles" a documentary on the break and threats from the toll road. Check out his site to see the trailer..

Trestles Artwork on Fins

More Cool Art supporting Trestles


And Pictures from the event



Monday, February 5, 2007

Oceanside Supports the TollRoad?? I think not...

February 2, San Diego North County Times

Oceanside's Feller wrong to seek toll-road reversal

By: FRED M. ROBERTS JR. - Commentary

In "Feller seeks city support for toll road" (North County Times, Jan. 27), Oceanside Councilman Jack Feller would like the city of Oceanside to reconsider its vote to oppose the proposed path of the Orange County Southern Foothill Toll Road. This proposed toll road would run through the Donna O'Neill Land Conservancy and San Onofre State Park to link up with Interstate 5.

The city was right to oppose this toll road path and should let the vote stand. While the state park is outside of the city's jurisdiction, it is available to all the people of Oceanside as a marvelous recreation opportunity for swimming, surfing, hiking and camping.

Each of us has some responsibility if we want to keep our state parks intact. The state did not set aside this land for future road alignments; it was designated for recreation and conservation. The Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) was arrogant to assume that these open lands were set aside for their road. What we would lose is irreplaceable, and there is some debate whether the toll road would actually produce the traffic relief TCA claims, and for how long, given the area's plan for 14,000 new homes.

Recreation sites are becoming fewer and more crowded as California's population grows. Reducing opportunities in neighboring areas will only hurt the city's citizens. TCA had alignment alternatives that could have been adopted. TCA has used agreements with the county to block competition or other roads that would have alleviated freeway congestion.

The state park is the wrong place for the toll road. State parks are not road easements. The TCA spokesperson tells us the road would be 400 feet from the campsites. That certainly would detract from the nature experience and eliminate any sense of getting away from it all.

TCA also points out few people use the backcountry the road would ruin. However, the backcountry is the center piece of park conservation, with nearly a dozen endangered species. The toll road would have far-reaching implications on conservation elsewhere.

In the case of Oceanside, we have significant populations of thread-leaved brodiaea, a state and federally listed plant. Part of current statewide conservation strategy assumes the populations in San Onofre State Park are protected. If they are not, the conservation status of this species would have to be re-examined in Oceanside. Likely more would have to be done to protect Oceanside's plants, which would mean less flexibility in planning and development.

This argument would apply in many places where rare plants and animals rely, at least in part, on occurrences already "protected" in San Onofre State Park. We can't both use them as shiny examples of conservation and drive over them. I hope Councilman Feller visits the park and reconsiders his position. Maybe then he would see that the TCA is trying to rob present and future Californians of a valuable piece of the state's natural heritage.

Oceanside resident Fred Roberts is the rare plant coordinator for the San Diego chapter of the California Native Plant Society.