Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for May 17, 2021
Marin towns need cisterns, water towers
Every community of any size that I have been in or through seems to have water towers or cisterns.
Couldn’t cisterns, or something similar, be used in watershed areas with water supply issues like Marin County? There is no need for monster dams, but we could put these cisterns in the natural drain system. Engineers can estimate the holding capacity for any given natural drain.
It seems to me that this project could be accomplished without losing thousands of acres of land. It will rain again sometime, so we must get ready now.
— Ben Hickey, San Rafael
Several crises to survive before spending ‘surplus’
Marin supervisors should please stop spending our “surplus” money. We won’t really know if we have a surplus until we are finished with the COVID-19 pandemic, the drought and the fire season.
— Marjie Shank, Mill Valley
Ranchers don’t belong in Point Reyes Seashore
For those of us who believe private, for-profit ranching has no place in the Point Reyes National Seashore, please write to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland at the Department of Interior, 1849 C St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20240 or email her at feedback@ios.doi.gov.
Ask her to end ranching in the park with the resulting environmental damage to land and massive water pollution. This national seashore belongs to all of us, the American taxpayers.
— Margaret Ridge, Inverness
Commission’s conditions added to Point Reyes plan
The article published April 23 with the headline “California Coastal Commission endorses Point Reyes ranch, elk plan” is misleading. It states that the CCC endorsed or approved the National Park Service’s ranching plan. It did not. The commissioners determined the plan was inconsistent with the Coastal Act unless conditions were added and implemented to improve conditions.
The CCC has no jurisdiction over federal property. Thus, it has no say in the ranch leases or how the NPS manages wildlife. Its authority is limited to “spillover” impacts to the coastal zone. The CCC added conditions which the NPS reluctantly agreed to in order to avoid the CCC objecting to its management plan amendment.
It gave the NPS one year to submit a plan for remedying egregious water pollution from the cattle operations (the ranchers have never met or been held to Clean Water Act standards). The CCC demands water quality improvement in five years. Final approval of the plan to extend grazing privileges is withheld until the CCC approves the water-quality proposal.
It also required the NPS to produce a climate action plan by 2022. Sea-level rise threatens not only the national seashore, but the entire coast. The NPS study, “Climate Friendly Parks” states that livestock operations at Point Reyes are responsible for 62% of greenhouse gas emissions at the park. The 2020 environmental impact statement confirms that ranching today is by far the largest source in the park, responsible for 21% of countywide agricultural emissions.
The commissioners unanimously approved these conditions. Other conditions — such as not shooting elk — were defeated or obstructed by Commissioner Katie Rice. In a 5-4 vote, the commission decided it could not object to the plan, as conditioned. It will revisit its decision next year, based on NPS’s progress.
— Susan Ives, Mill Valley
Israel deserves right to protect its citizens
Once again Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Iranian proxies who rule Gaza, are indiscriminately showering missiles into Israel for supposedly “defending Jerusalem.”
The usual voices of “blame Israel first” are in full-throated condemnation of Israeli counter strikes, evoking the tragic death of children as the real story. Civilian deaths are always tragic, but this does not belie the truth that Gaza missile attacks at will on Israel are insufferable and cannot be rationalized away with hypocritical Israel bashing.
The Israelis will not go tit for tat this time for proportionate response. Once missiles are launched at major cities, this is war. Initiating war has consequences. Hamas claims this will now change the balance of power in its favor. Don’t bet on it.
The Biden Administration and congressional leaders of both parties are correct in affirming Israel’s right to protect its citizens and to place blame where it belongs on the Iranian backed terror organizations operating in Gaza.
— Jeff Saperstein, Mill Valley