Canyon Hills approval

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Canyon Hills approval

• Was predicated on mitigating for destroying the
  entirety of the sites pristine Riparian habitat
  and 150 acres of untrammeled Chaparral by
  preserving the remainder of the open space in
  perpetuity.

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These are photos of this preserved land.

• Preservation of the rest of the open space does
  not appear to be a high priority, now that they
  have their development agreement.
• Huge swaths of this hillside have been stripped
  of its plant cover recently, and will erode
  rapidly in the heavy winter rains.
• Its value as habitat? Not much, getting to be
  less every day it appears.

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What happened to the dense native vegetation?
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Trail cutting!
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Un-posted land is a trail cutting magnet
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That was a willow tree, so is this. Please note
the refuse drying up to the left.
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Did you notice the rut already washed out in that
last picture? Thats only from this years rains!
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Many smaller trails still being cut into
openspace!
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But why?
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These are chainsawn trees!
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So Who is doing this?
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How would I know? I had to walk 5 miles while
sick to take these pictures. Somebody who has a
key and equipment?
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Naw, it couldnt be the LA county FD?

• Probably not, but they skedaddled when I
  approached on foot.

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Presumably, one must preserve first, then grade.

• This site is going fast. If Canyon Hills is
  allowed to destroy the remaining habitat to the
  east of here, most all the animals will die.
• The mitigation for destroying the drainage 4
  riparian corridor and 150 acres of very intact
  chaparral, was supposed to be to preserve the
  chaparral pictured in this presentation.
• Thats close to no mitigation, they are
  preserving nothing, all they will do is destroy.
  No plant, no animal, no habitat will be spared.

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So what to do?

• Hold Whitebird to their mitigation commitments,
  make them preserve their habitat properly, they
  have not provided the maintenance necessary to
  protect this area as they promised in their
  development agreement, and they should not be
  allowed to devastate any more of this site until
  that habitat to be preserved has recovered
  sufficiently to support the displaced wildlife
  to some minimal degree.
• Get signage and barriers on all illegal trails
  fast or habitat will continue to dissapear.

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Get me a key

• All these people can drive right up there.
• I have to walk 5 miles while sick with the flu to
  document this destruction.
• Get it together and start protecting our
  environment or we are all doomed!
• The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the
  environment, never forget that.

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environmentalrep_at_STNC.org