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The hills are forlorn with the sound of dozers
In the January 2010 issue of Bay Nature there is an article entitled “Worth the Wait” that discusses the eventual demise of the open land incorporated within the Concord Naval Weapons Station. Perhaps the news is not completely dismal as the author does point out that the City of Concord is moving towards a plan that melds development and greenbelts to avoid complete congestion. Simultaneously, the East Bay Regional Park District and East Bayers are supporting the creation of a park and restoration of at least 2,500 acres. But with the land still under the control of the Feds, environmental reviews in progress, and plans still under debate, the future of these rolling hills and grasslands are up in the air.
You may have noticed I said that “perhaps the news is not completely dismal” but being total honest I don’t see a great ending to this saga, but instead see a ending in which residents claim it could have been worse. Yet in another instance of developers ruling the world and City Councils bowing to incoming dollars, an impressive ecosystem will most definitely fall with the sound of grading. And shame on me for thinking that the former Naval Weapons Station could be removed and blended into the rest of the landscape as if time had moved counterclockwise for 65 years.
But when quotes like the following from developers and cities surface, I can only drop my head as the value of the “last parcel” is not in the parcel for what it is, but what we can do to it.
The city council seemed to see the land as a blank slate, a void to fill in with more Concord: the same pleasant suburbia, supersized. Prominent area home builder Albert Seeno Jr. observed, “It’s next to major freeways, adjacent to a BART station. It’s an infill project. It’s flat. It’s ideal. I grew up in Concord. It would be nice to build the last available parcel.” Bay Nature, Jan 2010, by John Hart
Is the notion of a Federally Protected Open Space sheer idealism?
Apparently it is indeed. And even worse is that I will eventually placate myself into uttering those damn words that we have been forced to say untold times before as vital habitats become urbanized landscapes battling wildlife that have the nerve to infiltrate our world. “I’m glad they left a few fragmented greenbelts. It could have been worse.”
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With tears flowing down my cheeks I write, is this what humankind has come down to, sacrificing wildlife and nature for the almighty dollar?
I urge everyone reading this post to read the excellent article “Worth the Wait” linked above. What would the world be like if we could save the last open spaces like this, in perpetuity, without developers wanting to “build the last available parcel?”
I call on anyone who loves this planet and is involved with any conservation organization, to push to save this priceless habitat in Contra Costa County. If we don’t start to pressure cities and developers to save open lands like this one, soon the entire Bay Area will look like San Francisco, without Golden Gate Park.
Larry Jordan´s last blog ..Answers to the Bird Butt Shots Contest
Well said Larry. It is quite incredible that the open space people want is of secondary concern to the City Council. Instead they are ‘thinking’ about a development plan with some greenbelts, but have not committed to anything yet…except that they are determined to rid the area of open grasslands.
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