A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 22, 2008
3. Watersheds –
Federal agency to hold hearing on O.C. toll road
The Commerce Department's move comes in response to the Coastal Commission's rejection of the 16-mile Foothill South, which would cut through a state beach.
REGION: Local toll road hearing planned
Orca hits beach for seal meal
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Federal agency to hold hearing on O.C. toll road
The Commerce Department's move comes in response to the Coastal Commission's rejection of the 16-mile Foothill South, which would cut through a state beach.
By David Reyes,
The U.S. Department of Commerce said Wednesday it would hold a public hearing on a state panel's rejection of a controversial toll road through southern
The decision was hailed as a victory by toll road opponents and downplayed by officials with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, who wanted to avoid another raucous meeting like the one before the state Coastal Commission.
The February meeting drew more than 3,500 people to the Del Mar Fairgrounds and was the largest in commission history. It ended near midnight with a 8-2 vote rejecting a proposal by the Irvine-based TCA for a 16-mile toll road that would cut through San Onofre State Beach.
The TCA appealed the Coastal Commission's ruling to the Commerce Department but tried to block a public hearing, saying it didn't want another "circus atmosphere." Supporters and opponents of the toll road jeered one another when the Coastal Commission met.
But on Wednesday, a TCA spokeswoman said the agency welcomed the hearing. "We're happy to have the opportunity to present the facts to the Department of Commerce," Jennifer Seaton said.
The Commerce Department's decision to hold a hearing was in response to the public's "overwhelming demand" to be heard, said Joel Reynolds, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"The TCA opposed public participation from Day One," Reynolds said.
When and where the hearing will be held hasn't been determined.
"It's essential that it be located in
The proposed toll road, which would run from
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a project supporter, did not renew the state Parks Commission terms of actor-director Clint Eastwood and Bobby Shriver, the governor's brother-in-law. Both attributed the move to their opposition to the toll road, although the governor's office denies it.
Opponents say the $1.3-billion Foothill South tollway would sully a popular state park and famed surfing site. Proponents say the road is needed to help alleviate congestion on I-5 and other O.C. thoroughfares.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-tollroad22-2008may22,0,6753851.story
REGION: Local toll road hearing planned
By DAVE
In a victory for opponents of the toll road that an
Environmental and surfer groups had petitioned the U.S. Commerce Department to hold a hearing, and the transportation agency had argued one was unnecessary, given the long-winded "circus" held in
Following that stormy, 14-hour meeting at Del Mar Fairgrounds, the California Coastal Commission voted 8-2 to reject the project, declaring it inconsistent with state and federal coastal protection laws.
But the project proponent, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, had the option of appealing the decision to the federal government because the state park is on leased federal land controlled by Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. And shortly after the commission's decision, the agency appealed to U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.
"We believe a hearing is appropriate in this case," wrote Jane C. Luxton, general counsel for the Commerce Department, in a two-page letter Wednesday. "Accordingly, the secretary will hold a public hearing for this appeal at a date and location to be determined."
Luxton said a hearing would be held between July 14 and Aug. 1, or between Aug. 25 and Sept. 12.
Joel Reynolds, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the decision "a victory for the public."
"It's a response to the extraordinary public demand (for a hearing)," Reynolds said.
He called the decision a defeat for the transportation agency.
"The more the light of public scrutiny shines on this project, the less support the project has," he said. Reynolds characterized the proposed four-lane, 16-mile highway across four miles of San Onofre State Beach as "one of the most destructive projects ever proposed for the coast of
Jennifer Seaton, spokeswoman for Irvine-based Foothill/Eastern, said the decision was not in fact a defeat for her agency.
"Absolutely not," Seaton said. "Every indication had been that there would be a hearing. We're happy to talk about the facts of the project. We're very proud of it."
She cited the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recent conclusion that the road would not push any endangered species to the brink of extinction, as the Coastal Commission had found.
As for the agency's request not to hold a hearing, Seaton said transportation officials were "concerned about the possibility of there being another hearing with an atmosphere similar to the one at the Coastal Commission hearing."
Seaton said officials, for example, were not happy that a project opponent got away with holding a sign with the word "liar" behind supporters speaking to the commission. The sign was visible in a webcast of the meeting.
"We felt that the chair or somebody should have put a stop to that," Seaton said.
If built, the highway would complete a 67-mile
Four miles would run across the state park. While there is concern that the project could affect the world-class waves at Trestles, by changing the flow of San Mateo Creek, it would not be built on the beach itself.
The highway would cost $875 million to build, plus unknown land costs.#
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/05/22/news/sandiego/z37cd598092bf1eec88257450007df57f.txt
Orca hits beach for seal meal
A dozen or more people in Trinidad Tuesday witnessed one of the world's rarest wildlife phenomena when an orca flushed a harbor seal onto
It may be the first occurrence of its kind in the
Ruby Rollings from the Seascape Pier was alerted to the presence of the killer whales in
After observing for a while, Rollings said she watched as the larger whale rode a wave onto the beach and seized a harbor seal in its teeth.
”He bit it, then he slammed the seal against the sand,” Rollings said.
Rollings said the whale left the seal on the beach, then headed back into the bay, and eventually out to sea.
The behavior is rare among orcas. Washington-based Orca Network Director Howard Garrett was surprised to hear of the sighting and said the research community is very interested.
”That's pretty amazing,” Garrett said.
Several other experts the Times-Standard spoke with said they had not heard of a hunt like it in
”It's hard to miss a killer whale when it's halfway out of the water,” Hanson said.
John Ford, a whale scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said similar sightings have been reported in
The technique is incredible to watch, but it has downfalls. With the enormous weight of the orca flopped onto the beach, it's possible for the animal to get stuck. Female orcas can weigh 7,000 pounds, and males up to 9,000 pounds.
”It's a risky venture,” Garrett said.
It's something few people will ever see in their lives. The only documented beach hunting by orcas is in
Humboldt State University Marine Laboratory technicians Alyssa Firkus and Susan Sebring were taking water samples at the
Firkus said they watched as the small group of orcas swam toward
”That's been my dream since I was 2 years old to see that,” Firkus said.
The group then headed toward the boat launch, around the rock near the pier, under the pier and then out to sea, Firkus said.
A pod, or group, of orcas was spotted offshore by the HSU research vessel Coral Sea not long ago, said lab aquarium caretaker Grant Eberle, and orcas have been seen off the mouth of the
There are three types of orcas in the eastern North Pacific. One type eats just about any marine mammal it can get hold of, from seals to whales. Another focuses on fish, especially chinook salmon. Another group occurs generally 25 to 30 miles offshore, in the rich continental shelf area, where tuna and sharks are key parts of their diet. The types don't interbreed, even though they sometimes mix.
Garrett said there's no guarantee that the beach hunting near Trinidad is the first ever in North America, but he believed it was the one of the first ever witnessed.
It may not be the last. The innovative behavior may be passed to the younger animals the hunting orca was with, Garrett said, and could become more regular with time. #
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_9343511
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