The Southwest Voice

All > Columnists > Outdoor Life
Outdoor Life: Give me those wide, open spaces
Topics:
Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 551 times
0 responses 0 comments As I was traveling by train with my wife, Cheryl, to visit my sister in Pleasant Hill in the Bay Area recently, I was reminded that Bakersfield is not the only Central Valley community with an insatiable appetite for houses –– an appetite that is chewing up what was formerly agricultural land and open space. That's the reason why the Bakersfield State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) is such an important project. Not only will SVRA help fill a critical need for off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation opportunity in Bakersfield, but it will help preserve the character of the land and our desire for open space. By open space I mean being able to drive down a rural road or stand on a hilltop and not see house and apartment rooftops. This can range from land containing native grasses, shrubs and trees dispersed to create multiple-use trails systems that allow people to ride a motorcycle or ATV, or drive a 4 wheel drive up to a certain scenic vista. It’s not that I have disdain for houses, the people that live in them or the builders that build them. I think that we, as a society, recognize that wide-open spaces are nice to have and that outdoor recreation is good for the human psyche. Once homes occupy an area, that’s the end of open space. That is why it’s important to plan right now for parks and SVRA spaces. Don’t assume that all elected and appointed government officials are automatically going to look out for motorized recreational interests. There is an incredible amount of pressure on these leaders by the building industry to put aside only enough open space to accommodate the bare minimum for parks, but not for OHV recreation areas. This is true for the Bakersfield SVRA project, also. The fact that it has been in the works for five years now, offers a real estate option to purchase the property, and it's in the middle of performing an environmental impact report on that property doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. There is still colossally dysfunctional government bureaucracy. There is also pure cunning and greed in some out-of-town developers who wouldn’t think twice to try and put the kibosh on this fantastic community project. In the weeks and months ahead, there will be opportunities to let our elected officials know how much OHV recreation means to you and your family. And guess what? It may happen during a time when your favorite TV show or sporting event comes on. It doesn’t mean you need to come out foaming at the mouth and talking smack. It does mean that your officials need to see the ranks of us who want this project to make it to fruition before Bakersfield becomes one big housing tract. In case you’re unaware, those ranks include OHV recreationists, law enforcement, many local, state and federal elected officials, local environmental groups (they like seeing open space, too), farmers and ranchers. Not everyone was gung-ho about this project when they first heard of it. Most of that was because of misconceptions about it. Once they saw the quality of our project and that it was well thought out and we had done our homework, it made perfect sense. We have made presentations to ranchers and community groups. We have taken environmental groups out to the project site so they understand our intent. And our intent is to be a good neighbor, help maintain the historical heritage and character of this rural area, and be good stewards of the land. E-mail Dick at: rdtusmc@msn.com

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation