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SAVE STRAWBERRY CANYON
Save Strawberry Canyon is a citizens’ group that seeks to preserve and protect the watershed lands and cultural landscape of Strawberry Canyon. Save Strawberry Canyon was formed out of the urgent need to take action in response to the threat of intrusive, inappropriate development on the Canyon lands. Strawberry Canyon, opposite the Golden Gate, is a unique link to the East Bay Regional Park District lands and, by its streams and views, to San Francisco Bay. The Canyon itself with its streamside vegetation, oak-bay woodlands, grasslands, and surrounding slopes, is arich repository of wildlife directly adjacent to the dense urban populations of the UC Berkeley Campus and the cities of Berkeley and Oakland. Save Strawberry Canyon seeks to inform the public about the impacts of proposed developments, to encourage location of such developments to more suitable sites, and to promote better public access to the beautiful Canyon with its wildlife and scenic resources. — Mission Statement
February 9, 2010
[This letter was sent to Senator Diane Feinstein,
Re: Disaster Mitigation in the East Bay Hills Needs Thorough Environmental Review – Do Not Sponsor Legislation That Would Short Change NEPA Keywords: FEMA, University of California, East Bay Hills, Vegetation Management Dear....: The purpose of this letter is to let you know of our strong support of FEMA’s decision to do a more thorough environmental review of the proposed vegetation management project in the East Bay Hill. In light of our support, we are understandably concerned that the University of California has resisted doing the environmental review, which they have had several years now to complete. We understand that the University of California will be looking for support from your office in the way of sponsoring legislation and exempting the project from NEPA. Save Strawberry Canyon is aware of an alternative methodology that is just as fire safe yet more protective of the flora and fauna in the area. It is because of these alternatives that FEMA decided that NEPA required a higher level of review than had previously been prepared. Please do not second guess NEPA and buckle under the pressure of the University. The more thorough NEPA analysis will require the University to consider less harmful alternatives. Strawberry Canyon will be one of the areas harmed if the University’s vegetation management plan goes forward without a higher level of review. Please visit the Save Strawberry Canyon Web site http://savestrawberrycanyon.org to be apprised of our commitment and dedication to the ecology of the area and of our strong membership support which has enabled successful litigation to prevent the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from expanding in Strawberry Canyon. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
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