The State - News from March 3, 1988
A suit has been filed urging Merced County to halt construction of a 372-bed jail near El Nido because of the project’s impact on migratory waterfowl and the rural community. The El Nido Community Assn. and the San Joaquin Raptor Rescue Center of Merced claim that environmental studies for the $10-million facility and honor farm violate the California Environmental Quality Act. The Superior Court suit names the county Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission, because they approved a conditional-use permit. Residents say the jail would boost crime and clog narrow country roads with traffic. Environmentalists object to the jail’s location on a flood plain and claim the jail’s lighting and activity would spook migratory geese and sand-hill cranes, which feed nearby.
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