Ranch Development

On Dec. 23, The Times published a story about plans to develop the Roberts Ranch, located near Descanso, within the Cleveland National Forest (“How Far to Sprawl?”).

You are to be commended for focusing public attention on the fate of the forest, an irreplaceable biological treasure. Unfortunately, the article did not clearly state the reason that development of the ranches within the forest would be a calamity.

The ranches occupy the forest’s vital grazing lands and function both as corridors and foraging space for wildlife. Therefore, development of the ranches within the forest will destroy an entire ecosystem. Remove the ranches and the forest will die as surely as removing the heart from a living organism will cause its death.

The value of the forest is intrinsic, completely independent of human use and desire. When developer Julie Dillon characterizes the forest as an “amenity,” she reveals that, despite her protestations of concern for the environment, she sees the forest as a mere means to human gratification.

Dillon “wonders what the harm is” in what she proposes. A definitive answer to that question is provided by the Jan. 1 story in The Times entitled “Massive Wave of Extinction Perils County Wildlife,” which reports that scientists and conservationists advocate preserving entire habitats and broad swaths of land called wildlife corridors, not just isolated patches of open spaces.

It may be that ranching is no longer a viable option in the forest. By developing forest holdings, land speculators may enrich themselves at the expense of the many. My committee believes that we have a duty to purchase these lands with private or public funds and return them to the forest whence they came.

DUNCAN MCFETRIDGE, Chairman, Save our Forests and Ranchlands, Descanso