Beach RV Campsite Opposed

I have been a resident of Port Hueneme for 10 years. My condominium overlooks Hueneme Beach and adjoining Ormond Beach. Over the years, I gradually saw the beaches flooded with all-terrain vehicles and the wildlife disappeared. My neighbors and I led a movement to have Oxnard ban the vehicles from its beach and join Port Hueneme in policing the areas.

Once again, the wildlife began to return and this past year was spectacular. We were visited by three sizes of egret and heron of various types. During the nesting season for the least tern, they fed in the J Street and Bubbling Spring canals that border the beaches. Migratory birds rest on their flights over this area. An osprey stayed for about three weeks. Coots, red-tailed hawks and kestrels, to name but a few, use the beaches and canals. Humans also use these glorious places--walking on the paths, jogging, bike riding, walking their dogs.

Now, if it can be imagined, the city of Port Hueneme wants to change the Local Coastal Plan that has been in effect since at least 1975 to allow an RV campsite. In heaven’s name, how can anyone consider covering this area with asphalt and then filling it with gas-guzzling vehicles that consume huge amounts of fuel and then belch it out in the form of smog?

This beach should remain a recreational area for all the citizens, not just the few. Our beaches are the treasures of the state of California and should be protected at all costs.

ANN D. MILLER

Port Hueneme

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