San Juan Capistrano Needs Natural Resource Manager

Re open space and San Juan Capistrano: San Juan Capistrano finds itself with money and support for open-space acquisition. The problem of defining what open space should be is best left to a person that, hopefully, San Juan Capistrano would find and designate to do natural resource management.

A person with natural resource management skills can survey the lands already purchased as to soil and other natural resources and consider such things as density of nearby population and determine the best use. The best use of the lands preserved should be what the citizens of San Juan Capistrano could all agree upon. Resource management and planning, with participation of the community, works best.

Perhaps this community has people who could volunteer time and expertise to make sure that the open space works for all. Members of the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy and like organizations could work on a committee that would aid/advise the resource manager.

Preserving open space is and will be the challenge of the last part of this century. With careful planning, San Juan Capistrano could be a good example for many other communities.

MARCELLINE M. RICKER, Placentia