Ridge Top Parcel More Than ‘Place of Grass, Weeds’

The article regarding the proposed Binion development in Laguna Niguel makes a serious error in grossly underestimating the importance of the coastal habitat soon to be destroyed if the 32-home project is approved (“City to Release EIR for Hilltop Project,” Nov. 26).

The story refers to the ridge top as being “overgrown with grass, weeds, and cactus.” That is not even remotely accurate. The two dominant plant communities that compose the Binion parcel are southern maritime chaparral and Venturan-Diegan transitional coastal sage scrub. Southern maritime chaparral is ranked by the California Department of Fish and Game’s natural diversity database as being “globally extremely endangered (G1).” That same rank is given to the giant sequoia groves farther north in such places as Yosemite National Park. The Venturan-Diegan coastal sage scrub is ranked as “globally endangered (G2)” by the same system, only one notch below its neighbor.

The floral composition of these two communities is anything but grass and weeds. Maritime scrub oak, Orange County Turkish rugging, and western dichondra are just a few of the rare plants documented as to occur on the property.

In addition, many sensitive wildlife species such as the orange-throated whiptail lizard, California gnatcatcher, and deer are either residents of the Binion ridge or use it as a corridor.

Obviously, to label this unique area as only a place of grass and weeds is at the very least a careless oversight on the part of the writer. Coastal development has already claimed the vast majority of these plant communities and their resident fauna. It would be the most heinous of crimes if we were to allow Mr. Binion, an out-of-state casino owner, to destroy this beautiful and biologically irreplaceable fragment of land.

LOUIS M. LA PIERRE

Coto de Caza