Wetlands Not a ‘Drive-Thru’

* I am a recent arrival in Irvine from Canada. I love the weather here but am dismayed at the importance given to driving a car as a way of life in Southern California. Your Oct. 4 article about the wetland wall on Campus Drive in Irvine is a case in point.

Thanks to the Irvine Ranch Water District, there is a progressive urban wetland reclamation project in the works here which I am proud of.

Unfortunately, according to the article, not everyone is as pleased as I. Again, automobile drivers want it all. Because of a protection wall constructed at one end of the wetland, they feel cut off from viewing the wildlife. But that’s precisely the point. This was not meant to be a “drive-thru.” The wetlands are to be experienced by bike or on foot.

Moreover, the wetland wall is certainly not another example of humans being separated from nature, as one critic exclaims in the article. Instead, it seems an excellent solution for screening urban noise and movement from a peaceful aquatic area that is easily enjoyed by people and wildlife. I say this to the frustrated drivers: Keep your eyes on the road, or park your car by the wall and take a walk around.

VICTORIA TAYLOR

Irvine