Conservancy

Re “Conservancy,” Ventura County letters, July 18.

In this letter Carl Olson claims brush clearance is nearly “nonexistent,” but nothing is further from the truth. As a volunteer, I have participated with the “nonexistent” brush clearance crews in their work, which is occurring daily.

Olson claims it is too bad the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy wants to “protect the wildlife and plant life but keeps vast expanses of explosive brush lands.” That “explosive” chaparral is the native environment to our Mediterranean ecosystem and is the home to thousands of birds, insects, reptiles and countless other forms of life.

Finally, to attack Joe Edmiston and the conservancy, and to suggest that an agency charged with preserving some of the last wild lands in Southern California sell its land to private individuals causes one to suspect Olson’s views are those of a developer, not an environmentally concerned citizen.

JAMES SHANAHAN, Studio City