From the Monterey County Herald
Serving Monterey County and the Salinas Valley

March 3, 2005

L E T T E R S

Editor:

Ocean mist rises, magically clings to pine needles and jeweled spider webs, it gathers and descends, quenching the forest floor while California Coastal Commissioners deliberate on stopping the self-omnipotent Pebble Beach Co. from perpetrating universal crimes.

Acorn woodpeckers circumvent outstretched arms of pines while county supervisors give blessings on the execution of over 17,000 Monterey pines and the living web that cradles them.Shy, Imperiled Yadon Rein Orchid hides its white, miniscule beauty while black chain saw blades are oiled. Grey foxes stealthily sew their way through the underbrush while bulldozers, chippers and tractors are contracted to clear the forest floor.Endangered steelhead trout knife metallic bodies through the sinuous silver curtains of the Carmel River while Pebble Beach executives and owners celebrate their success at creating paper water.Mark Twain's celebrated red-legged frog holds a last sanctuary on the Carmel River while a delivery system for increased pumping is designed to divert its water.Jays caw and squabble, punctuating the song of downwind waves while copiers mechanically hum duplicating final contracts.

Purple Douglas iris ascend the tight blanket of forest cover soon to be a putting green while humans sleep as their treasures are forever destroyed for greed.

Vienna Merritt Moore
Marina