COUNTYWIDE : Foes Send 200 Cards Protesting Landfill

Opponents of the proposed landfill in Weldon Canyon near Ojai sent more than 200 postcards to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors last week to protest the effects the dump may have on wildlife and American Indian artifacts at the site.

The postcards are part of a campaign headed by the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County to block the landfill project, a group member said.

County officials are considering a request by Waste Management of North America Inc. to operate the landfill in the scenic canyon near California 33.

The supervisors received 57 postcards that protested “the desecration of Chumash shrines resulting from a Waste Management dump.”

Opponents also sent 147 postcards protesting the location of the dump in a wildlife corridor.

While the landfill site may contain some Chumash artifacts, county planners said the Chumash settled throughout the county and it would be difficult to find a site that has not been inhabited by American Indians at some time.

An environmental impact study on the landfill proposal has suggested that the size of the landfill be cut by 68% to reduce its effect on wildlife and neighboring communities.