Official Pleads With Builders to Join Environmental Effort

California’s secretary of resources tried to persuade about 100 San Diego developers and landowners Tuesday to enroll in a program to protect Southern California’s coastal sage scrub habitat.

Douglas Wheeler gave the landowners a forceful speech outlining the merits of the volunteer program designed by the Wilson Administration as a prototype for statewide environmental policy.

Sage scrub is home to a songbird called the gnatcatcher, a candidate for listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Wheeler said Tuesday at a forum sponsored by the Construction Industry Federation and the Alliance for Habitat Conservation that the program’s goal is to protect entire ecosystems rather than single species, as is done with endangered species listing.

At Wheeler’s urging, landowners were asked to enroll in the the state’s Natural Communities Conservation Program and begin preventive measures to protect the state’s sage scrub.

Wheeler described the program as a good “inoculation” for developers and landowners--who might be hurt in the short run as they set aside land, but would be protected against condemnations if environmental requirements to protect the gnatcatcher or other endangered species are imposed.

Many of those attending the meeting were quiet through most of it. But others spoke of the need to take steps to preserve the environment.

“When my kids grow up, I want them to have a natural habitat to live in,” said John Daley, president of the development and construction company that bears his name. He also said he shut down two building projects because of environmental concerns.

Daley and others argued against holding out until environmental regulation is imposed on landowners, rather than taking an active part in shaping policy.

“The (state program) is a very scary proposition,” said Laer Pearce, executive director of Coalition of Habitat Conservation. “Still, these are not normal times. The state government needs partners.”

The state’s program is predicated on the cooperation of three disparate groups--developers, land regulators and environmentalists. The going has been rough, Wheeler conceded. The state began soliciting volunteers in August, and there have been no takers.

“When the enrollment period began, we did not expect a rush of people,” Wheeler said after his speech. “It’s a very high-stakes game. We are trying to bring parties to the table who have never worked together before. And it ain’t easy.”

The program also seeks volunteer participation of local governments, public utilities and agencies that either hold land or are responsible for regulating development.

Zero enrollment aside, the program has fallen behind a self-imposed schedule to designate target areas of habitat and set boundaries for natural preserves.

Several environmental groups have pulled support from the project because of delays in setting boundaries.

Andrew McLeod, assistant secretary at the state resources agency, said the lag in designating habitat was a result of shoddy scientific information available on coastal sage scrub when the project began.

“We thought the data we had would be sufficient to get started,” McLeod said. “Turns out it wasn’t complete. It wasn’t current. It was lousy.”

McLeod acknowledged that early predictions were wrong.

“We created unrealistic expectations,” McLeod said. “We are certainly guilty of that.”

But Wheeler, in his proselytizing, assured the audience Tuesday that the project efforts were “on track.”

After the forum, Wheeler was scheduled to do an interview on a radio talk show about the program, then meet with San Diego planning department officials. Scheduled later were meetings with officials at Chevron Corp., the Municipal Water District and the San Diego Clean Water Program.

As officials forge ahead with the enrollment drive, a five-person panel has been collecting scientific data and is working to define sensitive areas, Wheeler said. Wheeler said he hopes the studies will be complete by the enrollment deadline in mid-May.

Audience reaction to Wheeler’s speech was ambivalent.

“It’s kind of like the death process,” said James Whalen, chairman of the Alliance for Habitat Conservation. “First you go through disbelief. Then denial. Then anger. Finally, you reach acceptance. . . . We recognize the severity of the problem. We all have to try to put aside our differences and work together.”