Planet Is Home for All Species

* There is something wrong with the mind-set of Ken Khachigian (“Time to Stand Up to Elitist Eco-Moralists,” Times Orange County Edition, May 25), who bemoans the efforts of people trying to preserve the environment, including the habitats of other species of living beings that inhabit the Earth. This speaks to the arrogance of human beings that place their amenities above all else in the world, that would deny species of animals, fish, birds, bugs, plants their chance to survive on this planet because of human convenience.

A case in point which Khachigian brings up is the San Joaquin Hills tollway. In the same section of The Times is an editorial describing shortfalls in revenue and ridership for this road, noting its experimental nature and uncertainties in both user approval and its funding. Here, the critical habitats of the gnatcatcher and a multitude of other species which inhabit coastal sage scrub were severely degraded on the flawed premise that people need and would use this road, ignoring other transportation improvements such as the El Toro Y and widening of the San Diego and Santa Ana freeways, which would make the toll road infeasible as an alternative which people would have to pay for. As it turns out, taxpayers will have to bail out the toll road, because it won’t be used enough to pay off the bonds. All this environmental destruction for naught.

DR. JAN D. VANDERSLOOT

Newport Beach

* Is Khachigian’s wake-up call too late?

While Khachigian uses extremes to make his point, a simple history lesson follows. Twenty-seven years ago in Huntington Beach, the anti-freeway 39 citizens’ committee (Newland Avenue) opposed connecting the San Diego and the Santa Ana freeways with Pacific Coast Highway.

Their arguments were passionate and victorious, the results were not for any who stayed and remained part of the community. Over a mere 25 recent years people with cars still came to Huntington Beach without the freeways, but the business community did not.

A good-intentioned group thought they were managing growth. But our beach city flourished as a place to live with the nation’s highest annual growth records for years. But no business. Now, we have one of the county’s lowest per-capita sales tax revenues, a poor showing in commercial/industrial development and a very late start with an exciting visitor serving industry.

Khachigian’s point was recognized some time ago. Without eco-entrepeneurs, even if more civil managers come out of the closet, it still will be too little to late.

DAVE GAROFALO

Huntington Beach City Council

* Khachigian wants “clean air and water and reasonable preservation of the beauty of our heritage.” Evidently he feels he can achieve this without bothering about the preservation of “rodents, bugs, reptiles and fowl.” He faults the “enviro-nihilists” like the National Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club for seeking the triumph of these creatures over human beings.

Perhaps Khachigian believes, that our particular species can exist quite comfortably in the absence of the web of life that we are part of. Perhaps he believes that the plant kingdom has nothing to do with the clean air, water and modicum of beauty that he desires, and that birds and animals have nothing to do with the survival of plants. In short he seems to feel that we can apply the bulldozer, ax and plow to the entire planet and still have the health and beauty he desires.

It is common for the ignorant to resort to name calling. Khachigian seems to be ignorant of beauty, biology, the largely volunteer work that our environmental organizations do to promote the survival and quality of life for all species, Homo sapiens included, and the basic mechanics of urban sprawl as well.

DAVID PERLMAN

Chair, Sierra Sage/

South Orange County Group

Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club

* Khachigian’s philippic is so jammed with homocentric moralizing that his use of the word “pretentious” in the penultimate paragraph borders on pure chutzpah, but I would surely like a front-row seat when some species more powerful and destructive than even he is plows his home, family and way of life under, silencing his smug pontifications. Except, of course, I happen to care about and respect all living things, even examples as self-centered as Khachigian.

C. O’CAOMHANAIGHE

Costa Mesa

* Khachigian must have been hanging out with too many Washington, D.C., mayors in between writing speeches for presidents. He has to be high if considers the coastal hills still “pristine” after the installation of the massive sweep of concrete and graded dirt that make up the San Joaquin Hills tollway.

RICH HOLLAND

Aliso Viejo