Letter to the Editor -- Paul James Baldwin

The Boy Scout Sea Base has a long history of providing youngsters the

opportunity to experience Newport Harbor (“Commissioners OK sea base

expansion,” June 13). As Newport Beach has grown, so has the use of the

harbor.

With the growth of neighboring communities from Costa Mesa to Tustin,

the use of the harbor has been even greater. The addition of new cities

and new populations in Irvine and Newport Coast has added to the desire

of more people wanting to take advantage of this natural resource. Now

the Boy Scouts want to double to 60,000 Scouts served on this limited and

increasingly congested harbor.

I strongly believe we need to manage the capacity of this resource,

Newport Harbor. Just as we have to manage, and sometimes restrict use of,

our National Parks System. We can no longer let our natural resources be

devastated and decimated by population growth. If we do, we all lose.

Having grown up across from the Sea Scout Base, even 20 years ago, the

Boy Scouts would invade the private beaches of Lido with 20 or 30 kayaks

and 100 or so happy and rambunctious scouts. If you lived on the beach as

I did, it was quite an event. If you think I’m Scrooge here, you try

having 100 scouts in your private back yard.

The Sea Scout Base is due for an upgrade, and my argument is not about

this.

My argument is the Coastal Commission and Newport Beach, via our City

Council has to finally take a long-term look at use management of the

harbor, and finally take into consideration the population growth

regionally and what it means to our limited waters here.

This is not only a quality of life issue, as well, not only for all of

us who live here in Newport Beach, but for all future generations here

and throughout the region. I am sure the Newport Beach Chamber of

Commerce doesn’t want Newport Beach and the harbor to get a reputation as

an overly congested version of an out-of-control traffic jam and have

tourists decide to visit other places that have more emphasis on use

management and the quality of life.

I emphasize the quality of life issue because it is important to me,

and I hope it is important to you. However, if we don’t manage these

issues now, the quality of life that brought us here will vanish. This, I

am sure, none of us wants.

PAUL JAMES BALDWIN

Newport Beach