UPDATE to this post
The Monterey Downs project is dead. The developer could not follow through when it came to indemnify the city of Seaside. The developer was not willing to put any more money towards the proposal.
The land could still be developed and a parkway road is planned for part of the land which would take down 11,000 oaks and associated habitat. That decision has yet to be finalized by the Fort Ord Reuse Authority. Landwatch Monterey County is involved in future steps regarding this land. Go to their website to learn more.
The Monterey Downs project is dead. The developer could not follow through when it came to indemnify the city of Seaside. The developer was not willing to put any more money towards the proposal.
The land could still be developed and a parkway road is planned for part of the land which would take down 11,000 oaks and associated habitat. That decision has yet to be finalized by the Fort Ord Reuse Authority. Landwatch Monterey County is involved in future steps regarding this land. Go to their website to learn more.
This photo montage received an Honorable Mention in the Seaside City Hall/ Avery Gallery art show. This land is the land in question regarding the Monterey Downs Development. It would all be bulldozed. This is an historic landscape of over 500 acres that we cannot lose! The Seaside City Council will be taking the vote on November 10 on whether or not to take the next step to approve this monstrous and devastating project.
Here is the long poem that is on the banner:
This is Oak Community
Ant to bobcat
Fairy shrimp to mountain lion
Manzanita to many-limbed oak,
twisting to the sky, turning to sun,
stretching with the wind.
Mule deer browsing, lichen swaying,
enriching gentle coastal land.
This is Oak Community.
Infinite network,
flitting, singing, calling birds.
Yellow, gold, red,
Iridescent blue.
Fuchsia, white and black.
Towhee, sparrow, warbler, vireo,
Common poorwill.
Coyote, badger, co-operative hunters
Ground squirrel, Western fence lizard,
Coast horned lizard.
Pacific tree frog, California legless lizard.
Blending with their surroundings,
many residing in the cool earth.
Monterey dusky-footed woodrat,
home and village creator extraordinaire.
Monterey ornate shrew, 1200 heart beats a minute--
Big-eared Townsend’s bat, pallid bat,
dining on multitudes of insects in the night sky.
Relationships, delicate as
the spider webs bushtits use
to build their nests.
This is Oak Community.
Sweetness of manzanita, nectar of honeysuckle,
hummingbird zipping.
Lupin and ceanothus, perfumed pungency.
West coast lady, fiery skipper, red admiral and monarch.
Honey bee, bumble bee, native bee, swallowtail.
Shooting star, buttercup, tidy tip,
poppies and pollen dust.
Scent of black sage, Eastwood’s golden fleece.
Lingering autumn, garnet red leaves of three.
Winter rains, decomposing plant matter,
Mychorrhizal partnership, Kingdom Fungi!
This is Oak Community.
Tender toes traversing
spiky leaves and soft soil.
Acorns setting roots, red shoots pushing through.
California Tiger salamander, now reaching vernal pond,
one purpose.
Eggs like pearls, cycle of life,
Forever circling,
As the red-shouldered hawk and white-tailed kite
spirals around you,
This --
is Oak Community.
Paola Berthoin, 2016
This is Oak Community
Ant to bobcat
Fairy shrimp to mountain lion
Manzanita to many-limbed oak,
twisting to the sky, turning to sun,
stretching with the wind.
Mule deer browsing, lichen swaying,
enriching gentle coastal land.
This is Oak Community.
Infinite network,
flitting, singing, calling birds.
Yellow, gold, red,
Iridescent blue.
Fuchsia, white and black.
Towhee, sparrow, warbler, vireo,
Common poorwill.
Coyote, badger, co-operative hunters
Ground squirrel, Western fence lizard,
Coast horned lizard.
Pacific tree frog, California legless lizard.
Blending with their surroundings,
many residing in the cool earth.
Monterey dusky-footed woodrat,
home and village creator extraordinaire.
Monterey ornate shrew, 1200 heart beats a minute--
Big-eared Townsend’s bat, pallid bat,
dining on multitudes of insects in the night sky.
Relationships, delicate as
the spider webs bushtits use
to build their nests.
This is Oak Community.
Sweetness of manzanita, nectar of honeysuckle,
hummingbird zipping.
Lupin and ceanothus, perfumed pungency.
West coast lady, fiery skipper, red admiral and monarch.
Honey bee, bumble bee, native bee, swallowtail.
Shooting star, buttercup, tidy tip,
poppies and pollen dust.
Scent of black sage, Eastwood’s golden fleece.
Lingering autumn, garnet red leaves of three.
Winter rains, decomposing plant matter,
Mychorrhizal partnership, Kingdom Fungi!
This is Oak Community.
Tender toes traversing
spiky leaves and soft soil.
Acorns setting roots, red shoots pushing through.
California Tiger salamander, now reaching vernal pond,
one purpose.
Eggs like pearls, cycle of life,
Forever circling,
As the red-shouldered hawk and white-tailed kite
spirals around you,
This --
is Oak Community.
Paola Berthoin, 2016
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