February 08, 2006

 

The Honorable Phil Larson, Chairman

Fresno County Board of Supervisors

Room 300, Hall of Records

2281 Tulare Street

Fresno, CA 93721

 

Re: Proposed Open Space (Greenbelt Buffer) Task Force

 

 

Dear Supervisor Larson,

 

I am writing to you today, on behalf of the Sierra and Foothill Citizens Alliance, to encourage the Board of Supervisors to expand the scope of the proposed Open Space (Urban Greenbelt Buffer) Task Force.

 

As I understand, the scope of the proposed Task Force is primarily to be geared towards “urban” buffers. But consideration must also be given to the creation of county regional parks between the urban areas and the foothill/mountain communities. The suggested regional parks will be sorely needed as the population of the Fresno area inevitably becomes more densely impacted over the not to distant future. The creation of these parks must be considered sooner than later as the availability of open foothill land diminishes and the cost of acquisition escalates.

 

Farmland preservation must also be a prime consideration of the Task Force deliberations. As you are acutely aware the San Joaquin Valley is one of the finest and most productive agricultural areas in the world and it is inexorably being paved over by rapidly spreading urban development. There is a critical need for this country to maintain its food production independence.

 

The proposed task force presents a rare, once in a life time opportunity to provide future generations with the benefit of this generation’s foresight in creating open space, “urban/rural” interfaces and preserving farmland. The decisions and policies we have an opportunity to effect today will ultimately provide a future “quality of life” rarely obtainable. The Board of Supervisors must be prescient enough see the need for open space throughout the county and to act on it.  The job will involve a lot of hard work but we must do it now or the opportunity will be forever lost.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Gary L. Temple, President

Sierra and Foothill Citizens Alliance

 

Cc: Supervisors Anderson, Case, Perea and Waterston