Several weeks ago, I wrote a post about the proposed expansion of the Del Mar Fairgrounds to include a hotel and convention center.
I recently received a copy of a letter written by Drew Cady, Del Mar CA resident and concerned citizen, to the Del Mar Fairgrounds Board on December 11, 2009. If this plan is approved, it will seriously impact the quality of life for residents and visitors of the villages of Del Mar & Solana Beach and adversely impact the delicate wetlands adjacent to this fairgrounds. In Drew’s opinion, it is an “ill-conceived, greedy attempt to secure revenues for the State, by sacrificing nature and our local communities.” If you agree, or have an opinion to share, please comment. You can also voice your opinion directly by writing your own letter to the board…
Here’s the letter:
Letter to the Board of Directors, 22nd District Agricultural Association, State of California commenting on the draft EIR for the expansion and development of the Del Mar
Fairgrounds
Dear Board Members of the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Agricultural District No.33:
I attended a meeting of the Fairgrounds Board of Directors several weeks ago and
spoke to you during the public 3ʼ commentary. What I said is that I believe the quality of
life, not just for human beings, but for all the creatures who live on and near the Del Mar
Fairgrounds land will be radically and negatively altered forever by the enormous
development which you have set forth in your plan. This development is wrong and
represents the greedy interests of a few people who are shortsighted and unaware of
the fragile ecosystem which exists around this massive fairgrounds land. The other
evening while at the Inn LʼAuberge Hotel, I viewed an historic photograph of the river
basin that is now the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Before me was a serene wilderness which
represented perhaps one of the most wonderful aspects of this relatively undisturbed
coastal area, up until man placed his heavy footprint upon it. The slow takeover and
alteration of this marshland and delta which is the outflow of waters from a major
watershed along southern California has been mostly without regard for the damage
that it has caused to the natural environment.
We have learned a great deal in recent decades about how critically important these
natural environments are in maintaining a sustainable lifestyle for those of us who live in
this region, as well as for our offspringsʼ future. To overdevelop this fragile land area, as you have depicted in your ʻmaster planʼ is thoughtless and reckless and damaging to
the future potentials of this region. Like any environment, ours relies upon a cycle of life and a restorative water culture, which can endure all the burdens which mankind places
upon it. I dare say, we are at a critical juncture in our history; one, that perhaps we will look back upon in future years, and realize that without significant efforts to preserve our watersheds, we would not have been given the privilege to continue to reside in this coastal desert land. The earth is a naturally sustaining ecosystem which miraculously absorbs so much of the industrial and overdevelopment schemes of man, but we are rapidly approaching a time when these fragile systems will not be able to counteract the enormous pressure put upon them by Manʼs non-sustainable usage of natural
resources.
We are at this crossroad together and it is only through careful planning that we will be
able to assist the earth as it attempts to restore from all of the plunder it has endured
during the ʻreign of manʼ. Our erroneous political structures and overactive
development instincts have proven us a weak caretaker of these lands, but we now
have perhaps our last opportunity to reverse this behavior and begin to work with the
earthʼs naturally sustaining systems in building a healthier and friendlier environment in
which to sustain our race and take care of all the other living beings on earth.
You can either ignore the pleas of what you might regard as a radical environmentalist
without any rationale for how to better utilize these Fairgrounds, or you can recognize
that your master plan represents a short sighted personal gain for few, at the expense of
the masses and our revered nature.
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New York might be her residence, but Southern California apparently has her heart! Encinitas gets great exposure thanks to actress Blake Lively’s photo shoot at Swami’s, which is the June cover of Vogue magazine. You can visit her Vogue Diary and listen to her dish about her beachy trip, family and her passions. While Blake was in town she got a private surf lesson from legend Rob Machado, as did Vogue’s Hamish Bowles…
profile state properties, including our very own 
