Urban Sprawl Y'all....

I have this really cool mile and a half of rugged dirt road behind my home in Santa Cruz.It is on the spot of the old " Santa's Village" amusement park that I frequented when I was a kid. It has hair-pin turns, bumps, and in the winter it has deep puddles and mud deep enough to get stuck in. It doubles as the alternate route to my home at night when I am in the mood and sure no one is walking their dogs back there, for fear of getting chomped by mountain lions. Santa Cruz does not have too many off road areas for me to tear it up on , and this little stretch of road, that I lovingly nicknamed "the test track" is now being developed into a 40 parcel neighborhood. They are about to do the "environmental impact" report. I want to go plant some rare endangered salamanders or something back there to halt construction and save my favorite 4x spot.I live right at the base of the Santa Cruz mountains and the idea of them building a bunch of houses there for more rich silicon valley a-holes to polish their BMW's in front of makes me wanna puke up my sushi lunch!

Go plant those endangered salamanders.

I sympathize - earlier this year, the local water company took over maintenance of the 100's-of-years-old "unmaintained" road that is conveniently parallel to my route home in the town just to the north of me, which means THEY GATED IT OFF AT BOTH ENDS!!! SOB's!!! Grrr... :mad:

Do what you can to save the route!

That's brutal man. It definitely is heart breaking to see much love land laid to waste by urban sprawl. But we all have to get used to it. People are still breeding like there are 2 or 3 other Earths we can inhabit. It is sickening, to say the least. That's why I moved to Nevada. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to get away, and I mean GET AWAY so easily. Living in Chicago offers no such luxury, at least not without a 4+ hour drive, possibly more.

Do what you can to save it, but I would say not to loose any sleep over it. There is little individuals can do to stop the greed of many.

Bart

PS - I am REALLY excited to take a trip this fall up to the Sierras in search of these: http://www.californiaherps.com/salam...sisas406x2.jpg

Here is what you need to plant:

Santa Cruz Black Salamander:
http://www.californiaherps.com/salam...nigerlr054.jpg

Such cool little fragile creatures....

Bart

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Originally Posted by nfpgasmask

I am REALLY excited to take a trip this fall up to the Sierras in search of these: http://www.californiaherps.com/salam...sisas406x2.jpg

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How do ya cook them things ?...& could you recommend a side dish that wouldn't have my palette all confused ? :p

I'm guessing white wine...everyone knows, fall salimanders = white wine. :rolleyes:

Urban sprawl and over-population run hand in hand... I live in Utah where there is a complete lack of respect for lack of space... Salt Lake City. SLC is in a valley, a non-expanding valley, full of Mormons wanting to have 6 to 8 kids per household! It bothers me, but that is their path to heaven... Then after they pop out their rabbit pack, they go to Moab to tell us, "The Easter Jeep Safari has become too big and YOU are destroying the land!" Get this... My dad got tired of this preaching and asked a protestor in Moab, "DO YOU HAVE SEX?!" HAHA! You should have seen everyone's faces! He makes a good point though... If over-population and/or urban sprawl upsets a person, that person has to fight immigration AND decide to not have kids, or just accept the fact humans are like a spreading cancer on the earth and there is no cure. :rolleyes: <shrug>

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Originally Posted by ZEUS

Urban sprawl and over-population run hand in hand... I live in Utah where there is a complete lack of respect for lack of space... Salt Lake City. SLC is in a valley, a non-expanding valley, full of Mormons wanting to have 6 to 8 kids per household! It bothers me, but that is their path to heaven... Then after they pop out their rabbit pack, they go to Moab to tell us, "The Easter Jeep Safari has become too big and YOU are destroying the land!" Get this... My dad got tired of this preaching and asked a protestor in Moab, "DO YOU HAVE SEX?!" HAHA! You should have seen everyone's faces! He makes a good point though... If over-population and/or urban sprawl upsets a person, that person has to fight immigration AND decide to not have kids, or just accept the fact humans are like a spreading cancer on the earth and there is no cure. :rolleyes: <shrug>

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LOL ...Go DAD!!! That is awesome. And he has a great point! Some people's kids...sheeesh!

Don't get me started... 10 years ago, I had Bobcats in the front yard, and a gator or rattlesnake in the pool a couple times a year. Now I have Geritol victims walking fuzzy little dogs in the front, and the frogs and snakes are all gone :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :(

When the last living thing--Has died on the account of us--how poetical it would be--if Earth could say--in a voice floating up--perhaps--from the floor of the Grand Canyon--"It is done, people did not like it here" :( :mad:
Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)

I feel you Chopper. When I first moved to south Florida in 1991, there were snakes and frogs all over. I would see otters in my backyard, walking catfish at night. At least once a week I was pulling over and stopping traffic to save a turtle crossing the road. But by the time I left in 1998, those things disappeared. Its very, very sad. And it is happening everywhere.

I am a die hard proponent of ZPG (zero population growth), as I see this to be the ONE TRUE WAY to "save the planet." People really have no business having more than 2 kids. Religious or not, its just plain careless and selfish.

Bart

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Originally Posted by Chopper

Don't get me started... 10 years ago, I had Bobcats in the front yard, and a gator or rattlesnake in the pool a couple times a year. Now I have Geritol victims walking fuzzy little dogs in the front, and the frogs and snakes are all gone :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :(

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by nfpgasmask

I feel you Chopper. When I first moved to south Florida in 1991, there were snakes and frogs all over. I would see otters in my backyard, walking catfish at night. At least once a week I was pulling over and stopping traffic to save a turtle crossing the road. But by the time I left in 1998, those things disappeared. Its very, very sad. And it is happening everywhere.

I am a die hard proponent of ZPG (zero population growth), as I see this to be the ONE TRUE WAY to "save the planet." People really have no business having more than 2 kids. Religious or not, its just plain careless and selfish.

Bart

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Not to change direction of the thread but it’s funny because people call Cari and I selfish for not wanting kids. Their argument is that we are robbing some kid of existence. Makes me laugh.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...g/SP_A0413.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...g/SP_A0411.jpg


I hate this scene as much. This is out at the north end of town.