In the year that Carrizo Plain National Monument drew visitors from around the world to see its amazing superbloom of wildflowers, citizens and businesses are pleading with the Donald J. Trump administration not to remove protections for its unique plants and wildlife, petroglyphs and geologic features.

On August 16 about 134 California businesses wrote to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to support the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

Those who signed the letter include well-known local names such as Monica Tomlinson of Falcon’s Nest in Frazier Park; Terry and Militsa Brennan’s Dreamweaver Ranch in Cuddy Valley; David and Maxine Stenstrom’s Old Bear Bed & Breakfast; and Jeff and Andrea Mowry of Jennings Realty in Pine Mountain Village.

They were joined by cosmetics and fragrance creator Juniper Ridge in Berkeley, CA plus innkeepers, gas stations, farmers, outdoor equipment retailer REI, architects, manufacturing companies and wineries up and down the state.

“For many rural towns in the region, businesses are sustained by visitors on their way to and from the Carrizo Plain National Monument who stop for a meal or book a room,” the letter said, mentioning record crowds drawn to the “gateway communities” surrounding the monument this year. The letter spoke about the importance of economic diversity and quality of life that the monument represents.

Nonprofit legal watchdog Los Padres ForestWatch coordinated the effort. A decision may be made by Zinke as early as August 24.

—Patric Hedlund, TME

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This is part of the August 18, 2017 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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