DID YOU KNOW? Bonnie Donovan
The most important mission of the Did You Know? column is keeping our citizens informed of issues that affect our environment, our traditions, and our local and state governments.
A lot of our information comes from readers who are anxious to alert others about what’s happening in their neck of the woods. Most recently to our great alarm, we have become aware that the strip of natural preserve that exists on Modoc Road between Hollister Avenue and La Cumbre Road is under threat of destruction and unnecessary development.
As a result of this current threat, a neighborhood committee has quickly organized called CAMP – Community Association for the Modoc Preserve.
The committee is fighting to save 63 mature drought-tolerant trees that are targeted for removal from along Modoc Road by Santa Barbara County to construct a $5.35 million Class I bike path when a perfectly good and safe Class II bike path already exists.
This neighborhood community only found out about this project a short three weeks ago, while many people are on summer vacations. Residents feel that Santa Barbara area citizens were not allowed input, denying us due process. They have started a petition on change.org with 669 supporters. Here’s the link: www.change.org/p/save-the-modoc-road-trees?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=74a99e20-f65c-11ec-b717-4152e9f36e45.
This committee objects to the removal of the 63 trees, and their shade canopy, which will cause adverse environmental changes in this area, as well as negate the “distinctive visual character and park-like setting” to the Modoc Road area adjacent to the 25-acre Modoc Preserve, as noted in the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration.
Even though many of these trees are “non-native,” they have been here for 100 years and are survivors of the Painted Cave Fire 33 years ago. They are beautiful and establish the character of not only that neighborhood, but a bucolic nature that echoes the theme for which Sb is known.
They provide a very important habitat and shade to many species of birds, mammals, and other organisms that dwell in the Modoc Preserve.
Embracing biodiversity is a more sensible approach.
Leaving well-established, drought-tolerant, non-natives to co-exist with natives, especially, in semi-rural to urban areas, makes much more sense. The supporters of the Ellwood Butterfly Grove and Carpinteria Bluffs preserves would agree.
The recommendation is a no-build alternative. Let’s try easy and inexpensive traffic calming solutions first: specifically, re-striping the current bike lanes similar to others in Goleta, and instituting the speed limit at 35 mph along this entire 1-mile section. Also, turn on the digital speed monitoring device already in place.
Keep this valuable natural open space undeveloped “forever” and “in perpetuity,” as stated in the Modoc Preserve easement signed in 1999, for which was fought for and won.
The fate of this precious intact Modoc preserve comes before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 17, 2022. Please let them know what this means to local citizens. Unless you show up and speak up, this will be destroyed. (Become an objector, not a protestor!)
Turning once again to our continued efforts to support a strong and traditional curriculum in our local school system, we look with interest at how the state of Florida is addressing a new model for curriculum that all state education departments, K-9, can follow. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis states that this curriculum “teaches students to identify the ideals, institutions, and individual examples of human liberty, individualism, religious freedom and republican self-government,” among other things. These state standards provide a comprehensive approach to teaching history, geography, civics and economics with an emphasis on western civilizations.
“Within these subjects, students learn about how history was influenced by liberty; faith and nations; science and technology; economics; state and society; and culture,” Gov. DeSantis said. “The lessons are designed to teach students to understand the exceptional but fragile achievement embodied in the creation and preservation of the American republic.”
We admire that Florida has adopted education standards that require public school instruction to adhere to principles of individual freedom and to ensure “freedom from indoctrination.” Gov. DeSantis also states that, “No one should be instructed to feel as if they are not equal or shamed because of their race. There is no place for indoctrination or discrimination in Florida.”
This curriculum has come into being as the result of the efforts of members of the executive committee spearheading the initiative from the Pioneer Institute, the Claremont Institute, Center of the American Experiment, the Cardinal Institute, Idaho Freedom Foundation, National Association of Scholars, John Locke Foundation and Californians for Equal Rights Foundation.
This committee obviously came to the table with concrete ideas already generated, unlike our present Santa Barbara City Council. This alliance has reached out to all 50 state governors encouraging them to adopt these standards. Gov. Gavin Newsom?
Speaking of Gov. Newsom, did you know that he recently launched an advertisement (ironically on Independence Day) telling Florida residents their freedom was under attack in the Sunshine State and encouraging them to move to the Golden State instead? Not skipping a beat, Gov. Ron DeSantis retorted that Gov. Newsom “might as well light a pile of cash on fire,” suggesting the ad was a waste of money.
After all, Florida ranks second in business in the nation and third in education. It imposes a much lower tax rate and has seen much lower unemployment.
With these new education standards in place, Florida continues to outshine California’s curriculum, which puts the emphasis on race and gender, rather than traditional instruction, despite widespread pushback from parents and concerned citizens.
If we don’t celebrate American exceptionalism, we could become like Greece, where everyone is clamoring for the next government dollar. Greece is the birth of democracy. And the country descended into a second-world nation, such as Italy.
