Spooky

June 28, 2007

Went over to San Francisco, where the Sierra Business Council unveiled its spiffy new "State of the Sierra" report. Gotta admit is was under some spooky circumstances, what with the Angora Fire simultaneously devouring a chunk of Lake Tahoe forest and homes.

But what the heck. It was entirely appropriate, too. The Sierra's population has more than doubled California's average rate in the last 10 years as pressure from the cities keeps on its relentless path. Projections indicate that that population will double between 1990 and 2020. Housing prices doubled between 1997 and 2003; smart planning in many mountain towns is stymied by local interests colliding.

Somehow, all these factors, all these numbers, all these facts, coalesced under the smoky umbrella of the Angora fire, which raised the grain on development, economies, education and planning. What are we to do?

The Sierra Conservancy attended the press event, too, along with some old pals like Glen Martin, the fine environment writer who just recently left the sputtering, gasping, clueless San Francisco Chronicle.

The State of the Sierra report contains no surprises. Its proposed roadmap for the future likewise contains no surprises.

But it's a darned good read for everyone.

Get it here.

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