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Rio Hondo College News

MEDIA ALERT
3600 Workman Mill Road / Whittier, CA 90601 / 562-692-0921
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Merle Enriquez   Secretary
Department: Planning and Development
Phone:  (562) 692-0921  Ext. 3412
Rio E-Mail: MEnriquez@riohondo.edu

Article published: Monday, March 20, 2006
Whittier Daily News

Aiding and abetting loss of wildlife
By Ray E. Williams

HERE we are at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, at the western end of a 31-mile-long wildlife corridor, where there have been enough sightings of wild animals over time that signs have been posted which say "Wildlife Area."

The presence of wildlife does not come without controversy, however. Most people like birds, but are not so sure about coyotes, bobcats and rattlesnakes.

Because we`re next to some undeveloped (wilderness) land. The Rio Hondo campus with its continual availability to water and edible green plants becomes an attraction to a variety of animal species. During each dry season, when most of the plants are either dormant or dead, the area offers very little food for the wildlife.

Each of the 36 years I taught full-time at Rio Hondo College, my students and I conducted a cursory survey of the bird life on campus. Our records contain sightings of some 83 species. In addition, we have recorded 13 kinds of mammals and six kinds of reptiles.

We have not yet had a legitimate mountain lion sighting on campus (nor is this likely).

A number of us appreciate the uniqueness of this campus site with its connection to productive open space of the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor. At Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, they had to plant and build their nature area; at Cerritos, the college's neighbors are car dealerships.

Probably most of us don't think much about the other species with which we share the campus and probably don't even hear them when they sing or bark or growl or chirp or rattle or meow. We are probably on the phone, talking to other humans, or listening to our iPODs. We do hear the parking lot birds because they are so loud and insistent and shrill (car alarms and boom boxes). But, we don't hear or see nature because we're not listening and not looking.

So things are changing and not necessarily for the better for campus nature. There are more of us. There are ever more distractions which push nature even farther away. Now with $243 million of bond issue money, Rio Hondo College is planning to do more for people and less for the other species.

How do I know this? I can see that the professionals who wrote the draft environmental impact report on the school improvements didn't bother to gather much information about the "biological resources" of the Rio Hondo College campus.

Why am I writing this? I have been involved with the EIR process since 1974. I have a lot of EIRs, criticized them, and voted on whether to accept them. I have watched as they have become better documents over the years. I have helped prepare them as a consultant hired by the proponents and I have been a critic of EIRs affecting places I care about.

I care very much about retaining the natural values of the Rio Hondo College campus, even as the human uses are intensified. This won't happen unless a public that recognizes that we share this planet with other species pushes for it.

Although this is a public document and any of us could read it, most of us won't. If we do not, it will be quietly approved by our board of trustees who won't really read it either, trusting that the professionals have done their job because it is such a thick document.

I have heard directly from several people who having read numerous EIRs who tell me this is a very poorly done effort at this point. But, remember, it is a "draft" and there is still time for it to be improved.

In order for the DEIR to have any real import in how Rio Hondo College does its redevelopment, we have to hope the required outside agencies have paid more attention than we have and have raised sufficient questions so as to require further investigations. But we should not necessarily count on this.

Anyone can submit written or oral comments at required public hearings. I recommend that readers comment on areas where they have background and interest. Comments must be received by Andy Howard, at Rio Hondo College, no later than March 24.

If decision-makers are wise, they will incorporate the recommendations found in the EIR, but if the public is not awake and active, the final EIR will not be a good one. The law does not require it to be perfect before it is accepted, but an alert citizenry can help make it better than it would otherwise be.

Remember, government agencies don't do anything unless they are pressured to do so. Ray Williams is professor emeritus of biology at Rio Hondo College.
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-RHC-

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