Letter to the editor
This is in response to the Perspectives piece by Mr. Marc Choquette regarding overnight camping in Malibu. As one of the lead vocal opponents to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s (SMMC) plans to put overnight camping in the small box canyons and Charmlee Park, I think Mr. Choquette needed to do a lot more homework that just reading other newspapers and putting their quotes in his article.
Because my background is public relations (I have been an adjunct professor at Pepperdine), I do quite a bit of research before I choose sides on an issue. Your use of “small” several times to describe the opponents of overnight camping, was extremely incorrect. My interviews with residents, both in person and by email, revealed that no one, not one person who owns or rents here, thought overnight camping was safe or even needed (the many campgrounds in Malibu are empty most of the year). In fact, 12,000 people are terrified of another fire. May I point out that purported campers on state land started this one?
You need a lesson in evacuation plans in Malibu, Mr. Choquette. There are none. Campers who hurt themselves currently have to be airlifted out. There is no way to evacuate campers in a fire. Fire trucks will not go into the deep canyons until the fires burn through. You will be a crispy critter along with all the animals that are harmed. If you had done your homework, you would have discovered that most homeowners stayed with their homes, using garden hoses because the trucks did not come.
I was in a mandatory evacuation zone in the last Malibu fire, so I was closer than most to the issue. It is foolhardy to allow “Cold Camping” (meaning stoves), which is what SMMC proposes in an area like Malibu that has its own ecosystem. Red flag means nothing. Every day is a red flag day here as the wind comes from nowhere and whips up the canyons throughout the year.
Mr. Edmiston has no boss and has gotten his way by filing lawsuits and being “taking” land from private homeowners among other tactics. Councilperson Kearsley should stop doing interviews as he is insulting the good citizens who he is supposed to represent.
Perhaps you should take a tour with the residents of the canyons and the docents of Charmlee to see this fire issue through new eyes. I think that you will come away with a different “perspective.”
Susan Tellem
Malibu Homeowner
Choquette responds:
While I agree it was a mistake to refer to the opposition to the SMMC’s plan as “small,” it is also inaccurate to assume that all 12,000 Malibu residents are opposed to such a plan (which you state as a fact).
The main point of my op-ed, aside from stating that there is no evidence to connect camping to wildfires (the youths atop Corral Canyon were not campers, they were partyers), was to promote the idea of a town-wide vote on the issue. This is a proposal you fail to address in your letter.
There are no current campgrounds within city limits. The ones that are outside (Leo Carrillo, Pt. Mugu) are often booked, not empty most of the year as you suggest.
Lastly, to suggest that every day is a red flag day in Malibu is a gross oversimplification. While last year was particularly bad for fires, the Santa Ana’s are not constant.
01-24-2008
