LAT: As State Grows, So Does Threat to Parkland

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-parks25mar25,1,3636647.story?coll=la-headlines-california

From the Los Angeles Times

As State Grows, So Does Threat to Parkland
By Dan Weikel
Times Staff Writer

March 25, 2006

As the state's growing population continues to devour open space, the California state park system increasingly is fighting efforts to build railways, roads, utility lines and commercial ventures that threaten its scenic preserves and historical sites.

Land set aside for the "health, inspiration and education" of the people of California is also coveted by transportation agencies, local governments, utilities and other interests that view parks as the path of least resistance for their projects.

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In the past, state officials have managed to fend off serious threats, including a luxury resort at scenic Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County and highways through the redwoods of Northern California. But proposed incursions on parkland recently have multiplied, raising fears that these oases soon could be degraded by noise, dust, destruction of wildlife habitat, erosion and water pollution, among other threats.

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