Caspar Community Meeting: Using Our Headlands

Caspar News and Press Releases

Caspar Community To Discuss Future of the Headlands

"Using Our Headlands" will be the subject of the next meeting of the Caspar Community, which takes place on Sunday, April 11, at 3:00PM at the Caspar Jewish Community Center. After the forum all those attending will be invited to cross the street to take a springtime stroll on the headlands and experience firsthand one of Caspar's scenic wonders.

The subject is a timely one. Last week State Senator Wes Chesbro and a study group of state and local officials toured Caspar as part of an exploration of Mendocino coastal sites under consideration for preservation. This came on the heels of an announcement that the Trust for Public Land has opened negotiations with The Caspar Cattle Company to option all of the land it currently has for sale, including the headlands.

Patty Madigan, a member of the board of the Caspar Community, will facilitate the meeting. She is inviting all who have an interest in the future of the headlands to come share their vision and ideas in a effort to find common ground and resolve differences.

"Imagine a triangle," says Madigan. "One point of the triangle represents 'No Human Use', the second, 'Controlled Human Use,' and the third, 'Open Use.' We hope we can find a balance point inside that triangle, a point at which most Casparados can agree."

The day before the meeting Judy Tarbell will lead an exploratory walk across Caspar headlands for anyone interested in doing some homework before the Sunday forum. The walk will leave at 10:00AM Saturday, April 10, from the steps of Tarbell's business, Black Bear Press, and will take approximately one hour.

At the conclusion of the meeting and the walk, the event will turn social, as everyone is invited to the Caspar Inn to participate in the monthly meeting of musicians and community members that convenes after each Caspar Community meeting. Meridian Green organizes these informal music sessions and encourages people to bring instruments to join the music-making, or just come by to listen and socialize.

Julia McIver of the California Coastal Conservancy and Mendocino Land Trust director, Roger Sternberg, hosted the legislative event on April 2nd. Wes Chesbro was joined by County Supervisors Patti Campbell and David Colfax, Fort Bragg City Councilman Dan Gjerde, and aides to Barbara Boxer, Mike Thompson, and Virginia Strom-Martin, among others. They toured coastal areas from the Navarro River to Westport. During their stop in Caspar McIver spoke of the imminent acquisition of the Caspar Beach and creek area by the Conservancy.

Michael Potts of the Caspar Community board presented a position paper summarizing the Community's hopes for the future. "Caspar Beach has been preserved, and now we look to preservation of the Headlands and the south-facing slope of Caspar Creek, areas which are critically important to the quality of life in Caspar Village, including Caspar's constituents who don't vote," remarked Potts, "the coho salmon, the purple martin, osprey, and the burrowing owl, to name just a few."

Further information can be had by calling Pat Ackley, Caspar Community Coordinator, at 964-4997, or by visiting the Community's website at CasparCommons.org .

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