United Council Support for Otters
[ Excerpt from SBN-P article 12/14/05 By JOSHUA MOLINA ]
... The Santa Barbara City Council voted 6-0 to send a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supporting a plan to allow sea otters to return to the Santa Barbara coast.
The vote was a striking contrast to last month's meeting, when several members of the council quarreled over the resolution and criticized Councilman Das Williams for allegedly sidestepping the process to place the matter on the agenda.
But on Tuesday night, the council was in harmony. After the vote, Mr. Williams hugged his colleague and political ally Helene Schneider, and he and his political rival Iya Falcone even shook hands.
Only Councilman Brian Barnwell expressed reluctance to support the letter. He was concerned that abolishing the otter-free zone would harm the fishing industry...
"My heart is heavy on this one," Mr. Barnwell said. "The fishermen (and women) are going to get hosed. There's just no way around it. It is going to happen."
The contentious issue centers around a report released in the fall by the Fish and Wildlife Service, which now wants to abolish an otter-free zone off the coast that it created in the late 1980s...
The City Council in 1999 approved a resolution supporting the relocation plan and otter-free zone. But since the Fish and Wildlife Service now wants to terminate the zone, Mr. Williams and Ms. Schneider brought the matter before the present council.
In addition to sending the letter, the council in a meeting next year plans to rescind the 1999 resolution. Mayor Marty Blum, who was on the council then, said she doesn't regret the decision because it was the right thing to do.
"We did the best with the information we had at the time," she said.
The council letter or resolution carries no weight, other than letting the federal agency know where the city of Santa Barbara stands. It's up to the Fish and Wildlife Service to abolish the zone.
The only surprise during the meeting came from Ms. Schneider, who recommended that two additional paragraphs, written by Mr. Williams, be added to the staff's draft letter. The new wording suggested a possible increase in the kelp forest if the sea otters return.
The revised letter also states that the city "strongly encourages the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pursue mechanisms that afford protections for our commercial fisheries," in case fishermen accidently catch and kill a sea otter.
Although Mr. Williams empathizes with the plight of the fishing industry, he said the otters must be protected.
"There's a reason the otters are on the endangered species list," he said. "They are on the brink of extinction."
In a noticeable departure from her position at the last meeting, Ms. Falcone said she agreed "completely with Mr. Williams."
"We all live together," she said. "We all share this Earth together."
City Council united in support of otters
... The Santa Barbara City Council voted 6-0 to send a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supporting a plan to allow sea otters to return to the Santa Barbara coast.
The vote was a striking contrast to last month's meeting, when several members of the council quarreled over the resolution and criticized Councilman Das Williams for allegedly sidestepping the process to place the matter on the agenda.
But on Tuesday night, the council was in harmony. After the vote, Mr. Williams hugged his colleague and political ally Helene Schneider, and he and his political rival Iya Falcone even shook hands.
Only Councilman Brian Barnwell expressed reluctance to support the letter. He was concerned that abolishing the otter-free zone would harm the fishing industry...
"My heart is heavy on this one," Mr. Barnwell said. "The fishermen (and women) are going to get hosed. There's just no way around it. It is going to happen."
The contentious issue centers around a report released in the fall by the Fish and Wildlife Service, which now wants to abolish an otter-free zone off the coast that it created in the late 1980s...
The City Council in 1999 approved a resolution supporting the relocation plan and otter-free zone. But since the Fish and Wildlife Service now wants to terminate the zone, Mr. Williams and Ms. Schneider brought the matter before the present council.
In addition to sending the letter, the council in a meeting next year plans to rescind the 1999 resolution. Mayor Marty Blum, who was on the council then, said she doesn't regret the decision because it was the right thing to do.
"We did the best with the information we had at the time," she said.
The council letter or resolution carries no weight, other than letting the federal agency know where the city of Santa Barbara stands. It's up to the Fish and Wildlife Service to abolish the zone.
The only surprise during the meeting came from Ms. Schneider, who recommended that two additional paragraphs, written by Mr. Williams, be added to the staff's draft letter. The new wording suggested a possible increase in the kelp forest if the sea otters return.
The revised letter also states that the city "strongly encourages the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pursue mechanisms that afford protections for our commercial fisheries," in case fishermen accidently catch and kill a sea otter.
Although Mr. Williams empathizes with the plight of the fishing industry, he said the otters must be protected.
"There's a reason the otters are on the endangered species list," he said. "They are on the brink of extinction."
In a noticeable departure from her position at the last meeting, Ms. Falcone said she agreed "completely with Mr. Williams."
"We all live together," she said. "We all share this Earth together."
City Council united in support of otters
Posted by Malcolm on
12/14/2005
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