Commentary By Samuel Strait Likely very few of our local residents gave much thought to an action item on the most recent Board of Supervisor's agenda, Tuesday, May 10th, that of a proposed letter to the United States Department of Fish and Game asking for an extension to the comment period on the proposed inclusion of the sand dune phacelia on the threatened list of the Endangered Species Act. This proposal has been on the minds of not only local environmental groups , but on those of outside the area groups as well since 2014. Law suits are typical of the efforts by these groups to engage with political bureaucracies in order to force their ideology upon the impacted area they happened to have unearthed a concern over. In this particular case it happens to take the position that nearly 170 acres of land in Del Norte County must dance to the concerns over the loss of a relatively insignificant dune plant already under siege by yet another bit of invasive flora. You just can't make this up to be any more ridiculous. Local duck hunters appeared before the Board to lobby for the extended comment period stating their concerns for yet more acreage being removed from public access with little or no warning to property owners, or an adequate justification for the listing. Much of the proposed listing affects land already covered by some form restriction due to its location along the coast. Fifty four acres are of the private land variety, yet their development prospects are relatively limited due to their location in Pacific Shores subdivision. This "new listing" would further place additional burdens on property owners, restrict recreational activities, and add another layer of conditions on the County's ability to control the water levels in Lake Tolowa and Lake Earl. When one adds the already seasonal restrictions placed by environmental groups over the Snowy Plover, what development possibilities remain for the privately owned acreage soon to be encumbered by further restrictions? Del Norte County already shrinks by the year from the activities of a broad swathe of environmental groups, many not even local, that ultimately shrinks the property tax base. We all wish to have properly funded services without question, but these kinds of activities make it more difficult to support even what most would acknowledge as necessary services. The continued loss of private and developable land into the maw of the grasping environazi agenda furthers the inability of local governments to live within their means. Even the most die hard environmentalist will find the lack of proper police and fire protection somewhere on their list of acceptable human activities. Having attended all three of the candidate forums for the three supervisor districts up for election this year, it is important to note that only candidates Hank Akins, Joey Borges, and Dean Wilson recognized the need to expand the property tax base through pushing back against the restrictive religion of environmentalism which prevents or eliminates development to increase rather than continually decreasing within the County. Until local governments halt the efforts by local environazi's from picking the County's pocket over land use and their restrictive practices, this County will have an increasingly more difficult time of growth and providing the basic services necessary for halting the decline of the local population. This may be a bitter pill to swallow by most environmentalists, but they no doubt would be the first to clamor for police protection or the fire department if needed. Property tax, while not particularly pleasing is a steady and consistent source for those services. A constant reduction in the ability of land owners to improve, develop, and even retain those properties eliminates an increase to that revenue stream for those services. No one thinks about the law of unintended consequences until your house is burning down and the fire department doesn't come, your business is being robbed and no police appear, or your car is swept away in a storm and suddenly you are afoot because you received no warning. Without growth, the County will not be able to properly address issues with grants, increased sales tax, or any other inflationary measures. Growth also allows for the necessary means to be environmentally sensible without further restricting the County's ability to grow and prosper. Just maybe the Sand Dune Placelia should have to deal with the hand its been dealt….