Across my dreams, with nets of wonder
well, I'm glad they finally saw the folly of stringing metal nets across the beautiful back- country creeks...I've hiked up there behind Montecito thousands of times and never thought I'd see such an intrusion...it was a bad idea from the start, spurred on by a bunch of pompous do-gooder nanny non-profits without any plan to finance other than to lay their mistake on the taxpayers!
The nets were an emotional response to the rare Thomas fire/flood event in 2019...an afterthought. The nets were supposed to save lives, but ended up as little debris dams/obstructions that had a negative impact on wildlife...
the County of Santa Barbara did a good job of expanding the debris basins...a sound and logical decision...
and besides, it's not like people weren't warned...the County warned us, even the great ex-weatherman Alan Rose from KEYT warned us!
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| San Ysidro Creek dam!! |
The question ForestWatch and other organizations are raising is whether the ring nets have served their purpose. From what they can see, the debris net in upper San Ysidro Creek caught vegetation that trapped smaller rocks, not big boulders. “It’s a failure from that standpoint,” Pitterle said. “Normally, a project like this wouldn’t see the light of day. You don’t put barricades in creeks, especially in remote areas where you can’t control them.”
excellent story from the Independent:
a letter from the Project for Resilient Communities was sent to local media:
Op-Ed: The Ring Nets in Montecito Canyons Are Coming Down by Pat McElroy, Brett Matthews, Joe Cole, Elisabeth Fowler, Damon Taugher, Alixe Mattingly, and Hillary Hauser with the Project for Resilient Communities
It is with great disappointment to inform you that when the five-year emergency permits expire, the Project for Resilient Communities will need to remove the six debris flow “Swiss nets” in the canyons above Montecito by December 1.
yah sure, blame the Swiss!
Without strong local government support and budget for the six nets that may have to be cleaned out, without a guarantee that FEMA would cover those future costs, our small nonprofit cannot carry the risk associated with running a portion of a flood control system.
can't burden the taxpayers with this nonsense
Our goal from the beginning of this public-private partnership was to create the most cutting-edge and innovative system possible to enhance our community’s resiliency, funded entirely by private contributions, and then to efficiently transfer these important community assets to local, state, and regional authorities as part of the County’s safety and public works system to help ensure the protection of our community. The extension of the permits and the county accepting the debris flow protection system of six nets as part of the system was always paramount.
cutting-edge! haha good one
The nets initiative could not have happened without a supportive and resilient community and brilliant people coming together. From conception to installation to a proven mitigation solution, the debris basin nets were a worthy initiative and the mission was accomplished.
"brilliant people" ah, no
To now remove the nets is a most difficult decision, reached only after many months of good faith effort and discussion, but we have been unable to reach an agreement with the County, and we cannot continue to rely on private donations from the community to sustain this work.
Thank You Santa Barbara County for a job well done!!
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