Editor:

The most pressing environmental issue facing Pomona College, and in turn the City of Claremont, is the possible destruction of the Bernard Field Station (BFS). This Station exists as one of the last five significant, urban open spaces in Los Angeles County. Thank you for finally reporting on the pending lawsuit and imminent referendum regarding the BFS. These activities are part of a long fight, which some say has been going on since the BFS's inception.

I find it frustrating, however, that the TSL provided virtually no analysis of the comments made by Brenda Barnum-Hill(she is, actually, the acting vice president of operations for CUC, read: temporary) in the last issue. Barnum-Hill is a new-comer to the scene, having arrived just last spring. Thus her background on issues like the EIR seems more cursory than those who have been actively participating in the process during the past two years. Her claim about a 10-year BFS preservation is empty rhetoric; the college presidents, save Pitzer's, have already decided, by the existence of the NCMP, that the BFS not longer meets curriculum needs. This decision was made without serious consideration of advice from students, faculty, or expert consultants during the planning stages more than three years ago. Her other comment about the City lacking the "right" to determine the fate of BFS is certainly confusing: the City is the defendant in the lawsuit because the City's architectural commission, which is inherently pro-development, dutifully certified the EIR last July. Without a doubt, the City is obliged to defend itself in lieu of CUC. Commissioners made this decision on the EIR despite testimony in public hearings from over 300 people, many of whom where Claremont residents and had extensive expertise in biology and ecology. The BFS is very much a City issue, contrary to what Barnum-Hill and Glenn Southard, attempt to write off as a "in-house issue" in their press releases.

In short, there has been a terrific cycle of marginalization around this issue [for some serious documentation, peruse Where Hall All the Voices Gone: a case study in marginalization at the BFS, in Carnegie Library.] This continued marginalization has ultimately lead to the lawsuit and referendum, both of which are being carried out by grassroots, local environmental organizations. You can greatly help this cause by working with Students for the Field Station, who already have an ambitious set of programming. I would encourage campus environmentalists in particular not to be lulled into the bigger environmental picture, by fighting campaigns against Chevron and saving ANWR, but rather, I encourage you to look in your own community. Your biggest enemies on this issue are your college president, your mayor and your city manager, all of whom want to see the BFS paved over as quickly as possible. Let them know that we want "BFS Forever"!

Sincerely,

Charles W. Cange '02

Geneva, Switzerland