Citizenship and The Man in the Arena

By Frank Schiavone

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Pretty powerful words on citizenship from our 26th President. And tough to live by to boot. As an environmentalist and proponent of land conservation who lives in Rancho Cucamonga, I feel like a fox amidst a pack of hounds trying to blend in. I admit I want to give up. I think I understand the political and socio-economic make-up of my community and “Creation Care” is not exactly on their “to do” list. My city is hellbent on building out as quickly as possible, ignoring or marginalizing anyone with the temerity to point out the obvious.

Our former City Planner once told me that Rancho “had done a lot for the environment”. Now, some statements are so outrageous that they leave you breathless. A heart felt response would not have been appropriate in polite discourse.

Regionally, the ghosts of Milton Friedman are alive and well in our city councils and Board of Supervisors. They desire to privatize the Public Trust wherever and whenever they can, from vital services to public lands. The Public Trust seems to have been forgotten, ignored or, worse, held in contempt.

I just wished they had the moral courage to publicly state that they don’t give a damn about the environment. At least former councilman Bob Dutton was not shy about telling people like me to take a hike. I have to respect his honesty. Incidentally, we rewarded Bob by sending him to the State Senate House.

Simply, the West Valley is not fertile ground for conservationists. The wildlife agencies have given up on our region and just go through the motions in their advisory role. To say that tension exists between them and responsible agencies is an understatement.

Politicians, too, just give lip service. I still have Councilman Gutierrez’s original campaign literature where he outlines his 16-point vision. Number one on the list: the establishment of the “Rancho Cucamonga Environmental and Land Conservancy”.

In 2003, Supervisor Biane stated publicly his desire to link future mitigation lands to the North Etiwanda Preserve (NEP) in an effort to “ensure large blocks of habitat remain intact” and to establish a “habitat corridor across the base of the foothills”. By the way, the NEP was acquired by Cal Trans as environmental mitigation for the 210 Freeway and eventually turned over to the County of San Bernardino. Neither Rancho Cucamonga nor the BOS can or should be tooting any horns.

I guess Paul got distracted. A mere 104 acres have been added to the NEP since his clarion calls in 2003. We did better with Jon Mikels, a man openly hostile toward requiring developers to mitigate their projects in some meaningful way.

But the real kicker is the County’s plan to “surplus” over 1100 acres below Day Canyon. So much for the “habitat corridor across the base of the foothills”. But a more glaring fact remains: Let’s not forget that “state property” is held in the public trust for the benefit of each of us and that it was acquired using our common wealth. A fire sale is not in our beneficial interest. Of course, negotiations will take place in secret and the sale(s) will be done quietly. Not quite as messy that way. One thing is certain, someone will profit mightily. Just not us.

I hate to say it but I look elsewhere to volunteer my time. Call me fanciful, but I like to be productive. I also recognize that I am not living up to TR’s lofty “man in the arena” standards. We all lead incongruous, discordant lives, but it’s no defense.

If you share my concerns, I’d like to hear from you.

Copyright © 2008 Frank Schiavone

Frank Schiavone
fschiavone@verizon.net