Up with goats, down with skateboarders
Responding to two letters in the May 6 Coastline Pilot: Bill Jihn
doesn't like the goats that eat up the excess hillside vegetation. He
doesn't like the stinky schmutz they leave which may have seeds from
mysterious alien vegetation. He's worried the goats might trample
some other weeds that they don't munch. He doesn't want them down in
South Laguna and he thinks the rest of us in Laguna should go along
with him and kick the goats out. Not me, I like the goats, I like the
happy goats jumping around on the hillsides.
Dan Shapero wants to kick out the dog park, and bring in the
skateboarders from all over South County instead. Bad trade -- the
dog park is a precious resource for our canine friends.
Message for busybodies Jihn and Shapero: Leave our critters alone,
and go away!
MATT SMITH
Laguna Beach
Hillside brush
a dense issue
[The following was sent in response to the Coastline Pilot's April
29 question, "Should grazing goats continue to be used to reduce
wildfire danger in the city?"]
I don't think so. I've seen men in white suits with containers of
chemicals on their back spraying invasive plants in the hills above
Laguna. These plants thrive since the native chaparral was destroyed.
Some of the effects of the destruction of the chaparral is the
loss of habitat of the gnatcatcher, and other animals. We experienced
an invasion of rats in our garden after the chaparral was gone.
The poisons that are sprayed on the invasive species, like the
wild artichoke, just to name one, wash into the ocean. Additionally,
opening up the area to dog walkers gave them carte blanche to let the
dogs do whatever they want to do, wherever they want to do it. The
number of dog owners who keep their dogs leashed and clean up after
them is small. Apparently the dog owners cannot read the signs which
clearly state that dogs must be leashed and their feces must be
picked up by the owner.
JACK SCHWARTZ
Laguna Beach
