18 • May 20 - June 2, 2016 • The Log San Miguel Island reopens for recreational use


Unexploded ordnance threat forced closure of island in 2014.


By Parimal M. Rohit


CHANNEL ISLANDS — The western- most island in the chain of Channel Islands is ready for everyday human interaction again as the U.S. Navy and National Park Service (NPS) announced San Miguel Island is open to the public. Visitations to San Miguel Island began on May 17. Federal offi cials shut down San


Miguel Island to the public in April 2014 after the Navy discovered the possibility of unexploded ordnance on the landmass just off the Central California coast. Private boat, char- ter vessel and aircraft can access San Miguel Island.


The island was used as a bomb-


ing range starting in World War II and continued through the 1970s. The Navy spent the past two years con- ducting surveys of marked trails and high-use areas for possible unexploded ordnance. “No high explosive items were found and 125 pounds of munition items, such as practice bombs, bomb fragments, and fuses, were removed,” federal offi cials, who also developed a plan for public safety, said.


Boaters are once again welcome to explore San Miguel Island after two years of being closed to the boating public. Visitors must sign an access permit and liability waiver to enter the island.


Visitors must now sign an access


permit and liability waiver to set foot on the island. Access permits are available at two locations: the boat and air concession offi ces and at the self-registration station by Nidever Canyon trailhead on San Miguel Island. Limited fl ights to San Miguel Island, via Channel Islands Aviation, will also be permitted on a trial basis. While the island is reopened there


are some restrictions to where the public can meander, federal offi cials stated. “The island will not be open when there is no ranger or other NPS per-


sonnel available to escort visitors. The longtime practices of escorting all visitors beyond the ranger station and limiting visitors to the established trail system will remain,” according to the NPS.


The U.S. Department of Defense


owns and NPS operates San Miguel Island, which is about 70 miles from Ventura and 26 miles to Pt. Conception. San Miguel Island is home to more than one dozen endemic plants, island deer, fox, rat and fi ve pinniped species, and one of the oldest known Native American archeological sites in the country.


Temporary anchorage earns backing of Newport Beach Harbor Commission


City Council will decide whether second anchorage warrants another trial run.


By Parimal M. Rohit


NEWPORT BEACH —Newport Harbor’s West Anchorage is one step closer to potentially realizing a second trial run in as many years. The Newport Beach Harbor Commission


crafted the circumstances for which a temporary trial anchorage could exist at the Turning Basin this summer. A similar trial run was offered to boaters between August and October 2015. A fi nal decision of the trial anchorage


would likely be made by the City Council on May 24. City offi cials hope the second trial run


will offer insight as to whether there is enough demand to offer boaters another anchorage in Newport Harbor. A per- manent anchorage already exists east of Lido Isle. The temporary anchorage at the Turning Basin, if approved by the City Council, could become permanent if a second trial run shows there is enough demand for use. Commissioners discussed details of the


second anchorage during its May 4 meet- ing at Newport Beach City Hall; the Harbor Commission already voted to recommend the second trial run in March. The temporary anchorage would be


available to boaters at no cost and for up to fi ve days at a time. Harbor commissioners originally intended the temporary anchor- age be available between Memorial Day


and Labor Day, though the offi cial start and end date would be up to the City Council. Memorial Day weekend follows right after the City Council’s planned May 24 vote on the trial anchorage. Harbor Patrol deputies would work with


the city to collect data on both anchor- ages and monitor daily use at each venue. Collected data could also include each vessel’s homeport and the frequency of complaints. They could also use dye tablets to determine whether boaters are not leak- ing waste into the harbor; the City Council would have to determine whether deputies would be permitted to board a vessel for dye testing without the owner’s consent. Raft-ups would not be allowed and visiting boaters would have to abide by daily quite hours overnight and into early morning. Residents have complained of noise and partying at anchorages in the past. A handful of residents brought up similar complaints to Harbor Commission meetings earlier this year and in 2015 whenever the board discussed the Turning Basin anchorage. Commissioners also received and fi led


a draft of the Harbor Capital Finance Plan at the May 4 meeting. The plan listed each capital project in the harbor and its associ- ated costs, if any. Replacing the 172 slips at Balboa Yacht Basin Marina, for example, had a line-item cost of $6.02 million and an anticipated construction start date in 2025. Dredging of the Upper Bay’s channels and catch basins was valued at $19.5 million. The plan will be reviewed and possibly voted on by the City Council in the summer.


Comments From page 6


land-based campgrounds and RV parks. Chris P.


On considering a boat purchase


Re: From harbor to shining harbor: The freedom of anchorages (April 22 issue). One major deterrent regarding purchasing a boat is the need for a temporary anchor- age/mooring while on a waiting list for a more permanent space. I feel each city should have an accessible area for (say, up to a year) temporary anchoring/docking/ mooring. For example, if I live in San Diego, and nothing is available, a space in Dana Point is not feasible. I think that any and all boat brokerages should be proactive in canvassing the local ports, and support new developments toward the anchoring/ mooring situations in each area. JJ


Free anchorages offer ‘last speck of freedom’


Re: From harbor to shining harbor: The freedom of anchorages (April 22 issue). Cool and the very last speck of freedom anywhere, even here in our great nation built upon personal FREEdom, (such as it is with regulations, limited stays and billions of other laws/restrictions etc). Mark


What about our constitutional rights?


Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fi ctional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). So what you’re saying, even though you’ve done nothing wrong, it’s ok to violate ones constitutional rights? This type of mindset is precisely what’s wrong with America. You have the right to travel without being impeded, detained, or harassed. Our rights as Americans are being depleted little by little. Art


Tyranny in America’s future


Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fi ctional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). Who cares? I do. Just being “good” is fi ne, until an unelected bureaucrat decides to change what is considered “right” and “wrong” without our consent, vote, or sometimes even our knowledge. Human beings are corruptible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely (every time), and those in power have proven over and over again that they should not be trusted with that absolute power. Today’s benevolent dicta- tor will someday either become corrupt, lose power or die, and hand his or her power over to the next person in line. That person is almost NEVER benevolent. The statement: “Just don’t do something you shouldn’t and you’ll be fi ne” is a woefully ignorant piece of advice, and ultimately dangerous, especially to our kids and their kids.


A police offi cer may understandably not see the approach of tyranny because the screening effect of years dealing with society’s dregs, and this is more of the problem. Blind adherence to enforcement of unethical and constitutionally illegal laws by the police is happening now, and is scheduled to continue and expand. Jason


thelog.com


Photo courtesy of NPS


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