Sign this petition if you want Pacifica's trails and nature to be kept and not developed.

The International Real-Estate Speculator Corporation wants to develop an area called "Linda Mar Woods". This area is the hills besides Higgins Way in Pacifica. This area is home to "over 60 acres of densely forested hillside, endangered wildlife habitat (native wildflowers, birds, plants, frogs, etc), eucalyptus (vital to hillside stability), and protected Heritage Trees'' (protectsanpedromountain.org). Further, this area is of great importance to hikers and bikers: each week, hundreds of people come to this area to experience the beautiful nature and trails. Many of those same people are also customers for local Pacifica businesses and restaurants. The people of Pacifica are against the development of the "Linda Mar Woods" because if development does happen, these 60 acres of nature will be destroyed, the hiking and biking communities of Pacifica will suffer a great loss, and local businesses will be harmed from a loss of customers. Let's prevent all of that from happening by preventing development of this area. The area known as the "Linda Mar Woods'' must not be developed.

Here, I will explain some of my personal/and general reasons for why I am against the development of the Linda Mar Woods. Firstly, I am against the development because it would destroy some of Pacifica's finest trails. More significantly, development would take away such a highly valued important place to hikers and bikers. These trails that exist in this specific area is what led to me finding my passion in life and solved many personal problems. For many years, I suffered from depression, social anxiety, low self-esteem, and loneliness. For years, I felt that there would be no escape from my suffering; no cure for it... But there was a cure. One day, I took my bike out to the trails in this area. It was that day I experienced the greatest thrill I ever felt. But more importantly, that day I found my passion: biking. Because these trails revealed my passion to me, my self-confidence skyrocketed which cured the social anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Furthermore, these trails were a gateway for meeting new people. The people whom I met at these trails became my best friends. Not even words can describe how grateful I am for these trails and the communities/people connected to it. If development were to happen to this area/trails, so much would be lost not only for me, but also for the hundreds of others that love this area and its trails. 

I am also against the development of the Linda Mar Woods because I care for my fellow Pacificans and their perspectives. Here are some reasons why --other-- Pacificans are against development: Using CalFire’s map, we can see that the Linda Mar Woods is in a fire hazard zone (https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/media/6802/fhszs_map41.pdf Some Pacificans have told me that it may not be a good idea to have houses built in a hazard zone because those houses would be put at risk. Additionally, many Pacificans argue that development would cause more traffic and destroy the effort in preserving the hillsides. Lastly, if development were to happen, eucalyptus trees would have to be cleared to make space for building houses. This is risky because those trees help keep soil grounded which prevents landslides. By removing them, the risk of nearby pre-existing homes being caught in a landslide increases, and some residents are concerned about this. I would hate to see fellow Pacificans deal with these issues. Fortunately, these issues may not even happen in the first place if development of the Linda Mar Woods is prevented. 

If you care about saving Pacifica’s beloved nature/trails, please sign this petition.