Another Good Field Ruined

This is a recent picture of the field near my old high school. I liked it much better as a field.

When I was attending San Jose State University, getting my Environmental Studies degree, I took an Environmental Impact Report class which involved generating an actual EIR based on a real site. Our group was assigned this one. It seemed like this parcel of land, which then boasted a rundown old house and an aesthetically appealing dead oak tree, has been perpetually slated for development, and our professor handed us what I remember to be an actual development proposal.

I spent some time out in that field, taking pictures and making notes. I remember that it looked like good Burrowing Owl habitat and recommended that anybody looking to develop that parcel would need to mitigate. There is also a creek nearby, which would also need to be taken into consideration.

I think we got a pretty good grade on our report. I don't have a copy of it now, and I kind of wish I did. It was an interesting process. I wonder how closely our report mirrored the one that was generated in advance of the actual development.

If I had actually landed a job writing EIRs, I would most likely have dedicated my existence to thwarting development. I'm biased. I like fields and trees, and I'm less than fond of condos and malls.