Poppy Reserve Faces Grave Threat

Photo Credit: Kathy Porter The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve: a photographer's dream, an artist's inspiration, and an escape from our hurried lives now under threat by a proposed racetrack.

The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is the pride of the Antelope Valley. It was established through a true grassroots effort. The Poppy Reserve represents the realization of the dreams of countless activists of all ages. Thousands of school children contributed their pennies for poppies, and citizens purchased memorial benches which are scattered throughout the park.

Every year visitors drop their donations in a box in the visitor center which is staffed completely with volunteer docents. Thousands of visitors from all over the state, the country, and even the world come to the park every spring to view the beautiful fields of California Poppies. They enjoy the serenity of the location. They hike the trails. They climb to the highest point where they are greeted with the lovely, wild lacy phacelia and enjoy a panoramic view of the Antelope Valley.

Many other wildflower species can be seen along the trails including various lupines, red maids, jimson weed, loco weed, wild onion, owl's clover, and many more. Children are enchanted as they spot side-blotched lizards scurrying along the trail. And everywhere it is quiet, but not completely. The meadowlark is seen and heard singing his song from his fence-post perch. The song of the phoebe, the horned lark, and other birds are also heard. Overhead soar ravens, red-tailed hawks, along with other birds of prey.

This park is a treasure, a photographer's dream, an artist's inspiration, and an escape from our hurried lives.

All of this will be ruined if the Fairmont Butte Motorsports Park is built just a little over a mile from the Reserve's boundaries. The motorsports park itself will destroy 320 acres of prime wildflower habitat. This region was chosen out of all of California as the location for the State Park, a place where the state flower can flourish far into the future. A racetrack is completely unsuitable for this location.

The proposed development funded by Orange County millionaires, includes a racetrack, mechanic garages and a full service bar. It is proposed for the north side of Fairmont Butte. Automotive and motorcycle racing would occur 365 days a year, day and night, one mile from the Reserve. The approval process is moving forward. There will be a public hearing of the L.A. Planning Commission in L.A. on Sept 2 at 9 am.

The Fairmount motorsports race track complex, located along Highway 138 (Ave D) and 150 St west is highly incompatible with the region. The panoramic vistas of wildflowers looking north from the Reserve would be changed forever. A grouping of very healthy Joshua trees is located on and near the Project. Opening up this area to commercial development will jeopardize plans for a rural life style and will facilitate unplanned urban sprawl. For the residents in the area to be pressured by threats of a large housing development in place of the racetrack is unconscionable.

Highway 138 is designated as a Botanical Management Area between about 140th St. West to about 180th St. West. The Caltrans website states that a Botanical Management Area sign and plaque is used to identify areas along the State highway right-of-way that are environmentally significant natural remnants of California's botanical diversity, as designated by the Office of State Landscape Architecture. The existing natural flora should not be disturbed in the right-of-way along Highway 138.

The proposed zone change to industrial/ commercial will open the door to more damaging development and is completely incompatible with the rural nature of the area and an existing state park dedicated to hiking and nature.

Wildlife corridors necessary to maintain ecological balance will be negatively impacted and historic and prehistoric sites on the land proposed for the racetrack will be destroyed. The racetrack will destroy prime areas for wildflowers and other disappearing native plants. Area proposed for this development includes part of the Fairmont-Antelope Buttes Significant Ecological Area (SEA No. 57) which contains desert butte a sensitive area for birds of prey.

Noise

The noise from the high-pitched non V-8 type racing engines and loudspeakers will carry with the winds and daily temperatures. The planning commission should request a study of the promulgation of the sounds from these type engines with atmospheric conditions.

Sound will be clearly heard on Reserve hiking trails - 85% of the respondents to a survey of Poppy Reserve visitors indicated that their visits to the Reserve would be significantly decreased if a racetrack were built nearby. 50% indicated that they would never come again!

Lighting

Light pollution from the racetrack will negate use of the Reserve for star parties for local astronomy groups and will likely have a significant detrimental impact on the primarily nocturnal desert ecosystem. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to artificial lights can interrupt animals' biological clocks and disrupt their ecosystem.

Air Pollution

At times of heavy usage, the exhaust fumes from the race engines will be carried by the prevailing northwestern winds in a direction over the Poppy Reserve and also the unincorporated area of Antelope Acres. Odors from the racing fuel blends will be noticeable at times at the Reserve.

The cumulative effects from noise, lighting, fencing, and one nearby solar facility (within 3 miles) on a wildlife corridor along Broad Canyon, will be very negative to wildlife usage.

The racing activity will draw many vehicles off Highway 138 along with off road vehicles (pit cycles). With or without grandstands for viewing, the butte area will become a magnet drawing spectators and off road vehicles to view the racing. Spectators will climb and use the buttes on the Southside of the proposed racetrack to view the racing. Traffic on the butte and SEA will increase damage to the butte and impact the bird of prey usage. Damage to SEA 57 along with the entire ridgeline of Fairmount Butte will be extensive. Proposed parking along 150th Street West will draw vehicles south of the track. Many will elect to take the dirt part of 150th Street West to the east merging with traffic from 140 the street west. This increased traffic flow along the Poppy Reserve on the west and north sides will add a large volume of car and off road noise to the Preserve, in addition to the racetrack noise. The traffic between the buttes will disturb wildlife and jeopardize Native American sites in that area.