Notes, quotes and wilderness motes

Alas, and it may be my own problem, the serenity of Cougar Rock was marred by thoughts of President Trump’s massive bill and a provision, ultimately removed, to open up public lands for development.

This proposal is of particular significance to California; about 45% of the land in California is owned by the federal government.

While in the Sierra, I began reading “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America,” a book on President Theodore Roosevelt’s creation of hundreds of national parks, forests, preserves and environmental protectorates. The book, by renowned historian Douglas Brinkley, is as sweeping as TR’s vision.

On the first page is a quote from Roosevelt that leaps off the page: “Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations. The movement for the conservation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method.”

TR’s conservationism was radical at a time when it was believed that there was a moral responsibility to exploit the natural resources placed on Earth for us by God.

There always have been — and always will be, I suppose — those who look at unspoiled wilderness and think it is a good spot for condos and a nice golf course.

TR was a Republican, of course, and his conservatism extended to conserving our natural world. It is one more way our politics and policies have been turned on their head.

UNBEARABLE TRAFFIC: The burdens of getting around are increasingly aggravated by the ever-expanding proliferation of vehicles that double-park so that Very Important Business can be conducted — whether it is delivery of packages, or someone’s lunch. Meanwhile, the rest of us are supposed to drift into oncoming traffic, or just wait. Now, add Waymo to the mix. I was behind one in downtown Burlingame and had to wait while it picked up passengers. … On the other hand, and in fairness, the same Waymo did something surprising — it slowed down and stopped at a yellow light.

ON THE RUN: San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa is preparing quite openly to run for assessor-county clerk-recorder next year, and now it appears he will have at least one opponent. David Pollack, who ran for the job in 2022, has indicated via social media that he will be running. Pollack lost to incumbent Mark Church by a whopping 82.8% to 17.2%. Nothing wrong with optimism. … No word yet if Church will seek another term. He has held the job for 14 years after serving 10 years on the Board of Supervisors. … In a related note, Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo is running for Canepa’s North County Board seat only a year after he was reelected to a four-year term that runs through 2028. Why? If Canepa wins the race next year for assessor, the board will have to appoint a replacement, and she wants to be the inescapable choice. In a video endorsing Manalo, Canepa said he was supporting her in “2028 — maybe 2026.”

WHERE ARE DJ AND JOSH: Who shows up more places and meets more people, Canepa or state Sen. Josh Becker? If you follow their endless postings on social media there seems to be nowhere either of them will not go, no event they will not attend, no gathering of people they will not grace. We all know Canepa is running for another office. Becker appears to just be running.

It could be a fun game: Have them start on a Saturday at the same time and see who can go to more places by the end of the day. It could be our version of Where’s Waldo. The winner would be crowned Peninsula’s Leading Peripatetic.

BRAKE-DOWN: The Divine Ms. V has been playing what she calls the Caution Game, imagining bumper stickers that capture the erratic braking habits of Peninsula drivers. Such as, “Caution: I brake for absolutely no reason.” Or, “Caution: I brake because I’m tailgating the car in front of me.” Or for Tesla drivers: “Caution: Don’t blame me. It was AI.”