Cathi Osugi

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

911 NE 11^th Avenue

Portland, Org 97232-4181

5-31-01

Re: Opposed to including Canalways and St. Vincent’s Silveira properties in Baylands Refuge Mapping Boundary

Dear Ms Osugi:

It has only been two years since I started my every day work career with the Regional Land Company. The work has me associated with landowners and land projects through out the North Bay. My work exposes me to 3-4 counties and many citizens concerned about issues ranging from housing, traffic, office space and the environment.

Of all the counties I am exposed to, I happen to live in the most expensive one – Marin. Recently, I moved out of my parents’ home and was exposed to rental sticker shock. Hopefully, at some future date I will leave the rental syndrome and have to face the even more shocking reality of ownership price shock. That potentially savings draining expense shock has led me to writing this letter to state my opposition to including Marin properties such as St. Vincent’s Silveira and Canalways in the Baylands Mapping Refuge Boundary proposal. A key attribute to the soaring prices of real estate, is the lack of supply. With these properties, Marin County can provide families with housing and employment opportunity, while creating a safe haven for children with the friendly design of these communities.

Property owners and developers face finance, economic, building, design and political hassles. They are in an industry that must overcome a myriad of problems that travel well beyond their individual projects. Too often groups as well as government agencies add to the problems that landowners and developers must overcome. In so doing, they price people like me out of the housing market or force us to live horrendous distances from where we were raised or want to live or work.

I understand the good intentions the Fish and Wildlife Service has in designating certain lands as wildlife refuges. Here in Marin, however, we have groups posing as environmentalists whose policies harm the environment by forcing longer and longer commutes and expensive suburban sprawl development. Although your ‘refuge’ designation may not carry any direct legal or economic harm to the lands it is applied to, in Marin it is often used to cause political and image problems that force future developments to be more costly, time consuming and consequently less beneficial for people trying to build a career and home.

Register my opposition to placing these properties in your Baylands Refuge Mapping Boundary and let me know of future public meetings and how you decide to deal with my serious citizen concern.

Sincerely,

Ciyavash Moezami

CC:

Gale Norton, Department of Interior

Julie Bornstein, Cal. Housing Dept.

Bill Pavao, Cal. Dept. Housing

Mel Martinez, U.S. Department of HUD

Marge Kolar, Project Mgr. USFWS

Mike Spear, Regional Director USF&WS

Dan Ashe, USF&WS , Regional Refuge Director

Charles Houghten, USFWS National Director

Novato Council

San Rafael Chamber

Congresswoman Woolsey

Senators Feinstein & Boxer

Marin & Sonoma Supervisors

Bay Planning Coalition

San Rafael Council Members

Assemblyman Joe Nation

North Bay Agricultural Coalition