While a Buddhist temple may be a place of tranquility, plans for a
new retreat center in a canyon have environmentalists fuming and
suing.
The controversy began after San Bernardino
County unanimously approved a 1998 proposal by Ling Yen Temple Inc.
to build a 10-building retreat and a 600-car parking
lot.
Now, a Pasadena-based environmental group
says construction in Morse Canyon near Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.,
must halt because it will harm endangered species, especially the
California gnatcatcher and the kangaroo rat. The group, Spirit of
the Sage Council, has sued the county to block
construction.
Though the retreat center would
cover only 42 acres, the temple would isolate Morse Canyon from
nearby areas protected by state legislation, says Leeona Klippstein
of the Spirit of the Sage Council. “We consider it a leapfrog
development,” she says. “It opens up that canyon for future
development.”
Local environmentalists have the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on their side. The service has
proposed the alluvial fan sage scrub, a type of habitat found in
the canyon, as critical habitat for the endangered gnatcatcher.
“It’s one of the few known areas to support the gnatcatcher at the
northern end of its range,” says Mary Beth Woulfe of the service. A
final decision regarding habitat designation is expected by
September.
The Sage Council is confident it will
win the lawsuit in San Bernardino County Superior Court. “I think
the judge will tell them they have to do an environmental impact
report,” Klippstein says. “We’re hoping they see it’s just not
worth their fight.”
For its part, the county
says a land preserve already exists for the endangered animals near
the temple site. “It didn’t seem to us that the impact on the
environment was severe enough to require a full environmental
assessment,” says county spokesman David Wert. The Ling Yen
Buddhists refused to comment on the
lawsuit.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Buddhist temple hits a snag.
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