LETTERS: GOLF COURSE WOULD BE GOOD USE OF SPACE.

Having lived in this lovely community of ours for more than 33 years and watched the changes, deletions and additions caused by its growth from a population of 25,000 when we first moved here to approximately 115,000 at latest count, I am constantly amazed and concerned.

For the last several years there has appeared to be a multitude of people, all wishing to have their say before the City Council, who consistently, week after week, spew forth venom and promulgate selfish, negative and agnostic views. It has become so vicious at times that I have ceased attending council meetings and even abandoned watching it on Channel 10 on Tuesday evenings.

However, as an activist who has spent many years involved in community and city activities, I was interested in viewing the recent budget session. After watching the proceedings for April 20, I can only comment that I was greatly impressed. The meeting was run in a businesslike manner; our newly appointed city manager and all her staff were truly professional. Their reports were well prepared and readily understood by the laity. The City Council asked pertinent questions and the managers gave well-considered answers.

My conclusion, when the meeting was finished, was that our city is in very good hands.

Because it's been my feeling for many years that my family and I have received much benefit from our city and its management, it has been my philosophy to stay in a ``payback'' mode . . . to work for the community, its children, senior citizens, low-income residents and the less fortunate in our midst.

But now, I would like to request one small favor: Please, let us begin the renovation of the Los Robles Golf course and move forward to commit a small portion of the 14,000 acres of open space owned by the city at Hill Canyon. With only 2 percent of that open space (280 acres) we could build an outstanding golf course (only 230 acres are required for a championship course) and have 50 remaining for an equestrian facility and hiking trails. Such an area would become a jewel in the crown of our fair, safe and beautiful city. That's a very small portion of our open space, but it would make a wonderful difference.

Joseph R. Smolarski

Thousand Oaks

Global Green USA remains supportive

In response to the April 14 article ``Board denies group role in area growth,'' I want to clarify that Global Green USA was founded by environmental activists and business people as the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International. It is dedicated to the use of cooperation, not confrontation, to address environmental challenges.

GG USA works with business and government to create sustainable communities and help clean up the environment by playing a role as catalyst, facilitator and mediator. We do not litigate, protest or engage in political activities - those are important efforts for others, but our role is to bring people together.

Supervisors John Flynn's and Frank Schillo's interest in Global Green USA was based on the organization's strong track record and partnership with cities, the military, and others to solve difficult environmental challenges. For example, in developing our partnership with the city of Los Angeles, we convened developers, businesspeople, community residents, environmentalists and public officials to establish a consensus incentive-based green building program. In other programs, we draw the military and activists to the table to forward solutions for the safe destruction of chemical weapons (as mandated by Congress and international treaty.)

We wholeheartedly support local interests and grass roots organizations taking the lead in helping implement SOAR and educating the public and welcome the opportunity to discuss this with the board and anyone else with an interest in the issue. In our continued commitment to promote the health, vitality and sustainability of Southern California (including Ventura County) we remain ready and willing to support and assist these efforts in any way possible.

Matt Petersen

Exeuctive Director

Globel Green USA

Santa Monica

Destroyed habitats can't be replaced

My husband and I have two small children. We live in a Wildwood neighborhood adjacent to the Wildwood Regional Park.

I am very fortunate to be a stay-at-home parent. I am able to help our local community, in particular, the local elementary school. I will be a PTA Board member and currently volunteer at the elementary school whenever possible.

Our family uses the resources provided by our local government: the library, (second to none!) our parks and the local activities and events hosted by our city.

It is my responsibility, as a parent, to educate our children as best I can with the resources I have, both taught to me by my parents and received through a formal education. This means teaching my children all aspects of our world - word, color and music. These three things are purely and simply found in nature - nature, the most endearing and beautifully engaging part of our world.

Nature teaches much more than flora and fauna. Nature teaches love, discipline, consideration and coexistence. Our children walk in nature's beauty, serenity and its solitude. We listen to nature's words, its song, and its wind. We picnic by its water, its bubbling brightness and its reflections. We touch and smell. We pick up garbage, preserving and respecting its existence. Our children learn discipline using soft voices so that they may hear its sounds. Our children learn where to walk so as not to flatten nature's unique shapes and colors. We admire nature's perfection, balance and multitude of life forms, which, in turn, unselfishly provide us with wisdom.

The Hill Canyon Recreational Resources is building a golf course in our Wildwood Regional Park. They want to plow through our wetlands, lifetimes of grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees, their branches bending and entangling and weaving their arms. Hill Canyon Recreational Resources explains that they can replace and renew all of this. What you destroy you can never fully replace. (Artificial neon green, not born in this canyon, not sufficient for the wildlife.) Hill Canyon Recreational Resources is intruding upon a process invaluable to our children, our future and our dreams for a better place to live.

Betty Burnham

Thousand Oaks

Majority of golfers play for recreation

Sylvia Lewis Gunning, in her April 18 letter, has much to say at the ``risk of offending a few friends,'' about the proposed Hill Canyon Golf Course.

I was not in the least offended but was somewhat surprised at Gunning's lack of knowledge of the facts and her selfishness.

She repeats a statement that there are 3,500 card-carrying golfers in Thousand Oaks.

Ms. Gunning, these are avid golfers who join county clubs or men's clubs in order to establish a handicap to play in organized tournaments or to keep track of their progress or more often, our regress in the sport.

The great majority of golfers do not join these organizations and just play for recreation. I'll bet, Ms. Gunning, that there are a set of golf clubs in 90 percent of the homes in Thousand Oaks.

Ms. Gunning, I'm not an equestrian. But there is a group of equestrians in Thousand Oaks and it's a darn good place to practice their interest. I fully support tax dollars going to provide facilities for them.

I don't play soccer - I don't even like it. But there are those who are into it and I fully support tax dollars going to provide facilities for them.

I don't hike trails (I'm too tired from walking the golf course), but I fully support tax dollars to maintain trails so that those who do not abuse them can hike and ride their horses through the mountains.

I'm sorry that you, Ms. Gunning, do not understand, or want to understand, the most cerebral of sports, golf, which demands more perfection of performance than any sport I have ever played.

I guess people like you consider environmental reports, such as the Hill Canyon report, the same as you do the Constitution. When they are in your favor, you stand diligently behind them. When they don't reach the conclusions which are in your interest, they are irrelevant or illegitimate.

Mike Hannin

Newbury Park