Dear Friends of San Diego Canyons and Creeks,

We request that you send a letter to your council member and the mayor asking them to oppose the Storm Water Maintenance plan. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you identify yourself as a constituent and include your address. If you can add information about your enjoyment of your local open space, that would be helpful.

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Below is a sample letter, Please feel free to copy/paste all or part of it but please add your own message if you have time::

Dear Councilmember,

I urge you to not certify the Master Storm Water Maintenance plan in its current form. This plan proposes to remove vegetation from more than 160 areas in San Diego's creeks impacting up to 70 acres of wetlands and 29 acres of upland habitats even though many of these areas are not associated with flood damage. This plan may waste huge amounts of taxpayer money by doing the wrong things in the wrong places.

Please establish a process to address the concerns that have been raised about the negative environmental consequences of this plan. The plan needs to provide more detailed information on each project to the public.

Instead, request that City staff reduce the scope to focus only on areas that have been demonstrated to result in property damage from flooding and remove the other areas from this plan.

The Environmental Impact Report shows that:

1. Removing vegetation from San Diego's creeks will increase the pollution on our beaches. The number one reason for beach closures in San Diego is pollution caused by urban run-off. Wetland vegetation helps storm water infiltrate into the soil where pollution can be reduced by soil microbes. Tourists want to enjoy clean beaches which is important to our economy.
2. This plan will degrade our neighborhoods by destroying beautiful forests that grow along the creeks in our community. Most native forests in San Diego grow near creeks where there is extra water.
3. This plan will eliminate habitat for wildlife, birds and endangered species. San Diego is a destination for migratory birds as well as bird watchers. This project reduces our attractiveness as a tourist destination.

Sincerely,
[Your name and address]