The following letter was sent to the Foundation for the Junior Blind regarding an article in the Sunday Los Angeles Times.
My wife and I have been volunteers at the annual Camp Bloomfield Summer Games and have contributed to the Foundation for the Junior Blind for several years. However, after reading the article in the Los Angeles Times about the plans for expanding the camp grounds and the adverse environmental effect it will have on the pristine Arroyo Sequit stream and steelhead trout, we will no longer participate as volunteers.
We looked forward to our annual volunteer day at the camp and the good feeling we received seeing the looks of enjoyment on the faces of these children. We feel we have been misled in not being made aware of the fact that the foundation encouraged use of the facilities by outside groups and adults and now wishes to expand to maximize profit.
We strongly support the position of the Kronsbergs, who own the neighboring property and oppose the expansion of the camp and its use by outside groups. It is surprising that Mr. Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, would support the removal of oak trees and imperilment of the rare steelhead trout habitat in direct opposition to the purported vision of the conservancy and the wishes of many of the environmentally concerned residents in the surrounding area.
We will not donate to the Foundation until it scraps the expansion plans and complies with the terms of its conditional use permit and restores total use of the facilities for their original purpose, the enjoyment of the blind and partially blind children.
Efrom and Ruby Fader