SAVING SANTA ROSA:

The plan to turn Santa Rosa Island into a private military
hunting resort was dealt a serious setback last week when a U.S.
Senate subcommittee passed a resolution effectively squashing the
scheme. Looking to hamstring the Republican-led plan, California
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer authored the
resolution, which backs the existing National Park Service plan to
end all deer and elk hunting on the island by 2011. The military
resort proposal – which was passed in the House earlier this month
as part of a much larger defense bill – marks the third time in the
past year that House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan
Hunter of San Diego, California, has attempted to realize his
vision for Santa Rosa, despite stern opposition from all local
politicians and the National Park Service.