YMCA logging plan still under fire

The Chronicle has good story on the San Francisco YMCA’s plan to log the forest around Camp Jones Gulch.

YMCA officials on Friday told some of their most vocal critics that the nonprofit would work with them to allay their concerns.

"We are the stewards of some remarkable land," President and Chief Executive Officer Charles Collins told activists, who gave him a petition signed by 554 people urging the YMCA to kill the plan. "What we want to do, and what we are doing, is postponing any action on this (plan) to get more public input."

But reaching a consensus could be difficult, as a vocal contingent of activists wants the YMCA to kill the plan entirely and adopt one they feel would ensure greater protection for the forest and cause less harm to the land.

"We would like to see them withdraw the (plan) and show they will be better stewards of the land," said Patty Mayall, an environmental activist and La Honda resident who was among those who presented the petition.

Logging opponents want the YMCA to grant an conservation easement, and the group has said that it would examine the option. The public has until Nov. 15 to comment on the plan.