There is a plan to put a surface mine on the face of Kagel Mountain as shown above. I would hate to see this happen. If you agree, please click here to send me an email message. From your responses, I'll collect a list of names and addresses to show opposition to this project. That email message is all I'm asking for, but keep reading for more of the details.
The "bench" just below the Volcano is owned by Ted Sakaida. He has filed a Notice of Preparation to mine sand and gravel here over the next seven years. Over that time, he'll dig out three million cubic yards, and send 115 dump truck loads of dirt down Hubbard street every day. The site will be covered with heavy machinery, including rock crushers, conveyor belts, diesel generators, bulldozers and loaders, and so on. The noise, dust, traffic, pollution, and general destruction of the mountain will obviously make the LZ, mountain top, and neighborhood a much less pleasant place to be. In the air over Kagel, our thermals will be marked with dirt and diesel fumes.
We can only speculate what will happen to that land (or what's left of it) seven years from now. The Notice of Preparation claims that it will be used as a nusery. However, a similar project by the same owner didn't last long as a nursery before he filed paperwork to convert it into a subdivision. Historically, gravel quarries like this also have a high probability of being expanded.
Our Sylmar neighbors have formed an organization, Citizens Against Strip Mining in the San Fernando Valley (CASM-SFV), to fight this project. They have created a flyer to distribute among the residents, and a signup sheet for those who are concerned and would like to be informed about future developments. If you click the link above to send me email, it will be equivalent to signing the form. Thank you.
