Re: your Oct. 22 article, "Labor uprooted":
Imagine my shock upon opening The Star to discover that Fred and Jeanne Rassuli of Thousand Oaks had the nerve to beautify a portion of public land abutting their rear yard. After looking at the before-and-after pictures, there is no doubt that the barren rocky hillside with sparse weeds and scrub oak is far superior to the majestic trees and greenery planted by the Rassulis. Thank God the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency now has the "authority" to correct this travesty that was perpetrated on the residents of the Conejo Valley.
I love these conservationists who want to return land to its "native state." Which native state would you like to return to -- 100 years ago, 500 years, 1,000 years ago, 10,000 years ago, a million years ago? Take your pick, because since the world came into existence, the "native state" has been constantly changing and will continue to do so until the end of the world. A multitude of factors, of which humanity is only one, contribute to the geological evolution of this planet.
Should the Rassulis have planted on public land? Of course not, although I wonder if the COSCA was even in existence 30 years ago. Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where a little common sense, which is rarely exercised by our public servants, would have left well enough alone.
Perhaps the people who are so concerned with returning this little plot of land to its native state can pony up the money to destroy what the Rassulis created.
-- Michael R. Morgan, Newbury Park