Re: your Oct. 22 article, "Labor uprooted":
This article was disturbing to me. I am a huge proponent of eliminating lawns and planting drought-resistant plants. But requiring the removal of mature oxygen-producing and carbon dioxide-cleansing trees and bushes seems counterproductive. The homeowner prevented erosion at his expense and beautified the hillside.
If you're going to eliminate all "non-native" plants in the area, you can start by taking out the "non-native" pine trees placed on public right-of-way next to our home 30 years ago on Mountclef Boulevard. All of the homeowners here would love to get rid of the messy pine needles that blow into our yard constantly. And look around for all the eucalyptus trees in the city.
The Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency has some major work to do.
COSCA should move their energies forward by restricting future encroachments and structure encroachments, or maybe assisting homeowners who want to improve the city property adjacent to them at their expense.
-- Dennis Allen, Thousand Oaks