Originally Posted by
carpanglerdude
Sad, even more sad that a few anglers on this forum weren't too interested in seeing Matthews open to the public. *sigh*.
Specifically citing a legally binding agreement in 2002 between Metropolitan Water District (MWD)
(owners of the Lake and surrounding property), California Department of Fish and Game, US Fish and
Wildlife Service, Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency, and the Audubon Society, Jeffries said
that even if he could further amend the bill to resolve the remaining concerns of some neighbors, passing
the bill would only lead to re-opening costly lawsuits that would have to be paid for by the taxpayers and
ratepayers of Riverside County and the State of California.
“I think the settlement agreement that closed the Lake and surrounding property was a bad deal for
residents of Riverside County, but our consultants believe it is bulletproof. Unfortunately, even a
compromise that could have left the Lake protected, but opened the 5,000 acres surrounding the Lake to
low impact hiking is prohibited under this agreement. This is what happens when you have an agreement
between four agencies and organizations that are not seeking a balanced approach with our public lands
—people lose. Despite the progress we were making, and the overwhelming support we’ve gotten for the
bill from neighbors and local officials, I cannot in good conscience force the taxpayers of the County and
the State to fork out unknown amounts of money trying to re-open a Lake that has been so successfully
sealed shut by the lawyers.”
All of the above agencies should be ashamed of themselves. Disgusting. Keep locking up public lands, brilliant idea!