Showing posts with label save the animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save the animals. Show all posts
🚨UPDATE! Out-of-Town Developer Proposes 98 HOMES on a 22 Acre Wildlife Refuge🚨
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| Map of Proposed Site Plan- This is not an exaggeration it's the literal site plan submitted🤯 |
I got my public records request back- let's get started.
Meet the out-of-town developer, Steve Sheldon, who is riding into OUR TOWN and proposing a 98-home subdivision that would fundamentally alter our neighborhood and devastate the wildlife population that has relied on this land as a refuge for over half a century.
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| Developer STEVE SHELDON, CEO of SHELDON DEVELOPMENT |
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| This is their calculation to overcome the current zoning with high density zoning |
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| Oh how cute, they want concessions and incentive waivers. Here is an incentive for them- get out of our town and I will stop exposing you. |
If you're not on the email list make sure to sign up, I have sent these records to everyone on our list.
Be sure to speak up to local elected officials and city leaders which can be found here.
As of now, the only LOGICAL solution is to REZONE the 18 acre parcel with PRESERVATION status.
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| Madelyn & Kenneth Hinsvark curated their 18 acre parcel as a wildlife refuge for half a century. Generations of wildlife have adapted to this safe haven that extends from the mountain down the wash. We have co-existed with wildlife peacefully, but now a DEVELOPER plans to destroy this. |
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| Steve Sheldon Proposal for Landlocked Wildlife Habitat Parcel of Land🤦🏼♀️ |
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| Main Access Road would be a literal FIRE ZONE? 😂 |
Has he read the updated CEQA 2025 Statute and Guidelines?
Given the overlapping regional connections between the developer and some local officials, we believe transparency and full disclosure are essential to ensure that our city’s decision-making is impartial and accountable.
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| This is all allegedly and in my opinion. |
Madelyn Hinsvark Letter to the Editor March 31, 1986- "We need to help save the beauty, charm and uniqueness of our city."
The late Madelyn Hinsvark lived her life serving those without a voice- the animals.
She made her 22 acre home a sanctuary for animals.
Mrs. Hinsvark herself made it known in her Letter to the Editor 40 years ago that overdevelopment was problematic, so WHY is ANYONE allowing the sale of her land to developers- specifically WHY is the Hinsvark Family Trustee allowing this?
Editor, Desert Sun:
We need Bill Kuhlman on the Palm Springs City Council.
We need to help save the beauty, charm and uniqueness of our city.
These attributes are know world-wide, attracting tourists, many of whom have become permanent residents.
Bill does not advocate a no-growth policy but strongly feels the city must slow down the rate of growth and carefully assess the damage and the benefits each new project will cause to the quality of life in Palm Springs.
Do you want the following to continue?:
- High-rise buildings.
- Uncontrolled traffic.
- Council members frequently having to abstain from voting because of special interests.
- Inadequate facilities, hours and lack of sufficient personnel in our Animal Shelter.
Bill Kuhlman is the first candidate I have heard express a need to enlarge and improve our Animal Shelter.
The city grows but the Aminal Shelter stays the same as it was 25 years ago.
Bill has been a resident of Palm Springs since 1975. He teaches English and mathematics at Palm Springs High School. He spent 26 years in the United States Navy and retired in 1972 as a lieutenant commander.
Vote for Bill Kuhlman for City Council on Tuesday, April 8.
MADELYN HINSVARK
Palm Springs
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| Read about their home sanctuary here: https://www.saveourdesert.com/2025/10/madelyn-and-kenneth-hinsvark-were.html |
The late Madelyn and Kenneth Hinsvark curated their 22 acre parcel as a refuge for wildlife for the past 4 decades, according to Desert Sun March 3, 1978
"Landscaping has been done with care for the creatures of the outdoors since the Hinsvarks are nature lovers"
For the past at least FORTY SEVEN YEARS, this 22 acre parcel of land has been PROTECTED and CURATED as a REFUGE for wildlife...
but now, suddenly, all those animals who have learned for generations that this land between the mountain and wash was safe-- will now be DISPLACED and DIE?
All due to the trust selling to a DEVELOPER?
Which seems the exact OPPOSITE of what the late Madelyn and Kenneth Hinsvark intended?
An archived Desert Sun news article profile from March 3, 1978 noted that the Hinsvark home
"...seems to belong so much to the desert that coveys of quail and scurrying rabbits thrive in the sagebrush and song birds send their cheery notes heavenward, undisturbed."
Word around the neighborhood is that Mr Hinsvark used to call his 22 acre parcel of land a 'dog park' and never intended for it to be developed.
It seems that Madelyn and Kenneth Hinsvark loved nature, so I cannot imagine they would be too happy to learn the trustees are allegedly selling their 22 acres to a developer?
Is the executor honoring the intent of the trust?
Maybe the executor needs to do some reading on who Madelyn and Kenneth Hinsvark were and what they would have wanted.
This article is available online, they should start there.
See article here: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19780303.2.86&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------
Our Resident Bobcat Needs You, And You need HER Too!
Bobcats play a crucial ecological role in desert ecosystems. Even though they’re elusive and relatively small predators, their presence helps keep the desert land balanced and healthy.
Here’s why they’re important:
🦴 1. Population Control (Predator Balance)
Bobcats are mid-level predators (mesopredators) that help regulate populations of rodents, rabbits, and other small animals.
Without them, prey species can overpopulate, leading to overgrazing and vegetation loss, which destabilizes soil and increases erosion — especially harmful in fragile desert environments.
🌾 2. Protecting Vegetation and Soil Health
By controlling herbivore populations, bobcats indirectly protect native desert plants like creosote, mesquite, and cacti.
Healthy vegetation means better soil retention and reduced desertification (the spread of barren land).
🦉 3. Supporting Biodiversity
Predators like bobcats maintain a trophic cascade — a chain reaction that supports balance among species.
Their hunting patterns create opportunities for scavengers (ravens, coyotes, beetles) and help maintain a diverse food web.
🪶 4. Indicator of Ecosystem Health
Because bobcats need a stable prey base and safe habitat, their presence signals that the desert ecosystem is functioning well.
If bobcat populations decline, it’s often a red flag that the land is under stress from development, habitat loss, or pollution.
🏜️ 5. Natural Pest Control
Bobcats help limit disease-carrying rodents (like pack rats and ground squirrels) that thrive near human settlements.
This natural control benefits both people and wildlife, reducing the need for poisons and traps that can harm other desert animals.
💔 6. Impact of Losing Them
When bobcats are driven out by development:
Rodent populations spike → vegetation loss → erosion → degraded habitat.
The food chain collapses upward — fewer predators means more imbalance for everything from owls to mountain lions.
The desert becomes less resilient to drought and climate change.
Eulogy Prompts Outreach from Locals to Preserve this Land
WATCH VIDEO ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Elizabeth Matzner has made it her mission to fulfill a last wish of her grandfather, to protect the animals who call this land their home.
More Here:
How To Help
Subject: Opposition to Housing Development in Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood
To:
planning@palmspringsca.gov
cityclerk@palmspringsca.gov
Scott.Stiles@palmspringsca.gov
Noriko.Kikuchi@palmspringsca.gov
David.Ready@palmspringsca.gov
Ron.deHarte@palmspringsca.gov
Christopher.Hadwin@palmspringsca.gov
zoneps@palmspringsca.gov
I am writing to express my opposition to a housing development in the Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood between La Mirada and Belardo, south of Ramon.
This critical area at the base of the mountain supports fragile desert habitat and is vital for native wildlife, including bighorn sheep, bobcats, burrowing owls, nighthawks, and other species that depend on undisturbed open space.
Further development in this ecologically sensitive zone would threaten these animals, intensify pressure on water resources, disrupt hydrology, and erode the natural character that makes Palm Springs unique, and which is becoming scarce in the city.
I ask that my comments be entered into the public record and that I be notified of upcoming hearings or opportunities for public input.
Thank you for your time and for your dedication to preserving Palm Springs' environment and quality of life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Neighborhood or Community Name]
Palm Springs, CA
More Ways to Help:
Tell The Trustees of the Hinsvark Family Estates to NOT SELL The Land To DEVELOPERS! Sell it to the Neighbors!
Kenneth Jenkins (760) 773-5054
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Contact the Developer Steve Sheldon!
steve@sheldongrp.com
949-230-7170
Let Realator Candice Johnston from Rosenthal & Associates know we don't want her selling to developers in our neighborhood!
760- 567- 4101
candice58@earthlink.net
Let Palm Springs Planning Commissioners Know We Want to PROTECT Mother Nature!
Staff Liaison:
- Christopher Hadwin, Planning Director (760) 323-8245
Planning Commission Members:
- Kathy Weremiuk, Chair (Term expires June 30, 2027)
- Lauri Aylaian, Vice Chair (Term expires June 30, 2027)
- Carl Baker (Term expires June 30, 2026)
- Scott Miller (Term expires June 30, 2027)
- David Murphy (Term expires June 30, 2026)
- Robert Rotman (Term expires June 30, 2026)
- John Morrill (Term expires June 30, 2027)
- Megan Hernandez, Non-Voting Member (Term expires June 30, 2028)
🚨HUGE SECURITY RISK- Fern Canyon Drive Slated as Access Road for New Development?
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| This seems so stupid, who would sign off on this? |
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| Even though the 4 acre home (red outline) and 18 acre lot (blue outline) are owned by separate trusts, they are being sold together seemingly because the house would be one of the access roads to the proposed development, the only other entry being Fern because Belardo access is blocked by Indian Land. |
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| These are the parcels surrounding the proposed development, which illustrate why Fern and La Mirada are the only access roads for the proposed development, allegedly. |
🚨This seems like a HUGE safety risk in the event of an evacuation, for 90 additional homes to inundate these small neighborhood streets, which are not meant to sustain that level of traffic.
Even more concerning, our BIGHORN SHEEP gather at the base of the Lykken Trail at the end of Ramon at La Mirada-- One must ask, WHO in their right minds actually thinks that this is okay?
There are speed bumps all along Ramon to protect the animals and hikers for a REASON.
If this is a concern, be sure to email City Planning!
Subject: Opposition to 22 Acre Development, & Turning Fern Canyon into a Main Access Road
To:
planning@palmspringsca.gov
cityclerk@palmspringsca.gov
Scott.Stiles@palmspringsca.gov
Noriko.Kikuchi@palmspringsca.gov
David.Ready@palmspringsca.gov
Ron.deHarte@palmspringsca.gov
Christopher.Hadwin@palmspringsca.gov
Dear Members of the Planning Department,
I am writing to express my opposition to a housing development in the Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood between La Mirada and Belardo, south of Ramon.
This critical area at the base of the mountain supports fragile desert habitat and is vital for native wildlife, including bighorn sheep, bobcats, burrowing owls, nighthawks, and other species that depend on undisturbed open space.
Further development in this ecologically sensitive zone would threaten these animals, intensify pressure on water resources, disrupt hydrology, and erode the natural character that makes Palm Springs unique, and which is becoming scarce in the city.
I am writing to express my opposition to a housing development in the Historic Tennis Club Neighborhood between La Mirada and Belardo, south of Ramon.
This critical area at the base of the mountain supports fragile desert habitat and is vital for native wildlife, including bighorn sheep, bobcats, burrowing owls, nighthawks, and other species that depend on undisturbed open space.
Further development in this ecologically sensitive zone would threaten these animals, intensify pressure on water resources, disrupt hydrology, and erode the natural character that makes Palm Springs unique, and which is becoming scarce in the city.
It is my understanding that Fern Canyon Drive & La Mirada would then be slated as an access road which I vehemently oppose.
These roads are not suitable to handle an influx of traffic in an evacuation situation, not only that but also the PROTECTED bighorn sheep gather at the end of Ramon & La Mirada, where the Lykken Trail head is.
I ask that my comments be entered into the public record and that I be notified of upcoming hearings or opportunities for public input.
Thank you for your time and for your dedication to preserving Palm Springs' environment and quality of life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Neighborhood or Community Name]
Palm Springs, CA
I ask that my comments be entered into the public record and that I be notified of upcoming hearings or opportunities for public input.
Thank you for your time and for your dedication to preserving Palm Springs' environment and quality of life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Neighborhood or Community Name]
Palm Springs, CA
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