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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

November 6, 2002

Land use highlights St. Mary's photo exhibit

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When environmental photographer Richard Rollins found this Cree Indian prophecy during some research, he immediately felt its connection to a series of photographs he had recently shot in Vacaville of a magnificent, expansive wheat field --on the sale block, looking like the site of a future housing development.

"I just felt, 'here's another piece of beautiful land that is about to become a subdivision of houses,'" said the Walnut Creek resident. "We're selling away the land, without realizing we're selling a part of ourselves. We're selling our peace and tranquillity."

Through Nov. 27, 45 of Rollins' photographs -- depicting land use and open space preservation in the Bay Area -- can be seen at an exhibit entitled, "Endangered Spaces" at the St. Mary's College Library.
The "Endangered Spaces" project, which he started four years, grew out of a question Rollins had: How are land use decisions made?

"I've tried to create a photographic answer to that question," said Rollins. "Most people aren't aware of development until the bulldozers show up."

Sharon Walter, a librarian at St. Mary's, invited Rollins to showcase his photographs at the library, after she met him last year during a four-day hike with the Save Mount Diablo organization.

"There is a lot of information put out there by developers, but there is no one there showing what you're losing," she said. "They are beautiful photographs, but to Richard they are a political message."

Rollins has used his art as a political message before. In 1999, he was asked by the Sierra Club to photograph the rural landscape of North Livermore, which was threatened by massive development. During the fall of 2000, his images were used to promote the Alameda County Measure D initiative, the passage of which was hailed as a major victory in the fight against suburban sprawl.

Since then, Rollins has been involved with the Greenbelt Alliance, Trust for Public Land, Save Mount Diablo, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and Save the Bay.

"I'm encouraging people to be aware of what's going on -- there are plenty of ways to get involved," he said.

The question of open space and development highlighted a panel discussion last week at St. Mary's, in which Rollins participated with Seth Adams of Save Mount Diablo, Eli Buchen of Greenbelt Alliance and Stephen Woolpert, a St. Mary's College political science professor. The panelists spoke about the future of development in the Bar Area, as well as the possibility of preserving open space. Unlike many vehement anti-growth activists, Rollins pointed out that it is not a matter of development versus open space.

"There can be development, but we also have to protect the land and surrounding habitat," said Rollins. "We can promote a different idea of development."

To Adams, it is not only a matter of balance, but of planning for the future.

"I think of how I want things to be 200 years from now," he said. "The real key for me is open space preservation. When it takes seven or eight hours to drive to Tahoe, then the open space in your back yard will be your respite."

Essentially, all four agreed that local governments need to make critical choices today and start planning for the future, especially as the need for affordable housing increases.

As a member of Greenbelt Alliance, Buchen added that her group focuses on working towards better growth policies, or smarter growth, as well as increased citizen involvement.

"We need to have citizens who are watching and paying attention to land use decisions," she said.

And one way to get people involved, said Dick Schneider, conservation chair of the Bay Area Sierra Club, is by spreading the word of Rollins' images, which help voters connect with a campaign to save open space.

"Photographs provide the cliché of 'A picture is worth a thousand words,'" he said.

Reach Meera Pal at 925-284-4728, or by e-mail at mpal2@cctimes.com

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