It occurred to me, that once we begin asking the right questions about where we're headed in the future, we should participate in a process of suggesting solutions: particularly as to policy and planning in the areas of development, expansion, and commitment to sustainable and self-sufficient infrastructure.

One of the common values I sense in Lake County residents is that of appreciation for all the open areas of land in the county. Obviously there is room for some growth left in most areas, but the decisions must come soon regarding what the limits are. Certainly the more pristine the county remains, the better, especially as long as the main industries are tourism and agriculture.

Lots of formerly rural counties have quickly grown into bedroom urban communities. They didn’t intend it that way. It just happened. No one wanted to be the ones to challenge the policy of progress – shop till you drop, develop until you run out of room, grow until you can't sustain the resources locally and then tie into a national economy – driven and controlled by outside forces.

Then, one day (it takes awhile), they looked around and discovered that they indeed had progress. It was all around them. It was so around them that the very qualities that had once given them peace of mind had disappeared, particularly the quality of open land and space. They no longer had public land, only fences and “no trespassing” signs.

In Lake County, we not only still have land we can share together, we have treasure in our soil. The treasures of arable land and water represent a fragile but potent and powerful resource for human beings living here. Fruit, nut, berry, herb, fish, acorn, vegetable, grass, hay, hemp, strawberries, organic beef, buffalo and wine. Even peaches and avocados grow in Lake County. The land and water is our primary treasure.

So, if we agree that limits on large-scale expansion of towns and commercial and residential development around the lake is the only way to insure that the qualities of environment we appreciate; the elements that give Lake County its special character and atmosphere are to be preserved – then we have to begin discussing those limits and their implementation.

This is, of course, a challenge to the traditional American commitment to “progress” as defined by a cycle of “endless, continual growth and commercial and residential development” (at least until every resource is strained and urbanization develops).

So, where can allowable growth occur? I have heard rumors of discussions that our communities should grow implosively – utilizing all available lands adjacent to already developed areas. More specifically it might demand the redevelopment and utilization of already developed properties, particularly empty or unused buildings and shopping centers. These prime properties are taking up space in areas that either need to be redeveloped and used as commercial property – or restored to their natural state.

County government needs to take seriously its role as steward of all the land in the county. If our land is indeed the treasure we have declared it to be, then commercially-held land that is developed and then abandoned should be forced into redevelopment or should revert to the public trust rather than simply providing a tax write-off.

This is a reasonable idea. If we assert that every inch of Lake County is valuable to us as individuals, and as communities; and if we take responsibility for determining that foremost among our policies will be the certainty that growth beyond certain boundaries is unacceptable until all property within existing developed areas be utilized or returned to a natural state – then a similar demand for projects of renovation, redevelopment and naturalization would likewise be reasonable.

These policies would continue to encourage continual demolition, construction and remodeling – with the added bonus that we could begin thinking ultimately of redesigning of our communities to function as self-sufficient infrastructures utilizing myriad forms of public transportation, alternate energy vehicles, and green technologies.

I know that I'm treading sacrosanct waters when I begin espousing the ideal of communal responsibility for the land and encourage dictating to owners what they can and can't do with private property, but this isn't the 19th century. The open land doesn't extend to the horizon. There aren't any more native peoples' lands to rip off. We're seeing the finite nature of resources and we need to begin planning for that finality.

Certain realities begin to thrust themselves into our consciousness.

Gasoline is no longer 19 cents a gallon. Roadways are expensive to build and maintain. Too many private vehicles on a road results in gridlock and tension headaches. A sizable number of our citizens cannot afford vehicles, insurance or gas. Many have substance abuse problems and shouldn't be driving anyway. Add all that together and we can see a demand for an innovative and comprehensive public transportation system. Solar electric ferries on the lake, maybe a high speed rail system, and certainly alternatively fueled buses and taxi schedules.

Right now, should the transportation system into Lake County be compromised for any reason, stocks on supermarket shelves would begin to significantly disappear within three days. Costs for food and necessities will only increase as transportation costs increase.

A sizable amount of our food supply is already genetically altered – a fact that is alarming to some portion of our citizenry. With major advances in genetic manipulation already accomplished, in only a few years a majority of the meat that is distributed nationally will come from cloned stock. There is no proof yet that this would be harmful, but wouldn't you rather have your grandchildren eating organically grown, pesticide and hormone free, genetically natural meats, fruits and vegetables? Isn't that a best case scenario for their health?

The recent announcement of long-term studies that prove organic farming can produce harvests that surpass commercial farms that depend on chemical and petroleum products supports our contention that organic agriculture is, as we thought it to be, a superior technology. The opportunity to utilize our local agricultural treasures to develop a significant independence with a 100-percent organic, locally controlled food supply seems not only prudent, but possible.

We should encourage the entrepreneurial family farm system, develop local packaging and sales through cooperatives and covet protectively all our agricultural lands and water.

Since green energy is no longer just a hippy dippy sideshow but a huge and burgeoning industry, Lake County needs to jump on the bandwagon early. Commit to solar and wind power, alternative electric generation and tourism based on those principles and marketed as our premier gift to the future.

Our hospitality and convention centers could appeal directly to the green global entrepreneurs and their product lines. Why couldn't they come here for their conventions, their new product shows and demonstrations? We have the hotels and entertainment to show them a good time. If we marketed our commitment to their industries with the same fervor we show the sport fishing community we could certainly be competitive.

We could attract the gamut of green industry representatives from wind, water, and solar electric energy and power systems, innovative vehicles and boats, biodiesel and bioagricultural fuels, sustainable organic agriculture, mitigating and cleaning pollutants in soils and water, etc. etc.

The sky is the limit – especially if we began to encourage the use of these technologies in the county and incorporate them into our planning and development strategies. Incredible discoveries are being made everyday in these fields – what if we were to become the primary hub, the central clearinghouse and information center to draw together all these new technologies and systems? Wouldn't that support our grandchildrens' future?

And the best thing about that type of industry is that when the meetings, demonstrations, seminars and conventions are over – the participants go home – leaving our county intact, not overpopulated and overdeveloped. And the technologies we learn about through those connections would undoubtedly provide us with a myriad of ideas and connections on what kind of new businesses could be developed locally around information and technology that would not require the urbanization of our county.

We could do it. It is a realizable goal. We just have to make commitments and brainstorm the strategies and solutions to implement them. Ideas are where it starts.

James BlueWolf lives in Nice.

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