Caddyshackpocalypse Now: Sierra Club Joins Opposition to Golf Course Redevelopment

As we await a four-times-postponed hearing on the future of the Reston National Golf Course in September, another group has joined the chorus of opposition to redeveloping the open space into just so much more bollardy goodness: The Sierra Club. Give us some good blockquote, BFFs at Patch:

The Sierra Club has written to Fairfax County Supervisor Sharon Bulova and other board members in support of keeping Reston National Golf Course zoned as a a golf course.

In its letter, the Sierra Club says there are three main environmental concerns:

* Health issues caused by the deterioration of air quality due to increased traffic congestion and the loss of grassland.

• Water runoff from the area due to the loss of grasslands which currently absorb the normal runoff. The existing Snakeden-Glade stream bed has had to be restored because of years of damage caused by water runoff from shopping centers and commercial/industrial development.

• The loss of carbon absorption and other pollutants by trees that surround and divide sections of the golf course.

Darn hippies, what with their worries about "carbon absorption" and whatnot! Plus, there's always the fact that golf courses aren't exactly the best environmental neighbors, what with their massive water needs -- even in our own earth-toned community. Of course, more midrise dreck would be worse, and to be fair, the letter also points out that allowing a developer to ignore zoning and master planning rules about open space is a Bad Idea, which is really the issue at stake here.

And speaking of environmental disasters:


Come on, you knew it was coming.