I couldn't agree more. I'm in LA and am constantly appalled by the terrible attitudes towards conservation and the near total failure to recognize the magnitude of the problem, beyond simply paying lip service to it.
Yup, and no sooner have the politicians told us we need to conserve, they are tripping over each other to approve new subdivisions. Good thing there isn't a drought going on or there might not be water for all those new people. Oh wait….
Check out this view of central San diego. Most of the lighter brown areas have been graded for new homes or will soon be. This is happening all over Socal. https://www.google.com/maps/@32.963717,-117.1721704,8182m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
As trail users we get an extra kick in the nuts. San diego county has the highest concentration of endangered species in the US and developers are required to purchase mitigation land for preservation to offset any loss of endangered species habitat their development causes. Most of the open spaces have trails on them, so we lose once when land is graded and then we lose twice because we are kicked off the mitigation land, since apparently recreation and preservation cannot co-exist. If we're lucky the developer will build us a 10ft wide DG pathway so they and the politicians can pat each other on the back for providing us some "trails".
While Harper and Crusty are doing their best to sell out BC, you guys still have it amazingly good in BC. Everything down here revolves around money and self-entitlement, classic tragedy of the commons. When you start to realize how fucked up California is, its no wonder so many people have selfish attitudes.