County May Close Clam Beach on '420'

[superjoint]

By James Tressler, The Times-Standard
Source: Times-Standard

Eureka -- Clam Beach probably won't be the place to party come April 20.
After hundreds of people gathered there during last year's annual "420" celebrations, Humboldt County officials said Wednesday they're going to ask the Board of Supervisors to close the beach this time around, at least to vehicles. "We're trying to nip the problem in the bud," said Public Works Director Allen Campbell, probably with no pun intended.

Most people who live in Humboldt County, one of the nation's most well-known marijuana growing areas, are at least passingly familiar with 420 Day. It's become something of an annual tradition. Each year on April 20, people of all ages around the county get together to smoke marijuana and party. Explanations for the name vary, but some suggest the name derives from the fact that there are at least 420 chemical agents in pot.

For years, Redwood Park has been the destination of choice for most people wanting to celebrate 420. But some have also began convening at Clam Beach. Campbell said the county doesn't want Clam Beach to become, like Redwood Park, an annual 420 hot spot. Aside from the fact that the Western snowy plover, an endangered coastal sea bird, nests during the spring on the beach, the county also doesn't have enough park personnel to monitor the hundreds of people who show up in vehicles and who possibly litter the beach, Campbell said.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to review the proposed Clam Beach closure sometime in the next few weeks.

Redwood Park most likely will continue to be the main celebration spot. Typically, people wanting to use the park for official events apply with the city for permits so the city can prepare in advance, such as provide sufficient public restrooms and garbage cans.

Dan Diemer, the city's park superintendent, said so far no one has applied for any permits for April 20, but that's not unusual for so-called "unsanctioned" events like 420.

"I'm not in the business of to identifying what groups can or can't use the park," Diemer said. "It's a community park. We like to make sure large groups are permitted and try to safeguard the park for the community so other people can use it."

Source: Times-Standard (CA)
Author: James Tressler, The Times-Standard
Published: Friday, February 21, 2003
Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact: editor@times-standard.com
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/