Pubdate: Fri, 21 Feb 2003
Source: Times-Standard (CA)
Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: James Tressler

COUNTY MAY CLOSE CLAM BEACH ON '420'

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."
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