CHAPTER I 



PROTECTION OF THE PRIMITIVE* 



"When the profrram for preservation of Point Lobos was being outlined, 

 the reasons given for protection of the area were found mainly in the 

 occurrence of the last original or primitive stand of an interesting and beau- 

 tiful tree, the Monterey cypress. While the Point has many exceptional 

 features, it is doubtful whether the supreme effort to protect it would have 

 been possible without the need for preservation of a unique treasure such 

 as the cypress. Other features, as illustrated by the exceptional setting for 

 the cypress grove on a rocky promontory almost surrounded by the sea, 

 enhance tremendously the beauty of the place. These additional factors, 

 taken with the unusual esthetic value of the cypress, give the locality a 

 peculiar charm, and there can be no doubt as to the importance of the 

 association and interrelation of these numerous features. 



In a discussion of the values of Point Lobos a great number of features 

 must be considered, and it will be necessary also to examine these elements 

 both collectively and as separate units. But it is important to remember 

 that if the cypress were lost we would have failed in the first purpose of 

 this endeavor. At the same time it is necessary to bear in mind the fact 

 that an attempt to maintain the cypress in a primitive condition probably 

 requires maintenance of the cypress in its original environment with all 

 of the included factors. To risk the loss of any element in the setting might 

 jeopardize the whole group, including the cypress. Particularly important 

 is it to maintain the entire group of eleriients, because such protection not 

 only continues the great scientific values represented but may at the same 

 time be one of the most important guarantees of continuity in the esthetic 

 qualities and the human appeal of the region. 



In viewing the problem of Point Lobos and the Monterey cypress it is 

 well to consider the situation in the light of available information from 

 the vast accumulation of facts relating to the history of life. In the almost 

 infinitely long period during which life existed on the earth before the 

 appearance of man, a vast number of species of plants and animals became 

 extinct through the influence of natural processes. The history of the Mon- 

 terey cypress suggests that this tree may, in the geological sense, be on 

 the verge of extinction. If it be true that this species is about to disappear 

 under the influence of natural processes, intensive scientific study might 

 show thfe manner in which we could rescue this element of beauty and of 

 scientific interest by modifying or eliminating some factors inimical to 

 the life of the tree. Viewing the situation from another angle, it may be that 

 we should look upon maintenance of the present natural factors and their 

 natural balance as necessary for maintenance of the cypress as a part of 

 the interrelated group of natural elements. 



The Point Lobos project, and the master plan formulated for the Cali- 

 fornia State Park Commission by the Point Lobos Advisory Committee and 

 the associated group of specialists, of course involved attempts to secure 



• By Dr. John C. Merriam, when President Emeritus, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 

 D. C. ; President, Save-the-Redwoods League, 1940. 



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