Commentary: Why close the ‘super bloom’? Because we can’t seem to love nature without trampling it

A close-up view of the poppies blooming in the Walker Canyon area of Lake Elsinore on Feb. 7, during a press conference about the closure of the area to the public. Authorities are trying to avoid a repeat of 2019, when the last “super bloom” in the Walker Canyon area attracted heavy crowds and traffic congestion from hundreds of thousands of visitors, some of them tramping on the flowers to get the perfect photo and haphazardly parking their cars, even on the shoulder of the freeway. Last year, authorities at Redwood National Park had to urge visitors to stay away from Hyperion, the world’s tallest tree, or risk a $5,000 fine and six months in jail, after its off-trail location — which had been kept secret to protect it — was being “discovered” by a growing number of travel bloggers and thrill-seekers. When officials announced last week that public access to the Walker Canyon wildflowers would be cut off entirely, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco warned that there would be zero tolerance for parking violations, going so far as to say that scofflaws could be arrested and booked into jail. It’s time for California lawmakers to get moving and advance legislation to curb excessive refinery profits and prevent oil companies from ripping people off while they pollute the planet.