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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Orange County environmentalist Frank Robinson dies at 84
Friday April 11, 2003
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) Frank Robinson, who helped lead
Orange County's conservation movement and was credited with the
preservation of Upper Newport Bay, has died. He was 84.
He died in his sleep Thursday at his home in Newport Beach.
Born in Charleston, S.C., Robinson graduated from the University
of Cincinnati and then moved to Southern California and married his
wife, Frances, who passed away two years ago.
The couple moved to Newport Beach in 1962, and began lobbying
for the preservation of Upper Newport Bay, a wetlands that is home
to nearly 200 species of birds, including several endangered
species.
The bay was once owned by the Irvine Co., the county's largest
developer, and the Robinsons blocked the company's efforts to
transform the area into a marina surrounded by homes in the early
1970s.
The Robinsons circulated petitions and organized protests, and
their group successfully argued that the tidelands were a public
trust that should not be handed over to developers. The
unprecedented court ruling meant the county could not transfer the
land to the Irvine Co.
The developer eventually negotiated a sale of 750 acres to the
state for $3.5 million that created the Upper Newport Bay
Ecological Preserve.
Robinson, a retired aerospace engineer, is praised by fellow
environmentalists for keeping Upper Newport Bay in its pristine
state.
``Without him, we'd be looking at Marina del Rey, rather than
the reserve that we have that is bigger than Central Park,'' said
Bob Caustin, founder of Defend the Bay.
In recognition of the couple's work, the main exhibit at the
bay's Interpretive Center is named for the Robinsons.
Robinson also worked on other Orange County coastal access
issues. As a Harbors, Parks and Beaches commissioner in the 1970s,
Robinson ensured that Dana Point Harbor would not be restricted to
wealthy boaters.
Robinson is survived by a son, Jay Robinson; a daughter, Dana
Prince of Sacramento; two grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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