Animal activists upset by fireworks show
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

Organizers of Camarillo's Fourth of July fireworks show have once again come under fire by local animal rights groups.

Critics of the popular show- which is sponsored by the city and organized by the Camarillo/Somis Pleasant Valley Lions Club-say its Freedom Park venue is too close to Camarillo's animal shelter and the loud booms that accompany the pyrotechnics traumatize the shelter's dogs.

City officials, contend, however, that the show cuts down on the number of illegal fireworks set off in neighborhoods. They say such fireworks are detrimental to animals and argue that the show affects far fewer animals at its current location near the airport than it would if it were held in a more populated area.

Freedom Park and the animal shelter are about a mile apart.

Mike Hall, a Lions Club member and this year's event chair, said the club tried to work with the city in the past to move the show, but found there are no alternative locations available.

According to City Manager Jerry Bankston, the city has looked at nearly a dozen different locations.

The fireworks show-started in the 1970s-was originally held at Adolfo Camarillo High School and was funded by Pardee Construction, Bankston said. When Pardee stopped funding the event in the early 1990s, the Lions Club took over the show.

The event draws more than 10,000 spectators.

Hall said the club and the city considered California State University at Channel Islands as a possible location, but fire department officials said the campus was too close to the Santa Monica Mountains and posed a fire hazard.

The group also considered moving the show back to Camarillo High School's football field, but Hall said the California Highway Patrol would have to close the nearby 101 Freeway during the show.

The $30,000 raised by the Lions Club, most of which is generated by food sales at the event, helps pay for the $44,000 fireworks show, according to Hall. The city funds the remaining $14,000, said event officials.

Hall said a committee of Lions Club members spends two months planning for the event, which requires a staff of about 100 volunteers.

Kathy Jenks, director of the Ventura County Department of Animal Regulation, said the show is traumatic for the shelter's animals.

Jenks said the problem is compounded because the number of animals the shelter takes in nearly triples from July 3 to 5 because so many dogs run away from their homes to escape fireworks set off in neighborhoods throughout the city.

"It's a double whammy," Jenks said. "Not only do we get more animals, but we're dealing with the (fireworks) show."

The shelter will house 200 dogs, cats and other animals during those three days, Jenks said.

Jenks, who has worked with animal control for more than 30 years, said she has met with the Camarillo city staff, as well as Lions Club members, to work out a possible solution. She said a viable alternative has yet to be found.

Traffic concerns, fire safety and the size of the venue were all factors in the site decision, city officials said.

Jenks said the best way for dog owners to make sure their pets are safe during the Fourth of July celebration is to stay home and help keep dogs calm during fireworks shows.

Marie Bennett, a Ventura resident, said she was one of 20 volunteers who helped calm animals at the shelter during last year's show.

"From inside the shelter, you can smell the fireworks and it sounds as if the fireworks are being launched from the roof of the buildings," Bennett wrote in a recent e-mail to the Camarillo City Council.

"Terrified animals clawed and gnawed at their wire cages, bloodying themselves by ripping their feet, tearing out toenails and in many cases either breaking or losing teeth."

Bankston disputed Bennett's account.

"The e-mail is really incorrect," Bankston said. "Everyone seems to be taking what she said in her e-mail as fact and reacting to it, rather than verifying the facts."

Bankston said one dog injured itself two years ago as a result of the fireworks show.

Bennett stands by her claims and invited city officials to come to the shelter and see for themselves what happens during the show.

Bankston said the show has been shortened from 30 to 18 minutes, the launch site has been moved 100 feet farther back from the shelter and the fireworks' charges reduced to lessen the impact on animals.

"When the fireworks were at the high school, the impact on neighborhoods and the animals within the neighborhoods was significantly more than what we currently experience at the current location," Bankston said.