The Pictures Newhall Land doesn’t want you to see

In today’s story on Cal Arts student Andy Gohlich’s Newhall Ranch picture, there was a veiled threat to prosecute Gohlich and others who trespass on Newhall Ranch:

Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer pointed out that much of the land Gohlich is fighting for will remain the same, since 8,000 of the project’s 12,000 acres will be designated open space. That’s a lot of land that the public doesn’t have access to now, Lauffer said.

And about that: Any mountain biking Gohlich was doing on the property is illegal, since it’s private property. And Newhall Land does prosecute, she said.

“It’s a working ranch,” she said. “We don’t want anyone on there getting hurt.”

Far be it from me to doubt the motives of Awesometown’s creator, but come on. Newhall Ranch may be a working ranch, but it also happens to be some really beautiful country-side, and it’s in Newhall Land’s interest to keep it somewhat hidden and closed to the public until construction starts.

Which is what makes Gohlich’s covert project to document the landscape so powerful and cool. Check out his postcard shots (which by the way, were taken from North of Highway 126):

A few years ago, I embarked on a similar project, though I never crossed into the forbidden areas. I just drove up on some farm roads off Highway 126 to peek into Potrero Valley. You can see my photos on Flickr.com And if you want to explore without Newhall Land’s big bad lawyers coming after you, check out Bing.com’s Bird’s Eye photos of the rancho; it gives you some sense of the landscape and what the ultimate cost will be of our desire to live the suburban lifestyle.

Perhaps 100 years from now, when future SCV Bloggers look back in time to see what the Newhall Ranch area looked like prior to 27,000 new homes and 60,000 people, they’ll find Gohlich’s pictures.

Which makes Gohlich’s work important documentary history and Newhall Land’s veiled threat all the more silly and lame.