"Plans to film a /www.dreamworksfansite.com/geisha/"">Memoirs of a Geisha on the Coastside have rankled some local environmentalists.

San Mateo County has permitted Colombia Pictures to shoot a scene for Memoirs of a Geisha at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.

As part of that effort, a crew of prop makers has spent the past week constructing an impressive thatched-roof bungalow on the edge of a cliff overlooking the reserve's entrance.

That rickety, one-room, bamboo-covered cabin is an attempt at replicating part of a poor Japanese fishing village, circa 1929. It is the setting for the main character's childhood.

But its construction has drawn reproach from nearby residents and environmentalists.

They criticize the county, saying the production is destroying treasured bluff-top trails and hastening erosion of the fragile cliff.

Some believe the county should not have allowed the project. Others say the county charged the multi-billion-dollar corporation too little to film there.

Colombia Pictures paid the county's standard commericial motion-picture rate of $600 per day, said Dave Moore of San Mateo County Department of Parks and Recreation.

He said the fee was about average.

The crew expects to use the land for about a month, with filming slated tentatively for Jan. 18 and 19 followed by clean-up and habitat restoration efforts. The county stands to take in about $18,000 in filming fees.

Under the filming contract, Colombia Pictures agreed to a number of special conditions, mostly revolving around environmental protections.

For example, the company cannot film on the beach or tidepools, it has covered the ground with rice straw and laid chain link fencing on slopes to shield against tread marks from all-terrain vehicles. The company must pay for overtime and benefits for the park ranger incurred as part of movie production as well as all expenses related to environmental restoration following the conclusion of filming. The county estimates that mitigation work will cost $5,000.

Additionally, the corporation has made a $28,000 donation to the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation, money that will be used for educational videos about the marine reserve.

Moore said he felt the county negotiated a good deal with the company. The habitat restoration work was something the county had already intended on but without adequate county funds those improvements were jeopardized.

At the beginning we said, Oh no way (to filming),' but we got such good cooperation and they agreed to all our restrictions that we just thought this would be a win-win situation... Moore said.

Sabrina Brennan, who lives about five blocks from the construction site, isn't so sure that's the case.

She thinks the county should have asked for more money, especially in light of the trail and habitat destruction.

Brennan said what were once 10-to-18-inch-wide trails have been turned into into this muddy, all-terrain mess. As a result, hikers and dog-walkers that have long frequented the trail are now forced to edge their way around large muddy areas.

My point is it just doesn't seem like enough money to warrant this level of damage, Brennen said.

Source: /www.hmbreview.com"">HMBReview."