Those Terminator jokes will ever get old.

In a move that surprised Clint Eastwood, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formally dismissed the legendary actor from the state parks board. The removal comes in the wake of Eastwood’s opposition to a plan to build a toll road through San Onofre State Beach, a park in Orange County that is popular for its surfing and scenery. Throwing some additional drama into the mix, the Governor also dismissed his brother-in-law Bobby Shriver — another individual that opposed the construction plans. From the article,

“‘You’re not going to get people who are interested in state parks who want to build freeways through state parks,’ Eastwood said. ‘So I don’t know what the big surprise was there.’ Several environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Surfrider Foundation and the California State Parks Foundation, said they submitted a letter to state Senate leaders Tuesday requesting a hearing into the oversight of state parks. They based their request on Schwarzenegger’s treatment of the two commissioners, his proposal to close 48 parks because of the state’s fiscal crisis and his support for development in parks.”

Of course, Eastwood’s conservationist ways can sometimes be compromised. Readers will remember his plans last summer to build a golf course in an area of protected forest along the California coastline — with up to 18,000 trees slated to be removed. That proposal was eventually shot down by the California Coastal Commission. Still, his overall record is what counts to most.

“From everything I saw, he was a terrific parks commissioner,” said Peter Douglas, the Coastal Commission’s executive director. “It just happened that when he was calling the shots on that project at Pebble Beach, he wasn’t listening to what we were saying about what the law allows and doesn’t allow. But that’s behind us now.”

via the daily green