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Possible bike ban at Nisene, SDF

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
Here's a link to a thread at Mountain bike Review about a lawsuit by the Sierra Club against State Parks over the proposed general plan for Nisene Marks State Park. If the Sierra Club prevails, it will result in a ban on mountain bikes above the steel bridge in Nisene Marks, and would also close the Aptos Creek fire road that many folks use to access the top of Soquel Demonstration Forest.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=54744 :help:
 

bikenweed

Turbo Monkey
Oct 21, 2004
2,432
0
Los Osos
Be sure that if you do call her, be very nice and extremely polite. I have been riding Demo and Nisene since 1997, and don't plan on stopping any time soon. My parents live less than four miles from Demo, and would hate to see Nisene get shut down due to angry riders yelling at some short-sighted Sierra Clubber. So if you do call, be as nice as possible, and PLEASE don't make the situation worse. Don't turn this into a www.safetrails.net sort of fiasco. Peace.
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
Bikenweed is right. As temporarily satisfying as it would be to send this person angry messages, it would hurt access efforts.

What would be helpful is if you have friends or family in the Sierra Club, let them know how unhappy you are about this particular issue. This is the local, Monterey Bay / Santa Cruz chapter pursuing this lawsuit, not the national organization, although the locals may have national backing.

If you are so inclined, also check out <www.mbosc.org> the local club helping to keep Nisene open.
 

Damn True

Monkey Pimp
Sep 10, 2001
4,015
3
Between a rock and a hard place.
More stuff:
Subject: Help Keep Nisene (and upper Demo access) Legal to Ride!

As some of you are already aware, a recent court ruling interpreted the
original Marks deed to not include mtn bikes ANYWHERE in Nisene Marks park -
not even the Aptos Creek fire road. This means the standard route into Demo
from the bridge and upper Buzzard Lagoon becomes illegal when you make that
right hand turn on to Aptos Creek fire road. (Note: Legal Demo access could
still be obtained by dropping down Hihns Mill from the dirt lot and climbing
to the ridge via any Demo trail, but you miss some sweet upper Ridge single
track!) This also means that all the hard work to open "appropriate" single
track in Nisene (on the Aptos side) has taken a huge step in the wrong
direction!

Information on how to help is below. Also attached are a couple relevant
links, including chatter about this whole thing on MTBR.

Feel free to forward this to friends and write a letter if you can!

Thanks,
J

----------------------------------------

Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz and other concerned individuals are urging
State Parks to appeal this ruling. We believe that the Court of Appeals will
enforce California's statutes, find the power of termination and related
restriction to have expired, and therefore reverse Judge Hersher's decision.
If successful on appeal, State Parks will be allowed to proceed with its
General Plan and allow mountain biking in Nisene Marks on fire roads and on
appropriate single track. The importance of this appeal cannot be over
emphasized.
It is important that we let the folks at State Parks know that we want them
to appeal Judge Hersher's ruling. You can write letters or e-mail:

David Vincent, Superintendent of the Santa Cruz District
Department of Parks and Recreation
Santa Cruz District
303 Big Trees Park Road
Felton, CA 95018
<http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=54744>
<http://www.mbosc.org>
 

scurban

Turbo Monkey
Jul 11, 2004
1,052
0
SC
man, I hate having to drive all the way up old san jose rd to get to the Demo forest, Its much easier to ride up the fire rd since I live 3 miles from the lower enternce to N. Marks state park. You know, when I was a kid, I used to ride my Honda XR 100 all over that park, the rangers didn't even care, in fact, most of them knew me. Then the Earth Quake hit. The epicenter really put that place on the map, the amount of traffic the started going there after the earth quake was amazing! It was pretty funny, I rode my XR up there with my Dad, (he was on a trail 90) the weekend before the Earthquake, and we even stopped and talked with the rangers for a while, we rode all the way up to Sand Point, it was a lot of fun. Later on thanksgiving, a friend and I decided to go ride up there, not more then a month following the Big Quake, and seeminly out of no where Hikers were yelling at us, and telling me that the Rangers (who a month previously could of cared less that we were riding up there) were going to hang me. One guy even tried to punch me? ......................... Now look at the place, they're trying to ban MTB's? what the hell? Having grown up in Aptos, and having N.M. basicly in my back yard, I have to say, things have gotten way out of control. I know its a state funded park and all, but where the hell did all these people come from? I really miss the good old days in Aptos before all the naturalists from god only know where came in and started telling us what to do. Its hard to not feel synical, I remember a time when you'd be lucky to come across two or three people total on a weekend in Nisene! Now you can't even ride up the lower part of the fire road with out nearly getting run over by some a$$hole in an SUV.
This is horrible news!
 

Damn True

Monkey Pimp
Sep 10, 2001
4,015
3
Between a rock and a hard place.
The jacked up part is that bikes are only "allowed" in the lower portion that is within walking distance of the trailhead for the majority of users. Bikes are NOT allowed in the parts of the park that most people don't use (except for equestrians....get it?). So we cram the two user groups who have the most conflict and represent the VAST majority of users into the smallest area and leave the remainder of the park for equestrians (the smallest user group) to ride by themselves.
 

scurban

Turbo Monkey
Jul 11, 2004
1,052
0
SC
Damn True said:
The jacked up part is that bikes are only "allowed" in the lower portion that is within walking distance of the trailhead for the majority of users. Bikes are NOT allowed in the parts of the park that most people don't use (except for equestrians....get it?). So we cram the two user groups who have the most conflict and represent the VAST majority of users into the smallest area and leave the remainder of the park for equestrians (the smallest user group) to ride by themselves.
I've never understood that??????? Its very rarely that I see anyone on a horse, or even on foot up in the upper portion of the park. It just doesn't make sense.
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
Actually, horses aren't allowed above the steel bridge. That's uncontested.

I think they might be allowed in SDF, however. Good reason not to carry more speed around a corner than you can shut down quickly
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
A little more:

Two reasons State Parks wants a trail plan to consider more cycling in the upper park are to take pressure off the lower park, and because so few folks do go up there.
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
Here's an update: go to <www.mbosc.org>

It's important that you contact Dave Vincent with your comments if you don't want to see the mountain bike access denied to Nisene Marks. Technically this includes Buzzard Lagoon - which is the fire roads up to the ridge trail in SDF from Highland way.


Dave Vincent can be contacted at:


David Vincent, Superintendent of the Santa Cruz District
Department of Parks and Recreation
Santa Cruz District
303 Big Trees Park Road
Felton, CA 95018
 

dhtahoe

I LOVE NORBA!!!!
Feb 4, 2002
1,363
0
Flying Low Living Fast
I love CA... A trail that I got myself into a little political battle over a few years ago over erosion just got turned into 240 condos. No erosion caused there!!!
 

bikenweed

Turbo Monkey
Oct 21, 2004
2,432
0
Los Osos
So if I'm understanding this correctly, I need to send a letter to Dave Vincent, asking that bikes not be banned from Highland until the steel gate near the top? Or should the letter be more general, about the whole situation? I know Buzzard Lagoon road continues down to Eureka Canyon, and most mountain bikers go right at the intersection about halfway up, near the Nisene Marks sign. If Buzzard is part of this debate, are the going to close it to cars? Or is this threatened fire road just the connecter from Buzzard up to the gate? It seems like biking from the gate up to the lookout at Ridge Trail is now mandated for no bikes. However, I'm not sure which part of the lower fire road will be closed.

I'm going to invest in some stamps tomorrow, so let me know! Thanks guys.
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
Here's the deal:

Buzzard Lagoon is not threatened with closure, but Aptos Creek Fire Road is. That's the road you turn onto off Buzzard Lagoon to access the top of Soquel Demo Forest, and is also the road that runs all the way down through Nisene Marks to Aptos Village.

Dave Vincent is head ranger for state parks in Santa Cruz and San Mateo. He needs a letter from you saying how important riding a bike up through Nisene Marks is to you. He doesn't want to ban bikes at either place; he (well, State Parks) is getting sued for NOT bannning bikes from the fire road through Nisene Marks. :mumble: He needs the letters to show his attorneys that cyclists care and should not roll over and play dead on this issue.
 

WaveDude

Chimp
Sep 7, 2001
77
0
TX
Here's the info for letter writing in case you haven't found it yet:

dvinc@parks.ca.gov

David Vincent, Superintendent of the Santa Cruz District
Department of Parks and Recreation
Santa Cruz District
303 Big Trees Park Road
Felton, CA 95018
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
:thumb:
Buy shirts, give money, write letters
Keep your letters polite and to the point. Don't attack the other side

Let me just add that although the Fox letter is good, it is a form letter. Use it as a starting point or shortcut, but tweak it.

You and your letter will get more respect if you personalize it.
 

HarryCallahan

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
229
0
SC mtns
This is from David Baskin of www.mbosc.org

Even better than sending letters to David Vincent, as listed previously, letters of support for appealing the Nisene Marks ruling should go to the people listed below.

There is good information both on www.mbosc.org and www.imba.com to enable you to put together a nice note. These folks need to know that there is a lot of support for appealing this ruling.

Contact info:

Ruth Coleman

Director

California Dept Of Parks & Rec

1416 9th St, Rm 1405

Sacramento, CA 95814

Work Phone: 916-653-1570

Email: info@parks.ca.gov

cc:

Tom Ward

Manager, Recreation

Calif Dept Of Parks & Rec

1416 9th St Room 1404-2

Sacramento, CA 95814

Work Phone: 916-322-3085

Email: TWARD@parks.ca.gov

And cc:

David Vincent,

District Superintendent

Department of Parks and Recreation

Santa Cruz District

303 Big Trees Park Road

Felton, CA 95018

dvinc@parks.ca.gov