Passing this e-mail along....


Dear Mountain Bike Friends

Below is a great article that discusses the Battle for East Elliot. East Elliot could be the line in the sand we have been approaching for some time now. I thought Tunnels was the line in the sand but I was premature. The canary in the coal mine has been singing for a long time and it looks like San Diego has reached crisis proportions in meeting the outdoor recreational needs of its citizens, in particular Mountain Bikers other trail users and those who think the use of open space is an instrumental component for the quality of life. Years ago a piece of legislation called the Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) was concocted between the agencies and developers which in effect has greased the wheels of development. Open space that has remained undeveloped seems to consistently find its way into the definition of Core Habitat and Pristine Costal Sage falling under the MSCP ,of course with no future or current recreational element (trails) and therefore becomes perfect mitigation.

Interesting how Tunnels could have 1,000 migrant workers live there for ten years and help build Del Mar Heights but still be defined under the MSCP as Core Habitat etc etc and be closed to people while its fate wallows for years in a sea of city bureaucracy. Now we face East Elliot too. This is going on all around the county in all of our locales with all the cities. If you got this far reading this please take another five minutes and read Robert Craddick's article and then don't e-mail something back my way and don't bother complaining on the keyboard. Use the means Mr Craddick makes available and send your thoughts their way. It does make a difference.

Regards Rich Julien

http://santee.patch.com/groups/opinion- ... hare_email

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

I was trying to add a map I have of the East Elliot ownership. Guess I don't have rights to do that?

If it's in PDF format, it's not supported. Take a screenshot and save it as a .jpg or .png and you should be able to attach it. If you don't know how or need help, shoot me a PM and I'll do it for you. Or just post a link to wherever the map is hosted (because I'm guessing you found it on the KTU+A website...)

I fired off a couple of emails last night and will do more.
It's true bitching on a website doesn't really advance our needs at all. If everyone who reads these things would take a minute shoot off an email make a phone call let them know there's pushback

I got Rich's email too. I've already read the article, and I've already sent out my letters.
For whatever good they'll do.

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Scum on a Bike

Plans are in the works for a Meet-up of all user groups to put pressure on the City, and prevent anymore closures until new trails are in place. Locations and dates in December will be coming soon. We will need everyone's support in getting this information out once the dates and location are released. Start rallying up your groups now.

Plans are also in the works for a timed mass mailing.

This link provides a form letter. Get the word out and lets get some letters in this week.

http://www.icontact-archive.com/Dptky8j ... o7gojt?w=2

update in mission times courier-

printed here: http://scoopsandiego.com/mission_times_ ... f6878.html

Mission Trails Update
The city’s Parks and Recreation department has weighed in on the subject of Mission Trails Regional Park. Sort of.

Mission Trails Update
What follows here is the text of an article written by Jay Wilson of the park foundation, in consultation with Chris Zirkle, the city’s deputy director for Open Space. It clarifies, to a degree, the city’s position in the ongoing Multiple Species Conservation Program, and the Mission Trails Regional Park plan update.

by Doug Curlee

(Mission Times Courier, San Diego, CA) - What follows here is the text of an article written by Jay Wilson of the park foundation, in consultation with Chris Zirkle, the city’s deputy director for Open Space. It clarifies, to a degree, the city’s position in the ongoing Multiple Species Conservation Program, and the Mission Trails Regional Park plan update.
That update is what brought about the letters from federal and state fish and wildlife officials that sparked the controversy.
“Recently there has been considerable discussion resulting from a letter written by the US and CA Fish and Wildlife Services to the City of San Diego regarding the Mission Trails Regional Park master plan update and natural resource management plan. A main point emphasized in the letter related to unauthorized trails that have been constructed north of State Route 52, commonly referred to as the East Elliot Area.
Chris Zirkle, Deputy Director of the City of San Diego’s Open Space Division, provided some background to help clarify the matter. We are not closing trails since the city has never officially opened and/or authorized the trails. Initially, Park Rangers will be restoring unauthorized trails that were constructed since 2010. Additional restoration efforts are pending.
The unpermitted destruction of plants in parks has been illegal in the City of San Diego for over 20 years and the use of illegally cleared areas has been illegal for over 17 years. In some open space areas like East Elliott, this protection became even more heightened with adoption of the Multiple Species Conservation Program in the mid-1990s, which identified the East Elliott area as a “Core Biological Area” within the City’s Wildlife Preserve.
Charter Section 55 makes the City Council responsible for enacting park rules and makes the Mayor responsible for managing parks and enforcing the Council’s rules. As with any other acts of vandalism in parks, the response is to restore the damaged assets. In this case, restoration requires the re-establishment of native vegetation, which in turn requires the cessation of impacts caused by repeated use.
There is a process in place to create legitimate trails and that process is underway via an update to the Mission Trails Regional Park Plan. This update would incorporate the East Elliott area into Mission Trails Regional Park and revise the entire Trails Plan for the park.”
What all that does not clarify, or even mention, is what role the federal and state fish and wildlife services play in all this.
In a sense, it doesn’t tell us who’s driving the bus here. If a question comes up that the city and the wildlife agencies cannot agree on, who wins that battle? Who’s really in charge here?
Chris Zirkle, for whatever reason, immediately kicked the ball to the Interim Mayor’s office.
So far, there has been no information coming from that quarter.


Doug Curlee is the editor of Mission Times Courier and a regular contributor to all Mission Publishing Group's papers. Reach him by email at Doug@MissionPublishingGroup.com

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fyi "We are not closing trails since the city has never officially opened and/or authorized the trails." ~chris zirkle.

exact same language he used for tunnels. this could take awhile.

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera