Hi All,

I'm not a biker, but some of you may have run into me in on Del Mar Mesa or in the Tunnels. I'm the guy who's out there hiking, picking up trash and weeding. I'm doing this as a volunteer for the City, not because I have community service hours to work out, but because I'm a botanist and ecologist, and I love that area. The only reason I do it officially is so that I don't get busted for trespassing. I've been cleaning and weeding in that area for most of two years.

The most important point is that I like almost all the mountain bikers I've talked to. I appreciate most of the paths you've created, and I appreciate you slowing down when you see me. Feel free to stop and say hi if you see me.

The thing I'm concerned about is the number of bicycle tire tracks I'm seeing in vernal pools and even more in the wet mud on their margins, both inside and outside CDFG and USFWS areas. As most of you know, this traffic hurts endangered species, and not just "the tadpoles" that I've heard that some bikers try to avoid. Those pools are whole miniature ecosystems, and they can be trashed by a single rider going through at the wrong time.

There are two bigger issues here. One is that the City of San Diego is working on their Vernal Pool Habitat Conservation Plan again. The biggest area of vernal pools in the city's is (you guessed it) Del Mar Mesa. It doesn't do any of us (environmentalists or trail users) any good to have so much bike traffic in, around, and through so many of the pools.

Yes, I know you didn't do it. Somebody did though, and I'm trying to figure out how to reach those people, and educate them about why avoiding the pools is so important.

The other issue is obviously which of the Tunnels will get opened up for bike and foot traffic. Personally, I sympathize with the desire to have as many trails as possible, but the problem (from my perspective as a botanist) is the number of rare plants around the edges of the Mesa, the gnatcatchers breeding above Deer Creek, and so on. While it may look like a good idea to, say, cut another trail around the CDFG fences, in practice you're going to cut down more sensitive species, especially summer holly. The city has a legal obligation to protect these plants, and that may make further trails very problematic. Some of those little oaks (Nuttall's scrub oak) are rare as well, although they aren't officially protected.

Anyway, I signed in here to talk and listen. I'd love to work with some of you to make the vernal pools safer from whoever's currently riding through them.

Best,

Frank

And while we're at it, can I ask people to not leave their used kleenex on the trails? It's not like the tissues degrade quickly, especially without rain. Someone's started doing that in the Tunnels the last few weeks.

Hi Frank,

Welcome to DT. You are an excellent example of how legal use deters illegal abuse. You are legally out there, so can pick up after the minority of slobs who leave trash, and you are there to educate people about those unmarked vernal pools. SDMBA, the Multi-Use Trails Coalition, Boy Scouts, and others have been trying for several years to get an acceptable trails plan in place. When the area was being used regularly by responsible hikers, runners & bikers, including me, I can vouch that the trails were very clean and litter was not a problem. Since they were officially closed -- I think it was late 2008; I'd have to check that -- the proportion of responsible to irrresponsible users has certainly been skewed unfavorably.

Most mountain bikers feel, as has been demonstrated many places around the country -- actually the world -- that a good trails plan will help preserve the environment. A plan that provides challenging, enjoyable trails, routed around areas of critical habitat, well-signed and marked.

Regarding used kleenex, that's nearly always hikers. Used energy bar wrappers? Good chance it's bikers.

Please sign up for newsletters from SDMBA or MUTC, and you'll be kept informed of critical meetings for DMM. We'd appreciate your support for a good trails plan that encourages legal use and deters abuse, and lets us back in there to help you pick up trash and educate the uninformed.

Thanks, Dan

_________________
Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

Thanks Dan. I'll check into those newsletters. I'd point out that approaching the Penasquitos rangers and volunteering to help worked for me.

I figured the kleenex was from a biker because I found it near an empty gel wrapper. Thanks for straightening me out on that. In any case, I was surprised by how slowly paper breaks down in the chaparral, even with rain. That's the bigger thing to remember.

Frank

I've noticed in the past that the whole western end of the south side PQ fire road down toward wagon wheel crossing where it goes back under the trees is/was littered with tissues & toilet paper looking mess. I've never seen that on any other bike trail I've ridden here in SD, was bad enough that I was wondering if people were using the trail for a toilet. Not sure why PQ appears to be so much worse unless it's just super-beginner friendly and they don't know any better...

if anyone is interested frank also has posts over at sdmba on this topic, may have some additional points. located at the bottom of page 2 here:
http://sdmba.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... 3&start=15

here's a ditty about vernal pools from rod:
http://fieldnotes.com/csdprvpsd.html
i'm claiming the sound track for my next treaders video report



and frank, here is a clean-up of the area of the migrant remains.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1971&hilit=tunnels+clean+up&start=30

for the full blown, 'gone with the wind' story this thread is informative:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=307&hilit=tunnels

there are lots of people from the bordering neighborhoods that take walks, walk their dogs, jog, etc. tissues and bikers, not so much.

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

A quote from Ranger Washington in the City's vernal pool video:

"...As land managers, it's our responsibility to balance the protection of that habitat with public access, which actually fosters stewardship for the area".

_________________
Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

I was up there on a nature walk today and planned to also pick up any trash I came across
The fire road on the mesa is where a saw a couple these "vernal pools" and the first couple had rocks around them and people were clearly going around them. When you travel further north on the road there were many other "vernal pools" but I would call them more like mud holes. They looked like they were made by 6 ton trucks driving through them during or right after the rains. The tracks from the vehicles really tore the place up and dug deep trenches in the road.
Now I have a question here: If these are "vernal pools" then why in the heck are people driving their trucks right through them? It also looked like there were jeep or lightered duty vehicle tracks like Rangers or DFG people might drive. If that area is such a sensitive habitat, then why is it OK for others to drive right through them? Sounds like a double standard and/or BS, however you want to look at it.

As OldDogDan posted a quote from the ranger above, I'm also for protection of that habitat with public access but let's use some common sense too.

Oh, I saw very little trash up on the mesa and none in a couple of the tunnels.
There was a bit down on the main road that was mostly dog poop bags and water bottles, neither of which I have ever seen a mountain biker leave behind.

Thanks for cleaning up around there or anywhere else but I really don't think tissues are tossed behind by mountain bikers. Hikers or equestrians, well maybe....

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike