HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/17/2020 Item 11, Hall
Wilbanks, Megan
From:LISA HALL <
PM
To:E-mail Council Website; Pease, Andy
Subject:Support of staff recommendation, item #11 on Nov. 17th agenda
To: Members of the San Luis Obispo City Council,
I hike in SLO on Thursday evenings with friends; we have hiked together for over 18 years and are
good stewards of the land. I have served on the board of the Santa Maria Open Space and have
worked with the Los Padres Forest Association Volunteers on trail projects such as clearing brush
and maintaining trails.
A few years ago when the city decided to curtail open space use past sunset it temporarily brought an
end to our group’s longtime practice of hiking Cerro San Luis on winter evenings. We are law abiding
citizens and did not want to face fines or violate the law. Thankfully in late 2017 and early 2018 our
group and other community minded central coast outdoor enthusiasts wrote letters and attended city
council meetings to seek a compromise. The SLO City Council chose to allow a pilot program
allowing limited evening access. We were and are so grateful.
One of the rich benefits of life on the central coast of California is the general advocacy for a healthy
outdoor, active lifestyle. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, going to a gym is now impossible. Hiking is
an important outlet for body and mind. Almost all of us are professionals who work during the day,
thus it is our joy to gather after work to exercise, experience the outdoors and have socially
responsible contact with each other. We now hike with masks to protect ourselves and others, staying
socially distanced on the corridor of the trail. Our impact on the land is light. The acreage of open
space land that we enjoy having access to is minimal.
We sincerely hope that the pilot program will be continued, allowing the unity of law-abiding nature
enthusiasts to enjoy the Cerro San Luis open space trail until 8PM at night.
Thank you for your consideration,
Lisa Hall
Santa Maria, CA
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