HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/19/2021 Item 7a, O'HaraPublic comment regarding: Item 7a for Winter Open Space Hours of Use (Cerro San Luis)
Submitted to the City Council of San Luis Obispo
Dear Mayor and SLO City Council Members,
The Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers (CCCMB) support the staff recommendations for the following
recommendations:
1. Introduce an Ordinance entitled, "An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of San Luis Obispo,
California, amending Title 12, Streets Sidewalks and Public Places, Municipal Code Chapter 12.22,
Open Space Regulations, to add additional language to 12.22.050(8) to allow a special program for
winter evening hours of use at Cerro San Luis Natural Reserve" and,
2. Approve a Resolution entitled, "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of San Luis Obispo,
California, adopting a Negative Declaration for Winter Evening Hours of Use at Cerro San Luis Natural
Reserve."
The Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers have long been friends and supporters of the San Luis Obispo Open
Space program. We have advocated for open space and conservation throughout the county, voicing our support for
City of SLO Open Space, Land Conservancy of SLO County acquisitions, Diablo Canyon lands conservation, Wild
Cherry Canyon conservation, Atascadero Land Preservation Society's work in north county, and open space in the
Santa Maria and Orcutt area. We have worked extensively with private, local, state, and federal land managers to
build trails and improve the environmental sustainability of existing trail systems - our volunteers log thousands of
hours each year working on the land. We also support land conservation and open space by partnering with
organizations like the Land Conservancy of SLO County and volunteering with open space and park rangers
throughout the county. In our current troubling times, we are advocating for the protection of national monuments and
are supporting the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act.
Locally, CCCMB volunteers have played a crucial role in the construction and maintenance of trails throughout SLO
City Open Space, from Johnson Ranch to the Irish Hills to Cerro San Luis and Stenner Springs. Some of these trails
include King Trail, the M Trail, Mariposa, Filipponi Ranch Connector, Wednesday and Ocean View trails, Johnson
Ranch loops, The Eucs, Elevator, and the Stenner Flow Trail. In recent years, we helped design and build two
hiking -only trails: the Old Prospector trail in Irish Hills and the new Reservoir Canyon hiking -only trail. We also
maintain miles of existing legacy trails throughout the SLO greenbelt, cutting back brush and poison oak and
rebuilding waterbars and drains to minimize erosion.
I think any land manager in the county would testify to CCCMB's concern for environmental sustainability when
constructing and maintaining trails. When designing new trails, we work closely with land managers to minimize run-off
and sediment loss, limit vegetation loss, and reduce impact to habitat by careful design to limit short -cutting and trail
growth. Furthermore, we strive to explain to our members the importance of land conservation and why we are able to
ride or hike in the places we love, whether that is in federally protected national forests, state owned parks like
Montana de Oro, or locally managed open space networks and privately conserved land.
Therefore, as close partners of the City of San Luis Obispo, CCCMB asks that the Council continue with open space
winter evening hours of use and access at Cerro San Luis Natural Reserve on an ongoing basis. We believe the
limited extension of hours for this project is reasonable and appropriate for both the Cerro San Luis open space area
and for our outdoor community. The ongoing global pandemic has shown that now, more than ever, it is important to
have extended access to our open space. We know the pandemic has taken a toll on everyone and working from
home for many of us has become a burden. Being able to hike, run, or ride after a long day at our desks is essential to
our health and wellbeing. Exercise is especially important now because it can improve mental health, reduce stress,
prevent weight gain, boost the immune system, improve sleep, and reduce the risk of obesity and other diseases. With
the ongoing pandemic there have been many closures and restrictions in effect including gyms, fitness studios, and
other public places that result in reduced opportunities for physical activity. Extending evening access until 8:30pm will
allow all users the ability to exercise in a safe space while maintaining social distancing in the outdoors.
We are dismayed by the tone and some of the substance of the public comment on this issue. It saddens us to
see that many of the disagreements over this issue have degraded to hyperbole, and people, even neighbors, that
probably agree on 90% of issues related to land conservation, the environment, and the outdoors, end up positioned
as adversaries. Much opposition to this program has attacked the mountain biking community with no substance to
their arguments. We believe it is not in the interest of the Open Space program to divide the community. We know the
past success of the program in assembling nearly 4000 acres of protected land is based on the wide -spread support it
enjoys from our community. This obviously includes folks on both sides of the issue of expanding hours of access.
It is our utmost hope that once this decision is made, our open space and outdoors community can continue to work
hard to_getherto protect, maintain, and expand the San Luis Obispo greenbelt. We are always happy to open
communication to discuss ways we can better help the community rather than cause more division.
Below we have outlined in further detail the reasons we believe it is appropriate to expand hours of access as
described in the staff pilot project plan:
Environmental Impacts
• Wildlife surveys so far conducted do not show any endangered animals on the property or any substantial
negative effects to wildlife. Most breeding seems to occur in the Spring, when access is allowed an hour after
sunset. On the longest day of the year this is 9:20pm. During the winter, on the shortest day of the year the sun
sets at 4:54 which means you would have to be off the mountain at 5:54pm.
• This is not a wanton expansion of access, but a reasonable plan to provide citizens the opportunity that they
very much desire on a small amount of open space. The pilot program has provided the city with a fair amount
of data to help determine whether or not to continue the extended hours of use.
• The limited academic literature on this topic does not establish a consensus of the effects on wildlife of
after -dark use of trails. While some impact is assumed, we also know there is significant adaptation on the part
of wildlife, and that after -dark levels of trail usage by human trail users remain significantly below day -time
levels. Furthermore, it's important to keep in mind that a low level year-round evening use of City Open space
existed prior to increased enforcement efforts in the past several years. While public participation in trail
activities like hiking or cycling has risen, the open space has experienced a level of after -dark evening use for
many years, without compromise of environmental quality. Both collecting more data on human and animal
activities on Cerro San Luis and moving forward with the project plan will help us gather more information to
inform future policy decisions.
Reasonable Evening Access
• The pilot project allowed access until 8:30PM for about 4 months of the year. Altogether, this adds up to
approximately 250 extra hours of human access to the open space trails. There are 8,760 hours in a year,
making this increase an approximate 3% increase in the amount of hours humans are allowed in just one small
part of City Open Space.
• The Cerro San Luis area of the City of SLO Open Space network is 118 acres in size. The entirety of the City
of SLO Open Space network is nearly 4000 acres. In other words, this area comprises about 3% of the city
owned greenbelt. Furthermore, trails exist in only select parts of the Cerro San Luis area. The acreage of the
immediately impacted trail corridor is about 18 acres, which is about .3% of the city owned greenbelt.
• Ultimately, we are talking about expanding hourly access by 3% in an area that comprises 3% of City Open
Space, and on trails that have a corridor of .3% of City Open Space. We are not suggesting the City of SLO
recklessly expand public access to open space. We are suggesting the City carefully and thoughtfully move
forward with a plan to expand access in a limited fashion and in a limited area,
• Please remember that the majority of the mountain is owned by the Madonna Family which allows
access on their trails, especially during December when the tree is up. The city trails will provide safe
entry and exit points to these other privately owned trails.
• While this is clearly a small expansion of access, it would make a significant difference to the recreation,
outdoors, and open space community. The area contains several miles of trails that would allow hikers,
runners, and mountain bikers to continue to experience their open space and get exercise and fresh air during
the darker months of the year. This is especially important to those who work and have families, and thus
have limited time to access the outdoors during the limited daylight hours of winter.
Safety
• The issue of both trail user safety and a potential increase in cost of emergency services has been brought up
as a concern. It seems that most users who have required assistance in the Open Space have been hikers
who have twisted an ankle or have become lost or exhausted. Obviously any trail user can suffer an accident
at any given moment. However, CCCMB believes that, generally speaking, night-time trail users are much
more likely to be familiar with a trail and more experienced in using it than day -time users. We believe that
allowing expanded access in select areas is not likely to substantially increase rescue related costs.
Furthermore, there have been at least two cyclist/pedestrian vs. car fatalities on the roads this year in the SLO
area, not to mention many other non-fatal injuries. Riding or running after work on the roads with cars is
certainly more dangerous than using trails, and accidents involving cyclists on the roads also consume
emergency services resources. Year-round after work trail access for runners and cyclists may decrease the
risk of users being involved in accidents necessitating emergency services.
• To our knowledge, over the past 3 years of the pilot program there has been no emergency issues during pilot
program hours. There was one issue of an ankle sprain but the hiker was able to get out on their own.
Further comments
• During public discussion related to this topic, several inaccuracies about mountain biking, trail use, and the role
CCCMB plays have been noted in public comment and we would like to briefly address those below:
• CCCMB operates a bell program. The purpose of this program is to promote cordial interactions
between trail users. We have received significant positive feedback from this program from other user
groups and continue to purchase, through a sponsor program, and at our own expense, thousands of
dollars worth of bells each year.
• An important component of CCCMB's mission is education. We educate our members about the
importance of riding in control, yielding to other users, and simply being nice. Our program has grown
to include an annual presentation event at Cal Poly where we educate incoming student mountain
bikers about how to share trails and about our local history of land conservation and trails. Additionally,
we have held "Sustainable Trail Building School," an effort to expand local knowledge of sustainable
trail building technique, and many work days where we educate the public on sustainable trails.
CCCMB is in favor of expanding evening hours in the winter or potentially setting year-round open and closed set
times (i.e. open from 5am until 8:30pm) at Cerro San Luis. It is important to have one spot in the SLO City Limits to be
able to have access to the trails. Driving out to Montana de Oro or Los Padres Forest is a much harder option and not
environmentally conscious when we can potentially have closer access. CCCMB would also support any assistance
needed from the city in providing volunteer rangers and docents to help patrol the trails. Several of our CCCMB
volunteers who are first-aid certified (and some even wilderness certified), also volunteer as rangers with the Land
Conservancy at Pismo Preserve. Although we are not in favor of a permit system that requires you to sign on to an
internet connection and carry proof with you, we understand if staff thinks this is the best option for controlling use.
We appreciate all the work city staff has dedicated to the pilot programs and discussions.
Respectfully,
Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers
Submitted by:
Christie O'Hara
President of the Board - Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers