HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/9/2021 Item 4a, Francis
Purrington, Teresa
From:Clinton Francis <clintondavidfrancis@gmail.com> on behalf of
cdfranci@calpoly.edu
Sent:Friday, October 29, 2021 1:34 PM
To:CityClerk
Subject:Clarification of position regarding night hiking on open space
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Dear San Luis Obispo City Staff,
Recently I became aware that City Council Member Jan Marx stated that I was in opposition to the night hiking
program at Cerro San Luis during the October 19th City Council Meeting (@ 2:35:30). This is factually incorrect
and the statement, undoubtedly, came as a surprise to Natural Resources Manager Bob Hill, who has discussed
the potential impacts of this program with me on several occasions.
To be clear, I have made no statements about being in opposition to the night hiking program. In my
conversations with Bob Hill I have repeatedly emphasized that the noise and lights intruding upon Cerro San Luis
Open Space from outside of the property boundary should be considered highly problematic for native fauna
and flora. These forces should be the concern of the City Council Members for Open Space integrity. Limited
night hiking activity is unlikely to have measurable effects compared to these larger environmental stressors
that reach every single area of Cerro San Luis and most other City Open Spaces..
I would be happy to discuss these issues with any City Council or City Staff Members if this would be useful for
developing a more informed policy on Night Hiking and any other decisions that influence biodiversity within the
city. Please let me know if I can be of service.
Cheers,
Clint
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Clinton D Francis, PhD
Associate Professor
Cal Poly Biological Sciences
1 Grand Ave
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Office: 33-369
Lab: 33-260, 53-212
Office Phone: 805.756.5358
cdfranci@calpoly.edu
Francis Ecology Lab
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