HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/16/2018 Item 9, Seeley
Biodiversity first!
3650 Gillis Canyon Road
Shandon, CA 93461
City of San Luis Obispo
Attn: Mayor and City Council
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
January 16, 2018
Dear Mayor Harmon and Council Members:
Biodiversity First! (BDF!)is a 501(c)3 in San Luis Obispo County whose mission is to
preserve and protect the wild lands and species upon which we depend for our own
physical and spiritual survival.
We read with dismay your plan to allow nighttime biking and hiking in a pilot program
on Cerro San Luis. Though humans need exercise, non-humans need privacy and
freedom to live at least part of their lives unbothered by humans. Think of your unease
if you had to tolerate skunks, raccoons, owls, and even coyotes and mountain lions
coming into your house at night. Indeed, the hours just after sunset and the hours just
before dawn are those most active for the wild animals: it is their sacred time.
We know that you love Nature. But you can love Nature to death. “The Open Space
Element states that uses of open space lands owned or managed by the City should:
“preserve the natural amenities of the open space land” and “may not include uses
which would degrade or significantly impact resource preservation on-site or on an
adjacent parcel” (per San Luis Obispo Municipal Code, Chapter 12.22.020).
Consistent with this direction, City open spaces will be managed to provide limited
opportunities for passive recreation as defined in the Open Space Element (OS 1.1.4),
i.e.: “low-intensity recreational activities such as hiking, bird-watching, nature
photography, trails, individual picnic areas, nature study, viewing stations, interpretive
areas, and similar uses” (OS Def-5)” These uses are clearly limited to the hours between
dawn and dusk.
The OSE also states, with regard to public access, “Such activities will only be permitted
where there are no significant environmental or land use compatibility conflicts, as
determined by the City.” Such review is typically done through preparation of a focused
Environmental Impact Report.
BDF! does empathize with people who want to enjoy the open spaces in San Luis
Obispo, but there are grave dangers associated with allowing hiking and biking after
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dark. We are sure that you’ve considered the possibility of a mountain bike/hiker
collision on the steep terrain, but have you consulted with the emergency rescue
personnel and taken their opinions under consideration?
In summation, BDF! encourages you to keep the OSE intact – do not allow nighttime
hiking and biking - and give honor to the other-than-human population in the city’s
designated Open Spaces.
Sincerely,
Biodiversity First! Board of Directors
Greg McMillan, Chair
Linda Seeley
Elizabeth Johnson
Patrick McGibney
cc: Michael Jencks, Esq.
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