HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/17/2017 Item 10, Havlik
Christian, Kevin
From:neilhavlik@aol.com
Sent: 2017 9:38 AM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Night riding Agenda Item #10
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:
After giving careful consideration to the request for night riding at Cerro San Luis Natural Reserve, I must urge you NOT
to approve this request.
In doing so, you would be breaking tradition with all earlier Councils, with the City's Conservation and Open Space
Element, and with the concept--firmly held in the City's consciousness--that in the City's open space lands, resource
protection comes first, recreation second.
This proposal would place the desires of a special group for a special privilege ahead of your overall commitment to the
general public. It will set a dangerous precedent that, once granted, will be difficult to retract, and which could lead to
other demands from other special interest groups; consider the problems with folks trying night climbing at Bishop Peak.
I also believe that there is a major technical flaw in the current request. Cerro San Luis Natural Reserve includes only a
small portion of Cerro San Luis; the majority is private property. Yet there are published maps showing large sections of
trails crossing the private property. Your approval of night riding could be taken as license by such riders to travel all over
the mountain at night, not just on the City-owned property. This sets up certain liabilities that could and probably would
affect the City. The Madonna family have graciously allowed use of their property by the public, but night riding would
introduce a new twist which the family may not be supportive of.
For these reasons I again urge you to reject this misguided request. Thank you.
Neil Havlik, Natural Resources Manager (retired)
City of San Luis Obispo
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