Sat, 02 Dec 2000:
From: Rosieres@aol.com
Subject: Acerbic posts or legitimate concerns? BTC's Jim Jacobsen was dead wrong.
December 2, 2000
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
On July 30, 1999, Jim Jacobsen, president of the Bicycle Trails Council of
Marin (BTC), posted the following comment on the internet:
<<<<<I am responsible for designing and directing the trail project at
Tamarancho
and have heard from Terri before.
None of the allegations in Terri Alvillar's latest post are correct. As many
of you know, we have built a 6 mile trail system useable only with a permit
available from the scouts.
The county knows all about the trails there and have not required permits for
any of it. I keep the county open space and planning department fully
informed about the trails we are building there, and they don't have any
problems with them.
The scouts have always had a system where each new trail is a separate
project and each trail requires permission to build. This policy has not
changed, and being on their properties committee, I am aware of any problems
the scouts have with the trails and their use.
Terri has been very vocal on many Marin County bike issues and this is yet
another example. Please disregard her comments. Some of you have already
pegged Terri correctly. I will not engage in a flame war with her, but do
wish to inform the list readers of the true facts about Tamarancho.
Sincerely,
Jim Jacobsen, President
Bicycle Trails Council of Marin>>>>>>
That message was in response to my posting:
<<<<This "spectacular" new trail system consisted of excavating thousands of
cubic yards of watershed topsoil (without county permits), blocking natural
drainage areas (without county permits), building bridges (without county
permits), cutting [live] protected native tree species (without county
permits),
ruining wildlife habitat, and using undiluted herbicides to reduce the need
for "trail maintenance." Terri Alvillar>>>
Last month the County of Marin confirmed that all the BTC's singletrack
trails built at Camp Tamarancho were unauthorized and were built illegally.
Now the property owner must apply for permits retroactively for the
excavation and construction of the existing 6.5 miles of singletrack which
Jim Jacobsen calls the BTC's "resume."
The Bicycle Trails Council of Marin, the International Mountain Bicycling
Association (IMBA), along with their "trail care crews," the Forest Knolls
Freewheelers, corporate sponsors Subaru of America, Inc., RockShox, SOBE,
PowerBar, etc., and all the "volunteers" who helped deface this beautiful
property, including its several USGS blue line streams, are now formally
implicated in illegal mountain bike trail building.
Terri Alvillar
cc: Press
Fri, 08 Dec 2000:
From: Terri Alvillar <Rosieres@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: [SFB-GEN*] OH, THOSE CROCODILE TEARS
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If mkelley@DNAI.COM is not the same Michael Kelley who founded the Bicycle
Trails Council of the East Bay, was a co-founder of the International
Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), is/was on the Board of Directors of
IMBA, and supported the trail building at Camp Tamarancho, etc. then please
ignore the following post:
Let us examine the facts.
For the past six years (at least) the Bicycle Trails Council (BTC) with the
support of its East Bay counterpart (BTCEB) has engaged in the construction
of illegal bicycle trails on the property known as Camp Tamarancho, near
Fairfax, CA.
These bicycle trails have been constructed across at least FOUR (4) USGS blue
line streams. ALL of this property and its streams consist of CRITICAL
HABITAT for Central Coast Steelhead and Coho Salmon. NONE of these bicycle
trails was constructed with ANY permit from ANY jurisdiction, whether the
County of Marin, Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries
Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, etc.
Despite years of public denial by Jim Jacobsen, BTC president, the County of
Marin has just announced that excavation permits and environmental review
according to CEQA are being required retroactively.
The damage to this steep, beautiful, and fragile property has been
phenomenal, including, 5,000-8,000 cubic yards of topsoil excavated during
winter months with no permits, dozens of healthy, protected, native trees
felled (including Redwood, Madrone, Oak, Buckeye, Bay, Toyon, Douglas Fir,
riparian species, etc.) countless natural drainage areas blocked and rocked,
cut and fill across historic landslumps, tens of thousands of square feet of
surface vegetation destroyed (including groud iris, baby blue eyes, fetid
adder's tongue, shooting star, paintbrush, etc.), construction of at least
five bridges (paid for by large corporations which sponsor mountain bike
racing events), including one bridge 48' in length over a USGS blue line
stream which was chemically treated and installed without any permits (live
trees were cut down to place this structure and considerable excavation
exists parallel, and very close to, this stream.
Any mountain biking advocate who hopes to be taken seriously must take a
stand regarding the illegal trail building by the Bicycle Trails Council of
Marin at Camp Tamarancho, and the enormous environmental damage it has caused
to that property and to neighboring properties.
Terri Alvillar
Fairfax, CA
Fri, 08 Dec 2000:
From: Terri Alvillar <Rosieres@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: [SFB-GEN*] OH, THOSE CROCODILE TEARS
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In a message dated 12/7/00 11:19:25 PM, ChrisValle@AOL.COM writes:
<< This isn't my usual tack, but I'm concerned about this accusation. Terri
has
repeatedly written that the construction on Camp Tamarancho was illegal. It
would be useful information to those concerned with the issue of bicycles on
trails to learn in what respect the work was illegal. >>
The County of Marin requires an excavation permit for movement of over 250 cu
yds of soil (this project was several thousand cubic yards), on slopes of
over 20% (many of these slopes are 60% or more), movement of earth within, or
along the banks of any watercourse or (for this location) within one hundred
feet of a watercourse, removal lowing under or burial of over ten thousand
square feet of vegetation on slopes exceeding fifteen percent, etc. All of
the previous conditions exist from the construction of these trails and no
permits were obtained.
The County requires permits for felling live trees, especially "protected"
ones. No permits were obtained for any of the healthy trees cut to build
these trails.
The County requires permits for bridge construction. At least four bridges
were built by the BTC without permits.
There is no use permit for bicycle trails - only hiking and equestrian
trails. Combining bicycles with people and horses on trails narrower than 7'
is inconsistent with the Countywide Plan policy. There is no use permit to
charge a fee for the use of the property.
<< There is no obvious distinction to be drawn between the construction of
bicycle trails and hiking trails.>> There is a definite distinction. A bike
trail tread must maintain a gradient of 7-8% which requires many switchbacks.
For a singletrack bike trail 2' wide, one mile long, on a slope of 60%,
excavation would be almost 400 cu yds. The entire BTC project is about 9
miles long.
The BTC has always claimed that no permits were required. They were. Not
only that but the permits trigger CEQA. This entire project has never had
CEQA review but now it will. In addition, there have been tremendous
off-site and cumulative impacts as a result of this project which finally
will be analyzed according to CEQA.
This private property is the same as all property subject to local or
regional zoning and building codes.
You can't imagine the damage unless you see it for yourself.
Terri Alvillar
Fri, 08 Dec 2000:
From: Terri Alvillar <Rosieres@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: [SFB-GEN*] Back to the original point
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Mkelley@DNAI.COM said
<<<<In rejecting the mountain bikers, you are turning away huge numbers of
constituents who could make the difference in achieving your goals. I
urge the Bay Chapter to reconsider its approach. Look at science rather
than prejudice when determining the impact of bikes.>>>>
The reason I brought up the Camp Tamarancho issue is that its reality exposes
the contradictions embodied in Mr. Kelley's post. The Bicycle Trails Council
of Marin calls the trail construction at the camp their "resume." The
project is a resume of environmental destruction, and it is only one of many
such resumes the mountain biking industry has produced in Marin County and
all over the world. Not prejudice but an overwhelming body of factual
evidence demonstrates that the sport of mountain biking is damaging or
destroying our precious natural resources at an alarming rate. Mr. Kelley's
sentimental appeal just doesn't fly.
Terri Alvillar