Sun, 4 Nov 2012:
Subject: Re: Romney as President? THERE'S a Scary Thought!
Right on, Mike!!!!
From: "Mike Vandeman"
<mjvande@pacbell.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 3, 2012 8:43:57 AM
Subject: Romney as President? THERE'S a Scary Thought!
To the Editor:
Apropos of Halloween, I really can't think of anything scarier than
the possibility that a climate denier who wants to keep burning coal
and oil, just so he and his friends can keep profitting as the ship
sinks, may become President....
Sincerely yours,
Mike Vandeman
--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat").
Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence
and road construction.)
Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you
are fond of!
http://mjvande.nfshost.com
Sun,
28 Oct 2012:
Subject: Re: Mountain Biking in the East Bay Regional
Parks
This letter is genius ! Your best work! Although I walk through "
pure habitat" every morning for two hours and ride my horse an hour in
the afternoon, I feel user friendly to the land. I am seeing the
results of the first rain forming ruts from wheels heading straight
downhill.
On Oct 27, 2012, at 8:43 AM, Mike Vandeman <mjvande@pacbell.net> wrote:
> To the Editor:
>
> Since the Park District is revising its Master Plan, now is the perfect time (by 10/31 at http://ebrpdmasterplan.org/) to ask them to get mountain biking out of the parks! Mountain bikes, with their "aggressive" knobby tires and high speed, grind the trails into powder, which washes away in the first rain, leaving V-shaped ruts and degraded creeks and other habitat. Even the mountain bikers themselves, with rare candor, use the term "shredding the trails" to refer to mountain biking.
>
> Countless insects, lizards, snakes, and other small plants and animals are killed by these "wheeled locusts". Hikers and equestrians are abandoning the trails and the parks, because it is unpleasant and dangerous to have to constantly be on the alert to avoid being hit by a biker coming around a blind turn at high speed. Illegal biking and even illegal trail-building are common in the parks.
>
> It's beyond me to understand why mountain bikers insist on biking in the parks, when walking provides the best way to actually see the parks. Careening through them at high speed -- or even low speed -- doesn't allow one to actually see anything, since you have to give all of your attention to controlling your bike on unpredictable terrain.
>
> It's high time that we restricted bikes to paved roads, where they can't do much harm!
>
> Sincerely yours,
>
> Fed up with mountain biking
>
> --
>
> I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat").
> Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
>
> Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!
>
>
Tue, 11 Sep 2012:
Subject: Re: important Ruling on La Vina lawsuit
I don't think it was M…. It was B… …, E… and I. E… is now Vice Mayor of …, B… remains very active and committed to preservation causes, with an excellent record, and myself. I believe that E… is on your mailing list. She regards you as a very important treasure for your commitment and your work gathering info.
Mon, 10 Sep 2012:
Subject: Re: Bay Trail, Ridge Trail, and Our California State Parks
Succinct and to the point! Good job! :)
Mon, 10 Sep 2012:
Subject: Re: Bay Trail, Ridge Trail, and Our California State Parks
Eloquently stated!!
Mon, 10 Sep 2012:
Subject: Very Good letter; rail, Ridge Trail, and Our California State Parks
Hi Mike,
A very good letter. Keep at it.
Mon, 10 Sep 2012:
Subject: Re: (Late) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
For whatever reason (too much incoming email and being a slow reader?), I'm just seeing your new year's letter now. Thank you -- I always appreciate your thoughtful and informative newsletters.
I'm reminded of a conversation I overheard my daughter "M" (then 6-yrs-old?) having with her young neighbor girl friend "A" (then 3?) as they sat behind me in their carseats while I chauffeured them to school one morning.
M: "He's a smarty pants."
A: "What's a 'smarty pants'?"
M: Someone really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really smart."
A: "In pants!"
I hope you will take it as a compliment, dear Mike, that you seem to be a smarty pants.
Fri, 6 Jul 2012:
Subject: Re: Empathy -- The Missing Ingredient in Conservation Biology
Thanks, Mike. This is wonderful!
Fri, 6 Jul 2012:
Subject: Re: Empathy -- The Missing Ingredient in Conservation Biology
Thanks, Mike, for the great article. I agree.
Sun, 24 Jun 2012:
What a pleasure to read what you
wrote.
You are an admirable person and I salute you.
I rarely go on Facebook, but it was important for me to laud you and thank you.
Continued best wishes always
Tue, 12 Jun 2012:
Subject: RE: "Mountain bikers booted from Fabyan Woods
in new plan"
Mike,
I applaud your energy and "stick-to-it-ness." You are making a
difference. Thanks.
Wed, 16 May
2012:
Subject: Re: Your submission for YJEMA
How they portray themselves, as scientific researchers is an embarrassment to those who work hard at educating themselves and then doing real research on subjects that benefit mankind. It is both a conflict of interest and goes against what these people have studied for and do for a living. At times, even though I know this is nothing more than a plot to promote an agenda that has no good facts to back it up (Mountain Biking) I wonder how someone with educational credentials can fool others with clever wording, and double talk, still sound like they are educated researchers, yet be blatantly lying. These people actually sleep at night? How? Knowing they helped "their" cause? That justifies all the wrongs on so many levels, they are doing by releasing such a supposed research report? I am not naive, but still find it hard to believe that people like this exist at this supposed level of education and science. It just seems like a contradiction in terms.
And yes Mike.....quotes and sound bites will fly from this report by the endless uninformed Park Managers those who have to much say in managing the natural world, for the benefit of us all. Here in Michigan.....all you need is a degree in Landscape design to be a Park Ranger. So we have some of the very best shrubbery arrangements anywhere. They mix so well with the Invasive species and racing Mountain bikers.
Please never stop Mike.
Wed, 16 May 2012:
Subject: Re: Your submission for YJEMA
Mike,
That was some of the finest reading I have done in memory. Point by point it is apparent, whether you are Pro-anything, that the research was flawed and misrepresented, not to mention mis-stated in their word selections used to describe their own supposed research. By definition of the word research alone, this publication should be dismantled. It cannot be fixed or corrected as you have stated. It is far to biased, skewed and just plain incorrect in almost every aspect of the term Research, to be allowed to be published as anything but a Fantasy story for children. I would even fear that kind of publication of this piece.
Again Michael.......Thanks for your hard work and time on all these matters. there are few who would take so much time and brain power to even bother. If this piece was not so pitiful, it would be hilarious. I just cannot fathom how anyone could think this kind of work is something to be proud of or have merit in any level of research or even observations. But I guess people can fool themselves at the highest levels when they have something to gain.
Thanks Mike