February 28, 2000

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

Re: Banning Mountain Biking from Peninsula Parks

Gentlepersons:

This is great news, especially for wildlife! Thank you for having the courage to stand up to the "industrial-grade" recreationists, who think that nature exists only to pleasure them! Thank God, the tide is beginning to turn against mountain biking, which benefits only the mountain bikers who do it, and hurts wildlife and every other person who loves and wants to enjoy nature. Every now and then it is good to stop, think, and admit that something we are doing is really not such a good idea.

P.S. I am not really religious, I just can't think of a better way to

express this. :)

From a mountain biker:

Subject: MROSD Plans

ROMP Members and all concerned mountain cyclists:

ROMP has received a proposed trail plan from Midpeninsula Regional Open

Space District (MROSD) that suggests that the following preserves will

be completely closed to cyclists: Foothills, La Honda Creek, Los

Trancos, Picchetti Ranch, Pulgas Ridge, Teague Hill, and Thornewood in

order to "protect the opportunity for tranquil nature study and

observation". Of equal or greater concern, the proposal suggests that

any new preserves, including the new Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve near

Highway 17, will also closed to bikes. In fact, the proposal calls for

an eventual reduction of multiple use trails from a current level of 78%

of all trails in all preserves to somewhere between 60-65% of trails.

Obviously, your ROMP Board is very concerned about such plans to reduce

mountain bike access to existing and future trails. We are currently

attempting to get more information on the new proposed plans by meeting

with MROSD. As soon as we get any new information we will report back

to you via this email list, the ROMP web site (www.romp.org) and

Mountain Cyclist (the ROMP newsletter).