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Paving Over Paradise
You
wake up one morning and there is a large truck pouring an asphalt bike
path right in your backyard. You walk outside and try to find out, who
is doing this and why is it being done without your permission? A big
burly guy, seven feet tall, with no neck and a Mac truck for a chest,
walks up to you and says, "Hey bud, it's been approved by the city.
BACK OFF!" You choose to not take on the nice gentleman with the
"Born To Kill" tattoo, go back inside and get on the phone,
frantically looking for an attorney who looks big.
If
you think of the Bay Area as your backyard, and you find out that an
equestrian trail you love is going to be paved so that bikers can have a
smoother ride, what do you do? Well, you could start by trying to get your
friends to sign a petition. But who has the time to do that? And how many
signatures will you get? How many are required? You remember the knot you
felt in your gut the last time you were asked to sign a petition. It's
even harder to generate a letter-writing campaign, even with the help of
the internet.
Wouldn’t
it be nice if you could just call someone and they would do all the work,
and your favorite trail issue would be resolved? Yes, that would be nice.
And it is "almost" - and I do mean "almost" - a
reality.
Recently
I learned about a trail in Coyote Creek (South Santa Clara County) that is
being considered for paving. This happens to be the longest trail with
total equestrian access in all of the Santa Clara County Parks. This area
is targeted for new growth, and if the county were to take such action, it
would be obvious that equestrians are not the targeted newcomers they
desire to attract. And if this were the plan, it would appear the new
development in Santa Clara at Coyote Creek is not going to be "Horse
Friendly."
In
some communities, the local unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California
keeps a watchful eye on trail closures and similar actions. Over the
years, the local unit of the Backcountry Horsemen in the bay area (the
Ohlone Riders) had dwindled down to three members. This happened for many
reasons, but most of all because there isn’t much real "back
country" in the San Francisco bay area. But the area of the Ohlone
Riders (the bay area) contains more parks with equestrian trails than any
other local unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California. And preserving
equestrian trail access is one of the main charters of the Backcountry
Horsemen.
For
several years, three women worked hard to keep the Ohlone Riders alive and
afloat, despite the lack of participation or interest by others. The unit
did survive and today, when one of its members learned about the potential
Coyote Creek trails being lost, one phone call set a huge machine into
action. This political machine represents over 46,000 equestrians in
California. Just by being a member of the BCHC, you are also a member of
"The California Equestrian & Lands Coalition." And that is
who you call when someone is paving over a trail in your backyard.
Sometimes
a few people can accomplish great things. Were it not for the three women
who kept the Ohlone Riders going, there is a good chance that no one would
have known how to stop a bureaucratic machine such as the County Planning
Commission, and their plans of encroachment on equestrian trails.
In
Southern California, similar encroachment to equestrian trails was
occurring. A few individuals sought help from the Backcountry Horsemen,
but there was not a strong local unit in the developed areas of Orange
County. This was probably for the same reason there wasn’t a strong unit
in our bay area, it is a metropolitan city. The name itself is a misnomer.
Why would you join an organization called the "Backountry" if
you live in the city? Because of this, a few concerned equestrians formed
the Equestrian Coalition of Orange County. This was out of self-defense,
as there was no local organization advocating for equestrian trail use.
The
issue at that time was a proposal to sell off a portion of the O’Neil
Park for commercial and private use. The founder and president at that
time was Tom Anderson. He modestly stated, "We were a small voice,
but at least we had a voice in that issue." They finally won and the
park and equestrian trails were preserved. Tom says the primary purpose is
"To provide a voice for the various equestrian communities in
governmental affairs or open space." This organization has now
publicly voiced their opinion in over two dozen matters which have
affected equestrian issues. "We’ve won most battles, but not
all," said Tom Anderson. But at least someone showed up for the
fight.
In
today’s busy world we barely have time to enjoy our passion of horses,
much less campaign for all the causes related to that passion. So having
established organizations to rely on to do this type of advocacy for us is
great, but it does have its cost. We have to support such organizations if
we can expect them to always be there. Grass roots groups like the Ohlone
Riders or the Equestrian Coalition of Orange County, who are connected to
larger groups and are networked and armed to fight our battles for us,
don’t just run without fuel. Besides giving equestrians a voice in trail
advocacy, the Ohlone Riders have other benefits for its members, including
hosted trail rides, horse camping, educational clinics, and fun day
events, besides working in partnership with parks on trail restoration and
maintenance. When you join the Ohlone Riders, you are an automatic member
of the Backcountry Horsemen of California, BCH of America and The
California Equestrian & Lands Coalition. That’s a good deal for just
a few dollars, to be linked to the 911 for equestrian trail issues.
The
outcome of paving of the trail in Coyote Creek is yet to be decided. When
I spoke to the public information spokesperson for the project, Elish
Ryan, she stated that no real plan has been formalized. She said there
will be a series of meetings that will develop that plan, beginning with
two workshop meetings this month, to explain the overall process. These
meetings will cover many subjects and will be much broader than just the
discussion of the actual trail plight. You are welcome to join in and add
your thoughts.
The
meetings are to be held on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. at the new Sobrato High
School on Burnett Road in Morgan Hill and Feb. 23 at 9:30 at the lower
level conference room of the County Government Center, 70 West Hedding,
San Jose.
If
you would like to join the Backcountry Horsemen of California, visit the
website at:
www.bchc.com/appform.html.
If you are in the Bay Area, be sure to sign up to join the Ohlone Riders
Unit. If you would like more info on the Ohlone Riders email me at garrysdreamadventure@yahoo.com
If
you would like to join the Equestrian Coalition of Orange County write to
the Equestrian Coalition of Orange County, 7695 E. Silver Dollar, Anaheim,
CA 92808.
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Copyright Garry
Stauber © 2004 All rights reserved. The above article is
the property of the Author and may not be duplicated or redistributed in
any way without permission. Visit Garry on-line at Dream Adventures.
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