Recently, two members of Coastwalk California's Advocacy Committee provided comments to local planning bodies working to improve their Local Coastal Plans.
Nancy Graves provided comments to the North San Luis Obispo County Coastal Trail Master Update Planning Hearings (http://www.slocoastaltrail.com). Here is her letter:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft Northern San
Luis Obispo County Coastal Trail Master Plan. Alta Planning has done a fine job of
integration within this multifaceted area. I was happy to see the plan come together
using the wealth of documentation available, and appreciate the difficulty of
creating the Master Plan that will guide the future of this magnificent coastline.
I am going to limit my comments to those areas where I believe Alta
may have missed some opportunities for sensitive planning of the California
Coastal Trail. While I understand the reluctance to show beach routes as viable
hiking trails, I think it is important for planning purposes to include them as planned
loop trails along with the designated sidepaths and bluff top trails shown.
Considering how people will use this natural recreation area: most
will arrive by vehicle, leave their vehicles parked in a staging area and plan to
access the sandy and tidal beaches for the day. Providing loops with controlled
vertical accesses to the beach can be the most protective of the sensitive resources in the
marine terraces. These vertical accesses need to be clearly identified in the
plan. For hikers and families with children, a walk along the beach with a return to the
staging area by a sidepath or bluff top trail can be the most valuable and
educational natural experience we can provide. Therefore, the vertical accesses become a
important component for planning this use. For long distance hikers, the opportunity
to leave the beach at specified accessways and walk on unpaved surfaces is a
welcome relief. We are drawn to the beach, people will continue to access the beaches,
especially the sandy ones. Without controlled vertical accesses, volunteer trails
through sensitive habitats will become the norm. By planning the walking
routes with loops back to staging areas, peoples’ experience will be enriched while
keeping sensitive areas free of volunteer trails.
I have not done a complete study of specific loop trails within the
Study Area, but some obvious areas for envisioned loop trails would include Segments
2, 3 and 6. Segment 6. Estero Bluffs is already in use in this way. While the draft
Master Plan addresses those volunteer and overused vertical accesses in Segment 6,
it does not address the concept of the looped beach trail. In Segments 2 and 3,
within the Hearst San Simeon acquisition, there is an excellent opportunity for
integrating staging areas, sidepaths, beach and bluff routes with short, midrange and long
distance loops.
There is this unspoken fear, especially from land managers, that we
must shield people from the natural world and at the same time, schizophrenically,
teach them to protect and respect the natural world. I believe the famous saying
that we only cherish that which we can experience. This can only be accomplished by
allowing access to that which is precious, dangerous and awesome.
As a coastal hiker, I and many in the Coastwalk family are well aware
of blowing sand dunes, rocky shores, tidal headlands, seasonal creeks, biological
and cultural resources and endangered species that can complicate and enrich a
direct lateral beach route. These things are generally not deterents, and more often
add to our respect for the natural experience. In the journal of the Coastal
Trail Expedition in 2003, which can be found at the Coastwalk website, www.coastwalk.org , these challenges are what made the experience so rich.
I would encourage Alta Planning in cooperation with State Parks and
the County of San Luis Obispo to include careful planning for beach routes within
the Administrative Draft of the Northern San Luis Obispo County Coastal
Trail Master Plan.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment, I look forward to the
next draft document.
Nancy Graves
SLO County Trails Advisory Cmte.
SLO County Transportation Advisory Cmte
Board Director, Coastwalk California
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