Joined
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4,129 Posts
Ok, time to step up to the plate and write some letters/attend some meetings. This would be a terrible thing to lose...
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IMBA Action Alert: Santa Monica Mountains Trail System Threatened
Canyonback Trail is a critical access point to the Westridge-Canyon
Back
Wilderness Park, in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. It
connects two major trail networks within the public parkland and is an
important gateway to a network of trails within the "Big Wild," a
21,000-acre urban paradise that extends from the San Fernando Valley to
the
Pacific Ocean.
IMBA and the locally based Canyon Back Alliance urge you to protest the
possible disruption of the Canyonback Trail. Please consider sending an
email today, in order to secure trail access to this valuable resource.
A section of the Canyonback Trail is also a public street, Canyonback
Road.
In 2004, a Homeowner's Association (HOA) tried to privatize and gate
the
northern section of Canyonback Road, which would have restricted access
to
public lands. Thanks to tremendous public opposition, including input
from
the IMBA-affiliated Concerned Off-Road Bicycle Association (CORBA),
construction of the Canyonback Gate was terminated before the gates
were
installed. Construction of the barrier, however, has recommenced, and
the
threat to continued access is again upon us.
To preserve trail access, IMBA urges mountain bikers to:
* Write a protest letter and email it to the Canyon Back Alliance, a
concerned citizens group supported by CORBA and IMBA, at
[email protected]; or fax your message to 310-201-2110. A sample is
available at http://www.canyonback.org/Help.htm
* Attend a public hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, May 18, 2005 10:30
a.m.,
at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 1020
Read on, to learn more about the access problems bicyclists would face
if
the planned gates are installed.
A real estate development is being planned along Canyonback Ridge, to
the
south of existing Canyonback Road. The developer wants to privatize the
area, replace the existing public access trail with a private road, and
restrict access by gating the trail/private road. While the developer
promises to allow "pedestrian access," nothing in the plan would
prevent
future residents or their HOAs from restricting or perhaps even
prohibiting
public access.
Another concern is that the HOA at the north end of Canyonback Road
have
renewed a plan to privatize and gate the street. They have proposed
re-routing the existing trail from a stable ridgeline to a
landslide-ridden
slope. But the 2-mile bypass would not be sustainable trail, and is
therefore unacceptable.
Losing this trail would sever northern access to the popular Whoops
Trail
from "Dirt" Mulholland and the Canyonback Trail. The Mulholland and
Canyonback access points are widely used by those residing in the
Valley and
those from other areas who access the trails conveniently off the
I-405,
which is close to the trailhead on Canyonback. The planned gating of
the
Canyonback Trail would also destroy the historic "loop" trail
connecting the
popular Westridge and Canyonback ridge areas.
end
*************************
IMBA Action Alert: Santa Monica Mountains Trail System Threatened
Canyonback Trail is a critical access point to the Westridge-Canyon
Back
Wilderness Park, in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. It
connects two major trail networks within the public parkland and is an
important gateway to a network of trails within the "Big Wild," a
21,000-acre urban paradise that extends from the San Fernando Valley to
the
Pacific Ocean.
IMBA and the locally based Canyon Back Alliance urge you to protest the
possible disruption of the Canyonback Trail. Please consider sending an
email today, in order to secure trail access to this valuable resource.
A section of the Canyonback Trail is also a public street, Canyonback
Road.
In 2004, a Homeowner's Association (HOA) tried to privatize and gate
the
northern section of Canyonback Road, which would have restricted access
to
public lands. Thanks to tremendous public opposition, including input
from
the IMBA-affiliated Concerned Off-Road Bicycle Association (CORBA),
construction of the Canyonback Gate was terminated before the gates
were
installed. Construction of the barrier, however, has recommenced, and
the
threat to continued access is again upon us.
To preserve trail access, IMBA urges mountain bikers to:
* Write a protest letter and email it to the Canyon Back Alliance, a
concerned citizens group supported by CORBA and IMBA, at
[email protected]; or fax your message to 310-201-2110. A sample is
available at http://www.canyonback.org/Help.htm
* Attend a public hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, May 18, 2005 10:30
a.m.,
at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 1020
Read on, to learn more about the access problems bicyclists would face
if
the planned gates are installed.
A real estate development is being planned along Canyonback Ridge, to
the
south of existing Canyonback Road. The developer wants to privatize the
area, replace the existing public access trail with a private road, and
restrict access by gating the trail/private road. While the developer
promises to allow "pedestrian access," nothing in the plan would
prevent
future residents or their HOAs from restricting or perhaps even
prohibiting
public access.
Another concern is that the HOA at the north end of Canyonback Road
have
renewed a plan to privatize and gate the street. They have proposed
re-routing the existing trail from a stable ridgeline to a
landslide-ridden
slope. But the 2-mile bypass would not be sustainable trail, and is
therefore unacceptable.
Losing this trail would sever northern access to the popular Whoops
Trail
from "Dirt" Mulholland and the Canyonback Trail. The Mulholland and
Canyonback access points are widely used by those residing in the
Valley and
those from other areas who access the trails conveniently off the
I-405,
which is close to the trailhead on Canyonback. The planned gating of
the
Canyonback Trail would also destroy the historic "loop" trail
connecting the
popular Westridge and Canyonback ridge areas.
end