Archive for the ‘Palos Verdes’ Category

Urgent Rancho Palos Verdes City Council Mtg May 15

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

On May 15th at 7:00 pm, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will review and approve the final trails plan for the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. This is mountain bikers’ last chance to ask for changes.

CORBA Palos Verdes has proposed allowing bike access on more trails.
For information go to: www.mtbpv.org or email info@mtbpv.org

We need your support. Attend the meeting even if you don’t want to speak. Write the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council, CC@rpv.com. Please make the letters positive.

When:
May 15th 7:00 PM

Where:
Fred Hesse Community Center
29301 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Urgent Meeting Regarding MTB Access in Palos Verdes

Friday, April 15th, 2011

Palos Verdes Nature Preserve State Of The Preserve Workshop
Saturday, April 30, 2011 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes will be collecting public input at this workshop to prepare recommendations for amendments to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve Trails Plan. This will include trail use changes and the Filiorum Reserve. The City Council will then consider the recommendations later this summer.

In the past, opponents of off-road bicycling have turned out in large numbers, so it is crucial for lots of cyclists to attend. This is a great opportunity for those who otherwise feel intimidated by public speaking to voice their opinions. Typically, small groups sit at table to discuss topics. No public speaking is needed. See below for more information.

Do you want more trails to ride? Do you want to ride trails in the newly created Filiorum Reserve? CORBA PV will be posting recommendations and suggestions soon.

Please join our mailing list to keep posted on the latest information. info@mtbpv.org.

LA County Draft Trails Manual Public Hearing

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

LA County Draft Trails ManualOn February 28, 2011, about 50 people gathered in the beautiful Birch Room at Descanso Gardens in La Canada. We were there to review and comment upon the most recent draft of the Los Angeles County Trails Manual. But let’s back up a bit…

Last July, CORBA board members met with LA County Planning and Sapphos Environmental (the contractor developing the Trails Manual for the County), in a Mountain Biker only public forum. At that meeting only three CORBA board members attended, the County representatives, and nobody else. The Equestrian-only meeting had many more participants, as did the Hiker-only meeting. Since this document will not set any policy regarding trail designations, Sapphos deemed it more productive to hold separate meetings with each user group. Each group gave their input on what they’d like to see covered in the trails manual, and their special concerns.

At that time in July 2010 there was only one section of the trails manual available for review: the section concerning trail design standards. Most of the standards in that preliminary section were adapted from IMBA’s Trail Solutions book, and other reputable multi-use trail construction texts. It was to be a technical document on building and designing trails, with no influence on the contentious issues around trail user groups and trail designations.

The County’s stated policy and goal is to accommodate all user groups on all trails possible. It is a multi-use, bike-friendly policy that works. We were informed at that time that there would be another round of public hearings as the manual was developed, based on the input from user groups at these meetings. The Manual is being developed with a grant from Supervisor Antonovich’s 5th district, in which the vast majority of the County’s trails can be found. The County has never had any offical trail standards, and many of the older trails are not really sustainable by today’s standards. However, this document would NOT be applied retroactively to existing trails, but will serve as the reference for all new trails that come before the County. It is likely that many of the 88 cities in Los Angeles County will also adopt this manual for their own standards once it is ratified by the County Board of Supervisors.

Fast forward to the February 28, 2011 public hearing. Steve Messer, and CORBA member/local cycling promotor and activist Dorothy Wong attended the meeting, along with about 40 local equestrians and hikers. For a welcome change from other meetings in which CORBA has been involved, the biggest issues raised were not contentious user conflicts, but rather, design standards pertaining to potentially flawed trail designs and citations from outdated Equestrian studies and facility designs.

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Rim of the Valley Study Comments

Friday, October 29th, 2010

As we reported back in August, the National Park Service has been holding public hearings on the Rim of the Valley Special Resource Study.  The public meetings have provided an opportunity for many to voice their support and/or concerns for the concept study.  Until midnight tonight, you can email your comments to the National Park Service.

Rim of the Valley Study Area Map

Rim of the Valley Study Area

The Rim of the Valley is comprised of the open spaces that surround the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo valleys. This area spans both Los Angeles and Ventury County, and a bevy of land managers from different agencies. CORBA fully supports the prospect of having these various land managers come together under the direction of the National Park Service, with the goal of permanently protecting this vital ecological and recreational resource.

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Important Palos Verdes Upper Filiorum Reserve Workshop on Sept 29

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Support access for bicycles in the newly acquired Upper Filiorum Reserve

Attend the Wednesday Sept 29th workshop at Fred Hesse Community Park (map)The city will present plans derived from the Sept 8th workshop for public comments. The workshop starts at 6:30 PM. Please spread the word. After public comments a final plan will be presented to the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council for approval.View the proposed Filiorum trails plan map and more information at mtbpv.org or email info@mtbpv.org.

Palos Verdes Upper Filiorum Reserve – Public Hearing

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Urgent! Mountain Bikers – We need your help!

Support access for bicycles in the newly acquired Upper Filiorum Reserve. Don’t let us get shut out!   The workshop is an informal way to express your views in a small group. This is not a council meeting.

Attend the Wednesday Sept 8th workshop at Fred Hesse Community Park (map). Input from the workshop will be used to develop a plan that will determine what trails will be kept and who will be allowed to use them. The workshop starts at 6:30 PM.  Spread the word.  See points to make and trail list below. Please let us know you will attend –  Email info@mtbpv.org

Information available on line – Filiorum workshop.

We believe that these trails will provide an excellent multi-user experience for all trail users, including mountain bikers, who have only a few options left in Portuguese Bend.

  • It provides variety and loops.
  • Trails provide low use density alternative.
  • Use density will likely remain low because of steepness of entry trails.
  • We need access from Portuguese Bend to Three Sisters.
  • We could mention how few trails are available for bike in PB. Only 5 trails and 2 fire roads, 7 out of 22. That’s less that a third.
  • Access should not be denied unless there is clear and measurable cause.
  • CORBA will offer to assist rangers educate cyclists.
  • Cyclists can provide volunteers to help repair and maintain trails where bikes are allowed.

However if someone at the table brings up something negative we should be ready to provide the facts:

  • User conflict, based on a June 30, 2007 PVPLC user survey, is low:
    “Overall, there was very little conflict reported between user groups. 95% of the respondents answered that they had experienced no conflicts that day, and 87% had not experienced any past conflicts. Considering the large number of visitors using the Preserve, these numbers express an overall tolerance and peaceful coexistence between the different types of users.”
  • Equestrians claim entitlement – The survey indicated that only about 1% of users in the reserves are equestrians.
  • Trail escalation – Rangers will patrol trails.
  • Safety – Although challenging , all trails are usable by cyclists. There have been few, if any, reported accidents. Cyclists walk bikes if needed.
  • Segregated trails are inherently unfair.
Filiorum Trails Include      
Name   Miles      
Rattlesnake
Kelvin Canyon
Possum
Gary’s Gulch
Cut Across
Jack’s Brim
Jack’s Hat
Jack’s Summit
Troop 719 Trail
Pony Trail
Three Sisters East Fork
Three Sisters Upper Connector
Three Sisters Lower Connector
Total
  0.45
0.49
0.19
0.20
0.57
0.26
0.57
0.22
0.27
0.44
0.20
0.15
0.13
4.14


Rancho Palos Verdes Notice

Help Provide Input on the Trails at Upper Filiorum

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, with support from the State Coastal Conservancy and contributions from over 700 supporters in the community, added the 191-acre Upper Filiorum property to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve on December 31, 2009. The acquisition resulted in over 900 contiguous acres of protected open space and a wildlife corridor linking the Three Sisters and the Portuguese Bend Reserves. The City Council adopted Preserve Trails Plan will need to be amended to include the Upper Filiorum trail routes and uses, and your input on the trail planning is requested.

Please join us at the upcoming workshops to provide your input on trail planning for the new portion of the Preserve.

Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010 – obtain public feedback on potential trail routes and uses

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010 – review trails plan based on September 8 the public input

Fred Hesse Community Park
29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes
Doors Open 6pm
Meetings 6:30-8:30pm

 
Hosted by National Park Service, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy

For more information: Ara Mihranian aram@rpv.com 310-544-5228 www.palosverdes.com/rpv;

Lily Verdone lverdone@pvplc.org 310-541-7613 www.pvplc.org