HomeMy Public PortalAbout19740504 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 74-9
Oak
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
Special Meeting
Board of Directors
M I N U T E S
May 4, 1974 Las Trampas Regional Park
East Bay Regional Park District
I. ROLL CALL
Vice-President Duffy called the meeting to order at 10 :15 a.m.
Members present: Daniel Condron, Katherine Duffy, Nonette Hanko
Members absent: William Peters, Daniel Wendin
Personnel present: Herbert Grench, Edward Jaynes
Audience of 3 persons
II. LAND MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
K. Duffy introduced John Nichols, Forest Resources Manager, East
Bay Regional Park District,who conducted the Land Management
Workshop. He presented the following information:
A. Description of Las Trampas
Las Trampas Regional Park is approximately 2,300 acres.
Characterized by the District as a wilderness park, it has been
a recent acquisition, and attempts at more intense development
have met with strong resistance from outspoken opponents
(citizen) at Board meetings. Present development consist of
12 picnic tables and barbecues, 4 fiberglass chemical toilets,
and a 47-space parking lot at the entrance of the park.
Material, construction, and labor for these developments
were contracted for at $10,000 three years ago. These costs
are estimated to be 25-30% higher if the work had been done
in 1973-74. Sheet metal toilets in the original contract
were replaced this year at a cost of $500 apiece. New fiber-
glass construction has so far prove vandalproof. Watertank
costs are between $500-$1,000 .
In 1973-74, the East Bay Regional Park District budgeted
$25, 000 for a part-time foreman, a groundsman, and a temporary
assistant groundsman in the summer months (equivalent to two
fulltime employees) . $1, 000 goes to maintenance costs.
1,1300 acres are covered by a grazing lease. Grazing has
been encouraged here as a fire retardant. Hikers , horseback
riders, and cows have proved to be compatible. Cows are fenced
out of the parking lot and picnic grounds by fencing which
permits physical entry by hikers only.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motion: N. Hanko moved acceptance of the minutes of May 4 ,
1974 as presented. D. Condron seconded. The motion
passed unanimously.
eeting 74-9 . . . page 2
The District charges $5. 50 per animal unit. There are 35
cattle ($2,310 yearly) . The District provides fencing materials
and the lessee the installation.
Trail barriers prohibit access by motorcycles beyond the park-
ing lot. Dogs are permitted only on leash because of the
tendancy of dogs to harass cows and picnickers.
A District ordinance titled #38, which is presently under
revision by the Board, sets out approved activities for each
park. Copies will be sent to the Midpeninsula Regional Park
District when the ordinance is approved. It is the only
ordinance adopted by the East Bay Regional Park District for
this purpose.
B. Land management Problems
Most of the early land ownerships consist of grid-type boundary
lines, whereas, park acquisitions and management considerations
should be based on the best interests of the District. From
this standpoint, it would be better to acquire pieces of ad-
joining property that make visual and management sense, even
if some of the pieces are sold at a later time. Land surveys
are important to establish the exact boundaries. This will
avoid disputes over where District controls begin and end.
The fire incidence is high where there is adjacent residential
development. Ridges are where fires are best stopped by fire
breaks. These breaks can simply be roads (scars not visible
from below) . This fact should be taken into account in ac-
quisition, perhaps even purchasing beyond the ridge and down
the other side both from a fire protection standpoint and a
visual one, in case there is someone who wants to build an
Empire State Building overlooking the park.
Fires are less of a problem in grassland areas than in those
containing dry chaparral. Cows are retained to encourage the
continuation of grasslands. Some restricted burning could be
done but it is not highly effective in chapparal areas that
sprout heavily.
It is necessary to look closely at fire protection. Often
government entities formerly responsible for fire protection
lose interest in continuing this service on land removed from
the tax rolls. Contracting for protection, however, could be
less costly than trying your own.
There are 3-5 fires experienced at Las Trampas yearly. Most
are people-caused--cigarettes, etc. From time to time some
of the parks are closed for a few days during high fire hazard
ratings from the end of July to the first rains. The California
Division of Forestry provides a fire danger rating but not
for every area of interest to the East Bay Regional Park
District. They have a fire measuring station ($500 cost) from
which measurements are taken twice a day during fire danger
months. There are also a series of "No Smoking" and "No Fires"
signs applied before it is necessary to close the parks.
N. ing 74-9 . . . page 3
C. Control of Vehicles
It isn' t necessarily important to fence every park. People
will get in under fences. The best controls are gates which
prevent vehicle access. Most people dislike being parted
from their cars, and will respect a locked gate. Barrier logs
are used in the interior of parks to discourage off-road
vehicles. It is important to establish a policy of non-
vehicular access through ironclad enforcement by tagging
violators when the park is first opened. Later control
is then made much easier.
D. Patrolling and Vandalism
Las Trampas is patrolled once daily. Most patrolling problems
are caused by overzealousness of patrolling officers (asking
for ID' s and other harassments) . Vandalism has been discouraged
by replacing sheet metal toilets with ones which have been
painted with artistic scences. Tunnels which formerly contained
much graffiti have been repainted with flowers, and people have
respected this. Toilets, which have long been a problem, are
now in one-piece molded fiberglass. A 9/16 socket wrench
is required to remove the wooden exterior from liner. The
fiberglass is enclosed in a wooden structure.
E. Liability
It would appear that park districts live in fear of liability.
However, it has not been a problem. It is our position that
unless the public is invited into something that is blatantly
hazardous, park districts cannot be held liable, Numerous
signs are posted so that they can't all be stolen or missed
in cases where trees are falling or unavoidable problems exist.
Roads are sometimes closed. Persons who are employed to
remove eucalyptus sign agreements releasing the EBRPD from
liability.
F. Recommendations for Staff
A jack-of-all-trades is probably needed--an organizer, perhaps
a Stanford graduate who knows his way around the Stanford Library
for resource materials needed, someone not afraid to use the
telephone to get answers, and not necessarily with land manage-
ment experience.
Certain infromation should be provided the Board in consideration
of each acquisition. This could be done by the existing staff
if they are not too busy with other matters. This information
should itendify development and maintenance problems (availability
and costs of providing water, need for chemical toiles, etc. ) .
The EBRPD provides pre-acquisition reports which contain all
this data, the relationship of the land to the plan for trails,
and suggested uses for the land, fire protection, and so forth.
Copies of these reports will be made available to the Mid-
peninsula Regional Park District as examples. Once property
is acquired, it is definitely necessary to have someone for
maintenance, a vehicle for equipment, and appropriate equipment.
:eting 74-9 . . . page 4
G. Land Tour
Editorial Comment: During the afternoon tour, we noticed
very deep rutting in the trails over which the cows and
numerous horses had been travelling, which led us to discuss
the problems of joint-use of trails and particularly of cow
and horse usage in the rainy season. We met with at least
20 of the 35 cows (all friendly) along the way.
ADJOURNMENT
K. Duffy adjourned the Special Meeting at 3: 30 p.m.
Nonette Hanko