HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018/05/22 - Written Communications Sheree Kansas
From: Kris Kwon <kris.kwon@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2018 10:42 PM
To: msalas@chulavista.gov
Cc: jmccan@chulavistaca.gov; Patricia Aguilar; Steve C. Padilla; Mike Diaz
Subject: Otay Lakes Trails
Hello. As a resident of Chula Vista, hiking around the Otay lakes trails has been an almost weekly occurrence. the proximity to
my home and the pleasant views are some of the reasons why my family and I frequent the area. This is a request to keep the
trails open. I understand that the closing of the trails stems from the desire to protect endangered species, which is a grand
gesture. However, I have been told that the vast majority of the endangered species are located elsewhere from the paths of the
trails. If this is true, then I would like to have access to these trails once again. Thank you for for you time, it is very much
appreciated.
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Sheree Kansas
From: Cheyne Ostrander <cheynell@berkeley.edu>
Sent: Saturday,June 09, 2018 2:10 PM
To: Mary Salas;jmccan@chulavistaca.gov; paguillar@chulavistaca.gov; Steve C. Padilla; Mike
Diaz; greg.cox@sdcounty.ca.gov
Subject: Upper Otay Hiking Trail
To Whom It May Concern:
Hello and happy June!
I'm writing to you all today after a morning romp in the Upper Otay area off Proctor Valley Rd. I'm not quite sure the name of the trail,
but there's an area just adjacent to a vineyard with a few parking spots, a gate,an informational map, and a well-defined trail to the top
of a mountain. My dad and I noticed a letter written by another hiker concerning the city's involvement in the closure of the Upper Otay
trail and the others in the Otay watershed.
I've been away from my Eastlake hometown studying environmental science at college, so I am certainly an enthusiast of wildlife
preservation and efforts to protect sensitive habitat. In the meantime, I was sad to discover all but one of my local trails were closed. My
dad and I used to be able to walk from our house to three different summits. However, this hiker's notice brought up an interesting
argument against the closure;the endangered Quino butterfly responsible for the closure apparently appeared when the trail was open
and uses the trail itself to lay larvae. It would seem, then,that the hiking trail has not posed a threat to the butterfly. Plus, most of the
erosion of the trails occurred at the one Mother Miguel trail leftover from the closures.The hiker's letter shared that few community
members have reached out to show their support of the Otay trail, so I would like to add mine and my dad's name to the list of local
people who use the Otay trail and would like it to remain useable.
I'd also like to mention that except for this hiker's notice, my family has been blindsided by these recent closures.What was effective
about this hiker's notice was that it was clearly visible and posted at the trailhead in question. The city's decisions and plans seem far
less accessible; a search on your website revealed a 245 page outline of the plans. I wonder why the city couldn't have—like the
hiker—drafted a notice to be posted at the trailheads warning or, better yet, inviting users to learn about and participate in the ideas
being discussed behind closed doors. I have a suspicion the people who use the trail for exercise and peace are not the type to rely on
city websites and 245 page plans for news about their local trails. How many of the elected officials actually making the decisions
interact with these trails and their frequent neighborhood users?
A final remark:the Eastlake environment has been becoming more and more built every year. My dad and I were born and raised in
Bonita and in our lifetimes we've seen what was once a rural area transition to a commercial suburbia riddled with shopping malls and
apartments. The foot of Mt. Miguel and the Upper Otay trail are also congested with new housing developments near the trailheads.
This being said, I understand the need to protect the land as the influx of new neighbors creates more traffic and invites people without
knowledge and respect for trail etiquette. On the other hand, I'd like the city to consider how it's own history of bureaucratic decisions
regarding new business projects, commerce, and land use degrade the land and precipitate the traffic which causes erosion and the
need for closures. For most of my childhood before the closures,the Upper Otay trail and the Mt. Miguel trail were once relatively
unknown gems—my dad and I could summit without seeing a soul. Specifically, the Upper Otay summit trail was a ghost town; the only
indication that people had been to the top was the two foot wide trail itself. Accessible nature opportunities are, in my opinion, essential
to a valuable human experience, especially today. Those of us who require outdoors to escape the upcoming Eastlake hustle and .
bustle need somewhere to go.Thus, it follows that the Mother Miguel trail is becoming eroded as all of the hikers are concentrated in
one place. Now,though we can see these two other summit choices from our windows,the trails are unused and the locals who have
grown up appreciating the underrated beauty of our great Otay outdoors and its species are forced to go on hikes around Otay Ranch
Mall.
Thank you for your consideration and efforts.
Cheyne Ostrander and my dad, Mark Ostrander--hiker trash of Eastlake Greens
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