Open space users and managers discuss shared use at Environmental Forum
by Velma Gentzsch

Bay Area residents are fortunate to have some of the most beautiful protected open space in the world. Our diverse population enjoys using this open space in different ways - cycling, hiking, birding, dog walking, horseback riding, among others - but all of these user groups share a love for the wildness and beauty around them.

Managing our public open space in a way that works to resolve conflicts that arise from different uses is key to sustaining our natural beauty and resources. To help focus on our common goals, and encourage the communication necessary to resolve these differences, the Committee hosted a public forum in February: "Managing Public Lands: Competing Priorities for Open Space."

This environmental forum, is the third in a series, made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation Silicon Valley to the Green Foothills Foundation, and co-sponsored by Acterra, the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, Greenbelt Alliance, the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mountain View, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, and the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter.

Moderated by Jane Turnbull, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mountain View, eight vibrant and engaging panelists gathered in the Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium to discuss their concerns and ideas for open space management and use.


MROSD General Manager Craig Britton and Bay Area Ridge Trail Council Holly Van Houten discussed resource protection and use of public open space at the Committee's environmental forum in February.

Panelists included Rich Allen, representing the equestrian community; Craig Britton, General Manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District; mountain biker and hiker Rod Brown; Keith Demetrak, Planning Division Chief, California Department of Parks & Recreation; dog walking community representative Jeri Eaton Flinn; Dr. Bill Freedman, representing the hiking/walking community; Howard Levitt, Acting Assistant Superintendent for Operations, National Park Service/Golden Gate National Recreation Area; and Holly van Houten, Executive Director of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council.

Not unexpectedly, panelists expressed different preferences and needs for open space use and management - but also respect for other groups' needs. Importantly, those responsible for managing public lands made clear that their missions included resource protection as a primary mandate. Such protection, they pointed out, often means that user groups may not be able to use all open space at all times. Representatives from various user groups agreed that flexibility and openness were key, and that further communication with other user groups - and understanding of their needs and styles - would help promote more harmonious shared use of open space.

Because of decades of work by CGF and others, the open spaces of the Peninsula are ours to enjoy and protect. We are hopeful that this forum helped us take a step toward a future of shared enjoyment of these lands, and that our region can lead the rest of the nation by demonstrating shared use that keeps our open space beautiful for generations to come.

A videotape of the forum is available in Acterra's Environmental Library, (650) 962-9876.