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A Petition to the Santa Cruz City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission:

  • The proposed City of Santa Cruz Parks Master Plan (PMP) advocates consideration of several new mountain biking trails on the Pogonip. We believe these trails will damage the natural beauty, habitat values and serenity of the Pogonip. We strongly urge that consideration of additional mountain biking trails on the Pogonip be withdrawn from the Parks Master Plan.
  • The 2030 City General Plan provides that priority uses for open space and natural areas such as the Pogonip are “passive recreational activities such as walking, jogging, hiking, picnicking, bird watching and relaxing”. More mountain biking is not a priority use for the Pogonip. The existing mountain biking trails are enough.
  • The GODBE survey research conducted for the City's Parks and Recreation Department clearly showed that hiking or walking outdoors (at 37.8%) far outweighed mountain biking (at 9.1%) in preferences of City residents for “fitness, athletics or sports activities”.
  • The proposed Parks Master Plan is totally lacking in on-the-ground environmental data necessary for credible review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). CEQA review of the proposed PMP cannot substitute for separate project level CEQA review of amendments to the existing Pogonip Master Plan that will be triggered by any new mountain biking trails.
  • The Pogonip is the crown jewel of the Santa Cruz Greenbelt, created in 1979 by citizens of Santa Cruz through the initiative process, and affirmed by the 1988 CALPAW (Proposition 70) funding for acquisition of Greenbelt lands. The Pogonip is a treasure that should be preserved by our City and strongly protected from excessive non-priority recreational uses.

This petition is being circulated by Friends of the Pogonip. To write to us, click here.

Please help to gather signatures. A pdf version of this petition is available here.

Or, try this: Download our new flyer, print it double-sided, cut it, and give them to your friends. It's here.