Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Dec. 10, 2023

Support Cascade Canyon plan for trail improvements

I am writing in response to the recent article about plans to improve cycling access to Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve (“County pursues changes on trails,” Dec. 4).

Why has it taken nearly eight years for the county to work its way through “the regulatory process?” This feels like significant bureaucratic feet-dragging. The bridges and improvements make perfect sense to improve access for all user groups wanting to enjoy the preserve. It does so while improving protections for nature.

In the current setup, hikers and cyclists cross the creek bed daily. That is certainly causing damage to the environmentally sensitive area. As an avid hiker and mountain biker who frequently visits this preserve, I rarely see more than a few hikers and/or cyclists when there. For those naysayers who think that this project will attract hordes of additional users, I say that is unlikely.

Everyone needs to accept that existing and new users will continue to come, regardless of improvement plans. If installing these bridges brings a handful of new users to the preserve, so be it. The land is there for all to use and enjoy. Inclusion and equity cannot coexist with a “not in my backyard” attitude.

I read about concerns that the annual Thanksgiving Day ride, which has existed in the preserve for decades, could be in jeopardy. It is a wonderful tradition that brings in people from all over to enjoy Marin’s beauty and rich history of mountain biking.

However, I think the proposed improvements would eliminate the risk of environmental damage by allowing riders to safely traverse the canyon for this event. One day a year of happy riders passing through the neighborhood is hardly something to get upset about. If this tradition was a trail-running event (like the Dipsea Race), would the community be more likely to embrace it?

— Sean Solway, San Anselmo

Eagle Scout’s project is a true help to community

Congratulations to Rory McLean, the Eagle Scout whose project was noted in a recent Marin IJ article (“Marin teen’s Eagle Scout project focuses on flooding,” Nov. 27).

He helped improve emergency preparation methods by finding a way to fill sandbags in a more efficient manner. He saw a need, and set about to find a way to improve the situation. That’s fantastic.

— Nancy Greenfield, Larkspur

Support supervisors’ plan for former golf course

I have to wonder if authors of recent letters critical of the condition of the former San Geronimo Golf Course prefer their public open spaces to be manicured, fertilized and doused with herbicides. I suspect the many people of all ages who regularly visit this spacious and beautiful property to walk for pleasure and/or health (with and without dogs), run, bicycle, go birding and otherwise enjoy the natural flora, fauna and gentle terrain do not.

For some residents in this rural area, it is the best nearby place to safely walk or otherwise recreate. It may not be obvious from a car zipping past on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, but the property is regularly mowed, trees are being trimmed and trash receptacles are regularly emptied.

Moving the Marin County Fire Department’s headquarters to the former golf course is hardly a boondoggle. In fact, the move actually would accomplish multiple worthwhile objectives.

First, it will provide direct and much safer access to Sir Francis Drake, Nicasio Valley Road and the entire San Geronimo-Lagunitas area, rather than forcing vehicles responding to emergencies to take an indirect route through residential neighborhoods just to reach main roads. Second, because the county fire department covers a far larger area and must respond to more varied incidents than does a city department, it needs more room for storage and maintenance of a greater variety of equipment, staff training and housing of more on-duty personnel, as well as more administrative office space.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors should be congratulated, not castigated, for having the foresight to preserve this treasure for all county residents to enjoy.

— George Forman, Nicasio