Share views on trail repairs
IF you enjoy hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, plan to attend one of the public hearings that begins next week on the first comprehensive overhaul of trails.
Under consideration is the completion of the Backbone Trail, as well as opening that trail to camping and adding more than 200 miles of public routes.
About 500,000 hikers, bikers and dog walkers use 480 miles of trails in the mountains that stretch from Hollywood to Ventura County. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California State Parks Department and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy are soliciting advice on how to accommodate so many diverse users.
“This is huge. People are concerned about their opportunity to ride bikes on the trails or whether the trail they like to hike stays the same,” says Melanie Beck, outdoor recreation planner for the National Park Service.
The meetings are Sept. 20 in Canoga Park, Sept. 22 in Camarillo, Sept. 2 in Malibu, Sept. 26 in Calabasas, Sept. 28 in Los Angeles River Center and Sept. 29 in Thousand Oaks. For details, visit www.nps.gov/samo/trails/pdfs/TMPMeetingLocations.pdf.
-- Gary Polakovic
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