Hi gang,

Sorry gangistas I was hoping to get all of this to all of you earlier today.

Enclosed and attached are the most recent docs on this sordid sell out. Initial SP/MM cold Spartan 11 line edict, that somehow got to us a day or two before the Friday meeting. Certainly not in time to respond and / or react. But then that does seem to be the intent and fits well with the SP modus operandi. All "INPUT" was for he 2 Feb meeting. (Yeah Right! LOL LOL LOL) Except it's not that funny to us.

- no general town hall meeting as put forth

- no neutral facilitator as put forth

- no give & take in the arena of ideas about what to do as suggested

- no validation of positions as requested and promised

- Only the EDICT

You all know I could go on and on and yet on. But the event is over and this e-mail is an honest and true request for your input so we can compile it into the ever-mounting hard copy record. First Triplicate article 02-03-06 am An announcement of the 02-03-06 pm meeting, gee why does the date sound familiar? At least this time we had little more than the usual couple of hours notification.

We call this the "So Much For Meaningful INPUT'" article. I know many of you have other expressions for it. But the event is over and this e-mail is an honest and true request for your input so we can compile it into the ever-mounting hard copy record. Please don't hold back, any and all choice words, terms, Star War epitaphs, and biblical description are all heartily accepted dutifully summarized and past on. Second Triplicate article 02-04-06 am "The Holy Mole-Iy article" What A Turn Out, God You Gangistas Were Great!!! In spite of poor announcements, poor and conflicting instructions and expectations that only a manageable "park lockdown set" would show up at the "60 CAP" room; well so many OHVers came to express their concern that the waiting line was about a block long. Unfortunately many of them had to leave before they could get in (so I guess we can call this the "SP Lockout" meeting). Even our local opinion rag felt obligated to mention it as well as spin it to look like it was balanced crowd. (Yeah Right! LOL LOL LOL)

In this article MM fesses up, says to those who never got to express their ideas not to worry; because "they won't likely affect the management strategy which will be implemented starting today."

As noted before this e-mail is an honest and true request for your input so we can compile it into the ever-mounting hard copy record.TOLOWA DUNES STATE PARK

OFF HIGHWEAY MOTOR VEHICLES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FEBRUARY 3, 2006

Street Legal Vehicles Only

15 mph Speed Limit

Day Use Only - Sunrise to Sunset

WAVESLOPE NORTH ANF SOUTH OF KELLOGG ROAD Permitted Commercial Fisherman - Street Legal Vehicles

PARK LANDS EAST OF THE WAVESLOPF No Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Use

Tolowa

Dunes

OHV

Input

TRIPLICATE 02.-05- O 6

sought

When: 6:30 p.m. today

Where: Elk Valley Community Center, 2298 Norris Ave.

Triplicate staff writer California State Parks will hold a public workshop tonight to share its new management strategy for off-highway vehicle use at Tolowa Dunes State Park.

State Park Superintendent Matilyn Murphy said she thinks the plan --which the agency came up with after six

While the management strategy does allow for some off-high-way activity, it limits use to street legal vehicles.

This may rankle local off-high-way vehicle enthusiasts, who have vocally advocated for state parks to allow the use of all-terrain vehicles, quads and dirt bikes on the beach.

The management strategy breaks an area popular with off-highway enthusiasts -- the beach at the end of Kellogg Road-- into three segments, and assigns roles to each.

On the wave slope north of Kellogg Road, the plan allows for street legal vehicles to drive at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. This use would be restricted to daytime only.(See OHV, Page AIO)

OHV: Park employees will be on hand to talk

(Continued from Page Al) manned by state park employees, off-highway beach access that drew

On the wave slope south of Kellogg Road, it allows for only permitted commercial fishermen driving street legal vehicles.

And east of the wave slope on the inland areas, all off-highway vehicle use will continue to be prohibited.

State parks wants feedback at tonight's workshop, Murphy said.

People are welcome to bring comments, letters, pictures and any input on how best this management strategy can be implemented, Murphy said.

There will be booths set up to address specific issues -- such as history of the }and, cultural and natural resources that need to be protected and the plan itself--and who will answer questions and listen to comment.

The contentious issue of off-highway access was sparked in August, when state parks announced its intent to begin enforcing a ban of the use on the beach off of Kellogg Road in an attempt to comply with its own regulations.

Specifically, the state park regulation that calls for the confinement of motor vehicles to "paved areas and other areas specifically designated and maintained for normal ingress, egress and parking."

This announcement elicited public outcry and churned up a debate about

everyone from commercial perch fishermen to bird watchers and members of off-highway rider clubs.

Opponents of the use argue that erratic drivers create a perilous atmosphere on the beach for pedestrians and animals as well as do irrevocable damage to dune mat and wetland species by leaving the beach to mash through the delicate dune areas.

Proponents argue that the family-oriented activity is a long-standing tradition in this county, most off-high-way vehicle riders are safe and responsible and access must be preserved in order to provide elderly, disabled and commercial fishermen an opportunity to get to the beach.

OHV hearing for Tolowa Dunes

Many in attendance to express opinions on plan barring use

Triplicate staff writer Any doubt that off-highway vehicle access at Tolowa Dunes State Park is a sizzling issue in Del Norte County was quashed Friday as hordes of people showed up for a Califomia State Parks public workshop m discuss its newly unveiled management strategy.

The parking lot at the Elk Valley Community Center was jammed, and inside, the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd reached capacity shortly after the workshop began.

People showed up to learn and listen, but mainly to express their opinions on the new management strategy -- which limits off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity on the beach at the end of Kellogg Road to street-legal vehicles.

The plan allows those vehicles to drive at speeds up to 15 mph during daylight hours on the wave slope north of Kellogg, and it permits commercial fishermen only to drive street-legal vehicles on the wave slope south of the road. It restricts all vehicle use on inland and dune areas.

Opinions ran the gamut. "I'm here to try to keep the beach open for four-wheelers and quads," said Don Marcum, who has been riding on Kellogg Beach for six years.

Marcum said the plan hamstrings OHV enthusiasts who don't have any other nearby beaches to ride on.

He added that while there are forest roads for riding, they can be steep and treacherous, especially for young people.

(Continued from Page Al) On the other side of the issue, Scott Greacen, a public lands coordinator for the Environmental Protection Information Center in Eureka, said the plan doesn't do enough to protect

resources.

"I think it's a grudging baby step in the right direction, but it's not enough," he said.

According to State Parks regulations, Greacen said, off-high-way vehicles "are explicitly barred."

"Tolowa Dunes was established to protect some really important natural resources and cultural resources," he said. "The use of off-highway vehicles is not compatible with that."

Robert Mitchell said the plan will hamper his hobbies of duck hunting before dawn and smelt fishing after dark.

"They need to give (the land) back to the people and keep the state's fingers off it," Mitchell said.

Wendell Wood, spokesman for Tolowa Dunes Stewards, said the concept of off-highway vehicles in state parks is incongruous.

"Off-road vehicles are not provided for in state parks," he said. "The argument that they should be allowed is inappropriate and wholly illegal."

State Parks and Fish and Game employees manning booths at the meeting had their hands full fielding questions and listening to comments.

In addition, people wrote opinions on huge sketch pads set up around the room.

Northcoast District State Parks Superintendent Marilyn Murphy said the comments gathered Friday will be put together in an organized manner, reviewed and made available for the public to read.

However, they won't likely affect the management strategy, which will be implemented starting today.

Murphy said that, in order to implement it, enforcement-- the effectiveness of which has been largely criticized -- will be ramped up this year.

Murphy also said she supports the creation of an alternative track or place of public use of off-highway vehicles in Del Norte.

"With this big of turnout, there's definitely a need for a place for green-sticker off-high-way vehicles," she said.

Dorrie Bruce, who has spoken in opposition of OHV use, told Murphy that when she initially read the plan, she didn't like it.

But then, she said, she realized that "it's a compromise. And that's what it's ail about."

Don't forget to send any and all comments and / or observations by return. We'll be getting back to you with the compiled results and recommendations. So don't forget to reply.

As always best regards,

ALT

ALT's e-mail: altetal@charter.net

Julie's e-mail: jpickerill3911@charter.net