1 April 2002

Letter to Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Commission

Dear Parks and Recreation Commission,

We are "Friends of Lighthouse Field," a newly formed group of citizens who care deeply about this extraordinary parkland. Our membership includes a broad cross-section of our community: seniors and young people, blue collars, white collars, and no collars. Many of us have dogs, and some of us don't. We share a commitment to the preservation of Lighthouse Field as a unique community resource, the stewardship of its natural beauty and habitat, and the continuation of a successful off-leash environment that facilitates recreation and socialization for both dogs and residents.

We came together as a group of friends and acquaintances because we recognize the importance of working constructively with the Parks and Recreation Department to help educate ourselves and each other on matters of resource management and protection. We wish to act as a focal point so that the interests of the dog-supportive community can be expressed clearly in a friendly, respectful way. We are concerned that a few individuals who have expressed disregard for the natural beauty and value of Lighthouse Field and disregard for meeting decorum and common courtesy may appear to represent dog owners as a whole. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our membership values good social behavior, of both dogs and people.

We appreciate the splendor of Lighthouse Field's open space and its natural features, and strongly support reasonable and appropriate efforts to preserve it. To this end, Friends of Lighthouse Field proposes to initiate a Stewardship Team of volunteers to collaborate with the Parks and Recreation Department in educating dog owners and the rest of the public about the importance of preserving sensitive habitat areas. We believe that by working together with the rangers and docents, our community can be an important ally in preserving Lighthouse Field's unique character and eliciting public participation.

This kind of activity is not new to us. Although our organization is new, our members have a long history of organizing park clean-up days-coordinated with local park personnel-to pick up where some dog-owners have left off, as well as picking up trash and other debris. Many of us have taken it upon ourselves to ask others to protect butterfly habitat or to keep dogs out of what we now call the riparian corridor. We often employ positive peer pressure to encourage others to clean up after their dogs to keep the park clean and safe.

We are delighted that the Parks and Recreation Department has expressed its commitment to the continued off-leash dog use of Lighthouse Field and Its Beach by including in the Preliminary Concepts of the General Plan update extending the dog off-leash hours at Its Beach during non-peak seasons, and by extending off leash hours to include all daylight hours at Lighthouse Field. We are avid supporters of these concepts, and hope they will be adopted.

We also support the protection of sensitive habitat as appropriate, but we still have many questions. We are eager for additional information as it becomes available as to which areas might be designated as sensitive and why, and to better understand what solutions and options may be available. We are extremely interested in participating in developing solutions that are truly workable for all the inhabitants and users of the park.

Thank you for taking the time to listen and consider these words. We look forward to working with you as this process develops, and to seeing you at Lighthouse Field as we continue to work, play, and socialize in this unique and treasured park.

Friends of Lighthouse Field