News Subscribe to Our Newsletter Sign up for Email Updates CGF In the News Press Inquiries Past Articles Calendar			Palo Alto Weekly November 7, 2001   Green groups unite  against university Issue of foothills  trails placement will go before the county by Don Kazak A dispute over where to build two foothills trails on Stanford lands has brought  together a coalition of environmental groups. The difference is reminiscent of the fight over the Stanford hills during the general use permit (GUP) process which ended last December. Under the terms of the GUP, a trails plan must be agreed to within five weeks, Dec.12, the one-year anniversary of the approval of the permit by Santa Clara County. County officials will hold a meeting on the Stanford campus on Nov. 15 to talk about the trails issue. Stanford wants one of the required trails to use the Arastradero Road underpass under I-280, which the green groups have sharply criticized. Instead, the groups want the trail to use a cow tunnel under I-280 closer to the popular Dish Area. But Stanford officials counter the cow tunnel is substandard and would be unsafe as a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel. Placement of the trails is one of the first requirements of the GUP, and is being watched closely by others as a result. "This is really the first environmental condition Stanford is required to do under the GUP," said Denice Dade of the Committee for Green Foothills. "We believe it will be indicative of how Stanford will deal with other compliance conditions." The six organizations united against Stanford's trails plan are the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Committee for Green Foothills, Stanford Open Space Alliance, Sierra Club, Acterra and Mid-Peninsula Action for Tomorrow. County officials will hold an "informational meeting" about the proposed  trails and other GUP issues at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15 in the Oak Lounge  at Stanford's Tresidder Union. Page last updated November 19, 2001 .