News Subscribe  to Our Newsletter Sign  up for Email Updates CGF  In the News Press  Inquiries Past  Articles Calendar			Open space users  and managers discuss shared use at Environmental Forum by Velma Gentzsch Bay Area residents are fortunate to have some of  the most beautiful protected open space in the world. Our diverse population  enjoys using this open space in different ways - cycling, hiking, birding,  dog walking, horseback riding, among others - but all of these user groups  share a love for the wildness and beauty around them. Managing our public open space in a way that works to resolve conflicts  that arise from different uses is key to sustaining our natural beauty  and resources. To help focus on our common goals, and encourage the communication  necessary to resolve these differences, the Committee hosted a public  forum in February: "Managing  Public Lands: Competing Priorities for Open Space ." This environmental forum, is the third in a series, made possible in part  by a grant from the Community  Foundation Silicon Valley to the Green  Foothills Foundation, and co-sponsored by Acterra,  the Bay Area Ridge  Trail Council, Greenbelt  Alliance, the League  of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mountain View, Santa  Clara Valley Audubon Society , and the Sierra  Club Loma Prieta Chapter. Moderated by Jane Turnbull, Co-President of the League  of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mountain View, eight vibrant and engaging  panelists gathered in the Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium to discuss their  concerns and ideas for open space management and use. MROSD General Manager Craig Britton and Bay Area Ridge Trail Council Holly Van Houten discussed resource protection  and use of public open space at the Committee's environmental forum in  February. Panelists included Rich Allen, representing the equestrian community;  Craig Britton, General Manager of the Midpeninsula  Regional Open Space District ; mountain biker and hiker Rod Brown;  Keith Demetrak, Planning Division Chief, California  Department of Parks & Recreation; dog walking community representative  Jeri Eaton Flinn; Dr. Bill Freedman, representing the hiking/walking community;  Howard Levitt, Acting Assistant Superintendent for Operations, National  Park Service/Golden Gate National Recreation Area; and Holly van Houten,  Executive Director of the Bay  Area Ridge Trail Council. Not unexpectedly, panelists expressed different preferences and needs  for open space use and management - but also respect for other groups'  needs. Importantly, those responsible for managing public lands made clear  that their missions included resource protection as a primary mandate.  Such protection, they pointed out, often means that user groups may not  be able to use all open space at all times. Representatives from various  user groups agreed that flexibility and openness were key, and that further  communication with other user groups - and understanding of their needs  and styles - would help promote more harmonious shared use of open space. Because of decades of work by CGF and others, the open spaces of the Peninsula  are ours to enjoy and protect. We are hopeful that this forum helped us  take a step toward a future of shared enjoyment of these lands, and that  our region can lead the rest of the nation by demonstrating shared use  that keeps our open space beautiful for generations to come. A videotape of the forum is available in Acterra's  Environmental Library, (650) 962-9876. Published March 2003 in Green  Footnotes. Page last updated March 19, 2003 .

	Photo by Velma Gentzsch.