Fwd: Update on Storke pathway, workshops coming up, and preserve etiquette

[zjo...@aol.com]

Dear All-

 

UCSB and The Trust for Public Lands met with the public July 13 th for a walking tour.  Thanks goes to Annie Linn for the up-date below. 

 

The next similar activity will be Wednesday, August 7 th, 5 PM at the Ocean Meadows clubhouse.  As you can see the discussions are wide in scope and certainly will go on for many years.  Major changes to the property will also be subject to government permit processes that will benefit from neighboring properties input.  We can also anticipate open space use changes due to the occupation of the North Campus development consisting of about 300 living units.

 

The Fairways Board considers the Ocean Meadows property a serious, long term issue affecting our community.  Security, rodents, dust, and future fire hazards are just a few of the concerns being voiced.  Therefore the Board took action to form the "Fairways Ocean Meadows Committee" at our meeting in May.  The Board also took action to have the weeds on our property line mowed as an emergency measure.

 

Communicating with UCSB with a unified Fairways voice is important to our neighborhood and long term official communication is the primary goal of this developing committee.  On Thursday, July 25 th, 6 PM at Rustys we will set a date for a neighborhood discussion meeting and elect a liaison Director to link this Committee to the HOA.

 

Interested Residents are encouraged to join the committee mailing list by simply replying to this e-mail.  We will compile an e-mail list associated with this effort.

 

Best wishes to all,

 

John

 

-----Original Message-----
From: lalinns <lal...@accesswest.com>
To: FOM <F...@cox.net>
Cc: stratton <stra...@ccber.ucsb.edu>; Kim <K...@COAST-SantaBarbara.org>
Sent: Wed, Jul 24, 2013 10:52 am
Subject: Update on Storke pathway, workshops coming up, and preserve etiquette

July 24, 2013

Dear Friends,

STORKE PATHWAY GOOD NEWS

Yesterday UCSB announced that an 8 foot "multi-use" pathway will be installed along Storke Rd. from Whittier to Venoco Rd.  as part of their project construction of the Sierra Madre Family Housing. The pathway will eventually be extended to El Colegio.  This multi-use path  was negotiated thanks to the diligent efforts of Kim Stanley-Zimmerman, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST).  Kudos and many thanks to Kim and local officials for their efforts in the discussions with UCSB to enable this safe pathway for local residents on their way to and from our neighborhoods, the preserve, UCSB and IV school.  Thanks also to  Jessica Grant for her updates and involvement.

VISITOR ETIQUETTE ON THE PRESERVE

Many human visitors  like to visit the preserve, sometimes along with our friends the canine.  In addition to our visits to the slough, it is a home to many forms of wildlife: the more obvious birds, squirrels, rabbits, lizards, snakes and insects,   the rarely seen creatures of the night skunks, opossum, weasel, raccoon and coyote as well as the difficult to see amphibians and fish that inhabit the sloughs and creeks.  In respect to these permanent inhabitants and the preservation of native plants and habitats, we should be thoughtful of our presence and follow  a few common sense practices:

 

1.  Dogs need to be leashed.  Unleashed dogs endanger birds and other wildlife, and frighten them from nests and secure habitat.

 

2.  Carry out any trash you may bring in, including dog poop.  Bring a poop bag if you bring in a canine visitor.  Dog feces could degrade the aquatic habitat and are a nuisance. If you see poop or trash, do the right thing and pick it up if possible.   

 

3. Stay on trails.

 

Thank you for your care of this beautiful area.

 

 MORE COMMUNITY PLANNING WORKSHOPS!

Please schedule  to attend at least one or both of the remaining Community workshops at the Preserve. 

 

The next one is Wednesday August 7 at 5pm at the old golf course clubhouse area off of Whittier Drive, and the last one will be Wednesday September 29 at 5 pm, same location. 

 

The more folks who attend and contribute to the preserve's   planning, the more the eventual design will reflect the needs of the community. 

Thanks again to all of your who participated in the July 13th  workshop on the preserve, and  also to those who participated in the Storke discussions with UCSB, wrote letters to elected officials and contributed in some way to the eventual resolution of the pathway design.

SIncerely,

Annie Linn

Friends of Ocean Meadows/Upper Devereaux Slough