I live in Holiday Lake Estates, a comparable hillside area,
close to trails in a small county park.
Dear Editor,
I live in Holiday Lake Estates, a comparable hillside area, close to trails in a small county park.
Who wouldn?t want to live near trails, particularly if one has young children, or young grandchildren? Do parents and grandparents dare let their children or grandchildren walk on Jackson Oaks roads? Heavens no. The trails proposal would offer an opportunity to get out with the kids, to explore the glorious wildflowers of spring, the lovely grasslands of summer. For that matter, trails close to home offer a chance to get out yourself after a busy day at work, or on one of our delicious weekends.
I walk the trails of Rosendin County Park two or three times a week. There are two, maybe three, miles of trails, just right for an hour in the sun. I would guess that 90 to 95 percent of those I encounter along the way are neighbors. I see the same people, we exchange a moment or two of conversation, or maybe merely wave. On today’s walk I saw a group of three people with a small dog, and one runner. That’s it. On weekends small family groups, usually with young children, are out exploring. The park is practically devoid of litter. Occasionally I’ve encountered teenagers on the trails. Guess what? Not one cell phone, not one video game in hand. Imagine that.
Look, I know about wildfires. I’ve had a fire engine sit in front of my house while hot embers blew over from a fire north of the dam. The fire was not started by a hiker. There was a small grass fire in the park, started by heavy equipment in the vicinity. It was not started by a hiker. Talk to the people at Coe Park. Hundreds of hikers trek up and down the trails there. No fires started by hikers.
