Bidwell Park Summit 2008, August 18th, 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
You're Invited to the Bidwell Park Summit 2008 to discuss recommendations for the Bidwell Master Management Plan Update which will Come before the Park Commission on August 25!
Friends of Bidwell Park invite you to participate in the Bidwell Park Summit 2008 on Monday, August 18, from 7-9 pm at the Chico Creek Nature Center's new building, 1968 East 8th St. This year's summit will focus on the Final Master Management Plan Update for Bidwell Park and the Final Environmental Impact Report and its proposed major park projects. These documents are on the agenda for the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission's (BPPC) meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 25 in the Chico City Council Chambers.
Specifically, we will review and discuss whether or not the responses to the public and agency comments adequately addressed the questions and concerns expressed. We will also discuss the City's current financial situation and how it might affect recreation and resource management in Bidwell Park for the next several years.
At its August 25 meeting, the BPPC commissioners will decide what changes, if any, they wish to recommend for the document. They will also decide whether to recommend approval of the Environmental Impact Report to the Chico City Council and whether to legitimize disc golf at its current "unofficial" Hwy 32 location. The final decisions will made by the City Council at a later meeting.
We have reviewed the Plan and have concerns about many aspects of it. For example, the proposed Plan:
Removes the vision and conditions of the Bidwell Deed as the guiding policy for the Park.
Paves the way for new intensive recreational development by embracing the previously unauthorized disc golf development, and ignores policies found in the General Plan and Municipal Code designed to keep the Park wild and for passive recreation.
Removes Management Plan policies that take a firm stand against unauthorized trails and roads.
Removes Management Plan policies to place development restrictions on Park adjacent properties.
and much more!
The proposed Plan is accompanied by an EIR that acknowledges the damage done to the wildflower fields, vernal pools and Blue Oak woodlands of the fragile shallow soiled Tuscan ridge top environment by the sport of disc golf, but fails to convincingly mitigate for the impacts.
A number of dedicated environmentalists commented on the Draft EIR, but failed to receive adequate answers. Come find out what members of the environmental community plan to do about this!
This is a critical time for Bidwell Park's future. The decisions made by the BPPC and the City Council will affect the Park for decades to come. Public participation is essential to ensure that future generations will enjoy the majestic beauty of this valuable and irreplaceable public resource. We urge you to attend both our August 18 Summit and the August 25 BPPC meeting. If you are unable to attend our Summit, please visit our Friends of Bidwell Park web site www.friendsofbidwellpark.org for information regarding Bidwell Park's past, present and, more importantly, its future!
Thank you,
Susan Mason
Friends of Bidwell Park
