South Skyline Association

Background. Since Castle Rock State Park opened in 1968 it has grown to about 3800 acres. The Park is ruggedly beautiful, unique for its sweeping views of mountain and sea, prominent rock outcroppings, and its proximity to a large urban population. Climbers are attracted to the prime climbing rocks. Day hikers are afforded a near-wilderness experience, as they hike through the largest black oak forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Back-packers can hike all the way to the ocean, camping along the way. The Park is home to a vast range of wildlife, including several endangered species. But, by all accounts, the natural resources have been neglected, impacted and overused, especially by the rock climbers who have made "volunteer" trails, scraped moss from the rocks, cut inconvenient tree branches, compacted the soil, and drilled and placed nearly 600 bolts in the fragile rock. State Parks is finally writing a General Plan for the Park. Since Eric Isacson reviewed the details in the October Skylines, I'll make my comments supplemental to his.

The climbers and the mountain bikers were well represented at the first two public hearings. With State Parks under pressure to create additional revenue, and given the nature of the public hearing process, we should not be surprised that the primary user groups have set the agenda. There are plans to develop the Park to provide recreational activities for an increasing regional and state-wide visitor population, including day use, additional camping (perhaps including RV's) and a park headquarters, all based on the model of traditional State parks. There are many questions and issues that ultimately need to be dealt with, some of which are being addressed in the General Plan, some to be dealt with later, and others which appear to be overlooked entirely.

Issues of concern that have been overlooked:

	Increased traffic on Highways 9 and 35 and other access roads
	Increased demand on emergency services
	A hazardous turn into, and especially out of, Partridge Farm, site of the proposed development
	Wildfire caused by careless campers and an excess of accumulated fuel on the ground
	Animals becoming habituated to humans (and our food)
	Staffing levels (which have already been cut by two-thirds) adequate to manage increased visitation

Issues to be addressed later:

	Parking
	Mountain bikes
	Hiking trails
	Multi-use trails (including mountain bikes and equestrian uses)
	Impact of rock climbing
	A multi-agency visitor center at Saratoga Gap
	Impact on the wildlife and on the local and regional ecology

It should be noted that none of the recommendations in the General Plan must be implemented before any development takes place.

The key issue that is being decided now: What is to be the nature and purpose of the Park?
What is the carrying capacity of the natural resources, as well as that of the local infrastructure, of a Park that can expect a steadily increasing visitation? Is the Park a wilderness to be preserved, protected, restored and used wisely, or is it primarily for organized user groups from near and far?

The planning team, in early drafts, has made itself clear on this point. The existing Declaration of Purpose calls for the Park to be managed in a "near-wilderness manner ... ", but the planning team has proposed a re-write that, at the insistence of Dave Vincent, Superintendent in the Santa Cruz office, deletes that language, replacing it with language favoring recreational use. The CRSP Advisory Committee has voted unanimously to restore the language. But Tony Look and the Sempervirens Fund have long lobbied for development. To "balance" this concentrated use, the early drafts propose to create a "natural preserve" with limited access. Are we to left with the possibility of creating two parks, one preserved behind fences and signs, the other "loved to death" like Yosemite? Even though this critical question has not been adequately presented for public comment, fully one third of those at the last public hearing indicated a preference for a "wilderness" park. The voices of the friends and neighbors of the Park, casual users, and those who work to support the Park have not been heard by State Parks, as they move to affirm development plans made decades ago.

The next public hearing is set for January 16, 1998. If you'd like to know more, come to a SSA hike on January 11 to get to know the Park. We hope to have ranger Miles Standish give us a guided tour, with a chance for Q and A. Meet at the gate into Partridge Farm, on Highway 35 two miles south of Highway 9. Discussion will continue after the hike at the Las Cumbres Community Center.