South Skyline Association

STATE OF CALIFORNIA - RESOURCES AGENCY
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
P.O. BOX 942896
SACRAMENTO 94296-0001

March 3, 1998

To: Castle Rock Advisory Committee Members
From: Castle Rock Planning Team, Dave Keck, Project Manager
Subject: Castle Rock State Park General Plan, Clarification of Planning Proposals

Wildland Values

The State Park Classification emphasizes the protection of significant natural resources. The General Plan, through its Purpose, Vision and Management statements, reinforces the goals of preservation and management for natural processes and the recovery of valuable habitat. While the General Planning Team believes that Castle Rock State Park is not a true wilderness, we agree that the term "wildlands", if adequately defined, should be include into the statement of Purpose for the park.

The General Plan will also emphasize, in the Interpretive themes, the recovery of natural processes and the park as a component of the Santa Cruz Mountains ecosystem and its evolutionary processes.

Natural Preserve

Approximately 50% of the park is proposed for subclassification as a Natural Preserve. Most of this area includes special wildlife habitat and plant communities on slopes 30% or greater. Department policy limits development within the natural preserve to trails and interpretive signing. Roads, parking, restrooms, and other structures are placed outside natural preserves. The Superintendent has the authority to regulate use and prohibit certain activities in the park. The General Plan will make recommendations and provide justification for limited access and use of the proposed natural preserve (please refer to the attached issue paper on the natural preserve). The General Plan will recommend that bicycles, horses, and rock climbing activities not be allowed in the natural preserve.

The issue of "free-roaming" in the natural preserve is not specifically governed by official policy, other than for protection of natural and cultural resources. This is an operational issue regarding resource management and potential impacts from increasing numbers of people in remote areas of the park. These issues will be guided by the unit trails plan and future management plans to be prepared by the District.

Old logging roads will not be restored for purposes of preserving cultural features. Old road alignments (where they present erosion and other problems) will be surveyed and removed, and the native landscape restored.

Ridge Trail Cliff is a climbing rock that is located within the proposed Natural Preserve and a significant distance from other climbs. This is one of a few sites along the Ridge Trail (in addition to Lion Caves) that the General Plan will recommend be closed to climbing. The purpose is to restore impacted areas and provide what we perceive as a manageable climbing area within the Castle Rock Ridge RMZ. A comprehensive Climbing Management Plan will guide low impact use in the climbing area.

Travertine Springs is a special habitat located outside the natural preserve boundary. This special habitat will be protected through sound resource management efforts, including proper trail construction and interpretation. Travertine Springs is separated from the proposed natural preserve by a powerline corridor, the management of which doesn’t fit within the philosophy of a natural preserve. Therefore, the preserve boundary will not be proposed to include Travertine Springs.

Multi-agency Visitor Center

This visitor center concept should be a multi-agency planning effort, that serves more than Castle Rock State Park. The general planning team recognizes that Saratoga Gap location is a good candidate for this type of facility, but recommends doing a feasibility study to evaluate traffic conditions and potential environmental impacts. This study should include other interested agencies and consider alternative sites outside Castle Rock State Park.

The General Plan will identify the needs of State Parks and the appropriate functions that could be served by a Saratoga Gap Visitor Center. However, Castle Rock State Park, without multi-agency participation, could not justify this type of facility for visitor contact or interpretive purposes. A visitor center complex at the Gap should not provide long-term visitor parking for day use visitors.

Administrative, Maintenance, Headquarters & Public Contact Facilities

The General Plan will indicate that the Caltrans site would be a good location to establish park administrative, maintenance, and storage functions. This site will require specific studies and investigations prior to State Parks acquisition. The planning team has concluded that the Caltrans site should not be considered for a park headquarters office, or public use, citing potential conflicts with private property access and adjacent residential land use.

Tin Can Ranch will be considered as an alternative site for park administrative and maintenance functions if Caltrans site is not available.

The Park Headquarters and primary public contact are recommended for Partridge Farm. The Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) process will determine to what degree this use, in conjunction with other uses, is compatible with protecting resource values. Visitor contact can range from kiosk operation to park headquarters office, with either adaptive use of Partridge house or a new structure. The park entry experience, transitional space into the wildland areas, and low intensity development concepts shall guide development and uses at Partridge Farm. Natural and cultural resources will be protected and interpreted to the public.

Visitor Parking Location and Capacity

Prior to establishing parking at Partridge Farm, the Department shall determine the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) for the surrounding areas (Lion Caves, Black Oak Woodland, and Castle Rock Ridge RMZ). The purpose of the LAC is to establish a baseline for monitoring change, evaluate causes and effects, and make necessary adjustments, including visitor and facility capacities. The LAC will be the primary determining factor in future project plans and implementation. Adjustments on capacity may go up or down based on resource conditions and impacts caused by initial development and use. Park interpretation should include discussions of the purpose and methods of monitoring use and determining acceptable change.

The General Plan will propose phasing the parking lot development at Partridge Farm and define visitor parking in other areas.

Phase 1

	Develop 50 car parking lot at Partridge Farm
	Request Caltrans to post "no parking" along Highway 35
	Keep existing main parking lot (50 cars)
	Total of 100 car parking capacity for combined parking areas

Phase 2

	If the LAC process supports the initial parking capacity in phase 1, then an additional 50 cars could be developed at Partridge Farm and the main parking lot removed (no net increase in overall parking). Alternatively, the parking arrangement could vary between the two parking areas, based on the outcomes from resource monitoring and established limits for acceptable change.
	Additional parking will be needed for overnight use (20 -30 cars). Walk-in campsites are considered low impact development and compatible with other objectives at Partridge Farm. The General Plan will propose 20 campsites, initially, with a few campsites designed for people with disabilities. Parking and lighting shall not prohibit dark sky viewing by amateur astronomers.

Highway 9 parking
Focus on a few improved parking lots near trailheads, with interpretive and information panels and restrooms. Possibilities include Sempervirens Pt., Red Mountain, Oil Creek, and Waterman Gap. Tin Can Ranch could serve for trailhead parking if compatible with other uses. The primary intent for Tin Can Ranch is for an Environmental Living Program. Other smaller roadside parking areas should be removed (requires further evaluation and coordination with Caltrans). The amount of parking available will also establish a basis for managing a carrying capacity for the park.

Horse trailer parking should be accommodated. Parking location along Highway 9 with good access to horse trails - example at Oil Creek parking lot.

Highway 35 parking
Coordinate parking management and use of Summit Rock parking lot (Sanborn Co. Park) and Vista Point parking (Caltrans).

Astronomy

The "Dark Sky" will be identified as a resource in the Resource Summary of the General Plan, although no specific resource directives will be proposed. Provisions will be considered in the development of Partridge Farm for accommodating this activity. Lighting, campsite location, parking, etc. should not impact the dark sky resource. Resource management practices will not be changed to perpetuate sky viewing (tree removal, etc.)