Horsey Items of Interest

GGNRA DAIRY – TAKE ACTION

The GGNRA is in the process of proposing new guidelines for the presence of horses in the park. The draft preferred alternative has been chosen and is open for public comment until Dec.16th. You can view the whole plan, which affects Miwok Stables, Presidio Riding Club, the NPS mounted patrol and the Golden Gate Dairy (Ocean Riders) at Muir Beach at

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=303&projectID=14568&documentID=43986

We are very glad that the draft preferred alternative chosen for public comment intends to keep horses at Miwok, Presidio Riding Club and the Golden Gate Dairy. For the past fifty years horses have been at the Golden Gate Dairy. People who pass by often stop to watch the horses play, to walk around and see the horses in the stalls and talk with the people who are here working with the horses. We hope this will continue for the next fifty years, but proposed changes would remove the stalls and put all the horses out of the view of the public by relocating the stables behind the old dairy buildings.

We believe if their chosen alternative for the General Management Plan is 'connecting people to places' then the horses are what will be drawing the public in to learn about the historic Golden Gate Dairy.

We hope that you will look a the proposed plan and if you agree that keeping horse stables visible at the Golden Gate Dairy, easily seen by passers by are important goals, please contact the NPS or Superintendent Frank Dean (Fort Mason Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123) and tell them what you think.

Thank you for taking the time to voice your opinion on this issue that is so vital to keeping the presence of horses alive in Marin.

ATTENTION ALL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EQUESTRIANS:

PLEASE HELP SAVE ROCKVILLE TRAILS!

A rare opportunity to purchase 1,500 acres of equestrian trails and open space has presented itself in Solano County. But Solano Land Trust must raise at least $5.5 million more before February 28, 2012 or this opportunity may be lost forever.

Protecting Rockville Trails would add significantly to trail riding opportunities in the region. Trails on the property range from flat terrain with easy, wide fire roads to challenging hill-topping. Rockville Trails also boasts great natural beauty and is easily accessible off of I-80. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today!

Background on Rockville Trails

Earlier this year, a settlement in a decades-long legal conflict made it possible to permanently protect Rockville Trails from development. The agreement makes way for the property to be preserved as habitat, open space, and public trails. If Solano Land Trust is able to raise sufficient funds to purchase the property, it could ultimately connect trails and open space from Fairfield to Skyline Wilderness Park in the Napa Valley and the Napa River as part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. The trails on the property would be open to equestrians, hikers, and bikers.

The terms of the settlement state that the $13.5 million purchase must be completed by February 28, 2012. $8 million has been raised to date. If the Trust is unable to raise the remaining funds by the deadline, the current property owner retains the right to build up to 185 homes on the site.

To learn more about Rockville Trails or to make a donation to help secure its future as public trails and open space, see http://www.solanolandtrust.org/SaveRTE.aspx.