New plan for Huddart, Wunderlich parks goes to supes New plan for Huddart, Wunderlich parks goes to supes (August 10, 2005)

** Bike routes from Woodside to Skyline is key issue.

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

A vision for the future of the two wilderness parks on the Bay side of San Mateo County is headed for a public hearing before the Board of Supervisors with general approval but one glaring sore point: bicycles.

The perennial debate between horseback riders and bicyclists dominated the August 4 hearing on the draft master plan for Huddart and Wunderlich parks before the county Parks and Recreation Commission.

Out of 15 speakers, eight supported the current county regulation forbidding bicycles on trails in county parks where they endanger horses and their riders; three pleaded for more access to parks for the county's soaring numbers of mountain bicyclists.

The commission sympathized with the bicyclists' most fundamental request -- for a safe route for bicycles to go from Woodside to Skyline, without having to share the road with cars and trucks.

"We're little ants" on the road compared with 6,000-pound vehicles, said Susan Doherty of Woodside, who noted her husband has serious disablilites and bicycles for therapy. "I would just like a safe way up the mountain without fear for my life."

The commission voted 2 to 1 to support the draft master plan with an added request that the county investigate a separate bicycle route between Woodside and Skyline. Commissioner Marian Vanden Bosch of Menlo Park supported the plan as presented; Commissioner Mel Pincus was absent.

"There's got to be a way for bikes to access a trail from Skyline to the Bay," said Chairman Richard Biederman. "We need to make that a top priority. It's been on the back burner too long."

The two possible routes discussed at the hearing were to open Bear Gulch Road, adjacent to Wunderlich Park, to bicycles, or to build a new, separate bicycle trail through Huddart Park south of Kings Mountain Road connecting the park with Skyline.

Both routes have problems. Bear Gulch Road is closed to the public with gates for the private property owners who live along it. A new bicycle trail near Huddart Park would be expensive.

Patty Ciesla, executive director of the Northern California Mountain Biking Association, promised to provide enough skilled volunteers to build such a trail "at no cost to the county." She noted, "We have no (off-road) access for bikes from Windy Hill to Route 92. That's 15 miles."
Other issues

While most people at the hearing were enthusiastic about the draft master plan, several other issues arose, notably, how it will be funded, and whether horses should be kept out of West Union Creek.

For Huddart Park, the plan calls for: replacing all the buildings -- especially shelters and rest rooms -- over the next 20 years; improvements in roads and parking; construction of an interpretive center and a new building that could be rented for weddings and parties; and measures to stabilize the creek banks and protect its fish.

Most plans for Wunderlich Park center around restoration of the historic Folger Stables, improving access to the park with a loop road from Woodside Road, and improved parking for both cars and horse trailers. A major project to reduce fire hazards by removing exotic vegetation and replanting natives is already under way.

Funding the improvements will be a problem since county parks have suffered shrinking budgets over several years. Nevertheless, commissioners noted that funds may become available for specific projects in the master plan through grants, or through fundraising efforts by organizations such as the Friends of Huddart and Wunderlich Parks, or the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation.

"We're just talking about a master plan," Mr. Biederman warned. "We're not talking about funding the master plan. The county has no money for that."

Members of equestrian groups also challenged the plan's proposal to close some trails and to eliminate horse crossings in the stream. Woodside geologist Mike Carr argued that horses have practically no impact on sediment in the stream compared with natural erosion from landslides and bare banks. "The justification is just not there," he said.

On behalf of the Woodside Town Council, Town Manager Susan George asked that all existing trails and trail entrances in Huddart and Wunderlich parks remain open. She especially asked that the trail connecting to Raymundo Drive in Woodside not be closed, and disputed the claim that there was serious erosion.

"It's a beautiful trail and a wonderful asset," Ms. George said, and offered to work with the county on maintenance. "It is the town's position that no closures should occur until viable alternatives have been identified and put in place."

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