The Mindego Ridge Public Access Committee met on 11/10/2011 to hear staff recommendations on access to the Mindego Hill Area of Russian Ridge, near Alpine Road.
The plan proposes a new multiuse wide singletrack trail parallel to Alpine road and recommends closing Mindego Ridge Trail to bikes.
The Committee of board members consists of Jed Cyr, Yuriko Kishimoto, and Cecily Harris. I was quite surprised to hear her come out in favor of multiuse because she has proven to be thoroughly anti-bike as the coordinator of the trails committee for San Mateo County Parks.
The crux of the issue is that the San Francisco Garter Snake is a fully protected endangered species and as such it is against the law to kill, harm, or threaten the species in any way. It may be that they are being overly cautious, but their primary mission is to protect natural resources, so it is easy to see where they are coming from.
The committee will now make a recommendation to the full board to close the trail to bikes probably next year some time. There will be another opportunity for public input, but it is highly unlikely that the recommendation will not be adopted.
If you would like to weigh in on this issue, contact your board member
