Roger,

Thanks for the background before we go forward.

Jordan

On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 11:49 AM, <roger.louton@...> wrote:

> Does anyone know who 'Free Agent' is before I contact him? There are
> rules
> within the
> Parks Dept. for organized events in Public Parks, and the main rule that
> concerns bicycle
> events in a PDX Park is: "Only Permits allowed for Bicycle Related Events
> are for Paved Surfaces.". How do I know this?
> In March of 2005, I attempted to add a 'Forest Park Loop' for the Bridge
> Pedal, working with
> Ric Bauman the guy who owns that event. We even had the support of Fred
> Nilsen, the Forest Park Manager at the time,
> but the Parks Dept came back with that rule.
>
> Before this ride gets some traction, let's make sure we don't create
> enemies with Parks, FP Neighborhood Associations
> and the Forest Park Conservancy.
>
> I applaud the idea, but it needs to be done right.
>
> This article will explain how the city views events in the
> park..........which is interesting, because they STILL allow
> the 'Run For The Wildwood', which violates these rules:
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Forest Park goes with scaled-down approach
>
> Thursday, April 06, 2006
> Fred Leeson
>
> When members and friends of the Oregon Road Runners Club scampered the
> entire length of Forest Park late last month -- some of them twice -- it
> marked the last large-scale event in the sprawling park's north end.
>
> The Bureau of Parks & Recreation has eliminated big events in so-called
> North Management Unit, considered the most sensitive habitat for wild
> plants and animals. Further, the new policy would prefer that informal
> group runs or walks that involve more than 20 participants stay out, too,
> between Northwest Germantown and Newberry roads. "Protecting natural
> resources and wildlife habitat is of utmost importance in this management
> unit," the policy states.
>
> The City Council endorsed the restriction more than a decade ago in a
> Forest Park management plan, but it never was implemented.
>
> Jim Sjulin, a Parks Bureau nature zone manager, says the new policy stems
> from increased human use in the past decade and lobbying from the Friends
> of Forest Park.
>
> "The Friends has been asking us for a couple years to look at our event
> policies, and to make the policies consistent with the management plan,"
> he says.
>
> The new policy also restricts events to a maximum of 100 people and only
> in May through October in the Central unit, between Firelane No. 1 and
> Northwest Germantown Road. In the South unit closest to the city, between
> West Burnside and Firelane No. 1, it limits participants to 500
> year-around.
>
> Gail Snyder, director of the Friends, has seen "an explosion" of racing
> and other events since the 1995 plan. "I think it's a positive step," she
> says. "It does help protect the north end."
>
> Snyder, who also is an ultramarathoner, notes that the new policy does not
> restrict individuals from training or from riding horses in the North
> Unit. But she notes that the most remote area should be reserved mostly
> for passive use such as hiking and bird watching.
>
> "We're trying to maintain the North Unit as a natural area park, and not
> have it perceived as an arena for events," Snyder says. "We have plenty of
> other places for events."
>
> Snyder counts at least 20 kinds of group activities that occur in Forest
> Park. Some, like geocaching, were unheard of when the City Council adopted
> the park management plan. Geocachers use global positioning devices to
> search for hidden items. Sjulin says people leaving trails do the worst
> damage in sensitive habitats such as the North Unit.
>
> Monika Gold, race director for the final "March Mudness" road run, says
> she accepts the rule.
>
> "You want the public to utilize this treasure," she says of Forest Park,
> "but at the same time you don't want to trample all the plants. If you
> take out a single trillium, it can take years to come back."
>
> Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946;
fredleeson@...<fredleeson%40news.oregonian.com>
>
> mforness3000@... <mforness3000%40hotmail.com>
> Sent by: pumpclub@yahoogroups.com <pumpclub%40yahoogroups.com>
> 12/03/2008 03:43 PM
> Please respond to
> pumpclub@yahoogroups.com <pumpclub%40yahoogroups.com>
>
> To
> pumpclub@yahoogroups.com <pumpclub%40yahoogroups.com>
> cc
>
> Subject
> [pumpclub] possible massive group ride in FP
>
> see here...
>
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=470789
>
> and then here...
>
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=473762
>
> I think that this potentially could be positive if done right...what do
> ya'll think?
>
> ~matt
>
> If you are not the intended addressee, please inform us immediately that
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>
>


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