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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Mike Vandeman [mailto:mjvande@pacbell.net] <br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, June 06, 2016 3:30 PM<br><b>To:</b> Recipient list suppressed:<br><b>Subject:</b> We Need a New Model for Parks<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To: The East Bay Regional Park District Board<br><br>I've been spending many 5-6-hour days cutting Italian thistle (if you've ever had a close encounter with Italian thistle, you won't want to ever repeat it!), poison hemlock, & French broom in Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve ("Preserve"? It's <u>not</u> being preserved!). Exotic plants are taking over our regional parks, and the fauna are very scarce. Many people have thanked me, but so far no one has volunteered to help. The park staff are cutting the grass around the edge of the park (to reduce the fire danger), but not addressing the exotics that are spreading (and going to seed) in every grassy area. The goats help, but leave all the large stems, which I have had to cut myself.<br><br>It occurs to me that our model of a park is obsolete. Everyone comes to the park, enjoys himself/herself, but, with very rare exceptions, <u>doesn't lift a finger</u> to maintain the park. We expect the park staff to do all of that. But, as you know, you don't have the staff to do that. This model just doesn't work! You should advertise for volunteers (this kind of work is very easy, just time-consuming), and expect all visitors to lend a a hand - just as we do when we visit someone's home, or bus our own dishes in the cafeteria.<br><br>The only alternative is to tax the community enough to pay for all the services the parks require. (That wouldn't be popular, but the public should presented all the options. Ruining the parks is not acceptable!) <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><br>-- <br><br>I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat").<br>Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)<br><br>Wildlife <u>must</u> be given top priority, because they can't protect themselves from us.<br><br>Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!<br><br><a href="http://mjvande.info/">http://mjvande.info</a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><br />
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