Rancho Palos Verdes

[Kelly S]

Rancho Palos Verdes City Council to discuss nature preserve
The council will examine whether to allow paragliding and archery, whether to establish a bicycling skills area at Gateway Park, and whether to permit a longtime farmer to continue his operations on city land.
From staff and news services


Council . The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will tonight look at a variety of measures related to the 1,200-acre Palos Verdes Nature Preserve.

The council will examine whether to allow paragliding and archery, whether to establish a bicycling skills area at Gateway Park, and whether to permit a longtime farmer to continue his operations on city land.

Also part of the council item: A six-month report on trail use, and the possible disbanding of the committee that began developing guidelines for use of the preserve nearly three years ago.

The item will be heard at the regular council meeting at 7 p.m. at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes.

For more information, call City Hall at 310-377-0360.

[Faiz]

I got a note from some paraglider pilots who attended that meeting. They think they might have a chance at getting permission and asked for cooperation from us all not to fly PV for a while as they try to work out a deal. I'll let you know if I hear anything more.

[Faiz]

I have no idea what this really means but am passing the news along as I said I would...

Council grounds paragliding
By Ashley Ratcliff, Peninsula News
Thursday, April 9, 2009 11:26 AM PDT

RPV — Trail designations and user groups previously dominated the discussion about the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve in Rancho Palos Verdes, but Tuesday night’s council meeting ushered in debate about specific recreational uses.

While bicyclists long have been blamed for habitat destruction, paragliders have emerged as the new scapegoats, with some Del Cerro neighborhood residents expressing concerns with the thrill-seeking sport, which has occurred in the city for years.

“Traffic, liability, noise, privacy, safety — those are the issues they cannot answer … There’s no enforcement as to where people [are allowed] to take off, and, where they land is also inappropriate because Trump [National Golf Club] has already said they do not want them [touching down on their property],” RPV resident Harvey Brown said.

The RPV Paragliding Society proposed allowing pilots to launch from one location in the preserve off the Burma Road Trail, near the entrance to the Portuguese Bend Nature Preserve, and land at Gateway Park, adjacent to the property, along the shore at Trump National Golf Club or within the preserve only during emergencies.

Joe Castaldo, an avid paraglider, said pilots use the launch site more than 300 feet away from the nearest homes, and bikers and hikers actually impose on privacy because they’re able to look into homes.

“There really isn’t a privacy issue that homeowners are claiming,” he said. “We’re least damaging to the environment. We’re only there less than 10 days a month and for a few hours, due to weather. Contrary to what the residents claim, we continually clean up the area … There’s no compelling justification not to permit paragliding.”

According to Castaldo, the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association insures pilots for $1 million, removing liability from RPV in the event of an accident.

As the News previously reported, an RPV man died while practicing the hobby in the city in June 2007.

The 16-member Public Use Master Plan, or PUMP, Committee — charged with identifying how to manage uses in the preserve — recommended allowing paragliding, but emphasized they didn’t condone landing in the preserve, due to potential environmental impacts, said Principal Planner Ara Mihranian.

However, council ultimately overturned that determination, essentially banning the extreme sport from occurring in the preserve, but did leave the door open for future consideration if elements like licensing, enforcement and landing problems were addressed.

“I’m open to more … data about it, but in the absence of that, I would yield to the issue of safety first,” Councilman Steve Wolowicz said....