|
The Trail CompanionWinter 2001"Dish" Argument Continues on New TerrainBy Ben Crowell. The "Dish Area" is a popular location on the Stanford
campus where many students and members of the community
enjoy beautiful landscape and recreational trails. The
foothills have been a haven for joggers and nature-lovers
for many years. Recently, however, the Dish has become
entangled in a web of controversy. Due to the area's
overwhelming popularity, the issue of conservation versus
recreation has polarized many organizations within the
community. Many joggers claim their right to explore the
foothills on less-traveled paths while environmentalists
fight to save the habitat of several rare species.
The University's primary goal is to reach an effective compromise between conservation and recreation. Though most recreational uses of the Dish have been limited, they have not been restricted. Also, leashed dogs were allowed on the grounds until the University learned that a majority of dogs in the foothills were running freely. The University argues that unleashed dogs pursue, frighten, and often kill small, threatened species. Current Stanford President John Hennessy states, "In a survey conducted in the summer, more dogs were off-leash than on-leash …[additionally], the California tiger salamander, which we are a host of, is a candidate for being listed as an endangered species . . . we must come up with a plan that would conserve and restore the environment of the Dish area." The May 2, 2000 plan has been implemented and in use since September 1. At this point, Stanford has taken the necessary steps to enforce the new policy, as well as implement a few decisions not originally included in the policy. For example, Stanford recently decided to repave the entire Dish Loop and post fifty-five signs along its edges in order to keep joggers on the main trail. Also, Stanford recently agreed to leave the foothills undeveloped for a minimum of twenty-five years. There is no disputing that the plan sacrifices, to some extent, recreation for conservation and academic use. The Plan states, "The conservation and use plan outlined here seeks to accommodate academic uses, sound conservation practices, and recreational uses. Should these interests conflict, priority will be given to conservation and academic objectives." Conservationists support Stanford's plan but assert that the May 2 policy is nothing new. According to Alan Launer of the Center for Conservation Biology, joggers have always been restricted to one main trail, and the Dish Area, contrary to popular belief, was never open after dark. However, conservationists definitely support the University's decision to ban dogs and to postpone the possibility of development for twenty-five years. They argue that unleashed dogs are a menace to the threatened species of the area, but if owners could keep their dogs on leashes, a ban would not be necessary. As far as paving the Dish Loop is concerned, many conservationists actually favor asphalt-paved trails in many instances. Some ecologists argue that asphalt trails halt erosion and prevent the spread of undesirable weed species. In addition, Mr. Launer reminds us that the University recently repaved ninety-five percent of an access road that has "been paved for decades." In other words, conservationists do not understand the recent wave of complaints over Stanford's "new" policy. They assert that most of these regulations have always been in place and that environmental protection and academic use should certainly take priority over any recreational use. Once again, Mr. Launer states, "People need to remember that the Dish is not a park. If people remember that then many of the policies make sense." 1 of 2 Next ==> Related Stories
 Copyright © Trail Center. All rights reserved. Please contact the Web Manager for corrections or comments. |
