by: Friends of Bidwell Park
Re: Comment on Draft Bidwell Park Master Management Plan and Environmental Impact Report
Before these two documents were released for public review, they would have greatly benefited by a thorough edit to eliminate typographic and spelling errors as well as to eliminate discrepancies between information provided in different places in the same document. Of course, it's more difficult to catch some kinds of errors when the document preparers are an out-of-area firm that has only spent a few days in Bidwell Park, but an effort should have been made to eliminate the obvious errors that any competent proofreader would have noticed. Since it is likely to be many years before the documents are superseded, it is important that they be as accurate as possible.
Since the boundaries of the Cedar Grove project area are not explicitly described in the MMP, these corrections and comments assume that the boundaries are Big Chico Creek on the north, homes and Parkview Elementary School on the west, East 8th St. on the south and the park entrance path to the east of the deer pen to the east. A verbal description of the Cedar Grove project area should be added, as the Cedar Grove Area Concept Plan map does not appear to show the entire project area.
Although Friends of Bidwell Park supports the concept of improvements in the Cedar Grove area that would make it more accessible and usable for individuals and community groups, we feel that the one-page project plan is too vague to be evaluated in the context of an EIR. It failed to address how historic features of the area would be evaluated and protected, if necessary. It failed to take note of the Cedar Grove resident (not migratory) deer population that is already being impacted by East 8th St. residential construction across from the Nature Center. It failed to assess the condition of the remaining Experimental Forestry Station tree plantings1, the condition of specimen trees in the World of Trees2, the major problems of invasive plants introduced into the area by the Forestry Station, and the cumulative impacts of the East 8th St. Road Reconstruction. We hope that before final plans are developed for this area, a more thorough inventory of its current condition will be made.
When reviewing pages that had references to Cedar Grove, other typographic and consistency errors have also been noted.
Please change "deer pens" to "deer pen." Change "present on the property..." to "was on the property..." since the referenced barn burned down in October 2006. Please define what remnants of a small zoo still remain on the site.
"...between Alder and Sycamore..." entrance now has a street name "One Mile Way"—please include it in the description. Also, change "maintenance vehicle" to "maintenance vehicles". Eliminate blank line. Move "Lower Park can be accessed..." sentence from Vallombrosa paragraph to this paragraph. Please indicate that the Cedar Grove entrance street is named Cedar Grove Way and that it provides access to South Park Drive. Also indicate that the CCNC entrance does not provide access to South Park Drive.
Please remove "and Cedar Grove/Nature Center" from first sentence since the information is duplicated in a following sentence.
There are parking lots at both Cedar Grove and the CCNC, so an additional P should be added at Cedar Grove. Also, there's only one parking lot on the north side at Sycamore Pool.
There's only 1 parking lot on the north side at Sycamore Pool. Please explain where the "Vallombrosa Avenue Entrance Gate" parking lot is located and how it differs from the Sycamore Pool parking lot.
"Petersen Drive North of Cedar Grove" should be changed to "Petersen Memorial Drive east of former walnut orchard" since Cedar Grove is not nearby and is on the other side of the creek. Also, this parking area frequently has more than 2 vehicles. Please verify the lot size.
Many of the Lower Park lots have been mistakenly included in the Upper Park Parking Capacity table (see below)
These lots are not in Upper Park and should not be included in this list:
Cedar Grove Overflow, Deer Pen on East 8th Street, Manzanita/Vallombrosa SW corner, Sycamore Field/1-Mile reservation area, Caper Acres, South Park Drive picnic sites, Petersen Memorial Drive picnic sites.
As Middle Park is currently defined, the "Police Pistol Range" parking lot should be in the Middle Park Table. Since the pistol range presumably was removed during the lead cleanup, it would be more accurate to call this parking area by a more descriptive name, such as "Chico Canyon Road trailhead parking lot."
Horse Arena should also be in the Middle Park Table. Wildwood is not part of Bidwell Park so it should not be included. Ten Mile House Road and Green Gate refer to the same parking area. Lot M is misplaced in the list.
Please explain where the 35 parking spaces are located on Centennial Drive.
Also, the preceding paragraph, Bear Hole is misspelled "Beerhole." The third sentence needs clarification—perhaps the word "east" should be "exist"? Why is Oak Grove capitalized in this sentence?
Junction Park (did you mean Ringel Park?), City Plaza, Children's Park, Humboldt Neighborhood Park, and Depot Park are not in Bidwell Park. What is the "Kiwanis Area"? Do you mean the Observatory Parking Lot (lot C)? Please correct parking lot names and lettering to match other tables in this document (e.g. Horseshoe Lake is apparently now lot E, according to other tables). Is "Amphitheater" the Bidwell Bowl Amphitheater? Is the Oak Grove picnic area the two group picnic sites at One Mile? Is Campfire Ring the Campfire Council Ring?
Change "Deer Pens" to "Deer Pen."
Without an explicit definition of the boundaries of Cedar Grove, it's difficult to know whether these objectives and implementation strategies are appropriate.
It's unclear why this sentence has been included for this area of the park and not for other areas, where problems with soil, erosion, cultural resources, aesthetic resources, etc. are much more likely to be an issue. If possible, please explain this sentence, especially the use of the word "efficiently."
Since I.CG.1 states "The following shall be considered when implementing the Cedar Grove Area Concept Plan", presumably that plan will contain information relating to the bulleted points. However, in Appendix G, which contains the 1-page concept plan, none of these points are referenced, either explicitly or implicitly.
The Concept Plan fails to specifically deal with the points mentioned in Section 3.6.1, e.g.no additional paths from East 8th St. are shown, no description is provided about what vegetation might be used that improve sight-lines within Cedar Grove, no information is provided about the deer pen, which would help Park Commissioners to decide what alternative use might be appropriate (size, fence condition, gate locations, amenities such as water line, potential parking locations, etc.).
No information is provided about the possible impact of the Experimental Forestry Station historical landmark status on development of this site.
The plan also does not take into account the East 8th St. road reconstruction project, which will significantly reduce the number of Cedar Grove special event parking spaces along East 8th St., reduce deer pen parking, realign the Cedar Grove and Parkview School entrances, and create a new bike path along the southern edge of the Cedar Grove area.
Friends of Bidwell Park (FOBP) has spent hundreds of hours in Cedar Grove removing invasive plants so we are perhaps more familiar with usage patterns there than the consultant. The parking lot, as redesigned, may work well for special events, but it fails to address the everyday vehicle usage of this lot. This includes delivery truck drivers and landscapers with large trucks & equipment trailers stopping to eat lunch in the shaded lot, RVs, 12-passenger vans, and other types of vehicles that won't fit into the standard parking space.
Keep in mind that this is not a shopping center parking lot where larger vehicles have the option of parking on the outskirts of the lot. Please don't make the same mistake that was made at Parking Area E in Upper Park, where a significant number of vehicles are forced to use the Rod & Gun Club parking lot because they are too big to get into or out of lot E or to park there without obstructing other traffic.
FOBP also has participated in the Endangered Species Faire, which is the type of event that presumably the Cedar Grove upgrade is designed to encourage. The plan does not address the neighbors' complaints about live music events emanating from a stage that faces East 8th St. (because the only electrical hookups are at the restrooms). It does not address the need for trucks and vehicles to drive into the Festival Meadow to unload/load their equipment and booth set-ups and the impacts these vehicles have on the turf and irrigation system.
Overall, for a project which represents 1/4 of the total identified park projects that will have cumulative impacts on Bidwell Park, this is a remarkably poorly-defined project. There is no indication of what type of events this remake might be expected to attract, how many vehicles and people might participate in such events, how this remake will affect the historic World of Trees, or how it will benefit the daily park users. As mentioned above, it also does not address any of the issues raised in Section 3.6.1.3 Implementation Strategies.
The 4 viewing platforms are not shown. The correct entrance street name is Cedar Grove Way. South Park Drive is missing from the map. The World of Trees Independence Trail is mislabeled "Tree Walk." What does "Proposed Tree Typ." mean? The map fails to show the numerous unofficial trails throughout Cedar Grove and does not indicate that there will be an additional entrance from East 8th St. where the fence is continually damaged by people wishing to enter from the location of the convenience store.
The loss of the CCNC barn and subsequent enlargement of the Interpretive Center should be noted on an updated version of the map, as should the Cedar Grove Way/East 8th St., intersection realignment and change in number of parking spaces along East 8th St. Please show bus parking areas for the Nature Center on the map.
Please correct "Cedar Way" to Cedar Grove Way."
"Paving and delineation of the existing parking lot..." From the map, it looks like the parking lot size will be expanded significantly in the direction of the creek. Please clarify whether the space will be expanded and if so, what will be the size of the new lot.
Parking lot efficiency is only important a few days a year, when major events take place in Cedar Grove. Please explain how users the rest of the year—people who often drive larger vehicles that are used in their businesses or for recreation—will benefit from "standard" parking spaces and where they would legally park in the newly reconfigured lot.
Two Entry Kiosks are shown in the map but only one is described in the text.
What's the purpose of the meadow trail? Why would anyone want to use it?
East 8th St. is also designated a local scenic road between Bruce Rd and Hwy 32 (see http://www.east8thstreet.net/8th_Street_Guidelines.pdf).
Since none of the maps in the MMP or EIR show the many informal trails that currently exist in the Cedar Grove Project area, how can you conclude that there will be a reduction in informal trails? Without knowing where these trails go, it's impossible to know whether trail delineation will reduce usage of other trails. Also, the MMP does not list removal of informal trails or planting/revegetation as implementation strategies for Cedar Grove so it's unlikely that any efforts would be devoted toward this goal.
With such a small area defined for the Cedar Grove project, even if the consultant didn't do a VELB survey, the location of elderberry bushes could have been noted, in case they had a potential impact on the project design.
On page E3-15, the overflow parking area is described as unpaved. On page E4-123, it's described as paved. Which is accurate?
Please explain how the Cedar Grove projects, one of whose goals is presumably to increase the number of outdoor concerts, festivals, etc. at this site, would not increase the noise for the area's neighbors. There have been numerous neighbor complaints over the years regarding the noise level from concerts and Shakespeare in the Park. This topic is always a discussion point whenever any permit is issued by the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission for use of the Cedar Grove meadow.
Since the impact of the East 8th St. Road Reconstruction and the resulting loss of many head-in parking spaces on East 8th St. that are used by Cedar Grove event participants has not been included in this study, it is presently unknown whether there would be a net gain or loss of event parking. If there is a net loss, then the adjacent residential neighborhood would likely become more impacted by event parking.
1 Comments by Wes Dempsey (CSU, Chico Professor Emeritus, retired) on 6/13/07:
The 1918 map (revised in 1959) made of the Old Forestry Station by Woodbridge Metcalf lists about 144 tree and shrub species. According to my surveys, 43 of these species remain. There are no surviving earlier maps that I am aware of but there is a list of 90 species in the report of the UC experiment stations of 1893.
The huge number of Cherry plums (Prunus cerasifera) probably came from #89 (labeled as "P. serotina") and the many Hawthorns (which Oswald calls C. laevigata) from #30 (labeled "C. oxycantha"). The nasty infestation of Cork elms around the Nature Center and Cedar Grove came from #120 U. thomasii (labeled as "U. racemosa").
The olives probably came from backyard gardens nearby. I find a few Cork oak (# 97 Quercus suber) seedlings near the Cork oak grove that certainly came from there. The volunteer Catalpas along the creek came from #29 C. speciosa which were planted in large numbers along the "World of Trees" trail and west of the Nature Center. A few English oaks have come from #98 Quercus robur (labeled as "Quercus pedunculata"). Some Ashes have also popped up from the original plantings (species ?).
2 Comments by Wes Dempsey (CSU, Chico Professor Emeritus, retired) on 6/13/07:
The beginning of the World of Trees Trail was planted in 1890, the Cypress grove (originally the cypresses were inter-planted with hardwoods, like Maples) was planted in 1896, the Zelkovas were planted in 1896 and NW of them a small block of Burr oaks (still there). South of these was a big planting of Eucalyptus (Block S on the map) that was gone by 1959 and recently has been filled in with volunteer Ashes. Further south, a block of Coastal redwoods on the east side of the trail across from a block of Madrones (only 1 left) and Virginia persimmons on the west side. Still further west, near the Parkview School fence, a bunch of Burr oaks—now very large. South of them, planted in 1904, the 4-acre Cork oak grove. No olives were listed on the map or mentioned in any of the records.
The trail goes along the old road that looped south thru the station and, for a short way, thru Cedar Grove; then the trail goes west to the cork oak grove. The old road loops NW thru the Pine plot (USFS 1949), past the Zelkovas, and joins the north branch of the road near South Park Drive. The road is bordered for most of its way with Western catalpas with the exception of a single English oak, near where it rejoins the trail.