Press Democrat editorial published Wednesday, October 15, 1997

Take a hike

Trail users, property owners seek
common ground on county system

As long-term projects go, nothing rivals efforts to establish a countywide trail system. Five years from now -- 50 years from now -- issues will remain unresolved, and trails will remain uncompleted.

Still, the difficulty of the task should not cause public officials to shy away. We must begin to identify trail routes so that future generations -- 10, 20, 40 years hence -- can respond to changing circumstances.

This idea of official maps with lines drawn through private property gives nightmares to private land owners, especially people in agriculture.

They envision a government land grab, followed by hordes of unruly visitors -- noisy, messy, destructive, poised to file a lawsuit for any injury real or imagined.

It won't be that way. For one thing, government can only acquire easements from willing sellers. For another, most trail users accept their responsibility to respect property and the natural surroundings.

This week, trail advocates are hiking from shining sea to Sonoma to dramatize their campaign for a countywide system, and a citizens' advisory committee is meeting at 2 p.m. today (at Open Space District headquarters, 747 Mendocino Ave.) to discuss recommendations to be sent to the Board of Supervisors next year.

Before a county plan is in place, trail users, public agencies and land owners have mountains to climb. Money to acquire and maintain trails must be found. Trail advocates must demonstrate to land owners that most trail users are responsible (and that agencies are prepared to police the miscreants).

This incremental progress, as property owners learn from the experiences of others, will take decades. Trail systems in Europe have evolved over centuries.

We can measure success 50 years from now when people enjoy a network of trails and express surprise that people once believed they were controversial.