Hello, this is John Kangas with the Crow Update for May 13th, 2010.
This update is about the letters that have been sent to the Mayor of Boise and a call to action by everyone who loves The Crow Gliding Area.
Over the last few months we have all been very patient. As outlined in our previous update, we went to the city with a small team and presented our 35 year history of gliding at the Crow. We shared with the city our depth and expertise in partnering with government to manage gliding areas like the Crow. Regretfully, and as outlined in the correspondence with Mayor Beiter, our offer to enter the planning process with the city has been apparently ignored. Our information indicates that the City is going forward with a plan to give total management of Hammer Flats and the Crow Gliding Area to IDFG (Idaho Department of Fish and Game.) The IDFG has already locked the gates and put up signs which foreshadows their management style. We do not believe that IDFG will bring a balanced view to the management of the Crow Gliding Area or to Hammer Flats. We believe that their ultimate goal is create a wildlife management area and to basically lock everyone out.
It is now time to exercise our democratic and 1st am amendment rights. It is now time for all glider enthusiasts, friends, family, and other people who love the outdoors and who cherish open public access to join the process. It is time for all of us to share with our elected officials our feelings about being hammered at Hammer Flats.
Contact information is available below. Each and every day we encourage all gliding pilots, friends, and family to at least call one of our elected representatives or send them an email about how we feel about being locked out from our legacy Crow Gliding Area.
Be Prepared for a long flight
In our first free flight meeting we agreed that everyone needed to be patient and give a small group of volunteers time to meet with the city planners. We did this, but we have apparently encountered a city government that is unwilling to partner with us. It is now time for all of us to get to work. It is now time to write letters and to make phone calls. It is time to write letters to the editor. It is time to contact our city council and to express our passion about the Crow.
Do not believe for an instant that this work will end soon. One remembers a line from the classic flying movie High Road to China..."The Ox is slow but the earth is patient." We have been spoiled in dealing with private land owners who understand a hand shake agreement and the simple yet important things in life.. This ended when Boise purchased the property.
Our first goal is to get us a seat at the planning table. If we are first successful at getting a seat, you can bet that those with narrow vision in the city will try to burry us with problems including wildlife, safety, liability, etc. We are prepared for this.
The USHPA (United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association) and our base of national volunteers bring great experience in dealing with government agencies and their concerns. Our National Gliding History and record of success is strong. We have partnered with the national park service, the Forrest Service, the BLM, and other cities all across this great country. Clearly we know we can partner with the City of Boise and work together to continue a history of gliding at the Crow. Me must however be prepared and we can never grow weary and quit.
Press on, be courteous, and make some noise. What ever we do we can not fall into name calling traps on internet forums. Hold the high ground, set a good example, and we will save the Crow.
Today's Idaho Statesman had our first press. More will follow as this story touches a number of nerves in this Tea Party Age. http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/05/13/1190641/will-hammer-flat-stay-locked-up.html There is a comment section at the end of the article. Remember to hold the high ground and sick to the facts. We have a strong position. Also click on the Statesman home page and participate in the poll at the bottom about land use at hammer flats. When we vote, we get to see the results which should please everyone who enjoys the great outdoors. Our strongest points are that we the people voted for more recreational opportunities not less, and that the cities top down closed door process with no public comment and participation is flawed.
Also, local pilot Dave Beig has invited folks to join the Facebook group "Unlock Hammer Flat".
To see more details and confirm this group invitation, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1469393207&k=Z2CUZWTYUYTF3FFCSGXYV5PQTVDFVU4M&oid=123557217670108
Bullet Points to share and to include in your correspondence. Please always be polite and friendly. When discussing our site please use the phrase The Crow Gliding Area
- The Crow Gliding Area is one of the things that make Boise a special place to live. Beautiful Gliders have graced the Skyline above the road to Lucky Peak for 35 years.
- Gliding silently is a symbol of adventure and freedom.
- The Crow Gliding Area is the finest little gliding hill in the area. Many Local Pilots learned to fly at the Crow. There is nothing like it in Boise. It can not be replaced.
- The Crow Gliding Area is just minutes away, much like the trail heads at 8th street. We can fly the Crow after work and even during our lunch hour without burning a lot of gas. Accessing other hills in the treasure valley require an hour of driving.
- We have flown the Crow for 35 years with private land ownership. Now the city buys the Crow with our open space trust money and we are locked out. Is this why people are holding tea parties?
- If city's like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake, Missoula and Butte have Gliding Areas like the Crow then why not Boise?
- The City should ensure that the planning process about Hammer Flats and the Crow Gliding Area is open and transparent, rather than making deals with IDFG behind closed doors and without public input.
- The taxpayers of Boise did not buy property for IDFG and their special interest. We will not vote for another Levy and to raise our taxes if this is how our money is going to be managed.
- Open space planners need to do their job and find a way to balance issues and provide access for all outdoor enthusiast, including gliders, who enjoy open space.
- The Crow Gliding Area is on the western edge of the property and adjoins the existing homes in the area.
- The Crow Gliding Area helps to form an important buffer between the neighborhood and the preferred wildlife habitat located deeper into Hammer Flats and away from the people.
- Our activity has very low impact upon the land and is silent.
From the OFFICIAL SPECIAL ELECTION BALLOT passed by the voters of Boise.
SUMMARY
Proposed Open Space Protection Trust Fund would acquire open space and natural areas in the Boise Foothills. Approved levy funds will:
- Protect water quality;
- Preserve wildlife habitat;
- Provide increased recreational areas for walking, biking, and other outdoor activities;
- Limit overdevelopment and traffic, and
- Protect natural vegetation that prevents mudflows and washouts.
Buying open spaces for public use will balance private development in the
Contact Info print this out, put it in you wallet or your purse and make a call or write a letter or a quick note to an elected official or park planner each day. Share this info with everyone who wants to help.
People We Elect
Mayor Dave Bieter mayor@cityofboise.org (208) 384-4422 or His 24 & 7 Hotline for comments, questions and concerns at (208) 384-4404
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City Council Members Elaine Clegg eclegg@cityofboise.org David Eberle deberle@cityofboise.org | |||||||
People who work for us For information about City Council Meetings The Boss who answers to the Mayor. Her Job is to strike a Balance Between User Groups of our outdoor areas. Politely encourage her to do her job. Finally, if anyone encounters a tasty bit of intelligence, please forward it to j_kangas@msn.com or leave a message at 208-407-7174. Boise really is a small town. The Crow is worth saving. Make calls to each other with ideas. Make contacts, generate BUZZ, and forward information on to our team of volunteers. ................................................................. We will leave you with an important quote that Aaron Beck found and passes along: Ed Abby's quote, and the case for Alan Paylor's spring fling at King: One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.  Photo by Aaron Beck at the Crow Gliding Area Thanks, Blaine, Lisa, Patrick, Aaron, and John, | |||||||
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