Vassar Ecological Preserve Biking Policy Meeting

GoneToTheDogs? · Joined: 21 Sep 2006 Posts: 418 Location: Kingston

Received the following today from Keri VanCamp. If you are interested in biking at Vassar, the meeting to be scheduled would be a very good one to attend. Russell

Dear Biking Community,
In the past year, several of us here at Vassar have been putting a lot of thought into the creation of a biking policy for the Vassar Ecological Preserve. I know that many of you have provided valuable insight during this process. I would like to meet with interested members of the biking community to discuss the new policy that we have created. We would like your input before we begin to implement our plan. Please click on the following link to participate in a poll that I will use to determine the best day to schedule this meeting. I will e-mail you again when the date and time for the meeting are set. Thank you for all of your help and interest in the management of the preserve. Please pass this along to anyone else who might be interested.
Sincerely,
Keri VanCamp

Follow this link to participate in it:
http://doodle.com/tuk8vqibm9e3w66r
--------------------------------------------
Keri VanCamp
Field Station and Ecological Preserve Manager
Vassar College
124 Raymond Avenue; Box 731
Poughkeepsie, New York 12604

845-437-7414
845-437-7448
[email protected]

Ranger Danger · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 399

In.

THEY'RE ASKING FOR OUR INPUT! They're even taking input on meeting times!! I encourage everyone who may be able to make this meeting to come, even if you don't ride at Vassar anymore. With Hyde Park being closed to bikes, we can't afford any more access losses in the Poughkeepsie area.
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Chicks dig guys who do authorized trail work.

edgeworker · Joined: 29 Apr 2009 Posts: 149 Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

pinch_flat · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 7

I will attend as well.

Karen F · Joined: 01 Nov 2008 Posts: 1

I hope to attend the meeting at Vassar.

oh_blinding_light · Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:03 pm Post subject:

IN!
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Nimium est melior!

Tim845 · Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 3684 Location: Poughkeepsie

Its too bad there's only a few students around, and they might not know about a meeting.
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Pedal, b*tches!!

Forest_biker · Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 859

Bye Bye Biking at Vassar.

Why do they want our input when they have already made up their minds? Evil or Very Mad

Maybe this is just part of their policy, hold meetings for the public's opinions, then disregard them completely.

Check their new map with all the no biking signs posted on it.

it was emailed out by Keri.

pinch_flat · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 7

If true -- and I don't doubt it -- this is exactly what I've long suspected, I'm sorry to say.

Forest_biker · Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 859

Oh, I was mistaken.

There are less than 40% of the trails open to biking. Many trails aren't even on the map any longer.

robdamanii · Joined: 24 Oct 2006 Posts: 349 Location: Darth Bailer

Very simple.

Keri VanCamp caved to the pressure of the academic idiots who set up their experiments in the middle of existing trails, and complain when they are disturbed.

As is always true, this was never a committee decision, more so a decision to bar the knowledgeable and responsible users from the trail to satisfy the whims of those who can yell louder and more frequently.

Screw Vassar and their policy on riding. Honestly, do they think anyone will read the damn signs anyway? Kids have been riding/BMXing there illegally for years, and this dopey committee won't be changing that.

BillB3 · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:22 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately, Vassar is private land and they can do whatever they want. We aren't entitled to use the trails...it is a privilege. I would imagine that working together with them now and in the future would be much more constructive than posting negative comments on a public forum about Keri & the "academic idiots". Just because riding is currently restricted does not mean that will always be the case.

oh_blinding_light · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 1:22 pm Post subject:

Err ... so anybody hear when there will be a meeting?

I guess the 22nd is out, or else I never got the memo.

OBL
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Nimium est melior!

tac2379 · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Poughkeepsie

I emailed Keri VanCamp today b/c I haven't heard anything either. I'll post to this thread if/when I hear back.

Ranger Danger · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 399

I'm confused about this too, there was an email about a meeting yesterday (7/22) but I emailed her the day before to confirm/ask questions and didn't get a response.

Hopefully we can get this figured out soon.
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Chicks dig guys who do authorized trail work.

robdamanii · Joined: 24 Oct 2006 Posts: 349 Location: Darth Bailer

tac2379 · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Poughkeepsie

I heard from Keri VanCamp today, the meeting was held on Wednesday the 22nd. I guess the map posted above is official, but she remains open to comments and concerns. Hopefully we can work with Vassar to open up some kind of loop or access to the church trails instead of what amounts to a single trail and then a ride back along the farm road.

oh_blinding_light · Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:59 pm Post subject:

Given our presidents (USA not FITC) latest comment about a certain police action being "stupid" (and don't get me wrong, in his place, with folks firing questions at me a mile a minute, I know I would have used much harsher language), I want to find a properly calm and rational way to express myself:

WTH (what the heck) is the idea of asking for what days work for a meeting and then never emailing the folks who volunteered to attend? The possible meeting times were during normal work hours, which makes it hard to get much in the way of attendance.

Pant ... pant ... I'm sure I'm overreacting. There is probably a perfectly sensible reason this happened. If there was only one contact email address, and if there was an email server problem someplace, notice of the meeting time may have never reached anybody. This might not have because somebody acted maliciously or was lazy. But it does kind of smell that way.

Perhaps we could politely ask to be given a chance to express our views on the new plan? My personal view is along Rob's line of thinking. You've left this land open to bikers for years and now expect to be able to close it without resorting to guard towers and razor wire? Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating illegally riding where a property owner says I should not. But it's gonna happen. You could at least have pretended to listen to members of the Mountain Biking community who wanted to work with you.

OK I'm done venting.

How do we move forward and try to open some trails back up?

Or at least keep the ones remaining from getting closed?

OBL
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Nimium est melior!

jmagik172 · Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 57 Location: Pok, NY

I e-mailed Keri as well the moment the "vote for meeting time" e-mail came out. I told her that I was very interested in what became of the Vassar property, but could not attend. I asked what the agenda was and if I could make a formal comment via e-mail and who it should be addressed to. I got no response from my initial e-mail or two subsequent messages asking if she had recieved the first e-mail.

The sentiment posted above is probably right on. This is a farce and I'm sure that all decisions were made months ago on what would become of biking at Vassar. They have a 3 billion dollar endowment and don't need anything from any of us and can basically smile and give anyone in the biking community the middle finger and carry on with any agenda that they please.

It's a shame, and looking at the bikerag photos of Blair, Bo Jangles, Apocolypse, and how cool that place was is just a huge dissapointment. Hopefully they find the cure to cancer or toe fungus or whatever it is that the tape around the trees in the woods is supposed to prevent all of our wreckless and insane behavior from ruining. Maybe all the trees will be cut down from the 909, a developer will finally get his hands on the Stewart Buffer zone when the legal debt kills the oganization that protects it, and everyone in Dutchess county can just buy a road bike and quit riding on fat tires.

Good for you Vassar. Thanks a lot.

Ranger Danger · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 399

This is all very frustrating but bad-mouthing the private landowner doesn't generally get us far with access so....

I'm going to write a letter to some of the powers that be over at Vassar. Once I get a little list together I'll post the names of who letters can be sent to and some talking points. Then anyone who'd like to express their opinion, but not take time off work to attend a meeting that keeps changing times, can say their piece.
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Chicks dig guys who do authorized trail work.