SECRET WEAPON: HORSE LETTERS TO HIGH SPEED RAIL The latest High Speed Rail proposals call for gigantic, damaging tunnels to be constructed into and under Shadow Hills (along Wentworth near Mary Bell and Wheatland), into and under Lake View Terrace (along Foothill Blvd. near Wheatland and Orcas) and into and under Kagel Canyon near Little Tujunga Canyon Road. In addition, High Speed Rail is proposing to build a bridge over which the high speed rail trains would travel day and night that would span the entire width of the Big Tujunga Wash/Hansen Dam Recreation area from Lake View Terrace to Shadow Hills. That bridge would literally be in the same wash area where all the equestrian and hiking trails are located and where hundreds of equestrians ride every day. This is a HUGE challenge for our equestrian community which must speak out as an organized group. Equestrian leaders from throughout our area are taking the lead to execute a focused letter writing campaign featuring letters from our horses to High Speed Rail officials with copies to our elected officials. To make it easiest, the letter campaign will be exclusively by email. If someone lacks email, we can help email it for them. We will post regular updates to let you know how many letters have been sent, and we may provide some incentives and prizes for the best and most impactful letters. We need a minimum of 150-200 horse letters to make a strong and memorable impression. To do less is not worth doing. We must complete this effort by December 31, January 5th at the latest, as High Speed Rail is revising their routes NOW AS WE SPEAK and will go public with new routes late in January. We think it is essential and possible to eliminate at least 2 routes through our communities at this point in time. We generated more than 400 letters during the scoping period so this is doable. We need to make a statement folks and we need letters/emails from LVT, LTC, Shadow Hills, S/T, Kagel Canyon and Sun Valley! Please reply to [email protected] with any questions and well get back to you. Please copy Daily Fodder on your letter (email address is [email protected]). Thanks very much. Remember to save the date: LARGE COMMUNITY MEETING ON TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 13 AT ALL NATIONS CHURCH (STARTING TIME TBD). Why Write Letters from Horses to High Speed Rail? the cynical, and partly true reason, is HSR has had challenges listening to humans HSR is revisiting their routes based on feedback at the open house meetings that started last week and end tomorrow and will finalize routes for the EIR in the next 30-60 days. The East Corridor alternatives are seriously flawed, infeasible and inadequate. We DO NOT want or deserve to be included in the EIR or we will have 4-5 years more of this HSR project hanging over our heads. this is a creative means of capturing attention and putting focus on the silent stakeholder, the horse, and the impacts to the horse/equestrian community we underestimate the importance that not only we, but decisionmakers, give to the equestrian lifestyle, culture and assets (such as the trails throughout the wash area) the message that HSR threatens the equestrian culture, lifestyle and economy will be very powerful. Who Writes and Signs the Letters/Emails? they would be written by the owners of the horses and signed by both the horse and the owner. Horse name, owner name, address, email and phone number should be part of each signature. a facing picture of the horse should be located at the top of the letter/email. This could be a head shot or a full body shot, but the horse should be looking at the camera. Remember Mr. Ed? if you want to place your horse in unique settings or add some holiday accents to your photo, feel free (bows, wreaths, etc.) What Should the Letters/Emails state? written from the horses perspective (remember its got to be the horse talking) they should give some background on the horse (e.g. Ive been riding these trails with my owner for more than 10 years. These trails are my second home and an important part of my healthy exercise...) and articulate one or more reasons why the horse is opposed to the East Corridor Routes (E1, E2, E3). Examples of reasons include: noise while on tracks, compression noise entering/exiting tunnels and while underground, visual appearance of train and bridge spanning over the freeway and entire Big Tujunga wash between Lake View Terrace and Shadow Hills, damage to hillsides and nearby trails, damage to trails in the wash, closure of trails during construction, negative effects on health of horses, vibration, sub-sonic noise, rider safety, horse safety, damage to the streams and water contamination, damage to the trails during construction and operation, odors from train/track friction, wildlife safety, impacts to stables/ranches along/near the routes, negative impact to the equestrian economy, negative impact to equestrian and ranch property values, instability of the area due to quakes and flooding, etc. Who Should the Letters/Emails be sent to or copied to: Send emails to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], garellano@arellanoassociates Copy emails to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Copy email [email protected] Who Should Submit Letters/Emails: ALL owners of horses in Lake View Terrace, Kagel Canyon, Shadow Hills, La Tuna Canyon, Sunland/Tujunga, Stonehurst and Sun Valley Ranch and stable owners Feed and supply stores Veterinarians Giddy up everyone! This is going to help a lot. Sincerely, with holiday blessings and best wishes: S.A.F.E. Coalition Working Group and SHPOA Board of Directors Shadow Hills Property Owners Association PO Box 345 SHADOW HILLS, California 91041
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 22:43:07 +0000
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