SF Bay Windsurfing Threatened - COMMENT LETTER

From: George Haye (geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Wed Aug 11 1999 - 20:29:25 PDT


Received: from opus.hpl.hp.com by jr.hpl.hp.com with ESMTP (1.37.109.24/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA130968769; Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:32:49 -0700
Return-Path: <geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
Received: from hplms26.hpl.hp.com by opus.hpl.hp.com with ESMTP (1.37.109.24/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA015408766; Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:32:46 -0700
Received: from hotmail.com (law2-f183.hotmail.com [216.32.181.183]) by hplms26.hpl.hp.com (8.9.1a/HPL-PA Relay) with SMTP id UAA24119 for <wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis>; Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:32:46 -0700 (PDT)
Received: (qmail 10832 invoked by uid 0); 12 Aug 1999 03:29:27 -0000
Message-Id: <19990812032927.10831.qmail@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
Received: from 209.245.131.127 by www.hotmail.com with HTTP; Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:29:25 PDT
X-Originating-Ip: [209.245.131.127]
From: "George Haye" <geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
Subject: SF Bay Windsurfing Threatened - COMMENT LETTER
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:29:25 PDT
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Susan K. is right - we do need to write letters. I'VE MADE IT REAL EASY,
FOLKS. Just print, sign, and mail the Comment Letter below. The letter is
also accessible through the SFBA website.

If anyone could post the COMMENT LETTER E-MAIL (the letter itself, and also
my introduction) to rec.windsurfing and any other windsurfing newsgroups you
know of, that would be a great help!
I am not a newsgroup wizard. : )

Again, if you post to rec.windsurfing, it would be great if you could then
post a message here on wind_talk, so that no one duplicates the effort.
Thanks for doing this last time for the Alert, Rick.

-George
"Got wind?"

----Original Message Follows----
From: "George Haye" <geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
To: geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis
Subject: SF Bay Windsurfing Threatened - COMMENT LETTER
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:08:05 PDT

URGENT! HELP SAVE WINDSURFING IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY! Print, sign, and mail a
copy of the Comment Letter (SEE BELOW), and it will really help! If everyone
sends a letter, we can win this battle! Even if you don't live in
California, if you want to protect windsurfing access, please help!
      San Francisco International Airport's plans would wipe out COYOTE
POINT. THIRD AVENUE could also be ruined. And, FOUR other windsurf spots are
in danger. All letters must be received by SEPTEMBER 9, 1999. Send your
letter to one of the addresses listed at the top. Or, send letters to both
of them. An original comment letter is best, but if you send in a copy of
this Comment Letter (SEE BELOW), it will definitely make a difference.
      For more info, and a ready-to-print copy of the Comment Letter, see:
San Francisco Boardsailing Association: http://www.sfba.org/sfo.htm
(Click on the link at the very bottom of the web page.)(Check out the
modified satellite picture.)
      THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! *WE WILL WIN.*
      Here's the plan: Send a Comment Letter, then...GO WINDSURFING!
-George Haye, Member of the San Francisco Boardsailing Association
My E-Mail: geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis

----------------------------------------------
August 11, 1999

Ms. Hilary Gitelman, Environmental Review Officer, San Francisco Planning
Department, 1660 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA

Ms. Camille Garibaldi, Federal Aviation Administration, San Francisco
Airports District Office, 831 Mitten Road, Room 210, Burlingame, CA 94010,
USA

Dear Ms. Gitelman and Ms. Garibaldi,
        I am a windsurfer who is concerned about San Francisco International
Airport’s runway expansion project. Several world-class windsurfing areas
could be lost or severely degraded if the airport’s proposed runway
expansion proceeds, including: COYOTE POINT, THIRD AVENUE, OYSTER POINT,
FLYING TIGERS, EMBASSY SUITES, and OLD THIRD AVENUE. This includes some of
the best and most popular windsurf spots in the world!
        The Airport’s proposed runway, which would extend down into the Bay
offshore from Coyote Point, would cut off windsurf access to the open Bay.
This would ruin Coyote Point as a windsurf spot for the following reasons: a
windsurfer could no longer access the outer waters which often have the best
conditions for sailing; the wind swells from the open Bay which are ridden
and jumped by windsurfers would be blocked by the runways; and the water
quality in the closed-off area would deteriorate, especially after storms. I
am also concerned about these same effects on the Oyster Point, Flying
Tigers, and Embassy Suites areas.
        Also, if mud levels and sand bars rise due to changes in Bay hydrology
caused by the runways and massive Bay fill, windsurf access could be ruined
at all of the sites mentioned above, including the extremely popular spot
Third Avenue, located in Foster City. The environmental review process must
examine to what extent mud levels and sand bars are expected to rise (or
lower) all along the Bay shore. Real-world examples must be studied, rather
than just doing calculations. The studies must be specific to each
particular area along the Bay shore. The review process must also examine
whether silting would occur in these areas and how likely it would be that
marshland would form along the shorelines. The scientific analysis must be
long-range in scope because these are world-class windsurf sites which will
be used into perpetuity by generations of windsurfers if they are not
destroyed.
        The windsurf areas mentioned are priceless and are irreplaceable. The Bay
fill and runway expansion should not be allowed to occur, because mitigation
is not possible. It is not possible to "develop" comparable windsurf spots
elsewhere. Coyote Point, for example, is irreplaceable because of several
reasons, including: (1) it is well situated for the prevailing Northwest and
West winds that blow consistently through the San Bruno gap and/or from the
fog bank over the western mountains; (2) during the season (from the
beginning of March through the end of October), because of its exact
geographical location, Coyote Point experiences as many good windy days as
anywhere; (3) hundreds of parking spots are available close to the water;
(4) The beach stretches a distance of over half a mile - which is critical
for beginners, and advanced sailors in flood tides; (5) while other local
windsurf spots cannot be used on low tides, Coyote Point can be used in all
tide conditions - even negative tides.
        The environmental review process must examine what effects the proposed
project would have on windsurfing, as well as what effects it would have on
wildlife, noise in surrounding communities, aesthetics, freeway and street
traffic, and other recreational uses in the area such as boating. The
environmental review process must consider all other alternatives to filling
the Bay and expanding the runways, including: all technical solutions which
could increase airport capacity in bad weather conditions; cooperation with
and/or expansion of other airports including Oakland, San Jose, Moffet
Field, and other military bases; extending BART between SFO and OAK airports
in order to transport airline passengers, commuters, and cargo; high speed
trains between the Bay Area and Southern California; and building a new
airport near Morgan Hill and/or near Pleasanton.

Signature:

Date:

Name:

Address:

_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Dec 10 2001 - 02:36:00 PST