Wow! Thanks to all of you who have already signed the first petition, we were able to collectively persuade the Manhattan Beach City Council to reopen the Sand Dune at Sand Dune Park
However, now we must work even harder to open the Sand Dune for recreational exercise for all and let the City Council realize, it is not exercise that is the problem, but over-usage..
While we support measures to reduce usage and noise, the Sand Dune at Sand Dune Park will also need to provide what the public park has had for the past forty years – a recreational opportunity.
Please:
- Email the city council and tell them you want the dune reopened for adults and children to play and recreationally exercise at citycouncil@citymb.info
- Sign the new petition (this is critical even if you already signed the old one)
- Go Viral! Forward this message to all your friends, family and co-workers, because that's the best way to spread the message.
January 2010 Update
On January 19th, the City Council voted in favor of re-opening the Dune with limitations. Those limitations will soon be debated and defined.
During this meeting, the stories related to the City Council by the “open the Dune” supporters were mostly examples from how adults enjoy recreation on the dune for their own health and fitness, to walking up and down the dune because it is the only place strengthen and rehabilitate from injuries from back and knee pain, to simply just enjoying the view at the top!. Others stories shared how enjoying the Dune with the family and wanting to ensure this access for future generations.
We thought the message from all us was simple and clear – address over-usage, but find a way to reopen the dune for adults to enjoy recreational exercise as well as for children to play.
Unfortunately, that message wasn't completely received by our City Council and now we need your help once again. If our last efforts were any indication, we can succeed once more.
Our fight has just begun as highly restrictive solutions discussed by the City Council could still effectively end the dune's use for all. Some of these unnecessary and extreme measures were:
- Banning adults from using the dune at all
- Carving the dune up by installing wooden paths or an artificial trail
- Installing massive pylons to subdivide the dune
- Adding unsightly vertical and horizontal fences
- Leaving the dune closed for years in the name of "restoration”.
After reading the hundreds of emails from all of you, carving up the dune and banning adults is not what we would consider, “reopening” the Dune. The Sand Dune represents just ten percent of the nearly 1,200 foot wide Dune that is already covered in vegetation. Do not be mislead by the “close the dune” crowd with their misleading statements.
