Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Marine strike on bikers

"We've let people know, we put signs out there, and we've had patrols."

U.S. Marine Corps military police confiscated 53 bicycles and 3 motorcycles riding on trails on the east end of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar over last weekend, Lt. Matthew Gregory confirmed on Tuesday, January 19.

While the wheels are impounded as evidence until the citations are resolved, they will be returned if the judge okays it, Gregory said.

Miramar has long been warning hikers, bikers, and off-road enthusiasts that the base’s land is not for their fun. The Marines met with the San Diego Mountain Bike Association in July of last year and warned that enforcement would scale up to citations and bikes being impounded.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"I feel like we've done our due diligence," Gregory said. "We've let people know, we put signs out there, and we've had patrols warning people to stay off our base. It's a security issue for us, and a safety issue for them."

Mountain-bike association president Kevin Loomis confirmed the meetings, warning, and property seizures over the weekend.

"We feel horrible about what is happening, but the Marines have told us this would happen," he wrote. "Our military is at a heightened security alert for obvious reasons and must ensure the base is secure."

The 23,116-acre base, bisected by I-15, reaches far east into Santee and north to Poway on the east side of the 15. The southeast edge abuts Mission Trails Open Space, a popular mountain-biking spot.

The Marines grew concerned about outdoor enthusiasts popping up at the east end of a live-ammunition training range over the summer — appearances that shut down training completely until the area was deemed cleared.

"People don't understand how far a live round can travel," Gregory said. "They go thousands of yards and we need a robust area to be sure no one gets hurt."

Gregory has heard complaints that there should be fences in addition to the signs the Marines have placed. That would trigger a huge environmental disruption, he said.

"We put the signs out there — Marines tell me they've watched people gleefully ride right past them," he said. "There is a line. It's for their safety."

According to Loomis, enforcement is ongoing at two popular biking areas: the East Elliot area — a former Marine base that includes Sycamore Canyon — and an area by Santee Lakes known as the Mast Medina trail.

"We have met with the mountain-bike association and they are looking at other options that don't involve east Miramar," Gregory said. "They are looking for solutions and we respect their efforts and appreciate that they recognize our concerns. We've seen their efforts to get the word out to their members."

The association's county liaison, Ben Stone, says there is a solution — and it is not trespassing on Marine Corps land. The association has mapped a route around the base, and they've been meeting with the people who are developing the land and the county parks department. Stone says most people are receptive to the proposed trail. In the meantime, Stone says, stay off military land.

"The fact that people have been riding the trails for 20+ years does not change the fact that they exist on private land, military land and county land," Stone wrote on the association blog on January 18. "Sycamore Canyon is not part of Mission Trails."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Kaylee Daugherty, Pinback, Chorduroy, Moondaddy, and Mr. Tube & the Flying Objects

Solos, duos, and full bands in Mira Mesa, Del Mar, City Heights, Little Italy, East Village
Next Article

Steven Richter comes up with $1 million for Lincoln Club

Lincoln Club helps Larry Turner, hits Terra Lawson-Remer

U.S. Marine Corps military police confiscated 53 bicycles and 3 motorcycles riding on trails on the east end of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar over last weekend, Lt. Matthew Gregory confirmed on Tuesday, January 19.

While the wheels are impounded as evidence until the citations are resolved, they will be returned if the judge okays it, Gregory said.

Miramar has long been warning hikers, bikers, and off-road enthusiasts that the base’s land is not for their fun. The Marines met with the San Diego Mountain Bike Association in July of last year and warned that enforcement would scale up to citations and bikes being impounded.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"I feel like we've done our due diligence," Gregory said. "We've let people know, we put signs out there, and we've had patrols warning people to stay off our base. It's a security issue for us, and a safety issue for them."

Mountain-bike association president Kevin Loomis confirmed the meetings, warning, and property seizures over the weekend.

"We feel horrible about what is happening, but the Marines have told us this would happen," he wrote. "Our military is at a heightened security alert for obvious reasons and must ensure the base is secure."

The 23,116-acre base, bisected by I-15, reaches far east into Santee and north to Poway on the east side of the 15. The southeast edge abuts Mission Trails Open Space, a popular mountain-biking spot.

The Marines grew concerned about outdoor enthusiasts popping up at the east end of a live-ammunition training range over the summer — appearances that shut down training completely until the area was deemed cleared.

"People don't understand how far a live round can travel," Gregory said. "They go thousands of yards and we need a robust area to be sure no one gets hurt."

Gregory has heard complaints that there should be fences in addition to the signs the Marines have placed. That would trigger a huge environmental disruption, he said.

"We put the signs out there — Marines tell me they've watched people gleefully ride right past them," he said. "There is a line. It's for their safety."

According to Loomis, enforcement is ongoing at two popular biking areas: the East Elliot area — a former Marine base that includes Sycamore Canyon — and an area by Santee Lakes known as the Mast Medina trail.

"We have met with the mountain-bike association and they are looking at other options that don't involve east Miramar," Gregory said. "They are looking for solutions and we respect their efforts and appreciate that they recognize our concerns. We've seen their efforts to get the word out to their members."

The association's county liaison, Ben Stone, says there is a solution — and it is not trespassing on Marine Corps land. The association has mapped a route around the base, and they've been meeting with the people who are developing the land and the county parks department. Stone says most people are receptive to the proposed trail. In the meantime, Stone says, stay off military land.

"The fact that people have been riding the trails for 20+ years does not change the fact that they exist on private land, military land and county land," Stone wrote on the association blog on January 18. "Sycamore Canyon is not part of Mission Trails."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
Next Article

Our riparian woodland begins to look like fall, Orb Weavers help decorate

Comet of the century?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader