Local Environmentalists Support Greenway as the Simplest, Fastest and Most Ecologically Sustainable Pathway to Mobility 

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — January 19, 2022 — Fifteen local environmentalists announced their support for Greenway today, adding their voices to the more than 16,000 signatures for the Greenway Initiative, to be on the June, 2022 ballot. Environmentalists listed below have worked either as individuals or with local or state level environmental organizations. In these efforts, they have worked hard to protect and improve the environment for decades. 

“We think the best way forward for the Santa Cruz County community is a YES vote on the Greenway Initiative,” said Jean Brocklebank, lifelong environmentalist and community activist. “By making the trail a priority, we get immediate benefits for public transit for people, while minimizing the environmental impacts of vegetation clearing and wildlife habitat destruction. It makes no sense to industrialize the corridor now with heavy infrastructure for a train option that may never occur.”

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) voted in April 2021 that the train plan as detailed in the Transit Corridors Alternatives Analysis is not financially feasible. 

“The community places a high priority on a multi-use bike and pedestrian trail with no new taxes, and the best way to achieve that is Greenway,” said Robert Stephens, past Board Chair Audubon California. “It’s the best use of taxpayer money and the best for wildlife, habitat and heritage trees along the rail corridor.”

The corridor currently provides significant habitat: tall trees, native plants, wildlife and hundreds of birds, migratory and resident. “The Harkins Slough area provides a tremendous opportunity for local visits and eco-tourism,” said Lisa Sheridan, President of the Santa Cruz Bird Club. “It’s a particularly attractive natural environment for the residents of south county, who have few accessible parks and recreational opportunities.”

There is no more ecologically sustainable alternative for use of the unused rail corridor than zero emission walking, running, and bike riding. Greenway will accommodate the increasing popularity of e-mobility on bikes, scooters, wheelchairs and micro vehicles. “Now is the time to invest in pedestrian and bike infrastructure to improve personal mobility, like the rest of the world, that has almost no negative impact on the environment,” said Gary Griggs, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California Santa Cruz. “With the increasing effects of climate change on our oceans, receding coastline, and weather, it’s time to act now to make Greenway a reality.”

Local Environmentalists Endorsing Greenway (alphabetical by last name; affiliations for identification only and do not imply endorsement of any specific organization)

Jean Brocklebank, Biologist and Environmentalist
Dr. Jeffrey Bury, UCSC Professor in Environmental Studies
Nancy Connelley, Board Member, Save Our Shores
Phil Dundas, Board Member, Friends of the UCSC Arboretum and Botanic Garden
Christine Eckstrom, National Geographic Author
Tyler Fox, Publisher, Santa Cruz Waves
Gillian Greensite, Save Our Big Trees
Dr. Gary Griggs, UCSC Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Rick Jones, Board Member, Natural History Museum
Frans Lanting, UCSC Trustee and National Geographic Photographer
Michael Lewis, PhD, Anthropologist and Environmentalist
Martin Quigley, Executive Director, UCSC Arboretum and Botanic Garden
Lou Rose, former Board Member, Watsonville Wetlands Watch
Lisa Sheridan, President, Santa Cruz Bird Club
Robert Stephens, Past Board Chair, Audubon California

ABOUT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY GREENWAY

Santa Cruz County Greenway is a 501(c)4 non-profit advocacy organization whose mission is “to create a spectacular Greenway as the backbone of an active transportation and public transit network.” Please visit our website at sccgreenway.org for more information or contact Buzz Anderson, 831-566-2100