CARLSBAD — After years of vandalism and illegal trail riding at Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve, state wildlife officials announced that law enforcement will enhance its efforts to preserve the trail, increase patrols and issue tickets to individuals in violation of the law.
Ed Pert, South Coast regional manager with California Department Fish and Wildlife, told a small crowd during an April 6 media event that mountain biking on the preserve’s trails is creating huge problems for the local environment and habitat.
Pert said bikers dig up and transport soil to build jumps and berms and remove trees and vegetation to carve out an estimated 17 miles of illegal riding trails.
In the most recent act of defiance, a new sign displaying the rules for Highlands preserve — restricting mountain bikes — was cut down.
Trail cameras have also caught riders damaging and removing signs protecting restricted areas.
Since the mid-2000s, Pert said the state has lost over 500 signs to brazen acts of vandalism at the Highlands reserve.
The 473-acre nature preserve, acquired by the state wildlife agency in 2000, is a protected habitat for native coastal sage scrub and grasslands.
The land is also home to a number of species such as California gnatcatchers, golden eagles, coyotes, grasshopper sparrows and black-shouldered kites.
But most importantly, Pert said, it’s a safety issue.
And Pert isn’t the only one upset about illegal use of trails by mountain bikers at Highlands.
Carlsbad residents Paul and Cindy, who said they have enjoyed walking the Highlands every weekend for the last seven years, said they feel like second-class citizens to bikers using the trails.
Paul added that there is an “arrogance and ignorance” by some of the riders who don’t communicate properly with others sharing the trail.
Members of the mountain biking community are speaking out against the agency’s policy, accusing state wildlife officials of demonizing riders and unfairly conflating the destruction of public property with off-road cyclists.
Ben Stone, trails coordinator for San Diego Mountain Biking Association, said the current situation was created by poor management, excessive enforcement and a lack of interaction with local riders.
Currently, there are two trails designated for hiking that run through Highlands preserve.
Emery, 2, practices riding her bike at New Venture Christian Fellowship church near an entrance into Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve. Local mountain bikers say they want to work with the state officials to allow riders access to the preserve.
Stone said people who live in nearby neighborhoods have been using that area for years and simply want a place to recreate.
Making matters worse, Stone said, is the way the agency has alienated locals by refusing to hold constructive discussions with the community.
Longtime San Diego County resident Gary Murphy, who attended Saturday’s press conference to support local cyclists, said he grew up riding around this area and expressed his frustration that his children may not have that same opportunity.
San Marcos resident Jerry Hill, an avid mountain biker, said he feels there needs to be a compromise and a better management plan to accommodate responsible cyclists.
Highlands is part of a larger 6,478-acre preserve system and one of five ecological reserves — Buena Vista Lagoon, Buena Vista Creek, Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Batiquitos Lagoon — owned and managed by the state located within Carlsbad city limits.
These protected spaces are created to strike a balance between preservation and urban development. Guidelines for recreational use on state-owned land are legislated in Sacramento.
Rosanne Humphrey, Habitat Management program coordinator for the city of Carlsbad, said that people often don’t understand that state ecological reserves are the most conservative land-use areas.
Every state ecological reserve requires a minimum level of enforcement, but game wardens responsible for patrolling state lands are stretched too thin, Humphrey said.
The lack of resources prompted the city of Carlsbad to collaborate with SANDAG in July 2018 to create a pilot program funding “localized enforcement of open space lands” identified in the city’s habitat plan.
The yearlong agreement authorized the Carlsbad Police Department to create two new “ranger” positions to patrol preserved areas, issue tickets and make arrests if necessary.
The fine for illegal bike riding is $250, bikes may also be confiscated and repeat offenders could be fined up to the value of their bike.
Nearly every ecological reserve in California prohibits mountain bikes.