Coyote Lake
The Wings of Rogallo is negociating with the Santa Clara Parks Department
access to Coyote Lake for flying. It is closed to all flying by both
paraglider and hang glider pilots until the SCPD allows access. To
find out how and when please contact
Gene Pfeiffer the WOR Chairman
of Site Acquisition.
The
Coyote Lake County Park
10840 Coyote Lake Rd
Gilroy, CA 95020
Phone: (408) 842-7800 (park office)
Hang Glider LZ
Views from the West side Launch
Gene
Pfeiffer
WOR Chairman of Site Acquisition
01/27/04
WOR Members:
The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors voted to accept the "Coyote
Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park Master Plan" today.
Over two years of effort has produced another flying site in the
Bay Area. I want to thank Jim Woodward, John Wilder and many other
members of BAPA and WOR for their effort in attending many meetings.
The first hang gliding and paragliding should be in the spring of
2005. As this is a walkup site, the trails need to be put in first.
Hopefully in the near future we will have access to the hills behind
Coyote Lake. This supreme launch area is controlled by the Santa
Clara Open Space Authority. This is our next step. Stay tuned.
Gene Pfeiffer
Gene Pfeiffer
WOR Chairman of Site Acquisition
03/1/02
Thanks!
I want to thank all the pilots who attended the public meeting
in Gilroy last night. This time the ratios were reversed. Most of
the pilots attending were hang glider pilots. I think we had somewhere
between 30 to 35 pilots attending the Meeting. We made up about one
half of the public attending the meeting. I think all the officers
of WOR were in attendance.
Because of the large turnout of pilots, we have been moved from
alternative 3 to being placed on the proposal to the Board of Supervisors
meeting in May. A large turnout of pilots will also be needed at
that meeting.
Again, thank for the large turnout,
Gene Pfeiffer
Gene Pfeiffer
WOR Chairman of Site Acquisition
02/20/02
We need your support:
Now is the time for our membership to show our support for flying
at Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch. A public meeting where we can give
our input is to be held on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002 from 6:30 pm to
8:30 pm. The location is at the Gilroy Senior Center, 7371 Hanna Street,
Gilroy. Information can be found on the Coyote Lake Park web site
at the Coyote
Lake Web site. Come to the meeting and express your desire to
open a second flying site the Santa Clara County Park System. At the
last public meeting Jim was the only hang glider pilot attending,
while there were five or six paraglider pilots at the meeting. Let’s
have both in large numbers at this meeting.
At the last WOR meeting a member ask me to explain the advantages
of developing Coyote Lake as a hang gliding and paragliding site.
Where is Coyote Lake? The directions given from the Coyote
Lake Web site are as follow:
“Coyote Lake County Park is located off Gilroy Hot Springs Road
in the Mount Hamilton Range foothills, east of Highway 101. To reach
the park, take Highway 101 to Gilroy. Take the Leavesley Road exit.
Follow Leavesley Road east 1.75 miles to New Avenue. Turn left onto
New Avenue and proceed north for .6 miles to Roop Road. The park
entrance is approximately 3 miles from New Avenue. Turn left onto
Coyote Reservoir Road, the park visitor center/ranger station is
about one mile from Roop Road in the foothills east of Gilroy.”
Santa Clara County Parks is presently having a task force studying
and conducting public meeting to propose the best development for
the Park with the addition of the Harvey Bear Ranch property to
the park. One of our proposed LZ is near the present campground
at Coyote Lake. Unfortunately the proposed launch sites are in the
newly acquired land east of Coyote Lake. This 4000 acre Open Space
preserve is controlled by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority.
Jim Woodward (hang gliding instructor) has flown the area in the
past. He said that the marine influence from San Francisco Bay affects
the area later than Ed Levin. This allows the thermal activity to
build up to a greater amount. There are five to six possible launch
sites around Coyote Lake. Jim has walked up the dirt road to the
launch areas and found the road to be in good shape. The launch
sites are already clear of trees and bushes, so little if any clearing
would be involved. The elevations drop is from 1100 feet to 1400
feet from Palassou Ridge depending on which launch knoll is used.
The launch from the west side of the lake is about a 500 foot elevation
drop. As Coyote Lake is permanently kept at a level less than full
capacity due to earthquake concerns, it is not necessary to fly
over the water to reach the LZ from either side. The LZ in front
of the campground/picnic area is also located in the part of the
Lake between full capacity and the normal lake level. Five of the
proposed flight plans are shown in the Topo
map. Two of the proposed flight plans are to the Alternate LZ.
This is a large area that Jim has used in the past when going XC
on his hang glider. It would be the preferred LZ for the hang gliders,
and the smaller closer LZ near the campground would be the preferred
LZ for the paragliders.
As overnight camping is allowed at Coyote Lake, it would be a
great place for a weekend fly-in. It would be a place to bring your
family as there would be other activities other than flying for
the non flying members of your family. Boating, horse stables, hiking
and biking trails, and other recreational activities are being proposed
for the area.
In the coming months we will need your support to bring flying
to Coyote Lake. As Jim and I and a few others who have attended
some of the public meetings, the task force is not necessary in
opposition to flying at Coyote Lake. However, it is on a very low
priority with them. We feel that some of the staff of the Santa
Clare County Parks Department is not in favor of hang-gliding and
paragliding other than at Ed Levin. Several times it has been on
the task force proposed activities submitted to the Parks Department
only to be missing at the next task force meeting. Jim has repeatedly
had to ask that our proposal be put back on the agenda. At one of
the main public meetings the LZ proposal was placed in phase 2 instead
of being in phase 1. There is very little if any capital expenditure
for the proposed LZ. Clearing the LZ of weeds and small bushes can
be done by members of WOR and BAPA. The LZ should be in phase one
to secure the area as we await the development of the launch in
the adjacent Santa Clara County Open Space Preserve. However, if
the west side launch is developed (see below), we would be able
to fly at Coyote Lake before we have an agreement with the Santa
Clara Open Space Authority. The west side launch is only a 500 foot
hill, but it has a knoll facing into the prevailing afternoon winds.
I am not sure why the Santa Clara Parks Department is not supporting
us. Do they think that hang gliding and paragliding is too dangerous?
According to a study by Jack Doughty on “A Comparison of Fatality
Statistics” published by Water Gap Soaring Club, Inc., he showed
that personal water craft, rock climbing, and boating had a higher
fatality rate. Our members are insured by the USGHA and the members
all sign waivers. We also have an excellent record of self regulation.
The new proposed mission statement by the Steering Committee for
the Strategic Plan for the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation
System is as follows:
“We create a growing and diverse system of regional parks, trails
and open spaces of countywide significance that connects people
with the natural environment, offers visitor experiences that renew
the human spirit, and balances recreation opportunities with resource
protections.”
Hang-gliding and paragliding is recreation and definitely renews
the human spirit. Most of us are not in it for the adenine rush,
but for the joyous release of our spirit as we soar though the sky.
We should be treated the same as any other proposed user of the
parks. I believe the task force for the Strategic Plan has our support.
At a meeting on January 16, the task force members mentioned hang
gliding 10 to 15 times as an activity example of meeting most of
the requirements of “countywide significance”. There discussion
was on how a proposed park activity would meet their requirements
for “Resource Value”, “Community Demand”, “Location and Access”,
“Broad Geographic Constituency”, “Scale”, etc. With education and
understanding on the part of the parks department, hopefully they
will view hang gliding and paragliding as just another recreational
activity along with hiking, biking, etc.
At the January Coyote Lake Task Force meeting, the committee came
up with a draft of three different alternatives. We were on the
last page of their alternative number three. Under the heading of
Program Element for “hang gliding/paragliding landing site” their
comments were:
“Due to lack of confirmed launch site, unknown permitting requirements
with the Water District, and other inter-agency coordination issues,
hang gliding/paragliding may be considered as a potential future
use once these issues are resolved. (Potential landing site is shown
in Alternative 3.)”
Looking at a Topo
map, it appears that we may have a possible launch site on the
Coyote Lake-Bear Ranch County Park. It is on the west side of the
Lake facing into the prevailing winds. It has a glide ratio of five
to one, and an elevation drop 500 feet. The landing zone would be
the same landing zone proposed for the launches from the Open Space
Palassou Ridge. This launch and landing site all within the County
Park should overcome their concern with not having launch site approval
at the present time from the Santa Clara Open Space Authority. The
launch site on the west side of the lake has the additional advantage
of not requiring pilots to fly over the lake water to reach the
LZ.
The map shows five possible flight plans for paragliding and hang-gliding.
The prevailing winds are up the canyon in the afternoon, so a rectangle
landing zone should serve our needs. The approach does not have
tall trees and will allow ample room for setup on approach to landing.
The glide ratios are from 4.2:1 to 5.7:1 which are within the performance
of modern hang gliders and paragliders. The Ed Levin glide ratio
is about 4.1:1. The glide ratios from the launch site on the lower
part of Palassou Ridge to the larger alternative LZ is a very doable
4.2 to 1.
On January 28th, Jim attended the Santa Clara Open Space Authority
meeting in San Jose. He gave a short talk on our proposal. The Open
Space Authority has scheduled a presentation by Jim at their next
meeting.
Gene Pfeiffer
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Coyote
Topo Map