Comments on: Sungnome Madrone: Rail Realism, Trail Respect – April 11, 2011

By: kevpod

kevpod — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:17:29 +0000

This commenter is using the same computer as “ferdo77,” posting under a different name. Why the cheesy tradecraft?

By: Humboldt Beacon

Humboldt Beacon — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:15:09 +0000

The Humboldt Beacon is gathering comments on railbanking in the Eel River Valley, pro or con. I don’t work for them, but forward your thoughts to news@humboldtbeacon.com

By: ferdo77

ferdo77 — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:11:23 +0000

The 10,000 or so signatures that Weston got are mostly bogus. Signers can be anyone – little kids, illegal aliens, convicted felons, blind, mentally retarded, etc. There are no standards to signature gathering, so the names are meaningless.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:50:59 +0000

Don’t you just hate seeing a typo after posting a comment?

By: Waldo

Waldo — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:48:13 +0000

A couple of things bother the heck out of me regarding a trail along the Eel. First and foremost is that the word is already out that major growers trying to move in the Mendocino and S.Humboldt are planning on using the route to avoid highway 101 when moving their products north for shipment east. They will make use of the trail for actul hiking and biking impossible. The second thing that really bothers me (Ph.D. in an environmental field) is that currently the old right of way is being used as a dumping ground. Not just for trash but to dispose of hazardous and toxic materials. Those will need to be removed and it will cost a bundle. I spoke with a person connected with the Annie and Mary Trail, who assured me that the Railroad Authority will have to clean up the mess, but that is not so if the right of way is taken over. Look at the situation in Michigan where the people who had easements across their property are being sued in an effort to make them clean up problems that post date removal of the rails. The staggering amount of trash was not left by the railroads. If what is being called trash were not of high value, people like the company Mr. Weston works for would not want title to it. As to who destroyed the shoring in the tunnels (by removal of shoring and/or burning of same) I think that is no mystery.

The only way to have a trail along the Eel that is safe and that can be maintained is if the railroad is restored first. The current price of fuel has reached the point where all railbanked lines could be restored under thw law that enabled trail building on land that actually remains theirs.

The fact that keeping the right of way intact keeps it in the possession of the railroad means they will be liable for problems that arise. If a judge rules that ownership of the right of way changes when rail banking takes place, then there are other serious problems with the Constitution as it takes property away from the owners without just compensation.

No matter how nice an Eel River trail might be made to seem, it just isn’t likely. So people shouldn’t let themselves be duped by those with a financial interest in the trails question. One thing that would have to be in place is a bond to cover mitigation of the damage that trails on former railroad beds have demonstrated. Currentlt Kentucky has the most realistic cost of said bonds at $10,000/mile. But that will be going up as it is in other states who are finding that the costs of these free trails is beyond their ability to cover.

By: Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:03:52 +0000

Sungnome:

We’re currently assessing fish passage at railroad crossings in the Eel River canyon, and the number of crossings with culverts on fish-bearing streams is in the dozens, not hundreds. Most of the larger fish-bearing streams are crossed with bridges that are not impediments to upstream migration of salmon and steelhead. Still, the track washouts, fill slope failures, collapsed tunnels and amount of trash left behind by the railroad is staggering.

By: Mike Buettner

Mike Buettner — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:04:23 +0000

You are a troll Mr. Woodings.

By: Theodor Woodings

Theodor Woodings — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:01:20 +0000

Have you walked the Hammond Trail lately? Its covered in garbage, dead appliances and graffiti. This trail has provided a place for young criminals to party, escape the police and harass the public. And this is in town. What do you think is going to happen out in the middle of nowhere? This proposed trail is going to attract so much criminal activity in the form of pot grows, garbage dumping and trespassing. Don’t forget search and rescue. The money it will cost for the EIR, (yes, you folks have to do one too) building and all the rest will be minor compared to the upkeep and maintenance. This whole project is a huge mistake and the public has been brainwashed. The amount of tourism it will bring will be so minimal it would not even begin to offset the cost. Railbanking is a scam and excuse to dismantle our local infrastructure.