The fifth guiding principle of our organization came about as a result of a meeting with Jackie Kuhwarth and leaders of other groups advocating for their particular use of the Parkway who were generally being denied access to the policy shaping decision process.
“5) Continuing exclusion of responsible usage by new Parkway user groups is contrary to the spirit upon which public ownership of a natural resource is predicated.
“Our Approach: The Parkway belongs to all of us. It is a community resource. The Parkway Management Plan should contain no absolute restrictions on user activity, rather a process of study and decision-making. Along with off-leash dog walking, mountain biking, full access for the disabled, inline skating, and a greatly expanded network of picnic and sitting places, there are a variety of new usages that should be under consideration to become part of the Parkway experience.
“Our Guiding Principle: Regarding new parkway usages: Inclusion should be the operating principle rather than exclusion.”
An excerpt from the article in the Bee about dog parks.
“As her dogs splashed through the American River and bounded along Paradise Beach, Jackie Kuhwarth fumed over the citation in her hand.
“Eight years after getting that citation for allowing her dogs to run off-leash, Kuhwarth is feeling a little triumphant.
“Plans for a 4-acre dog park near the American River are on the drawing board. The enclosed expanse for dog owners and their dogs is part of a $2 million building phase at Sutter's Landing Regional Park near midtown.
“The citation prompted Kuhwarth to organize the Sacramento Dog Owners Group and wage a long civic battle for territory on the river where dogs can roam off-leash, plunge into the water and run through the wilderness.
“Her dream is still not realized. But the park near the river is a welcome compromise, she said.
"Small, fenced parks are a wonderful place for people who can't walk," Kuhwarth said. "We're not like a bunch of renegades who advocate dogs running amok."
“In her perfect world, she envisions a 25-acre dog reserve at the water's edge for her three basenjis.”
