Editor, Daily Nexus,

The path from Isla Vista to Sands Beach has always been popular with students and the Isla Vista community. The university improved the dirt path in 1986, when faculty housing was constructed, and it has since been ignored. Today, the path has become highly braided, rutted and, during the wet winters, a muddy mess. As users navigate through pools, the path becomes wider and sensitive bluff habitat is destroyed, not to mention that the path poses many safety hazards to walkers and bikers.

The Shoreline Preservation Fund and the I.V. chapter of the Surfrider Foundation feel that, as the path is on university property, it is the responsibility of the university to provide a safe, environmentally friendly path for students, faculty and the community. However, when approached about fixing the path, the university claimed it did not have sufficient funds for the path’s refurbishment.

What the university plans to do with this path is add it into its coastal enhancement proposal, which includes a parking lot of 20 to 40 spaces at the end of Del Playa Drive. Therefore, while the university claims it will renovate the path, it will also add a large parking lot on top of sensitive habitat. We request that the university take immediate action to maintain the path and protect sensitive coastal bluffs rather than build on top of them.

With enough student support, the university will realize that this path is valuable to the campus community and a serious safety concern. With that, we hope the university will take the initiate to repair the path immediately.

There are petitions and fliers around campus and in the SPF office above the MultiCultural Center, and some have been circulated throughout classrooms. For more information about the path, you can visit
here and see some photos of just how bad this path is or find more information to get involved.

If you would like us to attend your organization’s meeting or discuss this issue in more detail with you, please let us know. With your support and the students of UCSB, we can be assured coastal bluffs will be protected and paths are safe.