Caspers Park Ban on Minors Is Tragic and Unjustifiable

Caspers Park must be reopened to the young people whose love and appreciation for its extraordinary value will guarantee their good stewardship in future years. The park is the crown jewel in the county park system, a haven from the overdevelopment just minutes away on I-5.

My husband and I hike its trail system each week--through chaparral, grassland, hill country, stunning oak and sycamore stands and, after hard rains, across swift streams. We’re aware of wildlife always: deer, coyote, birds, bobcats occasionally, and the smaller, unseen, but audible life in the brush.

It saddens me that use of the park is now so restricted that a generation of people cannot experience its nurturing presence. Our country, state and national parks have instituted no such restrictions, though their inherent dangers are often far greater.

Caspers is a wilderness park, with all that implies. Surely with adequate warnings in place and a signed waiver that the park user understands the risks involved for himself/herself and family, it is appropriate that the park be opened for all users within the wilderness guidelines.

BARBARA WEAGANT, Dana Point