This issue has arisen because people have chosen to hike between the targets and the shooting positions and now claim they have the right to do so even though the city’s Lower Arroyo Master Plan (LAMP) clearly states that the hiking path is to the East of the archery range to ensure separation of archers and walkers. The LAMP also addressed the need for improved signage yet 9 years after approval of the LAMP the city had not acted on the signage need until pushed to do so this past January and even then this was done in a temporary fashion and the signs ignored. 

The Pasadena PD report issued in May reiterated the need to block the trail to prevent hiking on the range and to install adequate signage. 

A week long survey of people hiking in the Lower Arroyo conducted by the archers found that the vast majority of people were hiking the paths designated as hiking paths in the Lower Arroyo Master Plan and that only a handful (<10) people were hiking on the archery range. 

There are many miles of hiking trail through the Arroyo as well as elsewhere in Pasadena but there is only one archery range and it is unique in being the oldest Field Archery Range in it’s original location in the World. 

Although there has been discussion about arrows landing in gardens overlooking the Arroyo Pasadena PD has never been called on such an incident. 

Pasadena PD has publicly stated that the issues that occupy their time in the lower Arroyo relate to dogs off leash, homeless people in the vicinity of the casting pond  and other non archery related incidents. Archers act as eyes and ears for the community and have notified Pasadena PD when suspicious activity has been observed. The archers keep a medical kit on site and have assisted in medical emergencies in the Arroyo before the first responders could arrive. 

In talking about safety it is interesting to consider a couple of examples: 

People have been injured and died because of bicycle crashes all across Pasadena yet bicycling, quite reasonably, has not been restricted in the city. 

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission the injury rate for Archery is 0.65 injuries per 1000 participants. The rate for fishing is 1.27 injuries per 1000 participants – twice as dangerous yet no one considers restricting access to the casting pond on the opposite side of the Arroyo! 

The city should implement the recommendations in the Lower Arroyo Master Plan, keeping the separation between the archers and hikers and finally put up the signage that was called for in the LAMP and by Pasadena PD. Calling for the restriction of hours on the range and constant supervision is not a reasonable response to this concern given the real safety record versus a rumor fed perception! 

Thanks Gary

We won this round, but we’re not done.
Posted on November 2, 2011

Last night the Recreation & Parks Commission voted to support the archery range in every way possible, even going so far as to attach a general statement rejecting the very concept of “shared use” of the area. They told the city very clearly that (a) it’s an archery range; (b) there should be no restriction of archery by times and/or days; and (c) it should not be the PRA’s responsibility to provide supervision of the range when they aren’t running an event or class. They also addressed the issue of revenue, specifying that the costs of maintaining the range should come out of the city’s portion of the revenue derived from the use of the range, such as tournament fees and instruction charges.