NEWS RELEASE

3/31/03

Andy Coe, Director of Community Relations: (650) 725-3329, andy.coe@stanford.edu

Relevant Web URLs:
http://neighbors.stanford.edu

Dish hours extended for hikers and joggers

Beginning Sunday, April 6, the Dish recreation area will be open to hikers and joggers for longer hours each day. The new hours will be from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. from April through August, and from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from November through January. Hours for September, October, February and March will be adjusted on a monthly basis. The Dish currently is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through March and from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. April through September.

The new hours reflect an effort to adjust the Dish recreation hours to more closely follow seasonal hours of daylight. The new hours will go into effect on Sunday, the first day of Daylight Saving Time and the same day Stanford's second annual Community Day will be celebrated on campus.

The longer hours were recommended by the Provost's Advisory Committee on Recreation Use of the Dish, which was created in 2001 and is made up of campus leaseholders, community members, students and an academic user of the Dish area. The committee was formed after the university announced a new Conservation and Use Plan in 2000 that regulated access to the popular Dish area of Stanford's academic lands.

"Dish hikers and joggers have asked us if we could extend the hours and we wanted to be responsive," said Gordon Earle, vice president for public affairs. "The new times will allow local residents to enjoy the Dish for longer periods of time, especially during the summer months when the area is most heavily used."

Stanford officials estimate that the Dish area currently receives more than 300,000 visitors annually.

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