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Flames advance on Doug Stewart's Bonny Doon home beneath the 'Moon Rocks' area during the Martin Fire in June, 2008. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel file)

BONNY DOON -- It turns out there is a cost to howling at the full moon: $500.

A dozen UC Santa Cruz students discovered that when they ventured into the closed Moon Rocks area of the Bonny Doon Ecological Preserve during May's so-called "Super Moon." They were escorted out by state Fish and Wildlife wardens and given steep fines, but many are now fighting the citations in court.

"I just think $500 is ridiculous," said Alice Durand, a physics department grad student who said the cost would be one-third of her monthly salary. "They don't make it obvious that you can't go in there, and then they hit you with a $500 ticket."

The Moon Rocks are an ecologically sensitive area tucked back from the North Coast. It includes woods and unusual sandstone peaks, with visitors over the years contributing a kaleidoscope of etched graffiti and rock carvings: aliens, cartoons, dragons, wizards and even a slide.

It is also a subject of lore among UCSC students, other youth and the young-at-heart who are up for an adventure. It is not out of the realm of possibility that some of those adventures are spiked with pharmaceutical aids, and full moon visits are relatively popular.

But to protect the unique habitat (and though many hiking sites do not say so), the area officially has been closed to the public for more than 20 years. The UCSC students say they crossed a fence line, but didn't notice any signs warning them away.


"If I had seen a sign I wouldn't have gone in," Durand said.

The area also looks inviting because once there, the human footprint is clear. Moon Rocks is pockmarked with signs that it is, or was, a popular destination.

"Just the notion of not being allowed to hike here was surprising to me, because there was a trail there," said another student facing a citation, Michael Medrano.

A state Department of Fish & Wildlife spokeswoman said the area is closed due to litter and vandalism problems. It also is suspected as the source of the 2008 Martin Fire, though the spokeswoman said the cause remains under investigation.

Numerous other students were out that night, which included a birthday celebration for one member of the group. The Moon Rocks dozen are: Durand, Medrano, Payton Rose, Tia Plautz, Matt Whitman, Jen Trihn, Leila Jewell, Adam Coogan, Steve Martin, Laurel Haskins, Chico Martin and Eric Carlson.

Why state wardens were out after midnight on the year's biggest full moon is another question. Durand said they were told of a complaint, which jibes with the protectiveness Bonny Doon locals can exhibit, which sometimes leans toward vigilantism. One local biologist advises others studying the area to clearly mark their vehicles or risk having their tires slashed.

State Fish & Wildlife officials said they do routine patrols, typically including night visits -- especially when the full moon is out due to increased activity. Trespassing, spokeswoman Jordan Traverso said, is a common problem and tickets are written at least monthly.

If so, those tickets would be unusual. Wardens issued at least 12 on the night of May 25 (the UCSC students say they believe more people were at Moon Rocks that night), but the department gave out fewer than 200 common trespassing tickets statewide during all of 2010, the latest year for which statistics are available.

"I believe very strongly in the preservation of local ecology. I believe there should be relatively heavy fines for disturbing a vulnerable habitat," said Martin, also a grad student in physics. "However, this kind of heavy fine only makes sense if there is a legitimate effort by the state to inform people of its existence."

The law requires the department to post no less than three signs per mile on the perimeter of a forbidden area, a frequency which could allow people to slip past without noticing. Durand said the warden pointed out a small sign, and state law allows them to be of any size as long as they "fairly advise" persons where they are not allowed.

Durand said some students have been to court already, seeing a partial reduction in the fine. Some more are in court Tuesday, while more are upcoming.

"Honestly, if it been more marked and more clear that you weren't supposed to be in there, we wouldn't have gone in there," Durand said.

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