The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) that comprises 80,000 acres of open space in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties is trying, once again, to kick people out of popular beaches and trails from Muir Beach down to Half Moon Bay.
This September, the GGNRA unveiled a proposed General Management Plan that will change how it manages its lands for the next 20 years. There is no longer any mention of preserving recreational open space for traditional uses like hang gliding, dog walking, surfing, fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, and other recreational uses. That was the primary mission listed in the legislation that created the GGNRA in 1972. Instead, the new Plan declares the GGNRA’s mission to be to provide a “national park experience” for visitors, equating the GGNRA, an urban park in a heavily populated area, with a remote pristine wilderness like Yellowstone.
According to the new Plan, over 90% of GGNRA land will be classified as “natural zones”, managed to provide “backcountry types of visitor experiences.” So, two-thirds of Ocean Beach and most of Fort Funston, which have over 8,000 visitors a day and border a city of 800,000, will be managed for a “backcountry visitor experience.” To achieve this, the Plan will “control access” to GGNRA land.
The proposed Plan also pledges to “aggressively address” threats to resources. Given the GGNRA’s history of viewing dog walking and other recreation as a “threat,” this can only mean aggressive enforcement against anyone who “dares” come to the GGNRA for recreation.
In a final irony, the GGNRA calls this new Plan: “Connecting People with the Parks.”
This new Plan follows the GGNRA Dog Management Plan proposed last January that would close 90% of the designated off-leash space (currently less than 1% of the GGNRA’s 80,000 acres) to people with dogs, and severely restrict where you can walk on-leash. Public comment overwhelmingly opposed that plan, and we are now waiting to see how they respond to the criticism.
However, the new Plan goes beyond the on- or off-leash debate. Yes, dog walkers may be forced out of most of the GGNRA. But so may nearly all recreational users under this separate but equally ominous General Management Plan.
It is critically important that people comment on this new plan. Insist the GGNRA not change its mandate. Insist its mission continue to be to “provide for the maintenance of needed recreational open space.” Oppose the GGNRA’s
Preferred Alternative for the new General Management Plan (“Connecting People with the Parks”), and instead support the “No Change” Alternative that makes no major changes in what can go on where.
If we don’t speak now, we could lose access to the GGNRA forever. Comments are due Friday, December 9, 2011. To submit comment: http://www.tinyurl.com/44bkx44 or mail/deliver to: Superintendent, GGNRA, Attn: Draft GMP/EIS, Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123
For more information, go to: www.sfdog.org and saveoffleash.wordpress.com.
Sally Stephens is the Chair of SFDOG, and has been fighting to preserve access to the GGNRA and city parks for people and dogs for what feels like forever.
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