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NATURAL AREAS HEARING!
CONTINUED
TREES, TRAILS, PETS, AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION!
The Recreation and Park Department's CITYWIDE DOG POLICY bans dogs, on or off-leash, from all so-called SENSITIVE HABITAT AREAS and would effectively ban dogs from all other NATURAL AREAS. Our only recourse would be to go before a Dog Advisory Committee appointed by RPD and loaded with opponents of off-leash recreation (California Native Plant Society, Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Coleman Advocates, etc.).
While always describing NATURAL AREAS as small or very small, draft Management Plan, Table 3-3, shows that RPD expects Natural Areas to encompass 2,350 acres, 67% of San Franciscos parklands, including 200 acres of Golden Gate Park and such popular offleash areas as:
· Bernal Hill
· Glen Canyon
· McLaren Park
· Stern Grove/Pine Lake
· and 30 other parks -- 2,350 acres 67% of San Franciscos parklands
Draft plans call for extensive tree removals, trail closures, and restrictions on pets, recreation and public access in the Natural Areas. The Natural Areas Program has already started extensive tree destruction without proper notice or review, killing thousands of trees at Bayview Hill, McLaren Park and elsewhere.
RPD is attempting to take our parklands out of recreational use without public process. The 3-year, $400,000 Natural Areas planning project is near completion. RPD has ignored the requirement to include public participation from the beginning of the planning process, including the creation of a Citizen Task Force that would monitor the progress of the consultant. Having been discovered, they are offering a biased and meaningless Green Ribbon Panel that would comment on what has already been decided.
A Green Ribbon is Only a Decoration!
The San Francisco Parks Coalition and CITYDOGS believes that RPD should be required to halt the Natural Areas planning process until it has been subjected to full review by the public, including the primary users of San Franciscos undeveloped parklands, dog owners, and by the Board of Supervisors.
The Neighborhood Services and Recreation Committee has granted us a hearing -- DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED.
The committee members are Gavin Newsom, Mark Leno, and Jake McGoldrick.
Please contact them and/or your supervisor (see sample letter at end of this message) to express your concern and insist on a moratorium on the Natural Areas planning project until it fully surveys, consults with, and includes the community, especially local park users (sample letter below).
Neighborhood Services and Recreation Committee:
District 2 Gavin.Newsom@sfgov.org
Office: 554-5942 Fax: 554-5946
District 1 Jake.McGoldrick@sfgov.org
Office: 554-7410 Fax: 554-7415
District 8 Mark.Leno@sfgov.org
Office: 554-7734 Fax: 554-7739
Other Supervisors:
District 3 aaron_peskin@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-7454/ phone: 554-7450
District 4 leland_yee@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-7751/ phone: 554-7752
District 5 matt_gonzalez@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-7634/ phone: 554-7630
District 6 chris_daly@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-7974/ phone: 554-7970
District 7 tony_hall@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-6546/ phone: 554-6516
District 9 tom_ammiano@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-6255/ phone: 554-5144
District 10 sophie_maxwell@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-7674/ phone: 554-7670
District 11 gerardo_sandoval@ci.sf.ca.us
fax 554-6979/ phone: 554-6975
Sample letter or email:
TO: SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
1 Dr. Carlton Goodlet Place, Rm 244
San Francisco, CA 94102
RE:NATURAL AREAS MORATORIUM
Dear Supervisor:
I am very concerned about tree cutting, trail closures, and restrictions on pets and recreation in the proposed Natural Areas.
Please support San Francisco Parks Coalitions request for a MORATORIUM on the Natural Areas Program and planning process until full public disclosure and participation is ensured.
The public should be given full information and allowed full participation in the planning process from the beginning. After-the-fact review by a Green Ribbon Panel is insufficient.
Thank you for your concern,
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR REC & PARK DOG POLICY HEARING
from Supervisor Leland Yee
The Recreation and Park Commission will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 8, 2002, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place in the Board of Supervisors Chamber, Room 250.
All persons interested in responding to the Recreation and Park Department Draft Dog Policy should make plans to attend this hearing. The Draft Dog Policy is available on line at http://parks.sfgov.org or by writing to the Department at 501 Stanyan Street, San Francisco, CA 94117.
The GGNRA Watchdog site always has great info and important action alerts. Click here to visit. FORT FUNSTON AND VICINITY ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY PLAN PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY, 24 JANUARY, 1-3:00 PM and 6-8:00 PM Golden Gate Club, Presidio, San Francisco |