ROVER REPORT
Lisa Ferreira keeps you up-to-date on off-leash recreation issues
Hello Gentle Readers (and
canine companions): It’s been awhile
since my last off-leash report, so I
thought I’d weigh-in with updates
on some popular off-leash recreation
destinations.
SAN FRANCISCO
As you may be aware, dogs and
their people who enjoy Ocean Beach,
Crissy Field, and other popular offleash
areas within the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area (GGNRA)
have been plagued with spotty legislation
and politics since the late 70s. It
looks like that’s not going to change
any time soon.
Background
Twelve Golden Gate National
Recreation Area (GGNRA) park sites
have been closed to off-leash dogs
since 1979. The sites have been up for
reconsideration since the GGNRA
implemented its 1979 Pet Policy, the
guiding principles of which are mostly
biased against dogs. Currently, offleash
recreation is allowed on less than
one percent of GGNRA acreage.
The illegal closure of most
of Ocean Beach by GGNRA superintendent
Brian O’Neill under the
premise of protecting the snowy
plover was a farce. After declaring
an “environmental emergency,” the
plover’s former habitat was bulldozed
by the GGNRA itself.
Recently Ocean Beach (at
Vicente Street) landed on the Natural
Resources Defense Council list of
California’s ten foulest beaches in
terms of water pollution. For more
on that story, see this piece in the
Los Angeles Times: www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beach29-
2008jul29,0,5232408.story. For the
time being, perhaps we should keep
our dogs away from the surf there.
Where We Are Today
In June of 2008, Nancy Pelosi
and the GGNRA introduced congressional
legislation, HR6305, that
would change the name from Golden
Gate National Recreation Area to
Golden Gate National Parks. Sounds
like a minor technicality, but in fact
this change would make further
restrictions easier.
In response, a group has formed
called the GGNRA Recreational
Users Coalition, consisting of people
who use the parks for recreation
– such as wind surfers, board sailors,
and horse riders – in addition to offleash
dog enthusiasts. The coalition
is requesting that HR 6305 be put
on hold until the next Congressional
Session begins in January 2009, and
that Pelosi’s office hold local hearings
in the affected counties (Marin, San
Francisco, and San Mateo) in the
interim so the public can air its legitimate
concerns.
Pelosi’s office has reportedly been
surprised at the concern about the name change, stating that it is not the
intent of the bill to remove recreation
from parks. However, this is exactly
what the name change would allow.
There is concern that, because of the
politically risky ruckus, the bill may
be tacked on as an amendment in
a larger omnibus parks bill and slip
through the cracks.
The bill was scheduled for review
in September 2008. If it hasn’t
happened as of the time of this publication,
there is still time to act. Check
out the SF Dog website for updates
and action alerts: http://sfdog.org/
news/news.htm.
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