GGBA op-ed in the SF Chronicle

GGBA Executive Director Mike Lynes speaks out on behalf of wildlife and balanced uses of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in an op-ed in today’s San Francisco Chronicle (Friday, February 7). The following is a copy of his article.

GGNRA dog plan offers balance, protection

By Michael Lynes, Executive Director of Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Everyone agrees the Golden Gate National Recreation Area should be managed to balance a wide range of activities – picnicking, dog walking, jogging, wildlife viewing and more. But just what exactly is “balance”?
Right now, management of the GGNRA is tilted sharply toward use by dogs and their owners. Not everyone wants to be surrounded by dogs when out for a hike or a picnic. But there’s almost nowhere to go in the San Francisco sections of the GGNRA if you wish to enjoy the park without dogs. Dogs freely chase birds up and down Ocean Beach; Fort Funston has become a de facto dog run. Even after years of controversy, dog owners comply with leash requirements less than 30 percent of the time on Ocean Beach.
Dog-related recreation has real impacts on the GGNRA. At Fort Funston, it has contributed to the extirpation of some wildlife, including brush rabbits and California quail (San Francisco’s official bird). While a dog chasing a shorebird may look like fun, the bird is expending valuable energy fleeing what it sees as a deadly predator. Every year, the National Park Service records hundreds of attacks by dogs on wildlife, visitors, park personnel and other dogs.

The new dog management plan proposed by the GGNRA is a fair and thoughtful attempt to accommodate a variety of recreational activities in the most popular areas of the park, while ensuring that this urban oasis is protected for future generations.
Dogs and their owners in San Francisco will continue to have ample space for outdoor recreation. Under the proposed plan, the GGNRA will remain the only national park with any off-leash dog areas, and will offer more on-leash access than any other national park. In the San Francisco section of the GGNRA alone, there will be at least four off-leash dog play areas and more than 21 miles of on-leash areas, including trails and beaches.
That’s in addition to more than 28 official off-leash dog areas in the San Francisco city park system – more off-leash play space per capita than any other U.S. city, according to city officials.
The plan’s biggest weakness is that it does not require clear enough demarcation of where dog recreation should occur. Clearly marking the boundaries of off-leash areas – through signage, ropes or natural barriers such as bushes – would benefit dog owners, other park users and park management. Owners would know where it’s OK to let their dogs run free, and less enforcement would be needed.
Golden Gate Bird Alliance recognizes that dogs are a beloved part of our community, and dog walking is an important recreational activity. It needs to be accommodated in San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties. But the burden of doing so cannot be placed solely on the GGNRA and must be addressed by local governments as well.
While not perfect, the proposed dog management plan will help GGNRA meet its dual obligation to manage both recreation and the park’s natural resources. It addresses the needs of dog owners as well as other users such as hikers, families with children, the elderly, people with mobility challenges and those who want to view and protect wildlife. That is a step toward real balance – and toward making the park a welcoming place for all San Franciscans.

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The National Park Service, which manages the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is taking public comments on the new dog management plan until Feb. 18.  Please help us stand up for wildlife! Make your voice heard by filing a comment online! 
Click here to share your experiences and views with the National Park Service in an online comment. 
Click here to read more about the history of the dog problem in the GGNRA.