Castle Street Review: Dog Day Afternoon

April 27, 2011

Dogs in the San Francisco Bay area are facing a threat to their freedom to run in Golden Gate National Recreation Area parks. Since 1979, dogs have been allowed off leash in approximately 1% of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, but it is a wonderful 1%. The Golden Gate National Recreational Area parks are well-loved by locals and visitors, and Bay area residents will be familiar with the park land that is at stake.

The Golden Gate National Recreational Area (GGNRA) was established in 1972, signed into law by President Richard Nixon. GGNRA is administered by the National Park Service, which was in charge of the original $120 million allocation to buy land and historic sites in the Bay area. The first GGNRA properties included Alcatraz and Fort Mason, which were purchased from the U.S. Army. The Nature Conservancy purchased land in the Marin Headlands that was originally targeted for a project by Gulf Oil Company and then transferred the ownership to GGNRA.

The National Park Service purchased Muir Woods in Marin County, Lands End, Baker Beach, the Sutro Baths and historic Cliff House restaurant in San Francisco, and Sweeney Ridge in San Mateo County. Many former military bases have also been purchased by the GGNRA, including Fort Funston, The Presidio and Chrissy Field.

Currently dogs can be off leash within eyesight of their owner at Fort Funston, Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, the Marin Headlands, Muir Beach, Sweeney Ridge, Baker Beach, Mori Point, and Lands End.

As a dog owner, I believe that allowing dogs to play off leash in GGNRA parks is one of the great benefits of living in San Francisco. The 110,000 dog owners in the city largely agree, and have been vehemently protesting a proposed change that would limit areas in the parks where dogs can be off leash.

In January 2011, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area released a draft proposal that examined whether dogs can remain free to roam off leash in twenty-one areas of the GGNRA parks. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement evaluates six proposals for “Dog Management” and has evoked passionate responses from dog lovers, environmentalists, and park lovers who want to enjoy the outdoors without dogs.

The GGNRA report seeks to “strike a balance between park landscape, native wildlife and the 16 million visitors” that visit the parks each year, and describes how unleashed dogs are causing damage to GGNRA parks in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. Park officials say that the proposed regulations are needed to protect birds such as the Snowy Plover and to reduce conflicts between users of the parks. The GGNRA proposal is supported by the local Audobon society and several local environmental non-profits.

Currently, the GGNRA is the only federal park system in California that allow dogs to run freely off their leashes. GGNRA parks are unique in their dog policy because they are considered “urban recreation areas”. In 1979, a Citizens Advisory Commission developed GGNRA’s official Pet Policy for the National Park Service land. The policy allows dogs to play off leash, stating that "ordinary guidelines outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations do not really apply in an urban area. People and their animals have been visiting the park for too long to apply an all-inclusive arbitrary policy."

On April 27, 2011 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors came out on record against the federal proposal to restrict off leash areas in GGNRA parks. Prior to their decision, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee had also publicly opposed the measure.

The public comment period on the Environmental Impact Statement will end on May 29, 2011 and the plan will go back to GGNRA management for analysis. The Final Environmental Impact Statement will then be released for public comment. According to the National Park Service website, after that public comment period, the final regulations for dog walking will be published in the Federal Register.

Stay tuned...