City Asks For More On-Leash Areas, Gradualism in New GGNRA Dog Plan

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is completing a plan eight years in the making that will update dog leash laws at Bay Area parks, including four in Pacifica.

The public input segment of the process ended Monday, May 30. A committee appointed by the Pacifica City Council, called the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Liaison Committee, sent a letter suggesting what it sees as positive modifications to the federal agency’s plan and asking for gradualism in implementing strict enforcement of the new rules, which could include fines. It also asked the federal agency to work with the city in identifying a location for an off-leash area in Pacifica.

Despite the perception among some dog owners that the update is a crackdown on their ability to enjoy parks with their pets, the purpose of the process, according to the GGNRA, is to replace federal regulation with a GGNRA-specific rule to “better address local concerns and legalize off-leash recreation.” The new plan would in fact create a special rule that, on a few sites such as Rodeo Beach and Crissy Field, would allow an exception to existing federal law that prohibits off-leash dogs in any national park except for the very few where hunting is allowed.

But in Pacifica and many other areas, there will be no off-leash areas. Instead, on-leash areas will be clearly marked and enforced and “no dogs allowed” areas will dominate the GGNRA open space.

“It is almost certain the “alternatives” selected will result in a change to the status quo with requirements that dogs be leashed, limited or banned from areas that were previously used for off leash recreation,” the liaison committee wrote in its letter. “[This] includes an enforcement component as well.” 

As part of the update process, the GGNRA created a 2,400-page-long Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in which options for on-leash areas, off-leash areas and areas where dogs will be forbidden in 21 of the most trafficked GGNRA parks are considered. In the end, the agency suggests a “preferred alternative”, on which the liaison committee based its remarks.

New rules on Pacifica’s GGNRA lands

Four areas in Pacifica could be affected in GGNRA’s preferred alternative: Mori Point, the Pedro Point Headlands, Milagra Ridge and Sweeney Ridge/Cattle Hill.

At Mori point, on-leash dog walking would be allowed along the Coastal Trail, on Old Mori Point Road and on the beach within the GGNRA boundary. The GGNRA did not mark any areas off-leash.

According to the DEIS, “[This plan] was selected because it provides protection to sensitive habitat, the California red-legged frog, and San Francisco garter snake. Additionally, [it] provides adequate space for multiple user groups and provides access to the site from the adjacent neighborhoods. The site would be clearly signed and would be easily enforceable by park rangers and law enforcement.”

The liaison committee suggested in its letter to the GGNRA that the preferred alternative be modified to allow for on-leash dog access to the Polywog Path, which runs perpendicular from Old Mori Point road west to the golf course, and the Tmigtac Trail, which runs east to west across Mori Point from the Coastal Trail (see attached map in gallery to the right).

“We believe the likelihood of either the red-legged frog or the San Francisco garter snake being harmed or negatively affected [by on-leash dogs] is extremely remote,” the liaison committee wrote in its letter. “Furthermore, the “Polywog” trail is an example of where it is important to maintain neighborhood access from Old Mori Point Road to Fairway Drive. This trail runs parallel to a long fence line and is clearly not a species migratory corridor.” 

Paul Jones, chair of the liaison committee, said at a city council meeting on May 23 that if harm to native species is what the GGNRA is most concerned about, it should be more concerned about cyclists on Old Mori Point Road that could easily run over frogs and snakes without noticing.

On Milagra Ridge, where the endangered Mission Blue butterfly lives, on-leash dog walking would be allowed on the Fire Road, the trail to the western overlook and WWII bunker and on the Milagra Batter Trail, which will eventually serve as a connector to lower Milagra (see attached map in gallery to the right).

According to the DEIS, this plan “provides both a dog and no-dog experience at the site. This alternative provides protection for species and is consistent with the park-wide policy regarding Mission Blue butterfly habitat areas. [It] would reduce further fragmentation of the habitat at this site. There has been ongoing outreach to the community by park staff and much community involvement in restoration efforts at Milagra. It is anticipated that the community would be supportive of continued leash regulations at this site.” 

The liaison committee made no comments in its letter regarding Milagra Ridge.

On Sweeney Ridge/Cattle Hill, there would be no dog walking allowed in the Sweeney Ridge area and on-leash dog walking allowed on the Baquiano Trail from Fassler Avenue to Farallons View Trail (see attached map in the gallery to the right). 

According to the DEIS, this plan “protects the Mission Blue butterfly habitat and large area of undisturbed contiguous habitat that is rare and contains wildlife that could be disturbed by the presence of dogs. The site is contiguous with the San Francisco watershed, which also doesn’t allow dogs.”

In its letter, the liaison committee wrote that the GGNRA’s preferred alternative should include on-leash access to the Baquiano Trail via Sneath Lane and National Parks Service easement trail.

“We suggest that the thick chaparral on the Baquiano side and the fact that the Sneath lane/[National Parks Service] trail is paved would prevent most if not all dogs from accessing the property off the trails (in the event there is non-compliance with the leash law),” reads the committee’s letter. “Proper enforcement of the rules should ensure that few if any violations occur, in which case the environmental effects from the site access on this parcel would be minimal.”

The Pedro Point Headlands are not part of the GGNRA yet, but the federal agency plans to incorporate them, so it proposed a plan for the area. GGNRA suggested on-leash dog walking on the Coastal Trail but nowhere else (see map in the gallery to the right).

The liaison committee found it difficult to criticize the GGNRA’s suggested plan for the Pedro Point Headlands because the agency did not have clearly marked trails on its map. Therefore, it suggested that the GGNRA use a map created through a cooperative effort of the Pacifica Land Trust and the National Park Service in recent years do better define leash laws in the area.

“We suggest incorporating the trails map from that effort as a starting place for discussion of possible on-leash dog access on Pedro Point,” the committee wrote in its letter. “It seems reasonable to assume that as soon as the Devil’s Slide tunnel is open and the segment of Highway 1 between the two portals is abandoned and turned over to public foot and bicycle access, Pedro Point will become a popular destination.”

More specifically, the committee wrote in its letter that it “seems reasonable to consider on-leash access from the old parking area up the south ridge, north to the middle ridge, and then back to the east via the ridge or the valley trail between those two ridges” (see attached map in the gallery to the right).

Gradualism

In an appeal for gradualism, the liaison committee asked that the GGNRA take a multimedia approach to public outreach in Pacifica leading up to the implementation of the new rules by using newspapers, television, websites, clubs, organizations and public meetings for reminders and venues for explanations.

“Despite the considerable publicity surrounding the DEIS and potential dog management rule changes coming, there will always be a subset of the public that will be caught unaware when these changes are implemented,” the committee wrote in its letter to the GGNRA.

The committee also registered concern over how suddenly the enforcement aspect of the new plan could take effect, by which park officials can issue citations to dog owners in violation of the new rules and, if not enough dog owners are complying, stricter regulations can be implemented.

The committee asked that compliance requirements and enforcement actions take effect gradually, with a “sufficient period of informal warnings to ensure all park users are aware of the management changes.”

In order to achieve this, the GGNRA could work with local dog owner groups such as POOCH, the committee suggested. 

The committee also worries that the new leash laws at GGNRA parks may lead to overuse of other public places, such as city parks and sidewalks. There could also be an economic impact if dog owners take their pets elsewhere after the new laws are in place, the committee mused in its letter. 

Adequate signage at transition points between GGNRA land and city-owned land, such as occurs at Mori Point, will be necessary to avoid dog owners receiving citations unexpectedly, the committee wrote.

Lastly, the committee asked the GGNRA to take another look at potential sites for an off-leash area on its lands or adjacent to its lands, which do not exist in its preferred alternative. 

Jones recommended the Shelldance site along Highway 1 as one possible option.  

The GGNRA should have a final Environmental Impact Study drafted in late spring or early summer of 2012 and plans to begin implementing the new rules in the late summer and early Fall of 2012. 

Stay tuned for another story about the enforcement components of the plan.