12-Acre
Closure Book
1:FFDW Org
2:Enabling
3:Survey
6:Erosion
Editor: fortfunston@hotmail.com
Webmaster: Wedosites@mail.com
ALERT
!
Off-leash
(Update #1)
The Park Service has started
an intensive education program that includes new signage, brochures stating “5
Reasons to Leash Your Dog”, and free leashes. When we protested that this
program is an attempt to intimidate people and prevent them from using the
parks, we were told that the program would not result in a change in traditional
enforcement practices. Superintendent
Brian O’Neill stated, “Enforcement will remain the same, at the discretion
of rangers and aimed only at aggressive
or destructive dogs.” (Chronicle editorial April 11, 2001, emphasis
added.)
In spite of
this promise, many of you were warned by rangers at Fort Funston last week that
the leash law is about to be enforced everywhere in the GGNRA. The GGNRA public
affairs office assured us again that there is no planned change in enforcement.
We don’t know why there is such a disconnect between their public
position and rangers’ actions. Let’s choose to believe what they have said
so publicly – that enforcement remains at the discretion of rangers and aimed
only at aggressive or destructive dogs.
Please
don’t let the GGNRA drive you out of Fort Funston. Continue
to walk your dogs responsibly and off-leash. We can’t guarantee that you
won’t receive a citation (at a possible cost of $50), but you can minimize
your risk by continuing to follow these basic rules:
- Pick up after your dogs -
always.
- Carry one leash per dog
and use it if necessary to control your dog.
- Don't let your dogs
harass wildlife or destroy resources (don't dig!)
- Stay out of the fenced
areas.
- Don't let your dogs
harass people or other dogs.
If
you do receive a leash violation citation, be careful not to let the
encounter escalate into a more serious offense. Use your passion in a more
productive way (see reverse). Write up your version of the encounter as soon as
you can and be sure to include the ranger’s name and names of people willing
to be witnesses for you. Email fortfunston@hotmail.com
or call (415) 273-5715 and let us know that you’ve received a
citation. Then, you can decide whether to pay the ticket or fight it in court.
Many of us plan to fight all tickets received while walking dogs under control
in traditional off-leash areas.
There
are many reasons why we believe we should be able to walk our dogs off-leash
while we work with the Park Service to create a special regulation for off-leash
walking. If you receive a citation, you may want to give some of this
information to the ranger (education works both ways!) or use it when fighting
your ticket.
- On
April 7th, 2001, a GGNRA public affairs officer stated that “ .
. . rangers will be giving $50 citations only
to owners whose dogs are destroying natural resources or causing problems.”
(Chronicle article by Peter Fimrite)
- On
April 11th, 2001, GGNRA Superintendent Brian O’Neill stated,
“Enforcement will remain the same, at the discretion of rangers and aimed
only at aggressive or destructive dogs.” (Chronicle editorial)
·
The Park Service claims that
they never accepted the Pet Policy. The fact is that the 1979 Pet Policy was
accepted in full by GGNRA General Superintendent Lynn Thompson on October 6,
1978 “ . . . We are accepting in total
the Commissions recommendations for each of these areas.”
(Emphasis added)
·
As stated in the Park
Service’s own documents: “The 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.”
Advanced Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (Update # 1)
(Volunteers
needed now! Please read further.)
On
January 23, 2001, the Advisory Commission was presented with a motion to rescind
the 1979 Pet Policy. Over 1,500 people came, filling the meeting rooms and
standing outside in the rain, waiting to be heard on this issue. Recognizing the
passion around this issue, the Advisory Commission decided to take no action.
Chairman Bartke recommended that the Park Service form a stakeholders group to
find a workable solution. This turned into “ANPR”.
(See Park Service updates at
http://www.nps.gov/goga/pets/index.htm)
On March
21, 2001, the National Park Service (NPS) announced it would pursue an Advanced
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to determine whether the park should engage
in formal rulemaking regarding pet management in the Golden Gate National
Recreational Area (GGNRA). If
undertaken, the formal rulemaking process would specifically address how pet use
of the park would be managed at the GGNRA.
The draft
ANPR has been submitted to Washington and is under review by the Department of
Interior. When all departments approve it, it will be published in the Federal
Register and the comment period will begin. The Federal Register notice will
announce how and when the public comment will be taken.
What do we need from you?
This really
depends on your level of commitment and ability to volunteer. At minimum, when
the comment period starts, we want comments (letters) from everyone who
believes that the GGNRA can continue to support off-leash recreation.
- Letters:
In the interim we may ask for letters to city supervisors, Secretary Norton
and others if the ANPR process gets stalled, or if the Park Service
aggressively enforces the leash law. Remember
– no matter how many other letters you have written or may write you
still must send a letter when the ANPR comment period starts.
- Volunteer:
We’re forming committees now in preparation for the ANPR process. We will
need volunteers at all levels of skill and interest – legal (lawyers and
paralegals), environmental (biologists, environmentalists), research of all
types, lobbying and public relations, graphic design, and volunteers for
data entry, petitions, handing out flyers, etc. Please email fortfunston@hotmail.com
and let us know your skills or interest, and how much time you
can give to this effort.
- Money:
We need to cover copying costs and buy materials for the ANPR process. At
this time we aren’t paying lawyers, but other costs have to be covered.
Please send checks to FFDW and put “Offleash” in the memo field so we
can keep it separate from renewals. Send to FFDW, PO Box 959, Daly City CA
94017-0959.
What next?
As soon as
the ANPR is published in the Federal Register we’ll call a meeting to bring
everyone up to date on the work that has to be accomplished. Look for this in
future email updates or check www.fortfunstonforum.com,
www.fortfunstondog.com, or
www.sfdog.org.
Not getting
email updates?
You may not
be a member of Fort Funston Dog Walkers – or we may not have your email
address. Send an email to
fortfunston@hotmail.com
and we’ll add you to the email update list.