News and Events

Off-Leash Recreation Action Alerts: San Francisco & East Bay

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) released a draft Dog Management Plan on January 14th, 2011 that would drastically reduce or eliminate off-leash recreation areas on San Francisco coastline owned by the National Parks Service (NPS) including Ft. Funston, Ocean Beach and Crissy Field. Under the GGNRA's proposed plan, this already minimal space would be reduced to leash-only in the parking lot and perhaps a few trails. Many believe that the implementation of these new rules would be first giant step towards eliminating all canines on the coast. (For more details of the 1,000-page draft plan, go to parkplanning.nps.gov/dogplan.)

What can you do? Stay tuned to www.eco-dog.org for ongoing action alerts and to make your voice heard. When you communicate with the GGNRA and others, be respectful in your tone and provide reasoned responses to specific points rather than an emotional appeal. You can email comments via parkplanning.nps.gov/dogplan. The time to help is short: We've got until May 29th (extended from April 14th) to submit opposition.

Another way to improve our chances of success is making sure you and your canine companions are good ambassadors for all dogs in the city. If the current leash laws are enforced and responsible owners and professional walkers keep their packs well-behaved and properly dispose of waste, maybe we can continue to enjoy off-leash recreation in some of the most beautiful places in the world.

East Bay Off-Leash

The East Bay dog community faces off-leash challenges of its own. The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is in the process of updating its Master Plan and contemplating whether or not to continue allowing off-leash dogs in undeveloped areas of the parks. You can help by weighing in with your dog-friendly opinions via the EBRPD survey at www.ebparks.org/planning/mp/survey. The current off-leash policies can be found at www.ebparks.org/activities/dogs/faq#q2.

In other East Bay off-leash news, revised dog rules have been proposed for the Albany Bulb, a long-time favorite romping ground for many East Bay dogs and their people on the site of a former garbage dump west of Highway 80 in Albany. It encompasses several different areas variously managed by the State of California, the City of Albany, and EBRPD.

The popular off-leash beach area is under the jurisdiction of the State, which generally bans off-leash dogs on beaches. There is one exception, Pt. Isabel in Richmond, and canine advocates hope a similar exception will be made for the Bulb.

The City of Albany's Waterfront Committee has drafted the new dog policy for Albany's shoreline. At a "workshop" convened on February 11 by the Committee and the Parks & Recreation Commission, passionate off-leash advocates spoke out in droves, but a few spoke in favor of more dog regulation, citing concerns over bird populations. If you care about the future of The Bulb, please stay informed and get active. Stay tuned to www.albanybulb.com for further details.

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