Press Release from SF Stupidvisor John Avalos regarding Sharp Park

Here is the press release from San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos introducing legislation to close Sharp Park golf course, manage the park as open space and restore endangered species habitat in partnership with the National Park Service. For more information about the campaign to restore Sharp Park, see http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/restoring_sharp_park_california/index.html

For Immediate Release May 17, 2011
Contact:
Raquel Redondiez, 415-554-7896
Supervisor John Avalos, 415-359-8367

Supervisor John Avalos Calls for New Partnership with National Park Service
To Save Endangered Species and Improve Public Recreation at Sharp Park

Legislation will protect the California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake

San Francisco – Today Supervisor John Avalos called for legislation to protect two endangered species—the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake— safeguard essential city services, and provide recreational opportunities everyone can enjoy at Sharp Park, a City-owned golf course in Pacifica, California. The legislation calls for the City to work in partnership with the National Park Service to repurpose Sharp Park from a golf course to a new open space managed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This will provide highly sought-after recreation opportunities while allowing San Francisco to redirect scarce recreation dollars to neighborhood parks and community centers threatened by the City’s ongoing budget deficits.
“The status quo is not sustainable at Sharp Park,” said Supervisor John Avalos. “Time is running out for these endangered species: San Francisco must act promptly to give future generations the opportunity to see these species in their natural habitats at Sharp Park. A partnership with the National Park Service will make Sharp Park more accessible while simultaneously allowing the City to reinvest resources into its neighborhood golf courses, parks, and recreation centers.”
For many years, San Francisco has been draining wetlands at Sharp Park to operate a golf course on the property, but the practice has led to severe cost over-runs and ongoing harm to two endangered species. These environmental problems have subjected San Francisco to enforcement actions by regulatory agencies and litigation from several environmental organizations, including the Wild Equity Institute, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Sequoia Audubon Society.
“We owe it to future generations to provide sustainable recreation that everyone, from San Mateo to San Francisco and beyond, has an opportunity to enjoy,” said Supervisor Avalos. “Working together, San Francisco and the National Park Service can create a new model that will serve Bay Area residents for generations to come.”
In addition to the environmental constraints, Sharp Park has struggled with ongoing budget deficits caused by a structural imbalance in the golf market. A 2008 San Francisco-commissioned study found that the Bay Area supplies six-million more rounds of golf annually than Bay Area golfers actually demand. Because of this, public courses in Oakland, San Jose, Livermore, and Marin County have been proposed for closure or sale for private development.
At the same time, San Francisco residents have stated repeatedly that their primary recreation demand is for more hiking and biking trails, while golf has fallen to 16th out of 19 recreational opportunities offered by the City.
“My legislation will allow San Francisco to strategically realign its golf courses to meet the challenge of today’s market, while increasing access to affordable golf throughout San Francisco,” said Supervisor Avalos. “At the same time we can match current demand of our parks by repurposing existing recreational lands and providing a more secure future for wildlife on the brink of extinction.”

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Jeff Miller

Conservation Advocate

Center for Biological Diversity

351 California Street, Suite 600

San Francisco, CA 94104

Phone: (415) 436-9682 x303

Fax: (415) 436-9683

Web site: www.biologicaldiversity.org

At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild plants and animals.  Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.  We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive.

Submitted by Lionel Emde