Federal plan would ban, leash dogs in many parks

Dog owners in the Bay Area will get their chance Friday to chew over a voluminous management plan for man's best friend on Golden Gate National Recreation Area land - a proposal that would require dogs to be leashed in many areas where they once ran free and would ban them entirely from other areas.

The preferred alternative outlined in the new 2,400-page document says park officials should keep dogs out of parts of San Francisco's Crissy Field, Ocean Beach and Fort Funston. They would be banned entirely at Muir Beach, a decades-old hound haven in Marin County.

The exhaustive plan, which at 14.7 pounds weighs twice as much as a Chihuahua, was deemed necessary in large part because past efforts to restrict off-leash dogs infuriated pet owners, who say there is no way to give a canine adequate exercise on a leash.

Protests, civil disobedience and court challenges ensued, and at one point San Francisco supervisors threatened to take back parklands from the federal government if off-leash rights were revoked.

Leash laws were eventually implemented on portions of Ocean Beach under an emergency order to protect the snowy plover, a federally protected bird, but a 2005 U.S. District Court decision prohibited controversial changes in the recreation area's 1979 pet policy unless the park completed a lengthy public rule-making process.

Balancing needs of users

Frank Dean, the superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said the proposal is an attempt to balance the needs of all the users while protecting natural and historic resources.

"The status quo is not really tenable," Dean said. "It's confusing where you can go with your dog, and some people are not comfortable with dogs. ... Our goal here is to bring some clarity to it. It will remain the only national park where you can take your dog off-leash."

The combination dog management plan and draft environmental report analyzes five alternatives for dog walking in 21 areas of the 75,000-acre park, which encompasses parts of San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin counties.

Dean said the goal of the draft plan is to come up with a policy that is fair to everybody, but many canine fanciers have long been skeptical. They believe the recreation area simply wants to rescind the 1979 policy, which set aside about 1 percent of the park for people to romp free with their furry friends.

No day at the beach

The recreation area's preferred alternative is likely to curl a few more lips, particularly in San Francisco and Marin.

Among other things, the plan would prohibit dogs on or off-leash at East Beach, the most popular off-leash area at Crissy Field. The wildlife protection area and tidal marsh at Crissy Field also would be off-limits to dogs. Off-leash dogs would be allowed on Central Beach, a long section of beach just west of the artificial tidal inlet, and in the central grassy portion of the Crissy Air Field, according to the proposal.

Ocean Beach, Fort Funston

On Ocean Beach, off-leash dog walking would be allowed only north of Stairwell 21, which is closest to the Cliff House. No dogs at all would be allowed south of that area on the beach.

Fort Funston dog walkers would be limited to unleashing their pets south of the beach access trail and north of the main parking lot. Battery Davis, the Sunset and Horse trails and the bluffs overlooking the beach would be off-limits. The parking lot, sand ladder and other trails would require dogs to be on leashes.

All off-leash areas in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area would require dog owners to have their pets under voice control.